11^th March 2024

Dear Parents and Carers,

Improving School Communications and Payments with ParentMail

As mentioned in the newsletter, after Easter we will no longer have the option of using Dudley Catering Services, as the council have taken the decision to close down this service. As a result, a new contractor, AiP has been appointed to provide catering services to school.  More information on the new catering provider and details of the menu choices will follow shortly.

School dinners are currently booked on Evolve, which was organised by Dudley Catering Services.  This is also no longer an option after 22^nd March.

We have used this opportunity to review the current communication and payment methods and have decided to go forward with ParentMail, a system that provides both a communication and payment facility all in one app.  ParentMail will replace Evolve for school dinners, Eduspot for our text messaging service, and help us move to a cashless school by taking payments for all school related items online.

From 23^rd March we will only be using ParentMail, a service used by over 6,000 schools, nurseries and children’s clubs to communicate to parents. We will continue to use Evolve and Eduspot up until Friday 22^nd March. School lunches up until 22^nd March should be booked on Evolve.  Please ensure any outstanding balances are cleared from Evolve by this date. Any other balances (e.g. OSCAR club and trips) will be transferred over to ParentMail by 23^rd March.

ParentMail will be beneficial to you because you can:

• Use a free mobile app on Android and iOS to pick up school messages instantly.
• Book and pay for school dinners (via accounts section).
• Pay for schools trips / OSCAR / after school clubs / uniform in just a few taps.
• Complete forms, give consent / permissions and give feedback on surveys.
• Keep on top of school meetings and events.
• Report pupil absences
• Book parents evening appointments.
• And much, much more!

Registering with ParentMail is very easy. During the week commencing 18^th March you will be sent either an email and/or text message from ParentMail.  When you receive this please follow the instructions in the message.

Please be assured that ParentMail is registered with the Information Commissioner and guarantees that all information you provide will be kept private and will not be passed on to any other organisation.

Once registered, if you have an Android or Apple smartphone, we highly recommend you download the ParentMail App for the best user experience. To do this, simply search for “ParentMail” in your App store.

If you need any additional information or assistance, please visit the help site:

https://www.parentmail.co.uk/help/parenthelp/ or if you have not received any contact from ParentMail by 22^nd March please contact Mrs Jones in the school office.

On Thursday 21^st and Friday 22^nd March there will be a drop in session at school from 8.30am, where office staff will be available to support anyone having issues logging in or downloading the app.

Communicating with parents is an important part of what we do, making sure you get the correct information about activities, events and things that really matter is something we care about.  By downloading the app once you have received your link will ensure you are receiving the most up to date information regarding your child and school events.

Thank you for your continued support as always.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs D Hudson

Headteacher