As parents become more inclined to utilise digital resources, they are also losing their potential involvement with their children’s school life. We aim to bridge the gap between schools and families by truly understanding what parents need: below you can find some of the essential features and methods we have identified that parents may be looking for to support and strengthen parental engagement.
Holiday club payments
Families are increasingly seeking information about holiday clubs and childcare options. Ensuring that holiday clubs, as well as before and after school programmes, are accessible to all students is crucial. Children from low-income households may face barriers to participation, leading to reduced peer interactions and increased risks of social isolation or unhealthy habits during the holidays.
It is important to offer a diverse range of activities catering to different interests and hobbies, so that every child finds something engaging and fun to get involved with. And most importantly, finding club management tools like SchoolMoney will offer your parents and carers an easier way to make payments and bookings. You can find some ideas for holiday clubs to host this summer on our blog here.
Participating in seasonal events
It’s important for schools to create a sense of community within their environment, which can be done through seasonal events – for example Christmas markets, Easter raffles, summer fetes and end of year performances.
Through easy to manage invites, school can generate income while getting parents and students involved in something proactive, strengthening school-home partnerships which give parents a chance to connect with teachers and staff in a fun and welcoming environment.
SchoolMoney is all about making things easy for everyone, from admin and teaching staff to students and their families. Setting up new payments couldn’t be simpler, and direct integration with your communications system lets you send payment requests in just a few clicks. With the school shop feature, you can set up ticket sales for your next seasonal event in seconds.
Finding your school calendar
Whether its half term breaks, school trips or parents’ evenings, parents want quick access to your school calendar. Without digging through newsletters or outdated PDFs, our parental engagement app can display a calendar of all upcoming events, like holidays, Parents’ Evenings, and school trips. You can also reduce your admin workload and save on SMS costs with free app notifications! By preventing obstacles to communication, your school can improve your relationships with parents.
Knowing about absences
In the last five years, many schools have noticed a shift in how parents and carers perceive attendance. For some families, although having their children in school every day might be ideal, it isn’t always possible. Schools may no longer be closed for long periods of time, but other side effects of the pandemic have stayed around permanently. Anxiety around illness remains higher, and many parents have more complex working arrangements.
To respond to this cultural shift, schools need to rethink how they engage with families. Clear, supportive communication is one of the most effective tools for improving attendance. But it’s not about sending more messages; it’s about sending the right messages, in the right way.
Make sure you are using the most effective method, as good parental engagement leads to better attendance. Read our blog here to find more tips to help improve attendance.
Being more involved
Parental engagement is one of the biggest drivers of pupil success, but it’s also one of the hardest things to get right. Too often, schools and parents find themselves out of sync – expecting different things from each other and not always communicating clearly.
It’s important to appreciate each family’s unique challenges. Parents and carers want the best for their children, and school staff share the same goal, so avoiding misunderstandings where possible can really help to create a more seamless experience. The social contract between schools and families has shifted, however there is great importance on recognising this change and rebuilding the relationship between schools and parents. Here are some tangible ways to get parents more involved.
How to get started
Parental engagement is a cornerstone of your school’s success. By listening to what parents need, your school can offer ways to connect, simplify and empower parents’ connectivity and engagement with their children’s school journey. And by focusing on these 5 key areas, you ultimately can support better outcomes for every student and build a foundation for parents to communicate. Get in touch with us to find out how we can support your school!