Back-to-School Guide - Direct Integration

Thanks for completing our end-of-year questionnaire – please find below your personalised guide. Click on each stage or scroll down to view step-by-step instructions.

1. Process year-end in your MIS
2. Sync your MIS data
3. Check your new MIS data
4. Check your sending defaults
5. Manage your channels
6. Add and remove staff
7. Invite new parents to the app

1 - Process year-end in your MIS

Parent Hub takes its data from your Management Information System (MIS). Please make sure this is up to date and ready for the new academic year before continuing.

2 - Sync your MIS data

This happens automatically overnight. If you've only just completed year-end in your MIS and your school is on a premium Parent Hub plan, you may be able to sync right now - please head to Admin > MIS Data Hub > Healthcheck and click Sync MIS Data. This usually takes around 30-90 seconds.

3 - Check your new MIS data

Parent Hub’s Healthcheck section is designed to help you spot any errors that might exist in your MIS contact data. Head to Admin > MIS Data Hub > Healthcheck and click on the tiles to identify common issues, such as:

• missing parental responsibility
• missing or shared mobile numbers

See Identifying issues with parent data in your MIS for more.

4 – Check your sending defaults

Make sure Parent Hub has a default, or preferred, method for reaching at least 1 contact for every student in school. Your ‘default coverage’ stat on the Dashboard gives you an instant picture of how close you are to achieving this: try to make sure it stays at 100%! Click Manage Defaults to fix this.

How to set up default SMS and email sending for priority 1 contacts

5 - Manage your channels

Please archive any channels you definitely won't need - for example, clubs that aren't going to run this year.

Then click Add Channel to create any new ones you'll need and link them to the corresponding MIS groups.

Finally, check the students linked to any channels you decided to keep. Click Followers in the Settings menu to see the students imported from your MIS data into this channel.

If you don't see the correct students, or they are missing, edit the linked MIS group(s):

6 - Add and remove staff

If any staff who use Parent Hub are joining or leaving your school this year, you can manage this in Admin > Staff Accounts

• To remove a staff account, click Actions > Remove Staff Account > Confirm
• To invite someone new to Parent Hub, click Invite Staff. Search your MIS staff, or enter their email address.

Setting up Parent Hub accounts for other members of staff

If any existing staff are changing channels, you can remove them from their old channels and invite them to their new ones:

• Click on a channel's name to view that channel
• In the channel menu (right-hand side), click the Contributors drop-down box
• Use the X to remove staff, and search for new staff members by name
• Then tap the + to send them an invite

7 - Invite new parents to the app

• Make sure you have a copy of your invite poster to hand (saved somewhere accessible)
• Messages > One-way > Send One-way
• Send to parents of 'whole school'
• Edit contacts
• Remove the app, and add SMS for 'P1 (not on app)' if not already included. Alternatively, you can use email.
• Save & exit
• Write a welcome message and attach your invitation flyer - remember to personalise the message using Merge Tags

That’s it! You’re all ready for a new year of learning. As ever, if we can help at all, please give us a call on 0161 202 4141 or email support@parenthub.co.uk