This article explains what school admins need to review before enabling the My School Portal mobile app for guardians.
It covers the main guardian benefits, how to review and enable content for the app, how to organise the app structure, how to check the guardian dashboard, and how to invite parents to start using the app.
⚠️Important:
Before enabling the app, review your existing guardian-facing content carefully.
To give parents and guardians a consistent experience, we recommend either enabling relevant pages in the app or removing pages from the guardian web portal if they are no longer needed.
Understand the Benefits for Guardians
The MSP mobile app gives guardians a more mobile-friendly way to access school information and services.
Guardians can benefit from:
Secure PIN or biometric login for quick and safe access.
Instant message notifications for real-time updates.
Optimised navigation designed for mobile use.
Multi-school access for families with children at more than one school using MSP and the mobile app.
These features are designed to improve convenience, engagement, and day-to-day communication with your school.
Review Current Content in Content Manager
The first step is to review which guardian-facing pages are already available and whether they should appear in the mobile app.
Log in to My School Portal.
Click Admin Tools.
Click Content, then click Content Manager.
Next to the Name header, click the + button to expand all sections.
Use the Visible By filter and select Parents & Guardians.
Review the Mobile App column to check which pages are available in the app.
To inspect or edit a page, click the purple pencil icon next to the content item.
You may see one of the following statuses in the Mobile App column:
Purple checkmark: Displayed in the app navigation.
Grey checkmark: Displayed in the app via a section.
Grey cross: Not displayed in the app.
Grey dash: Unsupported in the app.
Review these statuses carefully so you understand what guardians will and will not see when the app goes live.
Enable Pages in the App
You can control whether a page appears in the guardian app from the page editor.
In Content Manager, open the page you want to edit.
Click the Permissions tab.
Check whether Show in Guardian App is enabled.
For new pages and some supported page types, this option is selected by default.
Under this setting, choose the app group where the page should appear.
Save your changes.
📌Note: Some page types can only be added to specific app groups.
If you add pages under Static Content, they can appear in the app without appearing in the web portal navigation. When a section is added to the app, it appears in the app navigation. When users open that section, they first see the section content and then any subpages beneath it.
Understand Which Page Types Are Available in the App
In addition to the default app pages, you can add these page types to the app:
Content Page.
Calendar Page.
External Link.
Documents.
Student Documents.
📌Note: When a user opens a Student Documents section, they also see the subpages under that section.
The following page types are not available in the app:
Content Form Submissions.
Custom Form Submissions.
Google Classroom: Staff.
Google Classroom: Student.
Staff Assignments.
Staff Timetable.
Report Feedback Submissions.
Terms and Conditions.
📌Note: Terms and Conditions are still linked through the basket page where relevant.
Review the Guardian Dashboard
A link to the guardian dashboard appears in the app above the Academic Information group on the Home tab. You can update this dashboard in the same way as other dashboards in MSP.
Log in to My School Portal.
Click Admin Tools.
Click Content, then click Dashboards.
Select the guardian-facing dashboard you want to edit, for example Parents.
To move dashboard items, use the arrowed plus control.
To edit or manage an individual item, click the three dots menu.
To add a new dashboard item, click Add Element.
When you are happy with the layout, click the green Publish Change button.
Review the dashboard with the mobile app in mind and prioritise the most useful guardian content.
Use App Manager to Structure the App
The App Manager lets you organise the order and grouping of content in the mobile app. This is important because the best structure for the app may not be the same as your current web portal structure.
To open App Manager:
Log in to My School Portal.
Click Admin Tools.
Open the Content drop-down menu.
Click App Manager.
In App Manager:
Content is shown in the same order it appears in the app.
You can reorder items to change their placement.
You can use filters and top tabs to switch between app views.
You can preview what a selected guardian would see.
📌Note: f you cannot see App Manager, contact your main administrator and ask for the necessary permissions.
Understand the Default App Page Groups
The following page types are enabled by default in the app structure. These are restricted to specific tabs and groups.
[Student Name] Academic Information
Includes:
Day Planner.
Google Classrooms: Guardians & Staff.
Attendance.
Exam Results.
Exam Timetable.
Student Assignments.
Reports.
Student Timetables.
Microsoft Teams: Assignments.
Tabbed Exam Pages.
Teacher Contacts.
Teaching Groups.
Student Groups.
[Student Name] Behaviour
Includes:
Detentions.
Rewards.
Sanctions.
Contact Us
Includes:
Absence Form.
Contact Form.
Leave Request Form.
Forms
Includes:
Cognito Form.
Custom Form Pack.
Survey Monkey Form.
My Basket
Includes: Booking Checkout.
Ad-hoc Payments
Includes: Payments.
School Calendar
Includes:
Events Calendar.
Sports Results and Fixtures.
Parents’ Evenings.
Club & Activity Bookings
Includes:
Clubs & Activities.
Clubs & Activity Bookings.
Extra-curricular Clubs.
External Payment Links
Includes: WisePay.
Trip Bookings
Includes: Trip Bookings.
Event Bookings
Includes: Event Bookings.
News & Media
Includes:
Gallery Page.
Planet eStream.
RSS Feed.
YouTube.
Documents
Includes:
Guardian Documents.
Planet eStream: Individual Tagged Photos.
Parent Information
Includes:
My Details.
Parent Directory.
Additional default groups also include:
School Information.
Extra Resources.
Additional Links.
Review these carefully in App Manager and decide whether the default groupings match the experience you want guardians to have.
Prepare Parent Communications
An email template for launching the mobile app is available in the Templates area within the Communications section of Admin Tools.
Open Admin Tools.
Go to Communications.
Open the Templates page.
Find the template for inviting parents to use the app.
Review and customise the template before sending it.
Make sure you add:
Your portal URL.
Your school details.
Before sending it widely:
Send the message to yourself first.
Check:
The wording.
The links.
How the message looks on mobile.
Once you are satisfied:
Create a mailing list for guardians/parents.
Use year group or student group sources if you want to target specific groups of guardians.
Send the launch communication to the appropriate audience.
This is especially useful if you want to target families who have not yet used the portal or app.