ParentPay

As you know we try very hard to keep parents regularly informed about what’s going on at the school, however, sending paper letters home can be rather ‘hit and miss’ with letters often going astray along the way.

We are also increasingly aware of the substantial cost, time and environmental impact associated with the amount of paper and photocopying involved with this.

To help improve these areas we use a service called ParentPay.

• Messages will get to you reliably
• We can send messages directly to mums and dads at the same time
• You will quickly know about important or urgent messages
• We can tell you more about what’s going on at the school

Please be assured that ParentPay are registered with the Data Protection Registrar and guarantees that all information you provide will be kept private and will not be passed on to any other organisation.

School Payments – Online

ParentPay is a service which allows parents to pay online for school things like trips, uniform, dinner money etc or by Paypoint in local shops and the post office.

The service reduces admin and also is a more convenient way for most parents to pay.

We would ask that parents use ParentPay rather than sending cheques or cash into the school office.

Please be reassured that ParentPay operates using a financial infrastructure provided by Barclays Bank and meets the highest levels of Card Security (PCI-Payment Card Industry) standards.

Card payments can also be accepted at the school office and processed manually.

(Under certain circumstances we may still be able to take cheque payments, however card payments can be made in the school office if you are having trouble using ParentPay)

How to get started with ParentPay…

When your child starts at our school you will be issued with your account activation username and password, once you receive these:

• Visit www.parentpay.com
• Enter your Activation username and password in the Account Login section of the homepage. NB. These are for one-time use only, you will choose your own username and password for future access during the activation process
• Provide all the necessary information and choose your new username and password for your account – registering your email address will enable us to send you receipts and reminders
• Once activation is complete you can go to straight to Items for payment, select which item(s) you want to add to your basket and proceed to complete your payment

If you have any questions, please contact the school Finance Office.

For more information please click here. Link to https://www.parentpay.com/PR1/Info/PP_Parents.aspx

If you have any problems activating your ParentPay account please contact the school office.

Email and SMS

Dear Parents,

You probably already know that schools now have government targets to meet to improve communications with parents by using modern technologies.

Our school already places letters on our website and we keep it up to date with the school’s events and information for you.

Becta research showed that 68 % of parents would like their child’s school to use emails to communicate with them. Despite the external pressures on schools there are also compelling reasons why our school should also make this a priority:

• Save the school money – paper and toner
• Reduce administrative workload
• Make communication with parents quick and easy

Parents can inform the school of absences by email. If you use text please include the child’s full name and class.

In response to feedback received as part of the recent survey into school services we have been investigating options available to improve our performance in relation to communication. Some parents highlighted concerns relating to notification of school closures and cancellation of after school clubs.

The school works in partnership with Parentpay to provide you with SMS Text Alerts. If you are not receiving alerts please contact school asap.

Once you are registered you will receive only urgent messages by SMS Text. Other letters and communications will be sent by your chosen method of either email or hard copy. The service includes a personalised log in that you can access to update your contact details and to check on archived messages.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely,

Pamela French (Office Manager)