All year groupsEngland

Staying in touch with school: apps, reports and parents' evening

Written by A Dagdelen · Reviewed 17 October 2026

Schools use several channels at once, which is why messages get missed. Set up the main ones in the first fortnight and you will rarely be caught out.

Photo: Andrey Matveev on Unsplash

Websiteterm dates, training days and policies usually live here
App or emailurgent messages often arrive by an app, text or email
Reportsmost schools report on progress at least once a year
Parents' eveningusually once a year for each year group, in short slots

What you need to know

Start with the website and the calendar. Term dates, training days when pupils stay at home, and the school's policies are usually here. Ask the office for a list of key dates for the year and put them in your own calendar.
Find out which app or portal the school uses. Schools use messaging apps, text and email, and some have a portal that shows homework, behaviour and attendance. Ask the office for a login, check your spam folder and tell the school whenever your phone number or email changes.
Understand how progress is reported. Reports and portals may show grades, targets or effort scores. Ask what the grades mean, what the targets are based on, and how often they are updated.
Parents' evening is a short meeting. Slots are often around five to ten minutes per teacher, so prepare two or three questions in advance. Our guide to sets and parents' evening lists good ones.
Go to the information evenings. Schools hold meetings about moving up, GCSE options and exams. They are a good chance to ask questions and see other parents' concerns.
It is fine to contact a teacher. You do not have to wait for parents' evening. Email or phone the school office and say who you would like to speak to. Many schools publish how quickly they reply.

Set up in the first fortnight

Install the app on day one

Ask the office which app or portal the school uses and set up notifications for messages.

Put the dates in your calendar

Add term dates, training days and parents' evening as soon as you have them.

Keep messages in one place

Use an email folder or label for school messages so important ones do not get lost.

Tell the school when details change

A new phone number, email address or home address can stop messages reaching you.

Practise and explore on Quizo School

Sets and parents' evening How sets work, and the questions worth asking.
Who is who at school Who to contact for what.
Term dates and school holidays Where to find your child's dates.
School attendance and term-time holidays What to tell the school and when.
English as an additional language Support for families and children learning English.

Questions parents ask

I never see the messages. What can I do?

Ask the office to check which contact details they have and to resend the last few messages. Check spam and the app's notification settings.

What if I need information in another language?

Ask the school. Many can help, and you can paste newsletters into a translation tool. Our English as an additional language guide has more ideas.

Can I speak to a teacher outside parents' evening?

Yes. Contact the school office or email the teacher and ask for a call or a short meeting. Say briefly what you would like to discuss.

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