Top stories
We took to social media and asked parents to let us know what they thought of ParentMail’s mobile App…
More schools are saving money and more parents are getting instant information than ever before!
Is this approach counter-productive to improving parental engagement?
Over the last few years, the way we pay for things has changed dramatically, from cash and cheques, to debit and credit card and most recently to cashless, mobile and contactless payments.
Easy, dependable dinner payments with +Pay
A number of schools have recently hit the headlines as outraged parents complain their children have gone without a hot meal due to a lack of credit on their cashless dinner accounts. In Wales, school councils have argued in defence, …
Breaking down parental engagement barriers with EdTech
For many families, the prospect of crossing the school threshold is a terrifying one. Though many schools may spend a lot of time and energy on events or activities for parents, the reality is that every school has those “hard …
Five ways to change up your parental engagement usage
Parental engagement solutions make everyday office tasks quick, simple and cost-effective. Thousands of schools across the UK now collect dinner money, permission forms and share information about school events online, saving both time and money and improving relationships with parents …
St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School enjoy paperless Parents’ Evening
When it comes to planning Parents’ Evening, staff at St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School were used to all the usual stresses and strains; piles of paper cluttering the school office, lost or missing appointment slips, chasing up parent …
Strong communication could be your nursery’s greatest asset
You know better than we do that running a nursery is a busy and time-consuming business! Whilst chatting to parents during the morning drop-off might seem the most convenient way of sharing the latest nursery news, it isn’t the most …
Parent / School Communications – 22 Years On
The time has come for schools to reach out to parents using the technology they live with every day. Sue Atkins investigates…
Introducing our new and improved School Help Site
We’re excited to announce the launch of our new School Help Site, now live and ready to answer any questions you may have about using ParentMail! The new site includes lots of improvements which make finding guidance and instructions easier …
A look back at the year just gone…
As we welcome in the New Year, we’re taking the opportunity to look back over the year just gone, our biggest and best year yet! 2018 saw us welcome hundreds of new primary, secondary schools, nurseries and Academies to the …
IRIS Software Group acquires BioStore
IRIS Software Group, the UK’s business critical software provider has announced the acquisition of BioStore LTD
A paper(less) New Year’s resolution
Tighter budgets see a call for efficiency and an ‘all hands-on-deck’ approach to searching out cost-cutting opportunities. In the hunt for financial savings, however, it’s important to remember that, often, it’s the small changes that deliver big results. It is …
WhatsApp – Pros, cons and managing it for your school
In this video, Sue Atkins – parenting expert and ex-Headteacher – gives her views on how parental engagement software can keep communication between school and parent clear, whilst keeping all data safe.
Christmas is hectic, but technology can make life easier!
Watch our video to see why parenting expert Sue Atkins recommends using technology in school to help make life just a little bit easier for parents around Christmas!
The benefits of breakfast clubs – ParentMail’s top picks!
Last month, Children and Families Minister, Nadhim Zahawi announced that thousands more children across the country were receiving a healthy and nutritious breakfast at school breakfast clubs. In part, this is thanks to a government-funded programme worth nearly £26 million. …
Meet Abbey Catholic Primary School’s ‘ParentMail King’!
Staff at Abbey Catholic Primary School have been on a campaign to register parents to ParentMail and their efforts have received a fantastic response, with 99% of parents using ParentMail to stay up to date on school communications and payments, every day!
Top Tips for productive parents’ evening appointments!
Parents’ evening is a very important part of the relationship that parents develop with the school and their child’s teacher, whether it is their first experience, or they have attended before.
School dinner money debt is on the rise
Thousands of schools are using +Pay every day to collect cashless dinner money payments and are enjoying reduced dinner money debt as a result.
Budget 2018 – What you need to know
This week, the chancellor delivered his 2018 Budget in which he announced an extra £400 million capital funding for schools this year, effective immediately.
The challenges of organising Parents’ Evening
School is now in full swing, and so the next big milestone is Parents’ Evening and organising it successfully is no mean feat!
Casterton College switch to +Pay and are thrilled with the results!
“We needed a more robust, reliable system; looking into alternatives, ParentMail stood out for its suite of applications.”
Top tips for parental engagement success!
It’s the start of a new school year, meaning there’s a lot of information to send out and share with parents. How you decide you will be communicating with the pupil’s families is a matter of preference. Traditionally, letters were …
Getting it right from the start for schools and parents
Parenting expert, author and TV presenter, Sue Atkins, has 22 years experience in the teaching profession making her an expert on all things parental engagement! In this blog, Sue discusses the importance of starting the year off right in terms of …
Parental engagement – a strategy for success
We talk about the importance of parental engagement a lot. The term has become a ‘buzzword’ in our offices and in schools across the country. When ParentMail first came into being over 15 years ago, parental engagement was the priority, …
What’s up with WhatsApp?
Last month a Mumsnet thread hit the headlines when a post referring to the different types of mum found in ‘every’ school WhatsApp group struck a chord with parents across the country. Ranging from ‘the wind-up merchant’ to ‘the informer’ …
The EdTech revolution happening outside of the classroom
Last month Education Secretary, Damien Hinds, challenged the tech industry to launch an edtech revolution for schools, colleges and universities across the UK. EdTech has an increasingly valuable place in the classroom; 3D technology is quite literally bringing lessons to life …
Forms, forms and more forms…
With September upon us, schools are now busy collecting and managing all new starter data – from students, to staff, to parents! With paper-based communications, the cost of print, paper and sometimes postage can be surprisingly high, not to mention …
Introducing our innovated Android App
Experience tells us that when parents are happy with their ParentMail experience, schools receive a great response to their communications. So over the past few months, we have been working hard to improve our Android App!
Leading the way in GDPR compliance
We understand the importance of protecting the data of your parents, students and staff. That’s why the ParentMail team have been working hard to lead the way in GDPR compliance!
Instant messaging is fast replacing the humble text message
New technology is hot on the heels of the humble text with the growing market of instant messaging services; our Messaging App gives schools the best combination of flexibility and functionality.
Sell more with your own Online School Shop
Support student learning and strengthen your school brand with an Online School Shop!
GDPR – Are you ready?
Whether your school is a primary or secondary school, nursery, academy or part of a multi-academy trust, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will apply to you from 25 May 2018.
IRIS Software Group acquires Contact Group
IRIS Software Group, the UK’s business critical software provider is today announcing the acquisition of Contact Group, a leading provider of parental engagement and truancy management software to UK schools. The acquisition extends IRIS’ education portfolio providing solutions to manage …
Helping you to increase parent uptake with ParentMail
The more parents registered with ParentMail, the more your school will benefit from reduced admin time, print costs and more. It can seem like quite a daunting task to get all of your parents registered but we are here to help make the process easier.
Introducing Rob Brown, Operations Manager at ParentMail
Introducing ParentMail’s Operations Manager, Rob Brown – a name we’re sure many of you are familiar with! We sat down with Rob to chat about his role as Operations Manager…
Do your school communications reflect the changing habits of parents?
Parent habits are changing. No longer are parents digging through school bags to discover out of date, crumpled newsletters; receiving a poor response to your school communications is a thing of the past, too! Times are changing and ParentMail are leading the way with innovative services to improve parental engagement.
ParentMail ensures 100% parental engagement at Wistow CE Primary School
Emails and Texts, Parents’ Evening Manager and Online Form Collection ensure 100% parental engagement at Wistow CE Primary School! Wistow Primary School have introduced three of ParentMail’s services into their school over the past two years, initially launching Emails and …
Help is at hand in under 60 seconds with our Live Chat support service
The days of waiting on the phone for a customer service advisor to take your call are long gone at ParentMail. Help is at hand almost instantly with our fantastic and friendly Live Chat service!
More schools are choosing to go cashless with an Online Payments system
With thousands of nurseries, primary and secondary schools now using our cashless Online Payment System to receive and process payments, experience tells us that parents are only too happy to make payments online!
Internet safety – top tips for young people
Although a brilliant resource for education, creativity and communications, it is increasingly important that we teach young people how to use the internet safely and responsibly.
How important is security in your school?
Cyber security has never been more important than in today’s digital world.
Parents’ Evening Manager saves time for schools and parents
With Parents’ Evening just around the corner, now is the time to introduce Parents’ Evening Manager!
The future is now!
We are all connected – and communications have never been stronger. The question is, how does your school utilise these new technologies to strengthen school/parent engagement?
Kesgrave and ParentMail partner to deliver first-class parental engagement!
With over 1800 students and 99% of parents registered on ParentMail, Kesgrave High School collect on average £15,000 online each week, have sent over 700,000 emails home and had a 97% response rate to their first online form! All in …
Our founder leaves and takes a look back
After 16 years at ParentMail, our founder and CEO Paul Hughes will be leaving early 2018 and ahead of his departure, has been looking back and reflecting on how the company has grown since day one…
70% of parents think a mobile app makes it easier to pay!
We recently took to social media to ask parents their views on school Online Payments systems…
Activate Learning save thousands of pounds monthly with ParentMail
With over 5,000 students across all campuses, communicating home was not only a time consuming task but also incredibly expensive!
Top Tips for going Cashless!
More and more schools are going cashless to make life easier for staff and parents! Find out why…
Dinner money top up revolutionised at Leicester Grammar School Trust!
“Even if parents forget to top up, they can now do it instantly on the mobile App and it’s ready for lunchtime!”
George Stephenson High School gets creative!
Now communicating with their parents regularly and collecting online payments with ease!
Ditch the paper and feel greater!
Will you be celebrating World Paper Free Day this November?
Switch to ParentMail and reap the benefits, says John Hanson School!
“I would, and regularly do, recommend ParentMail to any school I speak with!”
Paperless parents’ evening booked in less than 24 hours for Whiteabbey
174 parents booked their parents’ evening appointments within the first hour!
A highly successful start to the year for the ParentMail Team
This year has seen our most successful start to a new school term, find out why…
15 Creative Halloween Ideas For Kids
It’s nearly Halloween which means it’s time to get out the sweet bowls and dust off those old costumes. It’s also the time of year that you can get creative with your kids. Whether you are planning a spooky themed …
IRIS Software Group Acquires ParentMail
IRIS Software Group, has announced the acquisition of school communication and payment collection software provider, ParentMail
Schools tell us their plans for 2017/18
We can’t quite believe a new school year is upon us once again – and with it comes new challenges for those working in schools!
Top Tips: Parent uptake on ParentMail
Many of our schools have over 95% of parents registered and regularly using ParentMail; we’ve spoken to some to find out their top tips for parent uptake!
Social inclusivity at the heart of technology!
We still remain as socially inclusive today as we were back in 2001!
The future is now – pay for petrol, bills and dinner money through apps!
Our mobile app allows parents to top up dinner money, pay for school trips or buy uniform through a few simple taps!
The Winners of Our July Facebook Competition
Throughout the month of July we ran a competition on Facebook asking parents to send us in a video answering a specific question. That question was to tell us what they loved about ParentMail and we got some incredible replies! …
What does paying on a mobile App mean to parents?
“The app is so easy to use and the payments part is great – it only takes a couple of minutes to top up my daughters dinner money account.”
Prepare Your Child to Start Reception
Children begin school in September already having had a massive range of experiences – playgroups, nurseries, child minders, staying at home or a combination of all these. Even if your child has been to a full time Nursery the step …
Is Sharenting The Right Thing To Do?
Sharenting, do you know what it is? The word is used to describe parents that tend to overshare everything they do with their family on social media. We probably all know someone like this or maybe you are that person. …
Parenting – Expectations VS Reality
The first thought I had when my daughter was born was that this is my moment to do something good…!
How To Prepare Your Child For The New School Year
Soon September will be upon us and with the beginning of Autumn comes the beginning of a new school year. Whether your child is moving up a year in primary or moving to secondary school, there are a few things …
Get The Uniform Ready Before School Starts Again
We know that the school holidays have really only just begun, but they will be over before you know it. Soon the kids will be waking up early and heading off to school once more. Whether they are starting a …
Encourage Your Child to Start Reading With Our Help
Reading can be a fun way to pass the time. It is also critical for your child’s development in education. Thanks to technology, children would now rather watch a movie or play a video game than read a book. If …
Get Out And Explore The Top 5 National Parks The UK Offers
With the start of the summer holidays officially upon us, what better time is there to explore the great outdoors. In total there are 15 National Parks throughout England, Scotland and Wales. To celebrate the start of National Parks Week, …
#ShoutOutForTeachers – Celebrate your teachers!
If you have great memories of a teacher, or if you think highly of your children’s teachers, why not join us and celebrate them!
Making the School Run Less Stressful
The school run can be very stressful. Keeping organised, calm and encouraged can make your morning so much easier for you…and your kids too! Here are some simple tips on how you can make the school run less stressful. Get Everything …
Secrets for stretching the school budget!
Many schools are getting smarter about how they spend their money and parent communications is a great place to start.
The Best Ways to Keep Your Child Safe on the Internet
Living in the 21st Century has it’s pros and cons, especially when it comes to the internet. Everything we’ve ever wanted to know is available with the touch of a button. However, that also means information we don’t want to …
#ShoutOutForTeachers – One month on!
We launched our #ShoutOutForTeachers campaign over a month ago and have been overwhelmed with positive responses on social media!
Schools and Social Media
Are you thinking of a new #edtech product to launch in school? Take a look on social media today and see what you can find out!
Our Top Tips For When You Travel With The Kids
When it comes to summer holidays, there is a lot of planning involved. Booking the flights and the hotels is the easiest part. Actually planning how you will travel to and from the destination is the tough part, especially when …
Payments made in minutes and forms completed instantly!
“It’s a really nice touch that we’re sending our information home to parents through our very own app!”
How to Prepare For Summer When The Kids Are Home
It is the last term of the school year and the summer holidays will soon be upon us. The kids are probably already excited and talking about the plans they want to make with you. Summer is where the best …
Celebrating 1 Million App Downloads!
Over 1 million parents across the UK are loving the convenience of ParentMail’s mobile App!
#ShoutOutForTeachers
If you think highly of your children’s teachers, join us and celebrate them using the hashtag #ShoutOutForTeachers.
Carlton le Willows Academy takes control of their online payments
Carlton le Willows Academy have switched to +Pay and now have 80% of parents and over 100 staff paying online, making quick, easy, payments for dinner money, trips, clubs and more through a free mobile App!
National Walking Month Has Begun And It’s Time to Get Moving
The beginning of May signals the start of National Walking Month and it is the perfect time to start doing just a little bit of exercise each day. Walking is a fantastic way to become healthy. May is all about …
The death of text messages
With smartphones now dominating the mobile world, many schools are turning their back on texting!
Centralised communications for Sunbeams Day Nurseries
“The improvement in our engagement with parents has been phenomenal.”
ParentMail a success for busy working parents at Sandford Hill Primary
“We’re really pleased with ParentMail and would recommend it to any school who wants to make improvements!”
Parents love the ParentMail App!
We took to social media and asked parents to let us know what they thought of ParentMail’s mobile App…
Communication systems: counter-productive to parental engagement?
Is this approach counter-productive to improving parental engagement?
Popular payment provider PayPal – the choice for busy parents!
Over the last few years, the way we pay for things has changed dramatically, from cash and cheques, to debit and credit card and most recently to cashless, mobile and contactless payments.
Celebrating 15 years of ParentMail!
We can’t believe it’s been 15 years since ParentMail was born, and what a journey it’s been!
100% response rate to forms from parents within 48 hours
“Now we’re reaching parents on their smartphones and they’re more engaged than ever before.”
Celebrating 750,000 downloads of the ParentMail App!
More schools are saving money and more parents are getting instant information than ever before!
Parental Engagement the focus for Thames View Infants
“We recognise how much technology is helping and we wanted to use the best system on the market to help us .”
Top Tips: How to engage your parents
Research has shown that when parents get involved with what their children are doing in school, academic results improve as well as student attendance…
Engaged parents help boost exam results
Many forward-thinking schools who see the benefits of a mobile-first solution, are now reaching parents through free in-App notifications…
Instant responses to your support needs
In today’s busy world, people want instant responses and one thing they don’t want is to be hanging on a phone waiting for the next support person to become available or for a response to an email.
Behind the scenes at ParentMail: App Developers – Part 2
As we celebrate over half a million downloads of the ParentMail App, we met with our App developers to find out why it’s been so successful! (Part 2!)
Behind the scenes at ParentMail: App developers (Part 1)
As we celebrate over half a million downloads of the ParentMail App, we met with our App developers to find out why they think it’s been so successful!
Framlingham Primary School surveys parents about ParentMail!
What did parents think of receiving communications online? The results were very interesting!
Parent payments made easy with PayPal and ParentMail
We are excited to announce that we are joining forces with PayPal, the faster, safer way to pay online, on mobile phones and in-store.
Parents’ Evening Manager the solution for St Anne’s
After two years struggling, St Anne’s CE Primary decided to try Parents Evening Manager – and it’s been a revelation!
Completely paperless parental engagement
From paper communications to email and text and now to smartphone Apps, gone are the days of mislaid letters and forms which never make it home.
ParentMail the “one stop shop” for school communications
Looking for a system which would allow them to collect payments as well as communicate with parents – ParentMail was the obvious choice.
Celebrating 500,000 downloads of the ParentMail App!
Half a million parents use the ParentMail App to pick up important school messages, pay for school items, book parents’ evening appointments and more!
Improving parental engagement with online Forms
Ings Farm Primary School always found it difficult to get parents to complete and return forms with often only small numbers of parents responding.
Mobile Apps: The secret ingredient for improving student outcomes?
With advancements in technology moving at such a rapid rate, parents no longer expect to receive important information through email or text messages.
More great feedback from parents on the ParentMail App!
We’ve been looking at some of the great feedback we’ve been receiving from parents to find out how the App helps them.
Astor College saves over £5,000 a year with ParentMail
Astor College were keen to find a way to communicate to parents which would save money – and ParentMail was the answer.
Robert Drake impressed with ParentMail’s training and support
Robert Drake Primary School has started using ParentMail’s latest platform, PMX, and can’t believe how easy it is to use!
The latest ParentMail system exceeds expectations…
“Parents are very excited about being able to “do it all” from the mobile App”
We’ve launched our new help site and improved our support!
We’ve been working hard behind the scenes on our help site so that you can get the help you need instantly.
Parents “over the moon” with the ParentMail App!
With over 90% of parents using ParentMail, Stoke Mandeville Combined School are extremely pleased with how easy it now is to communicate with their parents.
The most reliable, cost effective, inclusive online payments system
With over 90% of parents saying they would prefer to pay for school items online, schools are adapting to the changing needs of parents to make paying for items less of a chore.
The ParentMail App has been updated!
For schools using online payments, parents can now pay for items such as school trips, uniform, tickets for events and more on the go!.
Parents’ Evening Manager a “winner” for Holy Rosary Catholic Primary School
Within a week, 95% of parents booked appointments without paper, queues in the office or teachers spending time on administration!
Fantastic feedback for the ParentMail App!
With over 400,000 parents now receiving messages from their school through the App, parents are reading and responding to school messages, forms and invitations quicker than ever before.
Auto SIMS link a time saving success for St Anne’s RC Primary School
St Anne’s RC Primary School has recently installed the auto SIMS link, so that data automatically updates from SIMS into ParentMail each night.
Our School Mobile App in the Top 20 in the App store!
We’re very proud to announce that The ParentMail App is now in the Top 20 App downloads in the Apple Store!
The death of email
According to email provider Sendmail, 90% of messages in our email inbox are spam, discouraging many of us from reading our emails!
Parents’ Evening “booked in less than 5 minutes”
With Parents Evening Manager, in less than a week Wadhurst Primary School has had two thirds of parents book their appointments online!
ParentMail awarded a position on ESPO framework
We’re very pleased to announce that ParentMail has been awarded a position on the ESPO framework.
ParentMail strengthens the link with SIMS
When it comes to communication systems many schools believe that integration with SIMS (or other MIS) is the most important feature…
Choosing secondary schools made easier for parents
Schools Minister Nick Gibb has announced that parents choosing a secondary school for their child will have access to early exam results to help them decide.
Schools improve parent responses to forms and surveys
Parents can complete school forms, give consent and complete surveys all from their mobile phone, tablet or computer…
“We’ve always done it that way”
35% of schools told us that they still spend on average £100 a week on postage – that’s £3800 a year!
Become a greener school with ParentMail
Many schools regularly raise awareness of global environmental issues and try to promote living “greener lives” to their students.
Improving Parent Teacher Communications at Edgebury Primary
Within 2 weeks, the school had over 80% of parents accessing ParentMail every day, many of which do so through the free ParentMail App.
Why do parents want Parents Evening Manager?
It’s not just schools who find organising parents’ evenings a nightmare!
“Super slick” Parents’ Evening Manager saves school hours
Malcolm Sargent Primary School have been very impressed with just how easy it’s been to set up parents’ evening, thanks to ‘Parents Evening Manager’.
Parents – are you using the ParentMail Parents App yet?
Every parent knows it’s difficult keeping track of all their children’s activities. Schools, clubs, sports events…there’s always something to read, plan for or reply to.
Make things easier for parents, so responses improve
We make it easy for parents to read and respond to school requests, and this makes it the most effective parental engagement service!
ParentMail impresses St Nicholas Catholic Primary School
St Nicholas Catholic Primary School in Devon has been extremely impressed with how well communication in school has improved.
The changing habits of parents
Today, parents can pick up emails, complete schools forms, book parents’ evening and top up dinner money while at work, at home, or on the go, all from their mobile phone.
How can your school make Parents’ Evening easier?
In a recent survey, over 90% of parents told us that they would use an automated online service to book parents’ evenings.
The Internet of Things
The ‘Internet of Things’—a system in which objects can communicate internally or with other machines—will transform the way we live our lives.
For Copthill’s busy parents, ParentMail is the obvious choice
With 100% of parents using ParentMail, Copthill are extremely proud of the way they communicate to parents.
Top 10: Reasons why schools and parents want +Pay!
We’ve put together the top 10 reasons why schools, parents and children benefit from an online payments service like +Pay.
The development team: Behind the scenes of ParentMail
Our very bright development team work hard to bring you the best, quickest, most effective communication service.
Why do parents want school communications on their mobile?
As we get ready to release our new iOS and android apps, we’ve been looking at why parents want to receive school communications on their mobile.
Top Tips: Parents using ParentMail
Many of our schools have over 95% of parents registered and regularly using ParentMail; we’ve spoken to some to find out their top tips for making ParentMail a success!
Coping with free schools meals from September
From September, big changes will be made to school food, with the Department of Education transforming who gets free meals and what children eat.
Top tips for clubs!
We’ve come up with some top tips to help clubs cut back on admin time and communicate easily with parents.
Technology in and out of the classroom
Research shows that more UK adults are now going online using a range of devices…
Improve sports club uptake in your school with ParentMail
We know that many schools offer a wide range of sports clubs, but are your parents aware of them?
Quainton CE Primary prepares for free school meals with online forms
Quainton Primary School have found the perfect solution with ParentMail’s online Dinner Booking form.
Beckington CE First School recommend +Pay to all!
Beckington First School are so pleased with the +Pay service that they would recommend it to any school!
Deepdene School maximise time and money savings
Described as a traditional school by those who know it, Deepdene School has ‘modernised’ with the addition of ParentMail and with huge success as 100% of parents use it.
Halterworth Primary finds success with online Forms App – 80% response!
Over 60% of parents responded to the first online questionnaire sent out by Halterworth Primary School…
ParentMail scores with Felpham Football Club!
“I think we will get a really good response from the parents as lots of them are already familiar with ParentMail through their children’s schools.”
Caldecote Primary reduces dinner money debt thanks to +Pay
With 95% of parents paying via +Pay either online or from their mobile, they have reduced their dinner money debt substantially.
“Staggering” response to school forms at St Paulinus RC Primary School
St Paulinus were staggered when 85% replied to an online form they sent using ParentMail’s Forms Application.
Accessing ParentMail on mobile becomes more popular!
60% of our customers, that’s both schools and parents, access ParentMail through their tablet or phone.
ParentMail – a huge success at St Marie’s RC Primary School!
We spoke with St Marie’s school secretary to discover how they have got an impressive 98% parent uptake on ParentMail.
Balancing work and family life
We do our best to help busy mum’s and dad’s keep in touch with what their children are doing…
The dangers of ‘pupil post’
Pupil post: the transference of letters, forms and permission slips between school and home in students’ school bags, pockets – or not at all as the case may sometimes be!
Swavesey College Improves Ofsted Results
Swavesey Village College improved communications using ParentMail and was given an all-round ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted report in Spring 2011.