A new studio does not need a reports suite, a public website and a WhatsApp wallet on day one. So LessonLoop doesn’t show them. Parts of the app arrive as you reach the point of needing them, which is why your sidebar may be shorter than the one in find your way around — and why it will get longer without you doing anything about it.
What’s always there
The core loop is never gated. From your first minute you have Today, the Calendar, Students, Billing & Finance, Messages to families, the parent portal, Settings and LoopAssist. Everything you need to teach a lesson and get paid for it is there before anything else unlocks.
Two ways something arrives
Because you did something. A few parts of the app appear the moment they have a job to do:
| You do this | This appears |
|---|---|
| Add or invite your first colleague | The People group — Teachers and Team & access |
| Add your first location | Locations |
| Issue your first make-up credit | The Make-ups page |
| Receive your first enquiry | Enquiries, under Growth |
Because your studio reached a stage. The rest arrive in a sensible order as the studio does the ordinary things a working studio does. Roughly:
- Running weekly — once you’ve sent an invoice and marked a handful of registers: Reports, and Messages as a studio-wide surface.
- Running a term — Term Planner, term continuation, Repertoire, Resources, and Practice in the parent portal.
- Taking people on and taking bookings — Expenses & Mileage, your booking page and its policy, WhatsApp, and the integrations: Xero, Google Calendar, API keys.
- Beyond that — your public website and the embeddable widget.
Nothing is hidden from you
Two promises are worth knowing, because they’re the difference between “not yet” and “gone”.
A part of the app you haven’t reached renders nothing at all — no greyed-out row, no padlock, no advert for an upgrade. An empty menu is quieter than a locked one.
Nothing you have created is ever hidden. Growing into a feature changes what’s on the menu, never what’s in your studio. Your students, lessons, invoices and messages are always yours to see.
If in doubt, it's not missing If one of these guides describes a page you can't find, the usual answer is that your studio hasn't reached it yet — not that something has gone wrong. The other possibility is your role: see who sees what.
If you need a part of LessonLoop before it has arrived on its own — you’re moving a whole school across, say, and you need reports from day one — ask us and we’ll sort it out. Support answers within one UK working day.
Was this out of date or unclear? Tell us — we keep these guides matched to the live app.