Notifications to Families
MarkBook tells families when something new is ready, so they do not have to check. This page lists each message, what triggers it, and what the school can switch off.
Summary
| What happens | Who is told | How |
|---|---|---|
| Grades become visible | The pupil's parents | Push notification |
| A grade period is locked and results are released | The pupil's parents | Push notification |
| A report is published | The pupil's parents | Push notification (and optional e-mail) |
| A parent writes about a report | The child's form tutors | Push notification |
| Staff reply to a parent | That parent | Push notification |
| A report is e-mailed or reminded | Parents chosen in Report e-mails | E-mail, plus a push notification |
When grades are released
A parent is told when a grade becomes visible, not when a teacher types it. That depends on the column's release rule (Configuration → Assessment → Column Library, Visible to parent):
- Immediately. The parent is told after the teacher saves.
- Once a leader has approved it. The parent is told when the leader approves the column.
- After the period closes. When a period is locked, its results are released and parents are told once.
A parent gets one notification for each child per save, even if the teacher changed 20 marks. Notifications for many children are sent in the background, so they can arrive a little after the save. A period that closes by its end date alone sends nothing: it must be locked by a person. See Locking a Period.
Example
A Year 8 teacher enters Term 1 Effort grades for 8A on Monday. The Effort column is released "once a leader has approved it", so nobody is notified. On Thursday the head of year approves the column. Each parent in 8A gets one notification that new grades were posted.
When a report is published
Parents are told when a report is published, if the school shares reports with parents (see Family Permissions). Parents who may not see reports are not notified. Reports published in bulk notify every parent as well, even when no one is logged in at that moment.
You can also e-mail a download link. See E-mailing Reports to Parents.
Conversations about a report
A parent who writes on a report (Message the school) sends a push notification to each main teacher of the class. When staff reply, the parent gets a push notification. A conversation holds up to 2,000 characters per message and is private between the parent and the school. See Parent View.
Feed cards
Kinderpedia can also show a card in the family's news feed when grades are released or a report is published. This may not be switched on for your school yet. Ask your Kinderpedia contact.
Notifications for staff
Approval workflows can notify staff when a report is submitted (Notify reviewers on submission) and when it is approved or returned (Notify the author on decision). See Review & Approval.
Switching notifications off
Family push notifications can be switched off for the whole module by Kinderpedia. If your parents report that they get no notification, check these first:
- The parent has the Kinderpedia app and allows notifications.
- The school shares grades or reports under Parents & Students.
- The column is Visible to parent and is released (not waiting for approval).
- The parent is linked to the child in Kinderpedia.
Edge cases
- A notification is never sent for a grade the parent cannot see.