Cymraeg
Hwb

Changing Hwb account details

How administrators can make a legal name change in Hwb.

Overview

Hwb administrators can edit any user’s forename and surname. They can also generate a new username in the User Management Portal, if:

  • a user’s legal name has changed, for example due to marriage, divorce or adoption 
  • a user wants to be known by a different name to their legal name

A name change will affect a user’s email address and passwords.

How to change a forename or surname

Learner

  1. Log in to Hwb and go to User Management.
  2. Click View Users: View Learners.
  3. Use the Search term field to find the user, for example enter their surname and click Search.
  4. Click on the View Details button (to the right of the user’s details).
  5. Click Manage User: Edit.
  6. Update the Forename and Surname fields as appropriate.
    If the change affects the first character or surname, please tick the Generate New Username box.
  7. Click Update User.

School staff

  1. Log in to Hwb and go to User Management.
  2. Click View Users: View Staff.
  3. Use the Search term to find the user, for example enter their surname and click Search.
  4. Click on the View Details button (to the right of the user’s details).
  5. Click Manage User: Edit.
  6. Update the Forename and Surname fields as appropriate.
  7. If the change affects the first character or surname, please tick the Generate New Username box.
  8. If you want to update the users email address to their new name, click on the tick box next to Generate New Primary Email Address. This will automatically be selected if you tick the Generate New Username option.
  9. Click Update User.

Governor 

  1. Log in to Hwb and go to User Management.
    Click View Users: View Governor
  2. Use the Search term to find the user, for example enter their surname and click Search.
  3. Click on the View Details button (to the right of the user’s details).
  4. Click Manage User: Edit.
  5. Update the Forename and Surname fields as appropriate.
  6. If the change affects the first character or surname, tick the Generate New Username box.
  7. Click Update User.

Non MIS school staff

  1. Log in to Hwb and go to User Management.
  2. Click View Users: View Non-MIS.
  3. Locate the relevant user using the Search term field as appropriate, for example, enter their surname and click Search.
  4. Click on the View Details button (to the right of the user’s details).
  5. Click Manage User: Edit.
  6. Update the Forename and Surname fields as appropriate.
    If the change affects the first character or surname, tick the Generate New Username box.
  7. Click Update User.

What to consider when changing a user’s name

If a new Hwb username is generated, the password for that account is automatically changed. Remember to give the new username and password to the user. You can find this in the User Management Portal (UMP).

Any changes to the forename and surname will be instantly reflected in the UMP, Office 365 and Google Workspace for Education.

You may have to wait up to 10 minutes for a new username to be generated. It might take up to 24 hours for the display name to update across the Hwb platform.

The user’s previous email address will be retained in Hwb as an alias. This is to ensure that emails sent to that address are re-directed to the new email address. However, users should circulate their new email address as appropriate. 

Personalised assessment reports

Changes made by schools to a learner forename and surname will show in new progress and feedback reports since the name change.

However, they will not update in learners’ historical personalised assessments feedback and may remain visible to learners, staff and parents or carers.

If a change to historical records is essential for child protection reasons, schools should consider creating a new UPN. In cases where this is not appropriate, they should inform the personalised assessment helpdesk by calling 029 2026 5099 or emailing help@personalisedassessments.wales

Protecting learner’s new identities

A learner may have a new identity that requires no link to be retained between the original and new pupil record. In this case, read the guidance on the Unique pupil number ‘Children at risk’ section in the ‘Guidance for schools to implement the information management strategy'.

You need to create a new pupil record in the school’s MIS to create a new Hwb account for the learner and remove any link to their current Hwb account. A new record and UPN in the school’s MIS is the only way of ensuring that the learner’s previous name and email address are no longer associated with them in the Hwb and personalised assessment systems.

Before creating a new pupil record, you need to understand what this means in the Hwb and personalised assessment systems. For example, loss of school files, emails and historical personalised assessment feedback and reports. However, the learner’s previous name should no longer be visible to them.

What name changes will look like

Staff

The new name will appear in the format ‘first initial and surname’, for example J Bloggs.

Learners

Hwb 

The new name will appear in the format 'forename and first character of surname' in Hwb, for example Joe B.

Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace for Education 

The name will appear as ‘forename surname’, for example Joe Bloggs.

Just2easy

The display name in will need to be manually updated as a separate process.

  • Last updated 02 June 2025