Parent engagement

International schools face high expectations around parent engagement, with many parents expecting regular and transparent communication. In this advice hub, you’ll find support on understanding the importance of parent engagement and ideas for how schools can improve parent engagement, plus free resources and communication templates.

Illustration of three circles with a teacher in one, student in another and parents in the third, and the parents and teacher are reaching across to shake hands

Connectivity and parent engagement

As digital platforms have made communication easier than ever, what many parents expect from schools is changing. With schools facing an increased demand for communication and transparency, effective parent engagement is becoming a strategic priority. 

Better connected systems support international schools to embed structured and consistent communication while saving staff time – and avoiding making individual staff members responsible for complex, high-stakes conversations.

Illustration of a teacher sat at a desk using a laptop, with lines connecting the laptop to a parent at home and another parent at work

Why is parent engagement important?

Open and transparent communication helps build trust between parents and the school. This is key to building strong home-school partnerships, which can improve student engagement and outcomes – and vitally, boost school reputation. 

Parent engagement is more than simple communications with parents. It is a core part of school operations today, with links to safeguarding, inclusion, and student and staff wellbeing. Similarly, it can make a big difference to families settling in a new area.

Using systems that streamline and centralise communication makes parent engagement easier for staff while giving parents more visibility of their child’s progress. Some school management information systems, like Tes Engage, include apps to help parents feel more engaged and in control of their school experience while saving staff time.

Learn more

Illustration of a teacher shaking hands with a parent, who is stood with their partner and child

The challenges schools are facing

  • Communication overload

    Parents have more opportunities than ever to communicate with teachers. Most people have their phone on them at all times – for teachers, this means regular emails outside of working hours, often with an expectation of a quick response. Balancing communication with a whole class of parents alongside existing workload can present a significant challenge for teachers.

  • Disconnected information

    Parents can communicate through multiple channels, including emails, phone calls, in-person conversations and dedicated apps. These are often not connected – so there is no single log of all communications the school has had with one parent, and staff members risk having important conversations without the full context.

  • Mitigating complaints

    If schools can’t see a full communication history in one place, it is harder to evidence what they have done to address parental concerns. It’s also harder to see cases where parents are more likely to make a complaint – and if schools can’t spot these cases, they can’t take action to address the concerns before a formal complaint is made.

  • Parents lack visibility

    Parents can’t see the information they need because a single view of the data might not even exist. Schools have a wealth of data on attainment, homework, learning targets, extracurricular activities and behaviour – but data on each of these is kept separately, when what parents want is a full view of their child.

Parent engagement resources and tips

  • Illustration of a hand on a keyboard in front of a computer monitor, with the other hand holding paper that has text on it that says: 'Parent-teacher conference communication templates'

    How to communicate with parents ahead of parents-teacher conferences (templates included)

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  • Illustration of a school leader at their desk with a teacher sat across from them, talking about meeting with parents

    How to support your teachers during parents’ evenings

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  • Mirrored illustration of a teacher sat at a desk - on one side she has lots of paperwork and is stressed, the other she is using a computer and her desk is clear

    Manual scheduling vs cloud platforms for parents’ evenings

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  • Illustration of a group of parents sat in a waiting room, with a clock on the wall behind them

    How to increase attendance for parents’ evenings

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  • Illustration of a man in a blue jacket holding a pencil and clipboard, with a checklist on a piece of paper floating next to him.

    Admin checklist for successful parents’ evenings

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  • Illustration of a teacher sat at his desk, talking with two parents sat on a bench opposite.

    Parents′ evening questions: the complete guide for teachers

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  • Illustration of two parents sat on a bench, in front of them a hand is holding paper with 'Parent-teacher interview template' written on it.

    Parents′ evening interview template

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What makes a connected parent experience?

Building a connected experience for parents boosts their engagement, which in turn improves student outcomes and school reputation – while making the experience better for teachers, leaders and admin staff. But what does this look like in practice? 

Ultimately, there are three key aspects that make up a connected parent experience: 

  • One view of the student: providing parents with all the information they need, in one place – and this aligns with the school’s view of the student 

  • Consistent access to information: ensuring parents and the staff members who need it can access the same up-to-date information

  • Reduced workload: doing all of this in a way that saves staff time, rather than adding to already heavy workloads

A frustrated teacher with a laptop, surrounded by icons showing files, settings, students, parents and a school

How we help schools bring this to life

  • A teacher huddled together with their students

    Tes Engage

    Keep everything in one place with a tool that enables you to manage leaders, staff, parents and students all in one system. 

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  • Illustration of a teacher shaking a parent's hand, with the parent stood next to their partner and child. There is a school in the background

    Tes Parents’ Meetings

    Boost parent engagement and save time while supporting staff wellbeing with our parent-teacher meeting system. 

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  • A teacher holding a checklist

    Tes Clubs and Events

    Parents can book trips, complete club sign-ups and make payments all in one place, so you have the information you need, when you need it. 

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Parent engagement in Tes Magazine

  • A wooden cube with a happy face on one of its faces and a sad face on another

    The parent complaints issue is more nuanced than you think

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  • Close up of a Black person and white person's hands, with their little fingers interlinking over a yellow background

    International schools must live up to their promises

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  • A child on the floor wearing a medieval costume and a cardboard crown

    The tricky art of satisfying parents′ expectations for school events

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  • An empty classroom

    Why we’ll fund new ideas about attendance and parental engagement

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