School holidays are a crucial time for staff, pupils and parents to unwind and refresh. But that first day back after a break can feel like a shock to the system, and getting back into the routine can be a struggle. So how can you help parents, pupils and staff to feel more prepared? Here are our three top tips for keeping parents engaged in the school holidays:
Share good news with your school’s parents
Keeping parents engaged - improving pupil outcomes
The end of term is always a great opportunity to celebrate the achievements of pupils and staff. A key step in keeping parents engaged is making sure they feel completely up to date with all the good news in the school. If there are any difficult conversations to be had, ensure that these are dealt with before the end of term so that everyone can end on a high.
To start the new term on a positive note, why not save some of the good news for the first day back? You could send parents a notification the night before school starts telling them about something exciting their child is going to be involved with, or sharing a piece of good news for the school.
Above all, remember that there is no such thing as too much good news. In a recent survey by Piota, 98% of parents said that they wished their child’s school would share good news with them more often.
Don’t save up all your good news for the holidays – spread it out throughout each term and you’ll keep parents, pupils and staff feeling positive all year round!
Make sure that school term dates are communicated
Ensure parents and pupils know when they are expected back to school. This is especially important if the date is different for teachers and support staff.
If your school has a dedicated app, send parents a notification the day before term is due to start. Tell them that you are looking forward to seeing them and set expectations for the weeks ahead.
Suggest homework rather than direct it
Parents and pupils can sometimes feel overwhelmed when it comes to holiday homework. Rather than setting compulsory tasks, why not offer parents some suggestions for broadening their child’s horizons during the holidays?
Alongside the usual list of revision resources and websites, you could include information about local events and activities (especially free ones) that families can get involved with.
You are far more likely to get parents on-side if they feel you are offering them some helpful ideas and suggestions rather than telling them how to spend their time during the holidays.
Keeping parents engaged with improved communication
By the time the next set of holidays roll around, you could have a fully-customised school app ready to send parents instant information about your school. At Piota, we can build a free trial of your app in a matter of weeks, ready for you to test out and discover just how vital a tool it could be.
