Five habits of schools that communicate well with parents

Why it matters

Kenya’s Ministry of Education has long encouraged parents to take an active part in their children’s learning, and published Guidelines on Parental Empowerment and Engagement in 2019. In practice, engagement starts with something simple: parents who feel informed are far more likely to take part.

Most frustration between parents and schools comes from surprises — a fee reminder nobody expected, an event announced the night before, a note that never reached home.

Five habits worth building

None of these need a big budget. They need consistency.

• Share something positive every week: a photo of a class activity or a note about what learners practised.
• Publish the term calendar early and send a reminder a few days before each event.
• Use one official channel for school notices, so parents know where to look.
• Make it clear who to contact for what: class teacher, bursar or head teacher.
• Close the loop: when a parent raises an issue, confirm what will happen and when.

Be careful with large WhatsApp groups

Class WhatsApp groups are convenient, but the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) lists disclosing academic records, financial obligations, behaviour or health information to large parent groups as a real privacy concern. Keep anything about an individual learner in one-to-one conversations.