The school office phone rings at 8:15am. A parent asks whether Friday is an inset day. At 8:20, another asks what colour the PE kit should be. At 8:25, a third asks how to pay for the school trip. Meanwhile, children are arriving, a supply teacher needs a login, and a parent is waiting at the window.
School parent questions follow the same pattern every term. Most have standard answers, published somewhere, that parents cannot find quickly.
Script 1: term dates and inset days
Parent: Is Friday an inset day? Answer: Yes, Friday 24 November is an inset day, so the school is closed to pupils. The full list of term dates and inset days is on the parents page.
Script 2: uniform
Parent: What PE kit does my child need? Answer: PE kit is a plain navy t-shirt, navy shorts or joggers and trainers. The full uniform list, including where to buy it, is on the uniform page.
Script 3: lunches
Parent: How do I pay for school lunches? Answer: Lunches are paid through the school's online payment system. The parents page has the link and this term's menu.
Script 4: trips
Parent: How do I pay for the Year 4 trip? Answer: Trip payments are made through the online payment system, and the letter with details and the deadline was sent home last week. It's also on the letters page.
Script 5: absence
Parent: How do I report my child is ill? Answer: Please report absences before 9am using the absence line or the online form. The details are on the attendance page.
Script 6: clubs and after-school care
Parent: What after-school clubs are running this term? Answer: This term's clubs include football on Mondays, art on Wednesdays and coding on Thursdays, running until 4:30pm. The clubs page has the full list and how to sign up.
Script 7: contacting a teacher
Parent: How do I get in touch with my child's teacher? Answer: You can contact teachers through the school office or the parent messaging app. For urgent matters, please call the office directly.
Busy points in the year
Parent questions spike at the start of each term, before trips, around parents' evenings and when the weather causes closures. Publishing information before these moments, and updating it promptly, prevents the office being flooded when it is already busy.
What should always go to staff
Questions about an individual child's progress, wellbeing, behaviour, medical needs or safeguarding concerns must go to staff, never an automated answer. Allergies and medical needs deserve particular care, a principle shared with restaurants, as seen in the allergy question your staff answer every service.
Publishing a parent information page
One page covering term dates, uniform, lunches, trips, clubs, absence and contacts answers most questions. Keep it current each term.
Setting up the parents' page for chat
Parents ask the inset-day question at 9pm, when the office is closed, and a chat assistant on the school website can answer it then, provided the answer is published. Put term dates, inset days, uniform lists, lunch arrangements, club timetables and absence procedures on the parents' page as text. Trip letters often go out as PDFs; upload them as documents so the assistant can answer "when is the Year 4 trip payment due?" from the letter itself. Remove old letters when they expire, or the answers will go stale with them.
The boundaries matter more in a school than almost anywhere. The assistant answers general questions only and knows nothing about an individual child, so anything about a pupil's progress, health, behaviour or welfare goes to staff. A parent who needs the office can leave their name, email and phone number with the reason, or get a numbered ticket, and if office staff are online the chat can be handed to them. Absence reporting should keep using your existing line or form. This is what an AI website receptionist is for in a school: answers on the routine, a clear route to staff for the rest.
Making answers instant
SpideyChat for education providers answers from your published parent information at any hour, and directs questions about individual children to staff. Admissions and fees questions from prospective families are covered in admissions questions that arrive at midnight and fees and funding questions from prospective students. Smaller education businesses face similar repetitive questions, as shown in an AI receptionist for driving schools.
Check your parent page covers the five topics above. Then try an assistant on your school website, or see the features.