Engaging Parents Toolkit: what schools need for the new school year

What schools need in their toolkit to master parental engagement 

As schools enter the new school year, teachers and leaders might naturally be somewhat weary of what to expect in regard to parental engagement, concerns and complaints. That’s why it’s important to prepare staff for the challenges ahead with a comprehensive parental engagement toolkit. 

Here’s a few key things to consider: 

Communication templates 

Receiving negative communication or complaints from parents can be difficult to handle, especially if you’re not sure how to respond. Having a set of emails or general communication templates can be incredibly helpful for staff to know how to respond to messages in a polite manner that also addresses the parent’s concern. 

Templates are also great for ensuring consistent messaging and adherence to policies across the school. Additionally, having a standardised way of handling complaints and other communications may help to save teachers time and stress.  

Communication tools 

Schools need an appropriate platform for managing such communication with parents – a platform that doesn’t flood your regular inbox. Parents and teachers naturally need a way of communicating, but that method should be built with schools and teachers’ needs in mind, rather than parents simply having access to teachers’ email addresses.  

Tes Class Charts offers such a platform for communication. The Communication module is a two-way platform that enables schools to quickly and easily share information with parents, pupils and teachers. Parents can also get in touch with teachers when needed.  

Complaints policy and procedures 

Schools are legally obliged to have a complaints policy, but it’s important to regularly review it and ensure that it’s still fit-for-purpose. Complaints policies should offer a fair, open and responsive way to handle concerns raised by stakeholders.  

Staff CPD training 

Once you have a suitable complaints policy in place, teachers and education staff should receive training that both details the policy and any new procedures. Likewise, it’s important that teachers know the difference between unhappy parents with minor complaints and those that wish to raise serious concerns that might have a negative impact on the school. 

In addition to this, CPD on communication would also be beneficial to teachers and other education staff. Having proper communication skills and techniques may help teachers to diffuse situations before they become a bigger issue.  

Parent onboarding  

As you enter the new school year, it’s essential that parents and families of new students are properly onboarded. This means making sure that they are aware of and understand school policies, but that they also know how to effectively use any tools that they have access to – especially if this includes communication tools.  

Consider creating onboarding documents or offering events that cover such information at the start of the school year. Having documentation will be beneficial for any new students that join throughout the school year. 

Sign up for Tes’ free Toolkit 

Parental engagement has never been more important. Get access to your free toolkit to help improve parent engagement in your school and reduce overall complaints. Featuring email templates, posters, CPD, how-to's and more, our free toolkit offers the help and support you need to better manage parent engagement. 

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