How to send text messages to parents already on the app

We know parents love the convenience of an app, but we also know some people don’t always have Internet access when they’re out and about.

Parent Hub gives you the flexibility to choose how parents receive the message you send, meaning they can receive text messages even when they're following your school on the app.

In this guide, we'll walk you through how to set up sending defaults for contacts in this way.

Firstly, click Manage Defaults on your Dashboard.

Automatic approach for priority groups

The first time you use this page, you’ll see the 'P1 (until on app)' pill.

This means we’ll only send text messages to priority 1 contacts until they’ve downloaded the app. After they do, we automatically switch it off for them.

If you want to continue sending them texts even after they’re on the app, you’ll need to replace this pill with a different one.

To do so, just click the cross next to the 'P1 (until on app)' SMS pill, then tap the plus icon at the end of the row, and add ‘P1 (always)’.

Individual approach

Sometimes you’ll want to change the defaults one contact at a time, without wanting to affect the main rule for the rest of the priority group.

Firstly, search or scroll to find who you’re looking for in the table.

The icons show how the contact is currently receiving messages, and you can click on them to make manual changes and override the default settings.

For example, tap on the SMS icon and choose ‘Turn On (always)’.

When you do this, you’ll notice a 'manually assigned' pill appears in the top panel, to show you that you’ve made a manual addition.

When you’ve finished, click 'Save & Exit' for the changes to take effect.

Check out our other guides for more tips and advice on how to get the most out of Parent Hub.