The role of technology in parent-teacher communication

Positive teacher and parent relationships are necessary for pupil success because learning doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Learning is a 24/7 experience that is constantly happening at home, in school, and when a child is out and about. This means, to be supported in their learning wherever and whenever, children need the support of both their parents and their teachers working together to give them their best chance at succeeding.

However, parent-teacher communication isn’t always as simple as it seems. In primary school, it can be a lot less complicated, as parents have more opportunities to engage with their children’s teachers during pick up and drop off time. But when young people get to secondary school age, parents can start to feel disconnected from their child’s education. As a result, schools need a straightforward way of fostering positive communication between teachers and parents – to make parent-teacher communication more than just a once a year event.

The traditional parent-teacher communication model

Traditionally, parent-teacher communication has been limited by a lack of secure communication lines between both parties. This means that communication has been limited to parents’ evenings, occasional phone calls to discuss significant events, and letters sent home on a need-to-know basis.

The problem with these methods is that they don’t allow organic or spontaneous communication to occur, meaning that things get missed and parents end up out of the loop with their child’s education. They’re also all extremely fallible methods of communication, as often parents can’t attend parents’ evenings due to work commitments or access needs, phone calls get missed, and letters get lost at the bottom of bags.

However, making use of technology designed to foster and promote a positive parent and teacher relationship can eliminate these issues and create space for parents to be more engaged and involved in their children’s education.

The benefits of technology in parent-teacher communication

Schools have been using technology, such as emails and text messages, to foster effective teacher parent communication for decades now. And those methods have helped to bridge the gap between school and home by reducing the need for paper-based communications.

However, they still come with their own issues as neither email nor text message inboxes are places reserved solely for school communications. That means emails and texts get lost, forgotten about, or missed altogether due to the sheer volume of messages parents are receiving in both these places.

Specially designed communication software for schools, however, provides one dedicated place for all school communications to take place, making it easy for parents to keep on top of messages. In addition, school communication software can provide a direct line of communication between teachers and parents that allows both parties to communicate back and forth without compromising their personal details.

The way parents can engage with their children’s education is changing

Now, schools can integrate all sorts of software into their school apps or websites, such as online school payments, homework apps, school meal management, and attendance tracking. This means that parents no longer need to try and pull information from uncommunicative children when they come home.

Now, they can see what homework their children need to do by logging into their parent and teacher communication apps. They can manage their children’s meals remotely. They can get updates from their children’s teachers about the lessons they’ve had that day and how they engaged with them. And they can control the money their children are able to spend in school without having to give them cash that will inevitably get spent on all the wrong things.

All this serves to encourage parental involvement, by equipping parents with the knowledge they need to be able to support home learning and connect with their children over what they’re learning at any given time.

How can ReachMoreParents enhance communication between parents and teachers?

At ReachMoreParents by Weduc, we offer a range of software all under the umbrella of our Reach More Parents platform designed to aid and enhance parent-teacher communication, including:

Attendance Tracking App

Reduce the administrative burden on school staff by allowing them to easily manage authorisation, send alerts, and connect with those parents who are hardest to reach to support the key aim of reducing truancy.

Parent App

When life gets busy, parents need a teacher parent communication app that cuts through the noise. With our free in-app messages/push notifications, you can bypass their overflowing email inboxes and flash up on their mobile screen with your news.

School Dinners App

Allow parents to book meals in advance, choose when to pay and prevent debt mounting up, and set minimum and maximum limits to menu control – all from one app. Plus, by eliminating the need for cash in the corridors, you can discreetly manage Free School Meals and reduce opportunities for bullying.

Homework App

Enable parents to participate in their child’s learning, gain an oversight of work lacking in Google Classroom or MS Teams, and help their child manage deadlines. Plus, take away the burden of remembering for students and enable them to track assignments all in one place.

Parents’ Evening System

Ensure that parents’ access needs don’t prevent them from talking to teachers with online parents’ evenings, give them the option of choosing their own appointment times, and provide reminders – to engage even the hardest to reach parents.

Custom branded apps for schools

House all your teacher parent communications software in one place, custom branded for your school. So there’s just one place for parents to find out information, report absences, send messages, and stay up to date on their child’s education.

The future of parent-teacher communication

The role of technology has come a very long way when it comes to supporting and promoting positive communication between parents and teachers. And the good news is, as the importance of a positive partnership between teachers and parents becomes increasingly evident, there’s plenty more to come in that area.

To find out more about how to improve parent teacher communication with our range of software for schools, click here to book a discovery call at a time that suits you, drop us a line via our enquiry form, or give us a call on 01509 221 349.