iCal feeds let staff, parents and students subscribe to the school calendar from Apple Calendar, Outlook, Google Calendar or any other app that supports the standard. Subscribed calendars update automatically — new and changed events flow through without anyone having to re-import.
Which feed to use
PortalHQ exposes several feeds. Pick the one that matches the audience.
| Feed | Who it’s for | What it contains |
|---|---|---|
| Public | Parents, prospective families, the wider community | Approved events with Show on website ticked. The same set that appears on the public website calendar. |
| Your calendar | The logged-in staff member | Every event you’re involved in (owner, co-owner, additional staff) plus everything published to staff. |
| Calendar feed | Anyone who needs a single specific calendar | All approved events from one named calendar (e.g. Sports Calendar). |
| Year-group assessment feeds | Students and parents who want to see assessments for their year | Assessment events filtered to a specific year group (Year 7 through Year 12). |
Finding the feed URLs
From any calendar view, look for the iCal Feeds panel. It shows:
- The Public feed URL.
- Your calendar — the personal feed for the user currently logged in.
The personal feed includes a unique token in the URL. Don’t share it — anyone with the URL can read your calendar.
For calendar-specific feeds and year-group assessment feeds, contact your portal admin. They have access to the full set of feed URLs and can email the right one to parents or students.
Subscribing in different apps
The URL format is the same everywhere. Copy the feed URL from PortalHQ, then in your calendar app:
Apple Calendar (macOS)
- File → New Calendar Subscription.
- Paste the URL and click Subscribe.
- Choose how often to refresh — Every hour is a sensible default.
Apple Calendar (iOS)
- Settings → Calendar → Accounts → Add Account → Other → Add Subscribed Calendar.
- Paste the URL and tap Next.
Outlook (desktop)
- File → Account Settings → Internet Calendars → New.
- Paste the URL and click Add.
Outlook (web)
- In the calendar view, click Add calendar → Subscribe from web.
- Paste the URL, give it a name and Import.
Google Calendar
- In the left panel, click the + next to Other calendars and choose From URL.
- Paste the URL and Add calendar.
Google refreshes subscribed calendars on its own schedule (often once or twice a day). Apple and Outlook let you control the refresh interval.
Updating and removing
You don’t need to do anything to keep a subscribed calendar up to date — your app refreshes on its own. To stop the subscription, remove the calendar from inside your calendar app.
Notes
- iCal feeds are read-only. You can’t create or edit events from the subscribed calendar; for that, use PortalHQ.
- Personal feed URLs include a token tied to your user. If you regenerate it (via your account settings), you’ll need to re-subscribe with the new URL.
- Cancelled events are removed from feeds; reinstated events are added back on the next refresh.
- Feeds reflect the audience rules — the public feed only contains events ticked for the website, and the personal feed respects publish targets.