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 making ParentMail a success!

Set ‘ParentMail’ as homework
Some schools set ParentMail registration as homework, meaning children go home and encourage their parents to take 5 minutes setting up their account and showing them how they can receive school communications on their computer, tablet or smart phone! (Bonus points for downloading the mobile App!)

To help with this, we’ve created a graphic for you to download from the help site under ‘Getting Started’. 

Target parents at open evenings/parents’ evening
If you’re holding an open evening/parents’ evening over the next few weeks, make sure you have a ParentMail stand or staff ambassador to promote the benefits of using the system to those parents who don’t know much about it! You can even help them get set up and registered while they are there.

Download and use promotional materials
On our help site you’ll find posters, website banners and newsletter graphics which are the perfect way to catch the attention of your parents. Put the posters up where parents are likely to see them, website banners up on your school website and newsletter graphics in your monthly/termly newsletter.

You’ll find promotional materials to download from the help site under ‘Posters and Graphics’. 

Hire “Eco Kids”
Choose children in your school who can be hired as your “Eco Kids” whose role is to drive registration to reduce paper and printing within school.

Update your school website
You’ll find that if parents are unsure of how they should be receiving communications from you, they’ll look to your school website first. Many schools have a ParentMail section on the main page of their website to ensure parents know where to login or find help.

To help with this, we’ve create a template for you to use on the Help Site under ‘Getting Started’.

Create some school competitions
Hold competitions within your school, for example – the class who has the most parents signed up will win a prize OR each parent that makes a payment within a date specified will be entered into a raffle and those selected at random will win a prize!

Hire your parents to promote ParentMail!
It may be that you have some parents who are keen supporters of ParentMail – use them to your advantage! Ask them to speak to other parents about the benefits of ParentMail and why they love it – the good news will spread and soon you’ll have 100% of parents signed up!

Make sure your staff are on board
Any project or idea will not work without support or commitment from your staff – get your teachers trained and educated on ParentMail so that they feel enthusiastic enough to talk to your parents and children about the benefits of registering.

Try some of our tips and let us know how you get on OR share with us some of your tips, by leaving a comment below or tweeting us @ParentMail.