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
Too many school apps? How to get them all in one place
Debs · Updated 24 September 2026
The short answer
Schools use several systems at once: one for messages, one for payments, one for bookings and often a class app too. You can't make the school use fewer, but you can make the notifications all land in one email folder, then turn every date, form and payment into one list you check the night before.
I counted the apps on my phone that exist purely to tell me my children need something, and stopped at five when it asked me to delete a wedding photo for space. There's one for messages, one for payments, one for clubs and a class app with a cartoon monster. Then there's the WhatsApp group, which behaves like the school's unofficial press office. None of them talk to each other, but all of them talk to you, usually at 8.42am.
Why schools use so many apps
It isn't a conspiracy, though it does feel personal (it isn't; the school has plenty of other parents to annoy). Each system does one job well: payments, messages, bookings, or a teacher's own class app for photos and rewards. Schools also change systems now and then. So you can end up with the old app and the new one both politely pinging you about the same trip.
- Payments and dinner money: often ParentPay, sQuid or Arbor.
- Messages and letters: often Arbor, ParentMail, Weduc or plain email.
- Class news and photos: often Class Dojo, Seesaw or, in the early years, Tapestry.
- Clubs and wraparound care: a booking system, or an email from Keith.
You don't need fewer apps. You need one list that doesn't care how many apps there are.
Left: most school systems can send an email for every message or payment request; switch that on. Right: a single "School" folder or label catches every system's emails, so you check one place.
Step 1: Make every app send you an email
Most school systems can email you as well as notify you in the app. The setting is buried three menus deep, next to a toggle nobody has ever understood. Switch on email for messages, letters and payment requests in each one, and everything lands in the inbox you already check.
Then add a filter or rule so all those senders go into one "School" folder, along with the office and any clubs. That's one place to look instead of five apps. It also frees up the bit of your brain currently storing which app had the permission slip.
Five apps, one folder, one list. The PE kit doesn't care where the reminder came from.
Step 2: Turn the folder into one list
A folder full of emails is still just a tidier pile, like shoving everything under the bed and calling it organised. Once a day, move anything with a date into your calendar and anything with a deadline onto a to-do list. Then check tomorrow's list the evening before, and pack the bag while you still have the will to live.
Which school app does what
Names vary by school, but most fall into these groups. Your school's website usually lists the ones it uses.
| Type of app | What it's for | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Messages and letters | News, letters, consent forms | Turn on email alerts |
| Payments | Trips, dinners, clubs, top-ups | Check the balance each week |
| Class apps | Photos, rewards, class news | Usually not urgent |
| Group chats | Parents helping each other | Check facts with the school |
Mistakes we've all made
- Relying on app notifications that arrive while you're driving and vanish by the time you park.
- Treating the group chat as gospel: great for lost jumpers, shakier on INSET dates.
- Splitting the apps across two parents' phones, so nobody has the whole picture.
- Keeping the old app after the school switches, so you get two reminders and trust neither.
When to let an app do it (yes, another app, but hear us out)
We know: another app (we laughed too, then built it anyway). Debs, your own school admin assistant, reads the emails that ParentMail, Arbor, ParentPay and the school office send you, including their PDF letters. It turns them into one list and one evening message per child. You choose which senders it reads, it never stores the emails, and you can see how it works.
Questions parents ask
Why does my child's school use so many apps?
Because each system does one job, such as payments, messages, bookings or class news, and schools often choose them separately. Some schools also use an old and a new system while they switch over.
Can I get ParentMail and Arbor messages in one place?
Yes. Turn on email notifications in each system, then set a filter or rule so those emails all go into one "School" folder. Check that folder daily and move dates into your calendar.
Do I still need the school apps if I use Debs?
Yes for paying and booking, because those happen inside the school's own systems. Debs reads the emails those systems send and tells you what's due, so you know when to open them.