How to introduce a new madrassa app to parents

Families are more likely to feel comfortable with a new system when they understand why it is being introduced and know where to get help. An unexpected invitation email rarely answers all their questions.

Plan your communication around three moments: before access arrives, when families can start using the app, and after they have had time to try it. Keep each message focused on the action needed at that stage.

Agree the details before announcing the change

Make sure staff can give consistent answers to these questions:

• Which classes and features are included at launch?
• When will families receive access, and through which channel?
• What should families check first?
• Who handles account problems and record corrections?
• When do staff check routine messages?
• What should families do if they need urgent help or cannot use the app?

Separate access dates from feature dates. Families may receive their invitations before teachers begin publishing learning updates. Explaining that sequence prevents an empty screen from looking like a fault.

Before launch: explain the reason and the next step

Send an advance notice through a channel families already use. Explain the practical benefit, such as keeping attendance and learning updates together, and identify the first change they will experience.

Ask families to check their contact details through your usual private route. Explain when an invitation should arrive and how to recognise it. Avoid asking people to create accounts before you have confirmed the correct access process.

Make the support offer specific. A short demonstration after class, a phone conversation or help in a suitable language may be more useful than a long instruction sheet. Ask privately what assistance would help.

For adult classes, address learners directly and explain their own access. Do not assume a parent or another family member should receive an adult learner's information.

Explain information use as well as the benefits

Link to your madrassa's current privacy notice and give a contact for questions. That notice should explain your organisation's handling of personal information; a software supplier's notice does not describe every decision your madrassa makes. The ICO sets out the privacy information organisations must provide, with some details depending on the circumstances. ICO: privacy information to provide.

An announcement that says an app is convenient does not explain a material change in how information is used. Review your notice and actively communicate relevant changes. Where you intend to use information for a new purpose, the ICO says people must be told before that processing begins. ICO: reviewing and updating privacy information.

Read our policy review guide for the wider preparation questions. A request to acknowledge an announcement should not be treated as blanket consent for all uses of personal information.

At launch: give families one clear first task

Send access information when someone is available to help. Explain whether families should use an invitation or an existing account, then ask them to check that the correct learner records are visible.

Keep the first message short enough to act on. Link to instructions for later tasks rather than explaining every feature at once. In Makatib.App, the Student and Parent Portal guide provides the product walkthrough.

Ask people to report missing or unexpected access privately. Tell them not to share passwords or invitation links. When investigating a problem, avoid requesting screenshots that could spread another learner's information.

If you are introducing fees or another substantial workflow later, give it a separate explanation when it is ready.

Set expectations for everyday communication

Tell families when teachers normally record updates and when routine messages are checked. Choose response targets your team can maintain alongside teaching.

Explain how to query a record respectfully and who will check it. An attendance or progress entry can need correction; families should know how to raise that without sending the same question through several channels.

Keep the urgent contact route prominent. In Makatib.App, notifications are optional and can depend on the device and browser. Families should follow the agreed checking routine, and urgent concerns should continue through the madrassa's established procedure.

Follow up with help

After families have had a chance to try the app, send a brief reminder through an established channel. Offer a practical help session and a private way to explain difficulties.

An account that has not been activated may reflect an incorrect email address, shared devices, limited internet access or uncertainty about the invitation. Ask before drawing conclusions about engagement. Keep an agreed alternative for essential information where needed.

Check the wording with a few families: can they explain what they need to do, when and whom to contact? Their answers can reveal instructions that seem clear to the team but are difficult for a first-time user.

Keep improving the routine

At the first-month review, collect the questions families asked most often. Update the guidance, make the support contact easier to find or adjust message timing. Tell families about changes that affect what you expect from them.

Makatib.App administrators can find editable family announcements and guidance in the private Admin → Resources → Transition pack area. Adapt those materials to the features you are actually using and approve them before sending.

For the full sequence from preparation to review, read Moving your madrassa to new software.

Sources checked: 19 October 2026. The linked ICO privacy guidance is marked as under review following the Data (Use and Access) Act. Check the linked guidance when reviewing your own arrangements.