A MarvellousMe Success Story: Transforming Parent Engagement
Case Study: Blakeley Heath Primary School
MarvellousMe is a parental engagement app that makes it easy for teachers to tell parents about their child’s learning and achievements.
The background to elevating engagement
Blakeley Heath Primary School is a thriving educational institution in Staffordshire with just over 400 pupils and a dedicated team of 44 staff members. Blakeley Heath is dedicated to offering a comprehensive educational experience focusing on character development, communication, and pupil success.
In July 2023, Blakeley Heath Primary School embraced MarvellousMe, the innovative parent engagement app designed to provide pupils with personal, positive and progress-led praise that can be easily shared with parents. Sam Hood, Deputy Headteacher at Blakeley Heath Primary School, offers insights into the school’s adoption of MarvellousMe, highlighting its positive impact on the school's effective parent engagement strategy.
Sam Hood Deputy Headteacher, Blakeley Heath Primary School
Challenges with parent communications
Before adopting MarvellousMe, Blakeley Heath faced challenges in parental engagement using a text messaging service. While the school maintained a positive relationship with parents, the existing tool failed to provide comprehensive communication, leaving gaps in information about the curriculum, rewards, and behaviour. The need for a more effective engagement tool led the school to explore alternatives in the market to help better support their parent communication needs.
Solutions with marvellous potential
Discovering MarvellousMe through the positive experience of the headteacher's daughter, Blakeley Heath, recognised the platform's parent engagement potential. A decision was made to choose MarvellousMe due to its unique feature of restricting direct parent responses, preventing additional workload on staff and protecting their well-being. The implementation became a non-negotiable part of the school's communication strategy, with staff quickly adapting to the platform.
A successful outcome
Since adopting MarvellousMe, Blakeley Heath has significantly improved communication with parents. The platform is a central hub for daily updates, school newsletters, character badges, and curriculum information. The school has seen active engagement, with Sam commenting that:
“97% of our parents would recommend us to other schools.”
The use of custom badges linked to the school's values has reinforced positive behaviours, creating a tangible impact on pupil development. The school's leadership appreciates the ease of communication monitoring, while teachers find value in sharing curriculum information with parents.
Thumbs-up feature and custom badges
Blakeley Heath uses the classroom's thumbs-up feature to recognise positive pupil behaviour. This engages children in the classroom, and parents appreciate the visibility of these interactions. Custom badges linked to the school's values are awarded for specific actions, providing instant recognition. Pupils are then presented with these awards in assembly.
Regarding the incorporation of MarvellousMe into the school system, Sam said:
“Staff have adapted very, very quickly. On Monday, I get an email from MarvellousMe that tells me which badges have been sent and which activities have been assigned. Teachers have the choice to use the thumbs-up feature as a class reward, reinforcing positive behaviours. It serves as quick positive reinforcement and engages children in the classroom. Parents appreciate seeing these interactions, helping identify which parents are actively engaged.”
Usage data
Blakeley Heath Primary School has witnessed remarkable success since using MarvellousMe, which is evident in the usage data over the past year.
- 403 children and 44 staff accounts are actively engaged, showing that the platform has become a vital communication tool.
- An impressive 10,000 MarvellousMe communications were sent in one 30-day period, demonstrating the platform's consistent use.
- 98% parent take-up, including 45 additional followers or second parents, reflects the school community's widespread satisfaction.
- 7 custom school badges were created, demonstrating that MarvellousMe has significantly impacted character development.
The school has also strategically organised main year groups and implemented a special filter for Pupil Premium, enhancing tailored communication. Notably, the creation of custom groups such as Choir, Play Council, Hive, Well-being, and Theatre Trip showcases the platform’s versatility.
While MarvellousMe has been extremely successful, Sam acknowledges the need to balance communication frequency to avoid overwhelming parents. Additionally, the school has expressed interest in exploring more features, such as quick links and increasing the message character limit to share more good news with parents.
An innovative conclusion
MarvellousMe has become integral to Blakeley Heath Primary School's communication strategy, promoting positive engagement between teachers, parents, and pupils.
Sam commented: “As a leader, MarvellousMe makes it easier for me to check communication consistency with parents. Teachers appreciate the ability to share curriculum information, though we acknowledge the need to avoid overwhelming parents with messages. Children enjoy the instant gratification of points, and parents appreciate being informed about their child's achievements.”
