Effective communication strategies for parents and independent schools

4 benefits of effective communication strategies for parents

Effective communication between parents and independent schools brings about numerous benefits that can impact the overall experience for all parties involved – parents, pupils and the school.

#1 Improved student outcomes

• Higher results and test scores: When parents are well-informed about their child's academic progress and school activities, they can provide better support at home, leading to improved performance in school.
• Better attendance and behavior: Clear communication regarding attendance policies, behavioral expectations, and student responsibilities helps parents reinforce these standards, resulting in better attendance and behavior.
• Increased motivation and engagement: Regular updates and positive reinforcement from both parents and teachers can significantly boost students' motivation and engagement in their studies.

#2 Early Intervention

• Early identification of learning difficulties or personal challenges: Effective communication enables teachers and parents to quickly identify and address any learning or personal challenges a student may face.
• Collaborative solutions for supporting student needs: By working together, parents and educators can develop and implement strategies to support students, ensuring they receive the help they need promptly.

#3 Shared Responsibility

• Unified approach to student development (academic, social, emotional): A strong communication framework allows parents and schools to work as a cohesive unit, fostering a holistic approach to student development.
• Stronger sense of community and support for all stakeholders: When parents and schools communicate effectively, it builds a sense of community, ensuring that everyone—students, parents, teachers, and administrators—feels supported and involved.

#4 Increased Trust and Respect

• Open communication fosters trust and understanding: Transparent and regular communication helps build trust between parents and schools, promoting a more harmonious relationship.
• Creates a positive learning environment for everyone: Trust and respect cultivated through effective communication contribute to a positive and inclusive learning environment, benefiting students, staff, and families alike.

By prioritising effective communication strategies for parents, independent schools can create an environment based on trust, collaboration, and shared responsibility, ultimately leading to better outcomes for students - and a stronger school community.

Understanding communication needs and challenges

For communication strategies for parents to be effective for independent schools, it's essential to recognise and address the inherent challenges. These obstacles can impede the flow of information and hinder the development of strong partnerships.

Key challenges include:

#1 Fragmented communication channels

Multiple communication tools: Schools often rely on a variety of communication tools such as email, portals, social media, and newsletters. However, these tools don't always integrate seamlessly.

Information Overload and Confusion: The use of disparate platforms can lead to parents receiving information from multiple sources, resulting in confusion, information overload, and the risk of missed (or misinterpreted) messages.

#2 Varying communication preferences

Diverse parent preferences: Parents have different preferences for how they receive information - some may favour email, while others might prefer text messages, phone calls, or social media updates.

Catering to all channels: Schools may find it challenging to accommodate all these varying preferences, leading to potential gaps in communication.

#3 Time Constraints

Busy schedules: Both parents and school staff often have hectic schedules that can make timely communication difficult.

Hindered effectiveness: These time constraints can limit the opportunities for meaningful exchanges and follow-up, reducing the overall effectiveness of communication efforts.

Understanding these challenges is the first step toward developing strategies that address the diverse communication needs of parents and schools. By acknowledging and planning for these obstacles, independent schools can create more effective communication practices.

Understanding independent school needs when considering communication strategies for parents

From our experiences talking to various independent schools, we understand that when it comes to communication with parents, you, as an institution, have a particular set of needs. We’ve distilled these needs into five key areas.

#1 Efficient information distribution

You need to communicate information quickly and efficiently to parents, ensuring no one is left out of the loop.

#2 Simplified/reduced administration

Schools benefit from having administrative processes, such as payment collections and form submissions, automated and integrated into a  .

#3 Data management and security

Managing student (and school) data is a top priority. Schools require robust systems that ensure data accuracy, accessibility and security.

#4 Engaging the school community

Independent schools aim to build a strong sense of community and engagement with their parents, students and staff. Effective communication strategies help in achieving this.

#5 Effective communication that is jargon free

Clear and accessible communication is essential for building strong relationships between schools and parents. Independent schools need tools and systems that eliminate educational jargon and complex language, ensuring that information is easily understood by all parents. Additionally, communication strategies must be adaptable to support parents with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, fostering inclusivity and engagement across the entire school community.

Enhancing communication: A real life example

Perhaps you can resonate with some of the points mentioned above. By understanding your needs as a school, you can tailor your communication strategies for parents to better meet their expectations, while fulfilling your own operational requirements.

Hear from Peter Goodyer, headmaster at Bede's Senior School, who used My School Portal to amalgamate communications with parents.

Strategies for fostering effective communication strategies for parents

Addressing the challenges of communication between parents and your independent school requires a strategic approach. By implementing these communication strategies for parents, schools can overcome common obstacles and create a more cohesive communication environment.

Involve multiple departments early on

Involving multiple departments from the outset is crucial. Effective communication among parents hinges significantly on the software chosen during procurement. Selecting the right platform from the start is key; otherwise, you risk encountering obstacles later on.

To address this challenge, adopt a strategic approach to software selection that includes input from various departments. Making decisions solely based on cost, for instance, overlooks the critical aspect of seamless integration within the school's existing infrastructure. This oversight can complicate efforts for the IT team to fully integrate the software, potentially resulting in a system that inadequately communicates with parents.

This issue was spoken about during our chat with Head of ITSS at Brentwood School, Sarb Singh. To read the full customer story, click the link - Customer Story: Brentwood School.

Eliminate communication silos

Break down communication barriers between different tools. While it's common to utilise multiple software solutions—such as calendars and school lunch apps—they must seamlessly interact. For instance, if your tuck shop app doesn't sync with your finance software, managing tasks like refunds can become unnecessarily challenging for your finance team.

Consider a unified platform for handling all parent communication

Consider adopting a unified platform for managing all parent communication needs. Investing in a single, comprehensive solution that handles everything from basic updates to online school interactions can significantly enhance communication effectiveness.

When parents access information through one centralised platform, communication naturally becomes more streamlined and efficient. However, when selecting a unified parental communication platform, ensure it meets all necessary criteria. Look for a solution that not only encompasses all required features but is also intuitive and user-friendly. Parents are busy and need a system that is easy to navigate without requiring a user manual.

Director of Digital Innovation and Systems at West Buckland School, James Hart Prieto, comments on how the implementation of a unified platform has cut the workload of his staff significantly:

To read the full customer story, click here - Customer Story: West Buckland School.

Conclusion

Managing a large independent school comes with its share of challenges, and leveraging software can be instrumental in overcoming them. However, using too many disparate software tools can lead to complexity and overwhelm for both administrators and parents, ultimately hampering effective communication—the very issue you aim to avoid.

Our primary advice is to streamline your technology stack by exploring integrated solutions that cater to all your communication requirements within a single platform.

At Access My School Portal, we specialise in enhancing communication strategies for parents and independent schools. If you're interested in learning more about how our system can benefit your school, we invite you to schedule a free demo with one of our experts.