Notes are only useful if the next instructor reads them before class and knows what to do. Most studios have notes; few have notes like that.
Write for the next instructor
A good note answers one question: what should I do differently for this person?
- Useful: “Prefers standing variation for kneeling work. Felt the back in Long Stretch on 12 Oct — offer reduced range.”
- Not useful: “Bad back.” “Be careful.” “See previous notes.”
Keep it short and factual
What the client said, what you changed, the date. No guesses about causes, no medical terms you don’t need, nothing you wouldn’t be happy for the client to read — they have the right to see it.
Ongoing or just for today
Mark which is which. “Just for today” should drop off on its own; ongoing notes should be reviewed every few months and removed when the client says they no longer apply.
Who sees it
The studio’s instructors — nobody else. Not other clients, not shared screens, not a group chat. Health-related notes are special category data under UK GDPR: keep them in a system with access control, not in a notebook on the reception desk. What to ask, and who should see it →
Make it reach the class
A note that lives in a profile nobody opens doesn’t help. Put the relevant line in front of the instructor before class — on the register, in a brief, or in the plan itself.
Round Connect Reformer puts the relevant notes into the instructor’s pre-class brief, marks “just for today” separately, and keeps “it hurt” events in the safety log. Only your instructors see them. See Round Connect Reformer →