Independent schools: Tips for communicating effectively with parents

Parents of children in independent schools often have high expectations for their child's education, seeking a premium learning experience – in-line with the monetary investment they are making.  

Yet, a key challenge for these parents is information overload.  

With a multitude of communication channels - email, newsletters, social media, and traditional notices - it can be overwhelming to stay informed about school events, academic progress, and administrative matters.  

Additionally, accessing specific information quickly and easily can be frustrating, as parents often juggle multiple responsibilities and have limited time to search for the details they need.

The transition to an all-in-one parent engagement portal has simplified communication for West Buckland School’s parents.

A well-defined communication strategy is key for communicating effectively with parents. It provides a roadmap for how information is shared, ensuring consistency and clarity. By carefully selecting and utilising key communication channels, schools can reach parents effectively and efficiently. 

Essential channels include email, SMS, online portals, and social media. Each platform offers distinct advantages and should be employed strategically. For example, email can be used for detailed information and official communications, while SMS is ideal for urgent alerts or reminders.  

An online portal serves as a centralised hub for accessing important documents, calendars, and announcements, while social media can foster community engagement and share quick updates. 

Consistency in communication style and tone is crucial for building trust and credibility. Parents should be able to recognise the school's voice across all platforms. A clear, concise, and professional tone is essential, while also conveying warmth and approachability. 

Related reading: What's the best parent communication software? 

Leveraging technology for communicating effectively with parents 

Technology has revolutionised the way schools communicate with parents. By embracing digital tools, independent schools can simplify processes, enhance efficiency, and improve the overall parent experience.    

A centralised communication platform, such as Access MySchoolPortal, should be a consideration. It provides a single point of access for parents to essential information, including academic updates, school calendars, fee payments, and event bookings. This eliminates the need for parents to juggle multiple platforms, saving them time and reducing frustration.    

When selecting and implementing technology, schools should prioritise user-friendliness, security, and scalability. It's essential to involve staff and parents in the decision-making process to ensure the chosen solution meets their needs. Additionally, providing comprehensive training and support is crucial for successful adoption.

Customer story: Brentwood School

Ensuring a smooth cashless payment system for the parents of over 1,900 students proved a major challenge for the Essex-based independent school.

In 2020, Brentwood adopted Access MySchoolPortal (MSP) specifically to address this issue. Prior to the adoption of MSP, Brentwood faced significant challenges with their previous cashless catering system, including:

• Technical glitches: Unreliable data transfer between the payment system and the cashless catering system led to errors.
• Parent frustration: New parents, especially at the beginning of the school year, struggled to log in and use the system. This resulted in a high volume of support requests for Sarb's team, typically handling 70-80 queries in the first few weeks.

It was clear that Brentwood needed a more user-friendly and efficient system to address these challenges.

Since the adoption of Access MySchoolPortal, the school has noted:

Personalisation is key to communicating effectively with parents. By tailoring messages to specific parent groups, schools can increase engagement and satisfaction. Generic, one-size-fits-all communication is less likely to resonate with parents, who are increasingly discerning about how their time is spent. 

Creating targeted messages for different parent segments is essential. New parents, for example, require detailed information about the school environment, policies, and expectations. Year-group-specific communication can focus on academic milestones, extracurricular activities, and upcoming events. By understanding the unique needs and interests of different parent groups, schools can deliver more relevant and valuable information. 

Data-driven communication is another powerful tool. By analysing parent engagement metrics, schools can identify trends, preferences, and areas for improvement. This information can be used to refine communication strategies and ensure that messages are reaching the right audience in the most effective way. 

Here’s how one of our customers uses Access MySchoolPortal for their parents’ cashless catering system: 

• Parents with multiple children can log in to MSP with a single account. 
• Within MSP, they can top up each child's account for the tuckshop (school store). 
• The money is then transferred to the child's card, which they use for purchases at the tuckshop. 
• Parents can also see their child's spending history in MSP. 
• Purchases are automatically updated overnight, so parents can see what their child bought (coffee, hot chocolate, etc.). 

Reference: Brentwood School 

Regularly assessing the effectiveness of communication strategies is essential for continuous improvement. Key metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and engagement levels on various platforms can provide valuable insights into how well messages are being received. By tracking these metrics over time, schools can identify trends and areas for enhancement. 

Gathering and acting on parent feedback is crucial for understanding their perspectives and needs. Conducting surveys, conducting focus groups, or simply inviting parents to share their thoughts can provide invaluable information. By actively listening to parent feedback, schools can make data-driven decisions to improve communication practices. 

Here’s how Access MySchoolPortal provides teachers with more autonomy to measure communication effectiveness 

When Peter Goodyer, headmaster at Bede's Senior School in East Sussex, sought a solution to streamline parent communications into a single, centralised platform, he turned to Access MySchoolPortal. 

Since the software's implementation, Peter notes that teachers now enjoy greater autonomy by accessing the dashboard to view necessary data on demand. Additionally, parents have experienced the most significant benefit, as they now have a one-stop shop for all the information they need about their child and school life.

If you are a large independent school and you’re not leveraging technology to enhance parent communication, then this should be your first consideration. If you are leveraging technology, but grappling with multiple systems that don’t communicate with one another, then this should also be called into question.  

Parents expect information that’s clear, user friendly and in real-time. The way to achieve this is through one unified portal. While there are numerous solutions on the market, we will, of course, vouch for Access MySchoolPortal, though we encourage you to carry out thorough research before engaging with suppliers

Communicating effectively with parents is key to a thriving independent school community. By understanding the unique needs and expectations of parents, and by leveraging technology to streamline processes, schools can build stronger relationships, enhance parental engagement, and ultimately, create a more positive and supportive learning environment for all. 

A well-executed communication strategy, coupled with a commitment to continuous improvement, will position independent schools as leaders in parental engagement.

If you’re interested in learning more about the capabilities of Access My School Portal, request your personalised demo today.