Teaching an online lesson
Join your online lesson, check your camera, let students in and run the lesson.
Updated 18 October 2026
Why this exists
Starting an online lesson with a camera that does not work, or students stuck outside, wastes the first ten minutes. Here tutors check their camera and microphone before joining, see who is waiting and whether their check had trouble, and let everyone in with one tap. Families always see who else is in the room.
Before you start
The lesson must be booked as Online classroom, and online lessons must be switched on for your centre. You can join from 15 minutes before the start until 30 minutes after the end.
Join
- Open the lesson from Today or your calendar and choose Open the online classroom.
- Check yourself: you see your camera, a microphone meter and a test sound. Pick the right camera, microphone and speakers. A background blur or picture is under the camera choices, done on your own device.
- In Who's waiting you see each student and parent, with a badge if their camera or microphone check had trouble.
- Choose Join lesson, or Join and let everyone in.
Letting people in
Your centre chooses whether families come in as soon as you arrive or wait for you. If they wait, each name has a button to let them in, and Let everyone in appears when two or more are waiting.
The stage
The switch at the top changes what fills the screen:
- Board, the shared whiteboard (the usual view).
- Faces, everyone's video in a grid. Pin anyone with the pin on their tile.
- Screen, when someone shares their screen. It takes over by itself while they share.
The top bar shows the time left, and at five minutes you get a reminder to wrap up and send the board home.
Good to know
- Who is in the room is always shown: "Parent in the room" (or "Parent watching") and "Centre staff watching". There is no hidden viewer.
- A tutor's Maths tools button opens the tools in a new tab. A picture sent from there lands on the board.