Schools · pilot playbook
How a pilot runs, from the first email to the first report.
This is the sequence our own staff follow, written from the runbook we use rather than a brochure. It applies to every school, and it includes the parts we have not automated yet.
Six steps
What happens, in order.
Agree the pilot
One conversation settles the term, the seat count, a named school administrator and the plan label. We record the go-live date and seats in the plan note so both sides can see them.
We open the school
Our staff add the school and its administrator. The administrator receives a sign-in link, creates a password on the teacher portal, and the school exists from that moment. There is no waiting queue for schools we open ourselves.
The four-step checklist
The administrator's page shows the setup in order: set the term, invite the first teacher, create a class with its lead teacher, add learners. Nothing is hidden behind a support ticket.
Learners arrive by roster
One at a time, or a CSV roster of up to 200 rows with two columns: email and display name. The import is previewed before a single invitation is sent.
Consent before evidence
Joining a class is a consent step. Each learner is shown what the teacher will be able to see before they accept, and can unshare any single attempt afterwards. Private chats with NOVA never reach a teacher.
Teach, mark, review
Learners practise on their phones. Teachers open the attention queue, assign follow-ups and mark shared work with a NOVA draft they edit. We review the term with the school at the end.
Who sees what
Evidence moves one way: from the learner, by choice.
Teachers see the evidence a learner consented to when joining the class, and nothing the learner has withdrawn. Private conversations with NOVA stay private.
- Learner
Practises with NOVA
Recordings, transcripts and estimates stay in the learner's own account.
- Consent gate
Joins the class, eyes open
Before accepting, the learner is shown exactly what the teacher will see: 90 days of practice evidence. Consent is recorded.
- Learner
Can unshare any attempt
A single recording can be withdrawn afterwards. Private chats with NOVA are never visible to a teacher.
- Teacher
Sees the shared evidence
The recording, the transcript and the labelled estimate, with its source and date.
- Teacher
Marks. NOVA only drafts
NOVA suggests a comment from the evidence. The teacher edits and sends it, or does not.
What we ask of the school
Four things, none of them technical.
- A named administrator with a working email address, and a reply when the invitation lands.
- A term date range, so classes and reports have a frame.
- One teacher willing to run the first class and tell us what is wrong.
- Learners aged 16 or over, which is the age the service is designed for.
What YNova provides
People, not just software.
- A school-branded sign-in page for teachers, and the same app learners use everywhere.
- Staff who open the school, re-send invitations and watch the setup row until teachers, classes and learners all show a tick.
- Weekly shipping. Fixes from a pilot go to production, not into a backlog.
- A written review at the end of the term, with what worked and what did not.
Not automated yet
Two honest gaps.
We would rather you read these here than discover them in week one.
Invitation emails are sent by our sign-in provider
We record that the request was accepted, not that the message reached the inbox. If an invitation does not arrive, we re-send it by hand and ask the administrator to check spam.
Check-in reminders are stored, not sent
Teachers can plan a check-in with a learner. The reminder for it is saved on the record today; automatic delivery is on the list, and this page will change when it ships.
Run a pilot with us.
Tell us the term, the class and the teacher. We will open the school and stay on the row until every tick is green.
Or email contact@ynova.ai. Scores in the app are practice estimates, not official results.