School flu vaccine: the consent form, and what to know
The vaccine takes seconds. The form takes organising.
Read it← The blogSchool admin · 6 min read
How to keep track of school emails (and stop forgetting the PE kit)
Debs · Updated 24 September 2026
The short answer
To keep track of school emails, get them all into one place, pull out the dates, forms, payments and kit the day each one arrives, and check one list the night before. A filter or folder does the first step, a calendar and to-do list do the second, and a five-minute evening check does the third.
I once sent a child to school in full uniform on non-uniform day (he still brings it up at Christmas). The email had sat in my inbox for six days, between a dinner money reminder and an advert for a mattress. So this is a system for anyone who reads school emails at 11pm and remembers nothing by morning. I know who you are, because I am you.
Step 1: Get every school email into one place
School news arrives from everywhere: the office, the teacher, Arbor, ParentPay, the PTA and Keith who runs football (from a personal Hotmail, naturally). The fix is boring and brilliant: make every school sender land in one folder or label. In Gmail that's a filter, and in Outlook it's a rule. It takes ten minutes, about as long as you currently spend hunting for the Christmas jumper email.
- In Gmail, search the school's address and choose "Create filter" to add a "School" label.
- In Outlook, right-click a school email and choose "Rules" to move that sender to a "School" folder.
- Add Arbor, ParentPay, ParentMail and any clubs, which often send "on behalf of" the school.
- Unsubscribe from newsletters you never open (you haven't since 2023).
The school did tell you. It told you at 4pm on a Tuesday, in a PDF, attached to an email called "Update".
Left: one folder or label catches the school, the systems and the clubs. Right: the important bit is often a PDF letter attached to a vague email, so open attachments before you file anything.
Step 2: Pull out the dates, forms and kit the day it arrives
An email isn't a to-do list; it's a to-do list in a very long disguise with a logo on top. When one lands, spend a minute pulling out anything with a date: trips, INSET days, non-uniform days and the dreaded cardboard box by Friday. Put each one in your calendar straight away, with the kit or money in the title.
Forms and payments get their own list, with the deadline next to each one. Ticking them off feels deeply satisfying, which tells you a lot about your life right now. Letters often arrive as PDFs, so open the attachment: that's where the consent slip is hiding.
If it has a date, it goes in the calendar. If it has a deadline, it goes on the list. If it has neither, it can wait.
Step 3: Check one list the night before
The magic happens the evening before, because mornings are for shouting "shoes!" up the stairs. Take five minutes after dinner to check tomorrow: which uniform, what to pack, which club, anything to hand in. Then pack the bag before bed, and future you in the hallway at 8.15am will want to send you flowers.
Ways to keep track of school emails, compared
Every method works if you stick to it. The question is how much of your evening each one eats.
| Method | Effort | Catches PDF letters? |
|---|---|---|
| A folder or label | Low: set it up once | Only if you open them |
| Calendar and to-do list | Medium: a minute per email | Only if you open them |
| A list on the fridge | Medium, plus a pen that works | Only if you open them |
| An app that reads them for you | Low after setup | Yes, if it reads attachments |
Mistakes we've all made
- Reading the email at 11pm and trusting yourself to remember it by morning.
- Skipping the attachment, where the date, the cost and the form actually live.
- Keeping it all in one parent's head, which makes PE a single point of failure.
- Checking in the morning, when it's too late to find the other football sock.
When to let an app do it
If you've got more than one child, or children at two schools, a minute per email becomes an hour a week you'd quite like back. That's why we built Debs, your own school admin assistant. It reads the school emails and their PDF letters from the senders you choose. It puts the dates on a calendar and the forms on a list, and sends you tonight's bag for each child. It never stores the emails themselves, and you can see how it works.
Questions parents ask
What's the best way to organise school emails in Gmail?
Create a filter for each school sender (the office, Arbor, ParentPay and clubs) that adds a "School" label. Then check that label once a day and move anything with a date into your calendar.
Why do I keep missing things in school letters?
Because the important details are often in a PDF attached to a short email. Open the attachment before you file the email, and copy any date or deadline into your calendar or to-do list straight away.
Is it safe to let an app read my school emails?
Look for an app that only reads emails from senders you choose, doesn't store the emails themselves, lets you download or delete your data, and asks for your consent. Debs works this way.