Guides & advice · School dates on your phone

Add a school calendar to Google Calendar or iPhone

To add a school calendar to Google Calendar, open it on a computer and choose Other calendars → Add → From URL, then paste the school's subscription link. To add a school calendar on iPhone, open Apple Calendar → Calendars → Add Calendar → Add Subscription Calendar and paste the link. For a downloaded ICS file or PDF, choose the matching route below.

By Tandlo · PDF guidance reviewed
Calendar setup instructions checked 18 October 2026 · Settings captures: 9 October 2026

First, check what your school has sent

The format decides how you add the dates and whether later changes can reach your calendar.

A subscription link

Often labelled Subscribe, iCal or webcal. Add it once. Updates depend on what the school publishes and when your calendar refreshes.

Google Calendar steps · iPhone steps

A downloaded .ics file

A calendar file you can import. It gives you a copy of the dates; later changes will not update that copy.

Import the file

A PDF, letter or email

A notice to read. Pick out the dates that apply to your child. Google Calendar cannot import a PDF as events.

Work through the notice

How to add a school calendar to Google Calendar

Start in a computer browser. Google does not offer new calendar subscriptions in its Android or iPhone app.

  1. Copy the subscription link supplied by your school.
  2. Open Google Calendar. Beside Other calendars, choose the + button, then From URL.
  3. Paste the link into URL of calendar, then choose Add calendar.
  4. Check a few dates against the school notice. On your phone, use the same Google account and select the school calendar in the calendar list.
Google Calendar From URL settings, with an empty URL of calendar field and the public accessibility checkbox left unticked
Google Calendar on a computer: paste the school subscription link into URL of calendar. Capture verified on 9 October 2026; account details and private calendar names are cropped out. No calendar was added.

This needs a calendar feed that Google can reach. A school website address or login page will not work. Use your school's instructions if its parent portal provides a personal subscription link. Do not make a private calendar public to get past a setup problem.

Checked against Google's calendar subscription instructions on 18 October 2026.

How to import a school calendar ICS file

If the school offers a calendar download ending in .ics, import it on a computer:

  1. Open Google Calendar and choose Settings → Settings.
  2. Choose Import & export, then Select file from your computer.
  3. Select the ICS file and choose the calendar that should receive the events.
  4. Choose Import and check the dates, times and academic year.
Google Calendar Import settings showing Select file from your computer
Import & export → Select file from your computer. Below this control, choose the destination calendar and then Import. Capture verified on 9 October 2026; the private destination-calendar name is outside the crop. No file was imported.

An import is a copy, not a live school subscription. Later edits at school will not update it. Avoid repeatedly importing the same dates; compare any replacement file first.

Google accepts ICS and CSV calendar files, not PDFs. See Google's import instructions.

Add the school calendar on an iPhone

Use the subscription address from your school or its parent portal, not the address of a page listing term dates. Only add a calendar from a source you trust.

  1. Copy the school's calendar link.
  2. Open Apple Calendar. Tap Calendars → Add Calendar → Add Subscription Calendar.
  3. Paste the link. On iOS 26 or later, tap Find. On iOS 18 or earlier, tap Subscribe.
  4. Choose a name and colour. Select iCloud as the account if you want the subscription on other devices signed in to the same Apple Account.
  5. Finish with Done on newer iOS, or Add on iOS 18 or earlier. Check that the school calendar is selected in your calendar list.
  6. Compare a few dates with the school's notices, including the academic year and any year-group restrictions.

Steps checked against Apple's calendar subscription instructions on 18 October 2026. These are source-checked instructions, not a new device test.

Can I keep using our existing family calendar?

Yes. If your family already checks Apple Calendar, Google Calendar or Outlook, start there. A school subscription supplies the dates its publisher includes. A separate invitation or school email may still need a parent to check and add it.

For individual messages, see school emails to calendar events and adding an invitation picture to your calendar.

When the school calendar is a PDF

You cannot subscribe to a PDF as a live calendar. First check whether the school also offers an iCal or subscription link. If it only sends a PDF, you can add the relevant dates yourself or use a tool to help read them.

Add the dates yourself

Open the notice beside the calendar you normally use, then work through these checks:

  1. Check who it is for. Use the right academic year and the dates that apply to your child or year group. A Year 3 trip is not a whole-school event.
  2. Copy the full details. Record the title, date including the year, and any stated start and finish times. Use an all-day entry for a closure only when the notice says so. If the year or time is unclear, check with school rather than guessing.
  3. Keep deadlines separate. A trip on Thursday might have a payment due on Tuesday. Put the payment in its own task or reminder, so it is visible before the trip.
  4. Compare before you finish. Check your entries against the original, including return times and year-group restrictions. Look for dates already in an imported or subscribed calendar before adding them again.

Keep the notice, or a link to it, somewhere the other adult can check. A one-off copy will not watch for later changes: see which routes can receive updates.

Three ways Tandlo can help with school dates

A notice you choose to share

Paste text or choose a photo in Ask Tandlo. For a supported text PDF, use the Tandlo Share action where it is available. Tandlo can suggest dates and tasks from the notice. Check the child, dates, times and jobs, then tap Add. Nothing from that notice is saved until you choose.

Sharing a notice does not give Tandlo access to the rest of your inbox or chats, or create a feed for later changes. For recurring emails, you can set up forwarding from selected school senders. AI reading uses your Free starter or Family allowance.

A supported school you follow

Tandlo checks supported public school sources daily, so you do not have to copy every date from a term-date sheet. Where a notice clearly names a year group, Tandlo can match it to the relevant child. Whole-school dates can apply to every child at that school.

These followed-school dates can appear without a separate Add tap. If the audience is unclear, check the source and choose the child rather than assuming it applies to everyone.

Coverage varies by school. Not every school can be followed, the first check may be queued, and the school may publish information elsewhere. Check its latest notice for urgent changes. See how following a school works.

Tandlo school-date card: Year 3 camp, 2 July 2027, Already added, matched to Rowan in Year 3.
Year-group date: Year 3 camp, 2 July 2027, matched to Rowan in Year 3. "Already added" means the date is already in the family's plans.
Tandlo school-date card: World book day, 4 March 2027, Already added, matched to Ivy in Year 1 and Rowan in Year 3.
Whole-school date: World book day, 4 March 2027, matched to Ivy in Year 1 and Rowan in Year 3. "Already added" means the date is already in the family's plans.

Actual Tandlo screens from build 117, captured 31 October 2026 with fictional children. These are two separate followed-school examples; the dates and app text have not been altered.

Will later changes appear automatically?

A subscription can receive later updates from its publisher. Importing a one-off calendar file creates a copy, so later changes may not reach it. Updates can take time to appear: check the school's latest notice for an urgent change.

In Tandlo, saving a plan and exporting a copy are separate actions. An exported copy does not keep itself in sync. Signed-in Google, Apple and Outlook connections are in development. Calendar links and those future connections are different features.

The school calendar is not showing up

  • Open Calendars in Apple Calendar and check that the school calendar is selected.
  • Check that you copied a subscription link, not the school website or a sign-in page. Ask the school for its parent calendar link if unsure.
  • If it appears on one device only, check the subscription account and Apple Account on both devices.
  • For a missing or changed event, compare the school's latest notice. A subscription cannot show a date the school has not published, and updates may take time.

Why do I see the same date twice?

First check whether you subscribed to the same school calendar twice, or imported a file before subscribing. Hide one calendar temporarily and see which entries disappear before removing anything. Keep personal notes or reminders you added yourself.

More school calendar questions

Can I add the school calendar in the Google Calendar iPhone app?

Set up a new subscription in Google Calendar on a computer first. Then use the same Google account on your iPhone and check that calendar is selected. To subscribe directly in Apple Calendar, follow the iPhone steps above.

Will term dates include INSET days, trips and clubs?

Only if the publisher includes them. Check the academic year, your child's year group and the school's own notices. Do not assume a council term-date page includes your school's INSET days or last-minute changes.

Can I turn a PDF into a live school calendar?

No. A PDF can help you create events, but it does not become a subscription that watches the school for changes. Keep the source with your plan and check later notices.

What if my school uses SchoolsBuddy, Arbor, ClassDojo or SchoolPing?

Use the school dates hub to choose the provider guide. Some systems provide feeds; others need a screenshot, email or manual entry. Their options and paid features differ.

Get help with the next school notice

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