Adding Alternate Sign‑In and Account Recovery Methods

Purpose

To keep student Microsoft school accounts secure and to reduce the need for IT assistance when passwords are forgotten, students are required to set up at least one alternate sign‑in or recovery method on their school account. These methods help verify a student’s identity when signing in from outside the school network or when resetting a forgotten password.

Why this is important

The school uses security rules to protect accounts, especially when sign‑ins happen from outside Australia and New Zealand or from outside the school network.
During the school day and while connected to the school network, students will not be prompted for extra verification.

When signing in from home, while travelling, or overseas, additional verification may be required to protect the account.

For students at our school, adding and verifying an alternate sign‑in method in Security Info (such as an alternate email address) automatically registers the account for Self‑Service Password Reset (SSPR).

Setting up alternate sign‑in and recovery methods allows students to:

• Reset their own password without coming to IT
• Recover access if they forget their password
• Prove their identity when signing in from outside trusted locations
  

How to add alternate sign‑in or recovery methods

1. Sign in to https://myaccount.microsoft.com/ using the school account

2. Go to the Security Info in My Account menu

3. You can view your existing sign-in method, or add a new one

4. Choose the method you want to add and follow the prompts to verify it

Recommended methods

1. Alternate email address (strongly recommended for all students)

This should be a personal or parent/caregiver email address that the student can always access. Because this is a BYOD school, students use their own devices and are expected to already have a personal email account.

Why we recommend this:

• It can be used to reset a forgotten password
• It works without a mobile phone
• It does not affect school‑day phone policies
• It allows account recovery without contacting IT

This email will be verified when it is added and is mainly used for password recovery.

2. Parent or caregiver mobile phone number (optional)

Students may choose to add a parent or caregiver mobile number.

Important notes:

• This number may be used to verify sign‑in when the student is outside Australia or New Zealand
• It will not be used during normal school hours on campus
• If the student is travelling, access to this phone becomes the student’s responsibility

Methods not recommended during school hours

Due to the school’s no‑phone during school hours policy, the following are not recommended as primary methods:

• Microsoft Authenticator app
• Text message (SMS) to a student’s own phone

These methods are not required for normal school use and should only be added if appropriate outside school.

Password resets without IT support

If a student has added an alternate email address (and meets school security requirements), they can reset a forgotten password themselves by using the “Forgot my password” option on the Microsoft sign‑in page.

In most cases, this removes the need to visit the IT helpdesk.

What if all methods are unavailable

If a student no longer has access to their alternate email or parent mobile number, they will need to contact the IT team for assistance with account recovery.

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