Parental engagement in a remote world

Looking for fresh new ways to improve parental engagement in a remote world?

As educators, it’s always been a common goal to improve parental engagement. But, the Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated this challenge further. In fact, it can feel more difficult than ever to engage prospective and existing parents to support their children’s learning journeys.

The good news is that there are a few simple ways to get parents’ attention, and maintain it through the school year.

Parental engagement in a remote world

Thanks to Covid-19, many parents have had to choose their child’s first school without even seeing it in the flesh. This can be extremely daunting for parents. And very challenging for schools!

Fortunately, we’ve seen many schools adapt to this challenge by moving their open days online. A virtual open day allows you to showcase aspects of your school in the same way you would a physical open day. It’s really important that you communicate your school’s values and unique ethos to prospective parents.

It’s helpful to consider the various touchpoints that parents will visit before and after your open day. For example, your website and social media channels. An updated news feed on your website will give parents a glimpse into everyday life at your school.

Also, don’t play down the power of social media! It’s a genuinely useful tool to improve parental engagement.

Virtual open days

If you’re planning a virtual open day, there are a few ways you can proceed;

• Create a video that introduces your school and showcases what’s on offer
• A ‘meet the headteacher’ session that allows parents to dial in to a live video chat
• A pre-recorded headteacher’s address, combined with a live Q&A

Think about the backdrop for your videos or live Q&A. For example, if there’s an area of your school that’s really strong, visually, position your camera to capture that area as the backdrop.

We’ve seen our Wall Art appear as a backdrop in many virtual open days over the past few years. It always gives a professional and polished look and feel to the videos. And, it can communicate a lot about the school before the headteacher has even uttered a word!

Don’t forget the drive-by

Many prospective parents will do a ‘drive-by’ of your school before making that all important decision. So they may judge your school purely based on its visual appearance.

Make sure your gates and fences look smart and well looked after. And, don’t forget to include clear signage with your school name, logo and colours. You can even include your school values or motto on your external walls and fences.

If you’re considering using Wall Art to refresh your external fences, why not pick a woodland theme or display words of welcome in multiple languages?

Show off your learning environment

We often suggest to the schools we work with that they should proudly show off their Wall Art!

If you’ve invested in Wall Art already, why not post photos of your Wall Art to your website and social media channels? Wall Art shows a commitment to your learning environment. And, parents can conclude that you’re a school that cares about, and is committed to, learning.

We’re always delighted when a school tags us in their social posts about Wall Art we’ve designed, printed and installed for them. It also gives other schools a sense of what’s possible!

More about Promote Your School

We’re an education design agency with over twenty years’ experience. We create beautiful, bespoke Wall Art for schools around the world.

Our service includes design, print and installation, backed by a fantastic and consultative service.

Get in touch to find out more!