How the layers work
Notes and reference sheets stack in layers, and no layer replaces another:
A student sees the layers that apply to them, each labelled with where it came from. Adding an extra for one class never hides the org-wide version from anyone else.
Writing notes for a topic
1. Open the Study notes tab
From the sidebar, click Resources, then the Study notes tab. You don’t need a classroom to write notes — this tab exists so you can publish from anywhere, including if you don’t teach a class yourself.2. Pick a topic
Choose a curriculum, then an area of study, then a topic. Click Open notes for this topic. You land in the same reader your students use, so what you see while writing is what they get.3. Add your note
Click Add a note for your students, write it, and click Save. You can also jump straight there from a topic that has no notes yet: the empty state shows a Publish notes for this topic button. Only the tutor who wrote a note sees the Edit button on it. Everyone else in your org reads it.Writing a reference sheet
Reference sheets attach to an area of study rather than a single topic — a reference sheet covers a chunk of the course by definition.1. Open the reference sheet panel
Open any study or practice session and switch to the Reference sheet panel.2. Create the sheet
Click New sheet. Give it a title and write the content — maths renders properly, so formulas look the way they will in an exam.3. Choose who it’s for
Under Who is this extra for?, pick one:
You’re only offered the classes, groups, and students you actually teach.
4. Save
Click Save. As with notes, it stays a draft until you publish it. Students switch between layers using the tabs at the top of the panel — Official, your organisation’s name, any extra for their class, and Mine.Deleting a shared sheet removes it for every student it currently reaches, and can’t be undone. ClassQuill asks you to confirm first.
What students can do
- Every student gets a Mine tab on both notes and reference sheets, and a Create your own button.
- Their own material is private — tutors can’t read, edit, or hide it.
- Students can’t edit anything you publish. They keep their own notes alongside yours rather than forking a copy.
Controlling what’s open during an exam
Practice runs always have everything available. A timed exam is different, and the rule is set per organisation. Go to Settings → Subjects → Exam resources:
The two defaults differ on purpose, and both match how ClassQuill already behaved — notes were practice-only, the reference sheet was always open. Nothing changes for your org until you choose otherwise.
Good to know
- Fix it once, everywhere. An extra for one class points at your org-wide version rather than copying it, so correcting the original still reaches every class. Nothing drifts out of date.
- Per-class extras are on reference sheets today. Notes publish to your whole organisation.
- Official content stays. You can add your own material alongside ClassQuill’s, but you can’t hide the Official layer from your students.
Related
Assigning practice questions
Finding questions in the Question Bank and sending them to students.
What parents and students see
The student’s side of the portal.