3 Things Parents Want to Hear from Your School

Your school may be committed to communicating regularly with parents, but what should you be saying to drive engagement and how can your messages support the school’s important strategic objectives?

Schools who communicate regularly with parents and other stakeholders are more likely to succeed in driving engagement and achieving their strategic ambitions. But, it’s not always clear what you should be saying to parents make those goals a reality.

At Eduprise, we work extensively with academies to improve the quality of their external communications. Here are three things we’ve learned parents will always want to hear from your school.

1. Updates on Their Child’s Progress

Understandably, most parents have one topic at the forefront of their minds: the progress of their child at school. Providing regular updates on their child’s development is a certain way to keep parents invested in what your school has to say.

A progress update could take the form of an individual report. Alternatively, many schools provide regular whole-class updates that show parents how their children are progressing through the curriculum.

Parents want to feel connected to their child’s learning experience. It’s no surprise, then, that they are unanimous in their desire to see photos of their child at school. Including photos alongside your progress updates can be a powerful way of engaging parents.

These updates are also an ideal space to link children’s progress to school objectives, such as by highlighting how an extracurricular project or activity has reinforced classroom learning.

2. Notice When Performance is Dropping

For many parents, results day is too late to discover that their child has been struggling with a subject. Most carers appreciate an early warning that more time and effort may be needed to ensure their child achieves to their fullest potential. By being open and proactive, schools can cultivate a cooperative relationship with parents whereby in-school learning is consistently reinforced at home.

We have written about the temptation to leave potential school issues unmentioned in our blog, 3 Topics Most Schools Avoid — But Shouldn’t. This is another example of how direct and honest communication with parents will build positive sentiment within the community and reinforce the trustworthiness and reputation of your school.

3. What Their Child Will be Learning This Year

It sounds obvious, but sometimes all parents want is a clearly communicated plan of action. What will their child be learning this year and, perhaps more importantly, why? By communicating the value of pupils’ learning experiences in a way that can be understood by stakeholders, schools are more likely to garner the community support needed to undertake educational and enrichment projects that may not be covered by the school budget.

Setting out the basics in a transparent, digestible way will demonstrate to parents that your school is well-organised and forward-thinking. Never underestimate the reassurance parents will feel when presented with a well-communicated plan for the year, no matter how rudimentary.

Make Your School a Better Communicator

Frequent, quality communication to parents and other stakeholders is a primary way for schools to distinguish themselves in an increasingly competitive environment and achieve their strategic objectives. If you’re ready to power up your school’s communications, why not speak to the team at Eduprise?