> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://clubdock.co.uk/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Waiting lists

> How families are told when a place comes up on a full date, and where you see who is waiting.

When a date is full, parents can join its waiting list. A waiting list is an **alert, not a queue**:
nobody is held a place. When a place frees up it goes straight back on sale, everyone waiting is
emailed once, and whoever books first has it.

There is nothing for you to set up or manage.

## How parents join

On a full date, the parent's planner shows **Full**, with **Wait list** under it. Tapping it explains
that the place is not held and the first to book has it. Once they join, the square reads
**Full · Waiting**, and the list appears on their bookings page, where they can leave it.

Parents cannot join a list:

* For a date that still has places, or is past its booking cut-off.
* For a child who already has a place that day, or who the programme is not for.

If both parents of a child add them, the child is still only on the list once.

## When a place comes up

A place can free up because a family cancels, a basket is abandoned or expires, a place is moved
away, or you raise the session's limit.

About two minutes later, every family on the list is emailed once: "A place has come up: Breakfast
Club, Fri 23 Oct, 07:30–08:45", naming each of their waiting children, with **Book now**.

* If the place is taken again inside those two minutes, nobody is emailed. The list is emailed the next time a place comes up.
* If two places come up and one is taken at once, there is still only one email.
* If it fills and frees again, a second email goes. Nothing more is sent while it stays open.
* After the booking cut-off, nobody is emailed, because the place cannot be booked.
* Parents who switched off your booking emails still receive this one, because they asked for it.

For a course booked as a whole block, the email goes only when **every** week has a place.

## When a child comes off the list

A child is taken off the list without anyone being told when:

* They are booked on that date — by their parent, by you, as a walk-in at the register, by a change to a booking, or by moving another place there.
* You cancel or delete the date. Families who held places hear about the cancellation as usual.
* The child is archived or removed, or their parent's account is deleted.

Parents can also leave from the link in the email or from their bookings page.

## Where you see who is waiting

* **On the register** for that date: "**3 waiting for a place**" under the session's details, and at the foot of the list who they are, which parent, and since when.
* **On the calendar**: a session with children waiting says "**3 waiting**".

![A register showing 3 waiting for a place under the session details](https://mintcdn.com/club-dock/i5cYbq0jP2hBThbX/bookings/register-waiting.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=i5cYbq0jP2hBThbX\&q=85\&s=4cfcf07089d34222af5465c9ca5730db)

> [!TIP]
>
> A session that often has children waiting is a good case for raising its limit. Raising it is itself a place coming up, so everyone waiting is emailed.


## Related topics

- [Waiting lists](https://clubdock.co.uk/docs/parents/waiting-lists.md)
- [Troubleshooting](https://clubdock.co.uk/docs/help/troubleshooting.md)
- [Taking a register](https://clubdock.co.uk/docs/registers/taking-a-register.md)
- [FAQs](https://clubdock.co.uk/docs/help/faqs.md)
- [Parent FAQs](https://clubdock.co.uk/docs/parents/faqs.md)


This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.