Blog

Notes for the school years

School admin, the class WhatsApp group, term dates, the money, and what AI can honestly do for a busy family. Written by parents, for parents in the UK.

• 29 September 2026 · 4 min read AI for family admin, honestly A plain account from people who build one. Where AI reading of school letters is reliable, where it is not, what a tool should never be allowed to do, and the questions to ask any app before you give it your inbox. Read →
• 29 September 2026 · 1 min read The Arbor parent app: a parent's guide Logging in, what the app shows, booking parents' evening before the slots go, giving consent, paying with Arbor Pay, and getting a second parent onto the account. Read →
• 29 September 2026 · 1 min read ClassDojo for parents: the important bits between the volcano photos What ClassDojo is for, how to connect to your child's class, where the notices hide, muting the points without missing the messages, and getting a second parent on. Read →
• 29 September 2026 · 3 min read Every dress-up day of 2026/27, with the dates The 2026/27 dates for the charity and dress-up days schools take part in, what each usually involves, how much they cost, and the ones the school will move. Put them in now and stop being the parent who forgot. Read →
• 29 September 2026 · 4 min read Every UK school system explained for parents What each school system is for, what it sends you, where to add a second email, what it charges, and the one thing about each that catches parents out. Written for the parent, not the school. Read →
• 29 September 2026 · 4 min read Family calendar apps in the UK: an honest comparison Cozi, TimeTree, Google Calendar, Skylight, FamilyWall, Nuet, Sense, Cyril and AskBobbie, asked the same twelve questions. What each is for, what it costs in the UK, and which one you actually need. Read →
• 29 September 2026 · 2 min read Harvest festival: what to send in, and what the school actually wants Tins, packets, toiletries, and what the food bank turns away. What the assembly involves, whether parents can come, and the one line in the letter that tells you the date to worry about. Read →
• 29 September 2026 · 1 min read MyChildAtSchool (MCAS) for parents: logging in, and what it is for The Bromcom parent app used by many secondaries: the school ID and invitation code, the dashboard, homework and behaviour, payments, and the fix for the login that never works. Read →
• 29 September 2026 · 3 min read Milestones: starting Reception, moving to Year 7, SATs and GCSEs The four transitions that come with their own admin: the application deadlines, what the school will ask for, what to have in the calendar a term early, and the questions worth asking. With the 2026/27 dates. Read →
• 29 September 2026 · 2 min read The new school year checklist: an hour in late August that saves the autumn The eleven things to do before the first day back, in order: the dates, the uniform, the systems, the emails, the clubs, the money, and the one conversation to have with the other grown-up. Read →
• 29 September 2026 · 3 min read ParentPay for parents: paying for trips, dinners and clubs without the faff How to set ParentPay up, add a second child or a second parent, top up dinner money, pay for a trip and give consent, pay in cash at a PayPoint, and the three things that catch every parent out. Read →
• 29 September 2026 · 2 min read Parents' evening: getting a slot, and the ten minutes once you have one Bookings open at a set time and the good slots go in minutes. How the systems work, what to ask in a ten-minute appointment, what to do if it goes badly, and what to write down afterwards. Read →
• 29 September 2026 · 2 min read Primary applications close on 15 January: how to choose and apply The Reception deadline for September 2027, how to list your schools, what catchment and sibling rules mean, deferring or part-time starts for summer-born children, and what happens on 16 April. Read →
• 29 September 2026 · 1 min read School Gateway for parents Setting up School Gateway, why it depends on the mobile number and email the school has for you, paying and giving consent, and getting a second parent on. Read →
• 29 September 2026 · 3 min read School money without the surprises What a school year costs a family in England, which of it is optional, what changed in September 2026 on free school meals and branded uniform, and a way to see the money coming before it is due. Read →
• 29 September 2026 · 2 min read Secondary applications close on 31 October: what to do this week The Year 7 deadline for September 2027 falls six weeks into Year 6. How to apply, how many schools to list and in what order, what the catchment and oversubscription rules mean, and what happens on 1 March. Read →
• 29 September 2026 · 1 min read Seesaw for parents Connecting to your child's Seesaw journal, adding a second family member, replying to work, and where the class announcements sit. Read →
• 29 September 2026 · 2 min read Sports day and the residential: what to bring The summer term's two big kit lists. Sports day essentials, the residential packing list that schools send and the things it leaves out, and the meeting you should not miss. Read →
• 29 September 2026 · 1 min read Tapestry for parents: the early years journal, and the memos that matter What Tapestry shows, how to log in and add a second relative, how to reply to an observation, and the memos where the nursery hides the dates. Read →
• 29 September 2026 · 2 min read School term dates in England 2026/27: how to find yours, and what is fixed The shape of the 2026/27 year in England, who sets the dates (your council or your academy), how to find the exact ones by postcode, the INSET day rule, and the national dates that never move. Read →
• 29 September 2026 · 4 min read Term dates, INSET days and the dates schools spring on you How the English school year is built, why INSET days are never national, the admissions deadlines that do not move, the SATs and GCSE weeks for 2027, and the dress-up days worth putting in the calendar now. Read →
• 29 September 2026 · 1 min read School term dates in Northern Ireland 2026/27 Northern Ireland's year starts at the beginning of September and ends at the end of June, with schools setting their own dates within a Department of Education framework. Where to find yours, and the transfer test dates. Read →
• 29 September 2026 · 1 min read School term dates in Scotland 2026/27 How the Scottish school year differs from England's: an August start, a late-June finish, an October week, and dates set by each of the 32 councils. Where to find yours, and the national exam dates. Read →
• 29 September 2026 · 1 min read School term dates in Wales 2026/27: how they are set, and how to find yours Wales harmonises term dates across councils more than England does, but not completely. The shape of 2026/27, where to find your council's dates, and the national dates. Read →
• 29 September 2026 · 5 min read The school admin problem, and what to do about it UK parents get 40 to 70 school messages a week in term time, across five systems and a book bag. Where it all comes from, why it lands on one person, and a plan that takes an hour to set up and holds all year. Read →
• 29 September 2026 · 1 min read Weduc for parents: one feed, and how to get it out of the app What Weduc puts in its feed, forms and payments, its own calendar, and why the emails are the part to keep. Read →
• 29 September 2026 · 2 min read World Book Day: costumes in ten minutes, and what the day is actually for Thursday 4 March 2027. Costumes from what is already in the house, what to do with the £1 token, and how to know what your school has asked for before the night before. Read →
• 28 September 2026 · 4 min read The class WhatsApp group: a survival guide Nearly four in ten UK parents regret joining the class WhatsApp group, and a third find it useful. How to get the useful third without the rest, what to mute, when to leave, and what to do with the messages that matter. Read →