Introducing Parentbuddy – a smarter way for parents and carers to stay informed
We’ve been quietly testing something new. And it’s starting to make a real difference.
Over the past few weeks, a select group of schools using mySchoolApp have been trialling Parentbuddy – an AI powered feature designed to make finding information in the app quicker, easier and more natural for parents.
So far, the results have been encouraging.
What is Parentbuddy?
Parentbuddy allows parents to ask questions about school life in plain English – just like they would in a conversation.
No need to scroll through menus or search for the right tab. Parents can simply type things like:
- “When is the next inset day?”
- “What time does football club start?
- “What’s the lunch today?”
…and get an instant, relevant answer based on the information already in the app (and optionally, the school website too).
It’s a small shift in how people interact with mySchoolApp – but one that feels surprisingly natural.
Why we built it
We know that school communication apps can sometimes become information heavy. Messages, calendars, clubs, forms – everything is there, but not always easy to navigate in the moment.
Parentbuddy aims to solve that.
Instead of asking parents to adapt to the app, the app adapts to them.
It’s about reducing friction, saving time, and making everyday queries effortless.
Early feedback from schools
The feature is currently live in a limited trial across a handful of schools.
What we’re seeing so far:
- Parents are using it regularly for quick queries
- Common questions are being answered instantly without needing to contact the school
- Engagement with app content is increasing
Most importantly, parents are finding it useful.
And that’s always the goal.
A first for parent communication?
We believe this may be one of the first examples of AI being used in this way within a parent communication app.
Not as a gimmick, but as a practical tool that fits naturally into everyday school life.
It’s still early days, and we’re learning a lot from how parents are using it in real situations.
What happens next
We’ll continue refining Parentbuddy based on feedback from schools and parents in the trial.
That includes improving accuracy, expanding the types of questions it can handle, and ensuring it aligns closely with how schools structure their information.
Once we’re confident it’s delivering consistent value, we’ll look to roll it out more widely across mySchoolApp.
Interested in taking part?
If you’re a school already using mySchoolApp and would like to be part of the next phase of the Parentbuddy trial, we’d love to hear from you.
Not currently a mySchoolApp customer? No problem. If you’d like to find out more about the platform and explore taking part in the Parentbuddy trial, you can book a short online demo with our team by clicking here.
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We’ll share further updates as the trial progresses.
For now, it’s a promising step towards making school communication simpler, faster and just that bit more intuitive.
