90% parent reach achieved at Heston Community School

A diverse school with an approx. £20,000 communication problem

Every year, Heston Community School was writing multiple cheques for thousands of pounds - not for equipment or staff, but for SMS messages to parents.

Meanwhile, absence reporting was a different type of issue. Each morning, staff had to work through a list of calls, one family at a time.

“We used to be completely overrun with phone calls about absences. And then parents would not be able to reach us because the line was engaged, particularly in the colder months when many students will be off sick.”

Kaval Ghatora, senior staff member at Heston Community Academy Trust

Then there were the parents the school struggled to reach at all. With over 40+ languages spoken across the school's diverse community, non-English-speaking parents found it difficult to engage with school communications.

Finding a solution built for 30+ languages

The school went looking for a better solution... and found it in ReachMoreParents.

The parent app’s translation capabilities alone made it a standout choice, but it also brought absence reporting, automated news updates, and custom branding in Heston Community School’s own colours and logo.

Integration meant the school could sync the app's calendar to the calendar on their website, while the Timetables feature gave parents easy 24/7 access to crucial information like exam schedules. Parents could even use the app to give consent to school trips and other school events, complete with GDPR-compliant signatures.

“When parents feel we're communicating well and that it's consistent and prompt, they definitely have a higher opinion of the school.”

Engaged parents boost a school’s reputation – and Heston Community School’s parents were definitely engaged.

90% parent reach and counting

The school made sure parents were supported in the transition to ReachMoreParents - and as a result, the feedback has been very positive.

"I haven't had a single parent tell me they dislike the app," says Kaval.

And we continue to make sure the school's staff are supported too.

“The ReachMoreParents team is brilliant, really good and really helpful. We come away knowing exactly what we need to do, with all our questions answered.”

Parent reach climbed to a yearly average of 90%, with a 99% app uptake rate amongst families.

Absence reporting moved to the app, freeing up hours of staff time every week and saving parents from frustrating mornings trying to through on the phone.

The automated news feed kept parents consistently informed, and the translation feature made language barriers a thing of the past.

Better communication, better results, better reputation. The numbers make a strong case. But for Heston Community School, the biggest win was a parent community that felt genuinely connected.