Summary
We require a secure, intuitive, and dedicated method for publishing school news and updates directly on the Parent Portal home page. Currently, there is no suitable widget or functionality to display parent-facing information in a prominent, accessible way. This is essential for the successful rollout and long-term engagement with the Parent Cloud Portal.
Problem
The Parent Cloud Portal currently lacks any widget or home-page component that allows school to publish important information such as news, weekly updates, menus, events, and links in a way that is visible and easily accessible to parents.
Available alternatives (News articles within the navigation, Daily Bulletin widget) are not suitable:
News articles require parents to click through navigation menus and open articles to find attachments or links, which are not displayed clearly.
Daily Bulletin widget is not secure for parent-facing communication, as it risks accidentally publishing internal staff bulletins due to insufficient separation between internal and external content channels.
As a result, we are currently unable to use the Parent Portal as our primary communication channel and must continue relying on email, which undermines the purpose of the Portal and risks poor parent engagement.
Why This Feature Is Needed
The Parent Portal should serve as a centralised communication platform. Without a dedicated news/update display on the home page, parents are likely to disengage from the Portal, as important information cannot be delivered in a clear, intuitive way.
Examples of essential content that must be displayed prominently include:
Weekly school updates
Weekly lunch menus (with attachments)
Event information (trips, visits), with links and associated documents
Weekly learning focuses (e.g., Anti-Bullying Week, Cultural Capital events etc.)
This content must be visible immediately upon login, not hidden behind navigation menus.
Requested Features
News Widget for Parent Portal Homepage (High Priority)
A dedicated widget allowing school to display updates directly on the Parent Portal home page, with the following capabilities:
Title + short description visible at a glance
Inline display of attachments and URL links (without requiring additional clicks)
Simple and secure publishing interface
Clear separation between internal and external communication channels
Improved News Article Interface
Enhancements to the existing News functionality:
Attachments and links displayed within the body of the article, not in separate locations
Cleaner, more intuitive layout for parents
Push Notification about new item published (ideally user controlled when ready to be announced)
Additional: Ability to Create Custom Parent-Facing Pages
A simple way to create bespoke pages within the Parent Portal without requiring external URLs.
Security Requirements
Robust separation between staff-only bulletins and parent-facing content
Safeguards to prevent accidental publication of internal documents or messages
Permission controls specific to parent-facing communication
Impact of Not Implementing
School communication will continue to rely primarily on email
The Parent Portal will be underused, reducing its value and undermining its purpose
Increased risk of information being missed by parents
Reduced engagement and potential negative impact on parent-school communication
Urgency
We are preparing to launch the Parent Cloud Portal and require this feature for the Portal to be effective and fit for purpose. This functionality is essential and cannot be considered optional.
