Best strategies for building parent engagement in schools

A strong parent-school relationship is not only beneficial for culture and community, but it can also be an indicator of academic attainment, too. In fact, The Education Endowment Foundation finds that strong parental involvement can add four months’ learning progress each year.

Benefits beyond attainment include:

• Better attendance and punctuality
• Stronger safeguarding links
• Improved behaviour and wellbeing
• Higher confidence in school leadership

For leaders, this makes parental engagement one of the most powerful levers for school improvement. Yet, we all know this can be easier said than done. Many parents want to engage but face significant barriers. These could include work commitments, language differences or simply a lack of confidence around how to help. That's why schools need deliberate strategies that makes every family feel welcomed and heard, in a simple way. 

Q: How can schools ensure that engagement meets every family’s needs?

To succeed at building parent engagement in schools, first understand the people you’re trying to reach:

• Run surveys or short interviews about preferred channels and frequency of updates.
• Note groups with extra barriers, such as EAL or SEND families.
• Segment communications so parents get messages that relate directly to them.

Bethany School did this via custom forms in My School Portal, targeting consent and trip updates to the right parents. Fewer irrelevant emails meant happier families and less admin.

“Parents don’t have to fill in information again and again… it simplifies things and ensures they only see what’s relevant.” – Katja Thornton, Database Manager, Bethany School

Clear, warm communication is at the heart of engagement. Practical communicating with parents strategies for teachers include:

1. Positive-first messaging: celebrate achievements before raising concerns.
2. Clarity and brevity: avoid educational jargon; use plain English.
3. Consistency: adopt school-wide templates so messages feel official.
4. Two-way dialogue: encourage replies and questions, especially for new families.
5. Cultural awareness: offer translation or interpreters where needed.

Tip: Short CPD sessions on email tone, phone etiquette, or handling difficult conversations help teachers feel prepared.

Harness digital tools to strengthen engagement

Q: How can technology improve building parent engagement in schools?

Digital systems remove friction and give parents timely access to information:

• Single sign-on portals combine calendars, reports, forms, and payments.
• Push notifications prevent deadlines from being missed.
• Mobile apps match parents’ expectation for information on the go.
• Integration with MIS and learning platforms saves data entry.

Brentwood School adopted the My School Portal mobile app, centralising payments, events, and welcome packs. Parents log in once and see everything they need, a major step in building parent engagement in schools through convenience.

St Edmund’s School in Canterbury used My School Portal to unify three separate communication systems across its prep, senior and sixth form sections. Headmaster Edward O’Connor says the portal has been “invaluable”, especially for international parents who need 24/7 access to timetables, assessment data and pastoral updates. It even sustained engagement during lockdown, supporting remote learning when face-to-face contact wasn’t possible.

James Allen’s Girls’ School found that switching reports and letters to digital formats reduced paper and supported sustainability goals.

Related article: How technology is shaping parent engagement in schools: Digital tools and strategies

Support teachers with smart systems when building parent engagement in schools

For staff, good communicating with parents strategies depend on practical support:

• Provide templates and example wording for routine updates.
• Use integrated systems so lists, groups, and contacts update automatically.
• Make past communications easy to access, helping teachers give consistent messages.

Ewell Castle streamlined bulletins and forms into My School Portal, saving teachers time and improving accuracy.

Berkhamsted Girls’ School, part of a multi-campus group, also found value in unifying communication via My School Portal. Headmistress Liz Richardson highlights its adaptability: “We know every part of the school can use it, from early years to sixth form.” That reliability frees teachers to focus on high-quality conversations with families.

Welcome and onboard families well is key to building parent engagement in schools

First impressions shape future engagement. To encourage new parents:

• Send digital welcome packs with timetables, uniform lists, and staff contacts.
• Hold informal orientation sessions or coffee mornings.
• Offer clear guides to the school’s communication channels.

Brentwood School’s Year 7 welcome page inside My School Portal means families arrive informed and confident, helping leaders start building parent engagement in schools from day one.

At Benenden School, Headmistress Samantha Price says parents “feel very connected to the school” thanks to quick access to academic and pastoral updates through the portal. By putting core information in one place, Benenden reassures families early and builds a sense of partnership.

Evaluate and evolve your approach when building parent engagement in schools

Leaders should check that their approach to building parent engagement in schools delivers results:

• Track open rates, app logins, event attendance, and response times.
• Use parent surveys after evenings or workshops to gauge usefulness.
• Analyse platform data (e.g., which pages parents visit most).
• Adjust content or timing based on findings.

Technology isn’t the whole story, but it removes barriers when paired with good relationships. My School Portal offers:

• Real-time updates, messages, and push notifications
• Secure reports, forms, and payments
• Parent-teacher booking tools
• Homework visibility via Teams or Google Classroom
• Customisable forms for trips, medical details, or consents
• MIS integration and GDPR compliance

Schools use it in different ways:

• Brentwood – centralised onboarding, payments and communication
• Bethany – automated consent forms
• James Allen’s – digital reports supporting sustainability
• Ewell Castle – streamlined data processes
• St Edmund’s – unified systems for local and international parents
• Benenden – strengthened academic and pastoral connections
• Berkhamsted Girls’ – consistent communication across campuses

And these are just a few examples. Visit our customer stories area to explore more examples of how building parent engagement in schools is made easier with My School Portal.

The key is to pair a portal with clear expectations and good personal contact. As these case studies show, a well-implemented platform enhances, rather than replaces, relationships.

Quick tips for leaders

• Audit every parent touchpoint: meetings, newsletters, texts, portals.
• Provide staff with clear communicating with parents strategies and model good practice.
• Keep one main platform for messages and forms; avoid scattergun tools.
• Offer CPD on digital communication and handling challenging conversations.
• Share success stories with governors and parents to build momentum.

Thinking about a digital hub to support engagement? Explore My School Portal and see how it fits alongside your school’s approach.

Conclusion

Successful building parent engagement in schools is a mix of respect, clarity, and smart systems. By pairing clear routines and teacher training with tools such as My School Portal, leaders create a culture where families feel informed and valued, and pupils reap the rewards.