WhatsApp alternatives for schools

When discussion turns from lost property threads to sharing negative sentiment about school, it can quickly affect a school’s reputation. With limited options to moderate discussions or delete content, some schools report cases of bullying, and sharing of pupil data which can create safeguarding issues. There can also be legal risks. WhatsApp’s T&Cs limit it to “personal” use. It therefore doesn’t provide many of the data protection safeguards required in many countries to manage structured groups where parent data is shared. Parent and PTA reps could even face legal liability if they don’t observe the relevant regulations.

Restricting parent-to-parent digital communication isn’t the answer. When parents connect online for example to set up playdates they help foster the friendships that children need for socialisation and for building a happy, positive learning environment. Social media is often where fundraisers are organised; second-hand school uniforms bought and sold, social events arranged and communities grow. Keeping the parent community active, engaged and positive is something all great schools invest in.

What are the alternatives to WhatsApp for school parent communities?

There are two main options: Facebook Groups, or Classlist. Facebook Groups are well established and have useful features. But Facebook’s biggest challenge is inclusivity. A number of parents, particularly younger parents, won't feel comfortable sharing their data or subscribing to a Meta product, making it unworkable as a school-centred comms system. 

A few school information systems offer a simple parent Directory, but these lack any social media functionality and are not well used. 

Why is Classlist a great alternative social media platform for schools?

Classlist’s app brings the whole school parent community together in one private social network that has full moderation capabilities and a professional interface. Classlist is fully GDPR-compliant and is designed to meet the complex Data Protection requirements facing schools and PTAs. It is consent-based, as parents chose what information to share and fully inclusive as every parent can join. 

School parents can be segmented into class, form or year groups. Parents then have the freedom to add themselves to interest or community groups such as a cross-school committee, orchestra parents, reading club or dog walkers. 

Parents can find others by searching by a child’s name and can add optional address details to make lift-sharing easier. They can also join group discussions or 1:1 chats and avoid getting bombarded by adjusting their notification settings. Parents can buy tickets and RSVP for school and parent association events, and refer to the calendar to ensure they aren’t missing important PTA events. They can buy and sell second hand uniform and other items in each school’s private Marketplace.

Why should schools share parent data with their PTA via Classlist? 

Schools sometimes claim they can't share parent data with their PTA "because of data protection regulations". Exactly the opposite is true. 

Under GDPR and similar data protection frameworks, the school and PTA are likely to be "Joint Controllers" of parent data held by the PTA. Both organisations are connected and share a similar purpose. The school has an obligation to ensure that parent data held by the PTA is accurate, secure, and managed in a legally compliant way. If the school doesn't help, and data breaches occur, the school could end up at risk because they are not meeting their GDPR responsibilities. 

Classlist is designed to enable schools to share a very limited amount of parent data with their PTA in a legally compliant, secure and private way.  This data is held securely within Classlist's cloud infrastructure with access safeguards built in. Information such as parent email addresses are not available even to PTA members, unless each parent specifically agrees to share this.

School data can be shared with the PTA in a couple of ways. The best route is through "integration" - linking the school management information system (MIS) directly with Classlist, which allows everything to be automated. New families joining or leaving during the year are invited or removed automatically, and the end of year "move up" process, when pupils change class, is simple to manage. If this level of integration isn't possible, the school office team can upload  a CSV file each year with new parent details, and make manual adjustments at the year end. This process can be completed in a few hours and has proved a workable solution - even for schools with thousands of pupils. 

There is another reason for schools to share data through Classlist, apart from legal compliance and risk reduction. All parents can be invited to join the Classlist platform, and are included in school community messages. Inclusiveness is an important objective for every school. 

If the school does not co-operate on data sharing, there are plenty of alternative ways (from flyers to QR codes at events) for the PTA to invite parents to join Classlist. However, working in co-operation with the school saves PTA volunteers a huge amount of time and creates a more secure and inclusive system.

Finally, where the school provides no way for parents to communicate with each other, parents may be forced to use social media platforms such as WhatsApp.  Where data protection regulations follow GDPR principles, and parents set up "school related" WhatsApp groups, the school may inadvertently become a Joint Controller for these groups. This is because these groups are effectively part of the school business system, and school staff may "unofficially" guide parents towards them.  This could create significant school liabilities. For this reason the UK independent schools Finance Directors' Association (ISBA) has strongly counselled member schools to guide parents away from social media, and to explore GDPR compliant alternatives such as Classlist. Key points from their 2024 Guidance are highlighted here. 

Why Classlist is a gift to school marketing and admissions teams

Many schools work hard to give new families a warm, inclusive welcome. Pointing them towards ad-hoc WhatsApp groups with anonymous phone numbers and unmoderated content creates significant brand risk for the school.

Andrew Nott, former Chairman of UK school leaders' association IAPS, says that the experience of being part of a welcoming community is a far more powerful marketing tool than any advertisement. “When you have a happy, thriving parent community you have access to positive word-of-mouth marketing. Supportive, positive parents will provide a reassuring perspective for prospective parents and the wider community, helping to enhance a school’s reputation. There is no doubt that such marketing is far more effective than paid-for advertising.”

A welcome gift for new parents

All school staff want to make families feel welcome, engaged and connected to their new schools.

Offering new parents an easy way to connect with each other is the welcome gift that parents crave. Schools have fed back that offering Classlist to new joiners in their welcome pack has been a big success as parents organise playdates in the summer before the first term, helping children meet in real life, to build the links and strong friendships that make the school a happy, rounded place to be. When parents feel invested in the school community they are more likely to give back through word of mouth recommendations or volunteering to help in the future.

Right from the start, new parents can receive invitations to events and information about what’s going on in school. It’s this insight into school life that will make them feel confident that they have chosen the right setting for their child. 

Why can’t public social media include all parents?

A community platform has to be open to everyone.  Many parents - lawyers, doctors or teachers - do not want to share their private phone numbers on social platforms. They are then quite unfairly excluded. Many parents don’t use WhatsApp, Facebook or Instagram, and feel they shouldn’t be forced on to these public platforms to access information about school.

Online parent communities welcome a code of conduct

It’s often noted that people behave differently online. The ‘disinhibition effect’ and always on, instant response format makes it very easy to share negative or divisive information. Often it’s just a handful of parents that behave poorly - but their views can spread far and wide in seconds. Worse still, even group admins can’t easily  remove inappropriate comments from WhatsApp threads.

Facebook Groups and Classlist use community guidelines to help manage this.  With Classlist, it is easy for other parents to anonymously report people who they feel are violating these. The school’s Ambassador can act on this by taking down the comment if needed and refer to the guidelines, defusing the upset that comes with this kind of potentially inflammatory situation. And a lot depends on context - if parents feel they are in a respectful, mature community, they behave appropriately. 

Classlist’s code of conduct

• Respect fellow class parents, which includes not using their contact details for marketing or professional purposes
• Be honest, authentic, and straightforward in all actions
• Don’t share information from the website without the author’s permission
• Maintain the privacy and security of the site by creating a unique password and keeping this safe
• Don’t use the website to complain about the school or individuals connected with the school

There is a ‘report’ button on every post and every member profile. All reports are tracked and acted upon. 

Does the school have to monitor Classlist?

This isn’t necessary - although schools can do so if they wish. We recommend putting your trust in your Classlist Ambassador and a team of school parents to do this. We support hundreds of thousands of parents around the world, and can count the number of serious reports on one hand.  When parents have a clear objective and clear ground rules, there are far fewer problems.

Why can’t parent associations use email lists to communicate?

Parent associations were asked to stop using email lists when GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) came into force in May 2018. As a data controller, the PTA has a legal responsibility to manage personal data from parents securely, including obligations to delete data; to let parents know what personal data is held about them, and report data breaches. Because email lists are typically distributed out to  individual computers, and then managed by individuals who may not have GDPR training, it becomes very challenging to comply with these conditions.

What do school leaders think about using Classlist as an alternative to WhatsApp?

Over 60 school leaders have kindly contributed video snippets sharing why they like the Classlist platform. See these here. 

Jenny Hill, Bursar and Clerk to the Governors, Aldwickbury School said: “Classlist is a huge hit with the parents... and really helped us with GDPR concerns. Thank you for a wonderful product!”

Lynn Knapp, Head of Windmill Primary School, Oxford said: "Classlist has been really effective. It is very inclusive for all our families, and resolves the burning issue of connecting parents to each other."

Matthew Bryan, Head, Longacre School, said: “We’ve had Classlist for two years, it’s been a great success. It’s more efficient than other comms channels including WhatsApp. It reaches all parents and enables them to get info quickly.

Brian Lockwood, Education Technology Director, Copenhagen International School said: "Classlist’s dead simple - I hand it over to our PTA and they just run it. It’s a trouble-free solution and less hassle than Facebook. It’s such good software and such a successful programme I would love to see Classlist used in many other areas.”

Rachel Snaith, Bursary and Development Officer, Harrodian School said: “It takes parents off WhatsApp groups and gives us a bit more control. We love it.”

Richard Ellard, Former Chair, United World College South East Asia, Singapore Parent Association said: “It’s a great tool.. a powerful way to welcome new parents.”

Tania Botting, Former Head, Greenfield School, Chair of IAPS said: “Classlist has been really popular. We use it to target particular groups of parents. They don’t miss out on information; get fewer emails and it moves them away from WhatsApp. The Parent Association and Class Reps find it great for comms and events.”

Tracey Hartley, Headteacher, John Hampden Grammar School said: “We particularly like the positivity it has brought for families, specially during COVID. It has been great for supportive conversations. Parents also use Classlist to arrange lift-sharing, find missing PE kit, and get to know each other. They are less likely to use WhatsApp.”

Josephine Marsh, Head Teacher at St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Chalfont St Peter said: “We really like Classlist. It’s well controlled: we know who’s on there so it’s a safe environment for parents to share information about the school and their children.”