> ## Knowledge Base Index
> Fetch the complete knowledge base index at: https://help.seatingplan.com/sitemap.xml
> Use this file to discover available pages before exploring further.
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# How do I block seats from being assigned to students?

Seat blocking is a convenient way of preventing students from being assigned to unavailable positions. For example:
* To allocate a seat for a teaching assistant or lesson observer
* To keep a seat free next to a particular student
* If your furniture has an obstruction that would mean a student couldn't sit there

1. On the 'Edit Room' page, right click on any seats you want to block. Blocked seats will be marked with an X. Right-click again to unblock them.

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/9/f/5/1/9f51051c7c5cd800/image_lnsvin.png)
On the seating plan page, blocked seats can be easily identified:

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/9/f/5/1/9f51051c7c5cd800/image_z8u608.png)
It is not possible to drag students into blocked seats, nor will the Smart Sorting or Simple Sorting tools allocate students to these positions.