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School Leadership
End of year checklist for Kenyan school principals
April 5, 2026 · 8 min read · By Edupath SMS Team
The end of the school year is one of the most compressed and demanding periods in a principal’s calendar. Results to finalise, records to archive, staff matters to resolve, fees to reconcile, and next year to plan — all simultaneously, with a deadline that does not move. Schools that navigate this well do so because they have a system, not because they work harder than everyone else.
This checklist covers every major end-of-year task a Kenyan senior school principal needs to complete, organised by category so nothing falls through the cracks.
📋 Academic Records
- All CAT1, CAT2, and End-Term marks entered and verified for every subject and class
- CBE competency grades (EE/ME/AE/BE) correctly assigned and reviewed by subject teachers
- Class rankings generated and confirmed by the deputy principal
- Report cards generated and distributed to all students (or published to Parent Portal)
- Results archived securely — digital backup and/or physical filing
- Students with incomplete assessments identified and documented with reason
- Promotion decisions confirmed for all Grade 10 and 11 students
💵 Fee Reconciliation
- All fee payments for the year reconciled against M-Pesa and bank records
- Outstanding fee balances confirmed per student and communicated to parents
- Students with fee waivers or bursary support documented with supporting paperwork
- Refunds processed for any overpayments
- Fee structure for next year drafted and submitted to BOM for approval
- Annual financial summary prepared for BOM review
👥 Student Records
- Student enrolment data updated in NEMIS for the full academic year
- Transfer certificates issued for departing students
- Leaving certificates and testimonials prepared for completing students
- Student discipline records for the year filed and archived
- Chronic absenteeism cases documented with intervention history
- Next year’s Grade 10 admission list confirmed
👩🏫 Staff Records
- All teacher payslips for the year generated and distributed
- Annual leave balances reconciled for every staff member
- Staff performance appraisals completed and filed
- TSC registration renewals checked and flagged for any lapses
- BOM-employed staff contracts reviewed for renewal or termination
- Departing staff clearance forms completed
- Staffing gaps identified for next year and recruitment plan drafted
🏫 Curriculum & Timetable
- Curriculum coverage review completed — were all schemes of work completed?
- Subject allocation for next year confirmed with department heads
- Preliminary timetable for next year drafted before the break
- CBE pathway assignments reviewed for Grade 11 promotion
- New subject requirements for incoming Grade 10 students confirmed
🏢 Facilities & Assets
- Library books returned and stock-take completed
- Asset register updated with any new acquisitions or disposals
- Maintenance issues identified and submitted for holiday repair
- Hostel inventory completed (for boarding schools)
- Security arrangements confirmed for the holiday period
📱 Communication
- End-of-year message sent to all parents via WhatsApp
- Next term dates and key calendar events communicated to parents
- Fee structure for next year communicated with adequate notice
- Scholarship and bursary application deadlines communicated to eligible families
📌 The most commonly missed item: Updating NEMIS with the full year’s enrolment and attendance data before the deadline. NEMIS submissions affect capitation grants — incomplete or inaccurate data has real financial consequences for your school.
Planning for next year — start before the break
The principals who start the next academic year most smoothly are those who use the last two weeks of the current year to lay the groundwork. The timetable drafted before the holiday. The fee structure approved by BOM before parents ask. The staffing gaps identified before the scramble to find replacement teachers begins.
None of this requires working through the holiday. It requires using the structured wind-down period at the end of term purposefully, with this checklist as a guide.
Delegate with confidence
A principal who tries to personally complete every item on this list will not succeed. The checklist is a tool for delegation, not a personal to-do list. Each category has a natural owner — the deputy for academic records, the bursar for fees, the HODs for curriculum, the deputy or secretary for staff records. The principal’s role is to ensure each area is assigned, tracked, and completed — not to do it all personally.
Finish your school year with everything in order.
Edupath SMS gives you one-click access to results, fee records, attendance history, and staff data — everything you need for a clean end of year. Free to start.
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