Resources: Various- See below
What to do:
Lots of educators have used the phrase ‘hard to reach parents/carers’ before. However, what if we flip it and say we as educators might be ‘hard to access.’ So here are some ways you can make communications/information sharing easier with parents/carers.
- Postcards with QR Codes linking to key sources of information- Here is a postcard I will be handing out at Parents/Carers’ evening this week.
- Parent Bulletins/Newsletters– to support with GDPR rules and regulations use Mailchimp as a source of sharing. Also you can then analyse the analytics.
- Parent APPs; Classcharts is great. SIMs has one I believe. You can also, I guess create your own for your school.
- Updated websites– use editable Google Docs on your website to allow constant/streamed updates.
- Social Media– a careful curated school Twitter handle/Facebook account- ensure settings are managed!
- Email Groups- focussing communications means parents/carers are more likely to read/respond to emails. Not sending blanket emails to all parents for example. Same for Group Texts for example.
- School Blogs- Google Classroom– adding parents to be viewers can help them see resources/work set
- Parent workshops/Head Teacher Surgeries– revision evenings, PP information evenings, SEND network evenings etc
- School Radio/TV?
- Parent Teacher Association– linking parents/carers to the school link!
Some worthwhile points to consider re communication: Ensure you have a policy that covers some of the below?
- Make time frames clear. Adding a signature for example- ‘I will respond to your email within two working days.’
- Limit communication channels– having apps, blogs, bulletins, social media etc, if parents chose to communicate via each platform- it will become problematic.
- Don’t use overly complex language and ensure it is accurate- check your mail merge fields, and pronouns etc!
- Don’t only communicate at times of negativity!
Variations:
