Parental engagement can be complicated. In a world of constant communication, how can schools make sure their messages cut through the noise?
Families are often in school during busy moments: pick up, drop off, parents evening, clubs and meetings. These are great opportunities to share school culture as well as important messages (perhaps a reminder about payment for the trip to the zoo!) but there are also moments in which parents don’t have much free time. That means information has to be shared in a simple, brief and attention-grabbing way. Notice boards won’t cut it!
The good news is that there’s a simple way to make the most of the moments you have with parents on site. Digital signage gives you a chance to share those messages in a medium that can be understood in seconds. Just like when we’re walking down the high street and see an ad out of the corner of our eye, your screens are a great way to share key messages in those crucial seconds a parent is waiting in your reception or outside the sports hall.
How to get started
Reinforce the student’s journey
Parents often say the same thing: “They don’t tell me anything.” Older students, especially, can be economical with detail. By sharing screen content such as projects, trips, upcoming curriculums, and enrichment opportunities; schools help parents understand the bigger picture. It reinforces the student’s belonging and the reason they choose that school to begin with.
Ever wondered who’s behind the policies?
Safeguarding leads. Mental health practitioners. SEN staff. The PTA team. Most parents wouldn’t be able to name them, even though these are the people who support their children during the important moments. Digital signage, shared both in school and online, gives visibility to the people who make the system work. It demystifies support structures and builds trust.
Community life
Events don’t belong in a single email reminder. They gain significance through visibility. When upcoming open days, parents’ evenings, coffee mornings, workshops, and PTA initiatives appear regularly either via screen or a web link, parents get a steady sense of what’s happening, not a sudden announcement from a panicked student two days before the event.
Two way engagement, not one-way broadcasting
When parents do have the chance to visit the school building, screens in reception can host polls or quick interactive moments that help schools gauge parent perspectives. This could be on events, wellbeing themes, priorities, or even simple check-ins. It’s a subtle reminder that engagement isn’t just the school talking at parents; it’s the school listening too.
Extending visibility
But what about parents and guardians who can’t be on site? For many families, their understanding of school life is shaped in the gaps between these in person interactions. The meeting they can’t make, the conversations their child doesn’t want to have, and most importantly, the school noticeboard they never walk past.
The challenge isn’t content creation; it’s content reach. How does a school ensure the important messages, celebrations, and updates that shape daily culture are visible to every parent, not just the ones who step inside the building?
If schools want families to feel genuinely connected to their establishment, they need communication tools that reach beyond the school gates and into the routine of everyday life.
Digital signage becomes more powerful when it doesn’t end at the physical display. Our TrilbyTV web players feature allows schools to take what appears internally and make it available externally through a link, viewed on a browser. This gives the perfect window for busier parents and guardians to catch up on the parts of school life they would usually rarely see.
More than comms
Digital signage isn’t just a tool for sharing information; it’s a tool for shaping the understanding of school culture. They help parents see the lived reality of school life – the projects underway, the people involved, the values on display, and the experiences their children might not articulate at home.
Parental engagement deepens when families don’t have to rely on second-hand fragments of information. When they can see the journey for themselves (whether on a screen in reception or through a link in their inbox) their connection to the school becomes clearer, stronger, and more meaningful.
Are you looking for ways to strengthen parental engagement in your school? Our monthly Community Drop-In sessions are a great opportunity to speak to one of our experts and get inspiration for quick win content. So, feel free to drop in, say hello and join us for more inspiration.
Alternatively, are you ready to level up your school comms and introduce digital signage to your halls and classrooms? Book a free demo with one of our friendly experts, where they’ll walk you through the software. You can also make use of our 30-day free trial.