IRIS ParentMail
ParentMail is a cloud-based platform that streamlines school-to-home communication and payments, offering messaging, online forms, parents’ evening booking, and cashless payment features to improve parental engagement and reduce administrative workload.
Features
- Real-time attendance monitoring, tracking student attendance instantly via live reports
- Secure MIS integration with automatic synchronisation of student/parent data
- One click instant communication via email/SMS/App
- Attachment support, sharing important documents and files quickly and securely
- Automated scheduling, reducing administrative workload with intelligent scheduling
- Two-way instant messaging, enabling direct, real-time conversations with parents
- Personalised templates save time by streamlining consistent custom messaging
- Create unlimited custom forms with live responses and automated reminders
- Single-login, accessing communications, forms, payments through one convenient app
- Multichannel translation support parent inclusivity with automatic translation
Benefits
- Consolidates parent engagement into one place
- Strengthens home/school partnerships
- Streamline processes and reduce time-consuming administration
- Eliminates paper-based communications from schools and homes
- Reduces supplier and print related costs
- Eliminate handling cash at school
- Schedule messages in advance, automates routine communications reducing admin workload
- Manage parents’ evening bookings online, streamline coordination, avoiding scheduling conflicts
Pricing
Service documents
Request an accessible format
Framework
G-Cloud 15
Service ID
8 3 9 1 0 3 8 4 7 4 0 5 9 5 0
Contact
IRIS SOFTWARE LIMITED
Bid Team
Telephone: 0344 225 1525
Email: Bidteam@iris.co.uk
About your service
- Service categories
-
Applications
Collaborative
Conferencing and virtual event
- Web Conferencing Applications
- Virtual Event Applications
- Multi cloud support
- No
Service scope
- Software add-on or extension
- Yes
- What software services is the service an extension to
- Our software is complementary to the school MIS.
- Cloud deployment model
- Public cloud
- Service constraints
- IRIS ParentMail is a Cloud-based platform with no restrictions on maintenance, support, or hardware requirements. It runs through standard web browsers and works on desktops, tablets, and smartphones, removing the need for bespoke hardware or on-premise servers. All updates and maintenance are managed centrally in the cloud, ensuring high availability and minimal disruption. Built-in resilience features such as redundancy and failover provide reliability without customer intervention. This design offers flexibility, scalability, and compliance without additional hardware investment or complex support arrangements, making ParentMail simple to deploy and cost-effective for schools and trusts.
- System requirements
-
- Internet connection
- Modern browser
User support
- Email or online ticketing support
- Yes
- Support response times
-
During opening hours (Monday - Friday, 8:30 - 16:30) we aim for a first response to tickets as follows:
P1 tickets in under an hour
P2 tickets in under 2hours
P3 and P4 tickets in under 1 day.
We aim to answer chats within 30 seconds. - User can manage status and priority of support tickets
- Yes
- Online ticketing support accessibility
- None or don’t know
- Phone support
- No
- Web chat support
- Yes
- Web chat support availability
- 9 to 5 (UK time), Monday to Friday
- Web chat support accessibility standard
- None or don’t know
- How the web chat support is accessible
- For our web chat, we are moving to Genesys chat in Dec 2025 (however PM will move to HubSpot chat during this year). Genesys has focused its efforts on following the standards set forth in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (“WCAG”) 2.2 Level AA, Section 508 of the US Rehabilitation Act (corrected January 22, 2018), and EN 301 549 (V3.1.1 & V3.2.1) and shall make every reasonable effort to conform with such standards.
- Web chat accessibility testing
- No testing by IRIS has been done.
- Onsite support
- No
- Support levels
- We provide standard technical support which is free of charge and includes logging queries on the ticketing system and chat.
- Support available to third parties
- Yes
- AI chatbot
- Yes
Onboarding and offboarding
- Getting started
- We offer online, remote training for customers.
- Service documentation
- Yes
- Documentation formats
-
- Other
- Other documentation formats
-
- Word documents
- Online walk throughs, once live
- End-of-contract data extraction
- Currently, customers can generate reports within product to extract data. Commonly payment data is extracted.
- End-of-contract process
- All features and services are including in the contract, with the exception of volume based costs such as transaction fees, text credits used or video call minutes consumed. These are billed monthly/quarterly in arrears.
- Documentation accessibility standard
- None or don’t know
- How the documentation is accessible
-
Onboarding documentation (welcome emails, training confirmation, promotional materials) are sent to customers via email.
Once access has been given to the product, customers can obtain promotional materials and support via the Help Centre.
Offboarding documentation isn't accessible, however, support and/or renewals team can provide any answers to off boarding questions upon request.
Using the service
- Web browser interface
- Yes
- Supported browsers
-
- Microsoft Edge
- Firefox
- Chrome
- Safari
- Opera
- Other
- Application to install
- Yes
- Compatible operating systems
-
- Android
- IOS
- Linux or Unix
- MacOS
- Windows
- ChromeOS
- Designed for use on mobile devices
- Yes
- Differences between the mobile and desktop service
- ParentMail is fully optimised for mobile use, ensuring a consistent experience . Users can access all core features—such as messaging, payments, and notifications via the mobile app or a web browser. On mobile, the interface is streamlined for smaller screens with touch-friendly navigation and simplified menus, making it quick and easy for parents to manage tasks on the go. The desktop version offers a broader layout, ideal for viewing detailed reports or managing multiple accounts. Functionality remains the same across platforms; only the interface adapts to enhance usability for each device.
- Service interface
- Yes
- User support accessibility
- None or don’t know
- Description of service interface
- ParentMail provides a service interface. A service interface is the point of interaction between users and the system, enabling access to its features and functions. ParentMail’s interface is available via a secure web portal and a dedicated mobile application, both designed for ease of use and accessibility. The interface allows users to send and receive messages, make payments, manage accounts, and access notifications seamlessly. It is intuitive, responsive, and consistent across platforms, ensuring that parents and schools can interact with the service efficiently without requiring specialised hardware or complex configurations.
- Accessibility standards
- None or don’t know
- Description of accessibility
- The UI meets many of the accessibility standards, but there are some gaps, particularly around keyboard navigation, that need to be addressed to be fully compliant. We are working towards this and expect to be fully compliant during 2026.
- Accessibility testing
- We do not work directly with users of assistive technology but do use accessibility tools available in browsers as part of our testing process.
- API
- Yes
- What users can and can't do using the API
- The PlusPay API allows caterers and suppliers to integrate with PlusPay on a schools behalf. Updates are then shared for top-ups and balance adjustments. The functionality available varies by supplier and integration options chosen. School administrators and student contacts cannot access the API directly, or make any changes to it.
- API documentation
- Yes
- API documentation formats
- API sandbox or test environment
- Yes
- Customisation available
- No
Scaling
- Independence of resources
-
Elastic Resource Scaling - The platform uses auto-scaling infrastructure in UK-based ISO 27001-certified data centres. Compute and storage resources scale dynamically based on demand, maintaining consistent performance during peak periods.
Load Balancing & High Availability - Requests are distributed across multiple servers using load balancing, preventing bottlenecks. High-availability architecture with failover ensures continuity even if one node experiences high load.
Performance Monitoring & SLAs - Continuous monitoring of system health and throughput.
Analytics
- Service usage metrics
- Yes
- Metrics types
- In product reporting covers usage for both school users and for parents. Additional metrics are available on request.
- Reporting types
-
- Real-time dashboards
- Regular reports
- Reports on request
- Resource tagging
- Yes
- FOCUS resource tagging
- Yes
Resellers
- Supplier type
- Not a reseller
Staff security
- Staff security clearance
- Other security clearance
- Government security clearance
- None
Asset protection
- Knowledge of data storage and processing locations
- Yes
- Data storage and processing locations
- United Kingdom
- User control over data storage and processing locations
- No
- Datacentre security standards
- Managed by a third party
- Penetration testing frequency
- At least once a year
- Penetration testing approach
- Another external penetration testing organisation
- Protecting data at rest
- Other
- Other data at rest protection approach
- All data is encrypted at rest.
- Data sanitisation process
- Yes
- Equipment disposal approach
- A third-party destruction service
- Data sanitisation type
- Data Erasure
Data importing and exporting
- Data export approach
- Users can export most data from reports in-product. All data can be requested via our support team and provided if needed.
- Data export formats
- CSV
- Data import formats
- CSV
Data-in-transit protection
- Data protection between buyer and supplier networks
-
- TLS (version 1.2 or above)
- Other
- Other protection between networks
- All data is end-to-end encrypted using TLS 1.2 or higher. Secure authentication mechanisms, including role-based access and strong password policies, ensure only authorised users can access the system. Sensitive information (e.g., credentials, payment data) is never sent in plain text; it is encrypted before transmission. Network traffic is filtered through enterprise-grade firewalls and intrusion detection systems.
- Data protection within supplier network
-
- TLS (version 1.2 or above)
- Other
- Other protection within supplier network
- Segmented Access Control, regular access reviews, and 'need to know' restrictions are in place throughout the organisation. Firewalls and firewall rules are in place, and access is logged and actively monitored. All IRIS ParentMail data servers are located behind a VPN, firewall, and access control.
Availability and resilience
- Guaranteed availability
- We do not guarantee any level of uptime, but historical performance shows that the product exceeds 99% uptime.
- Approach to resilience
- All data is backed up nightly, and regular tests are undertaken to ensure that the service can be restored from backups as part of the hosting provider's Disaster Recovery process. Capacity is monitored automatically, and any notable changes are highlighted and reviewed.
- Outage reporting
- Via our customer support portal, social media and email if needed.
Identity and authentication
- User authentication needed
- Yes
- User authentication
-
- Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
- Identity federation with existing provider (for example Google Apps)
- Username or password
- Access restrictions in management interfaces and support channels
- We authenticate users through secure, standards-based protocols, incorporating multi-factor authentication and token-based access controls to ensure identity verification and protect sensitive data.
- Access restriction testing frequency
- At least once a year
- Management access authentication
-
- Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
- Dedicated link (for example VPN)
- Username or password
- Other
- Description of management access authentication
- Connections to machines containing PII are only authorised from the corporate VPN. This VPN requires an email, password, and MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication) to access.
Audit information for users
- Access to user activity audit information
- Users have access to real-time audit information
- How long user audit data is stored for
- At least 12 months
- Access to supplier activity audit information
- Users have access to real-time audit information
- How long supplier audit data is stored for
- At least 12 months
- How long system logs are stored for
- Less than 1 month
Security governance
- Named board-level person responsible for service security
- Yes
- Security governance certified
- Yes
- Security governance standards
-
- ISO/IEC 27001
- Other
- Other security governance standards
- We comply with Microsoft SDL.
- Information security policies and processes
- IRIS has a policy in place for the acceptable use of email, instant messaging, and other electronic communications. No PII is permitted to be shared via email and can only be shared using the customer case management platform.
- Software Security Code of Practice
- Yes
Operational security
- Configuration and change management standard
- Supplier-defined controls
- Configuration and change management approach
- All changes are tracked and monitored throughout the development and release cycle using project and issue management tools. Every component undergoes unit testing, manual testing, and release testing before deployment. Regular automated penetration tests are performed on test environments containing release code prior to production release. All changes follow a formal process including scoping, specification, implementation, regression testing, and approval before release. This structured approach ensures traceability, quality assurance, and security compliance at every stage of the development lifecycle.
- Vulnerability management type
- Supplier-defined controls
- Vulnerability management approach
-
In addition to our development procedures, the application is automatically penetration tested using software penetration testing tools at each major release. It is also penetration tested annually using a CREST accredited security company.
Our hosting environment is penetration tested on a monthly basis.
Patches are generally deployed immediately after they are approved for release, or as soon as practicable (after they are approved for release) in other cases. - Protective monitoring type
- Supplier-defined controls
- Protective monitoring approach
- Capacity is monitored automatically. Firewall access is logged and actively monitored. System administrator and system operator activities are logged, and the logs are protected and regularly reviewed.
- Incident management type
- Supplier-defined controls
- Incident management approach
-
Our incident management process is formally outlined in our Information Security policy. Users are instructed to report any actual or suspected incidents to the internal service desk, where each case is reviewed by a member of the information security team. All reports, whether via phone, email, or live chat, are logged and tracked through to resolution.
Incidents are managed or escalated to the appropriate level of authority, up to and including board level when necessary. For major incidents, a detailed incident report is produced. For minor issues or cases found not to be incidents, direct feedback is provided to users. - Post-quantum cryptography secure
- No
Secure development
- Approach to secure software development best practice
- Supplier-defined process
Public sector networks
- Connection to public sector networks
- No
Pricing
- Discount for educational organisations
- No
- Free trial available
- No
Discount percentage by annual call-off contract value (excluding VAT)
- Less than £250,000
- 0%
- Between £250,000 and £500,000
- 0%
- Between £500,001 and £1,000,000
- 0%
- Between £1,000,001 and £2,500,000
- 0%
- Between £2,500,001 and £5,000,000
- 0%
- Over £5,000,001
- 0%
Non-mandatory Standards and certifications
- ISO/IEC 27001 certification
- Yes
- Who accredited the ISO/IEC 27001
- Bsi
- ISO/IEC 27001 accreditation date
- Sunday 13 October 2024
- What the ISO/IEC 27001 doesn’t cover
-
Some regions where ISO is not the prevalent standard, for example North America, are not covered by our ISO Certifications and in those regions we have other assurance frameworks like SOC1 and SOC2.
Our Every HR is not actively ISO 27001 compliant but is working towards. - ISO 28000:2022 certification
- No
- ISO 9001 certification
- Yes
- Who accredited the ISO 9001 certification
- Bsi
- ISO 9001 accreditation date
- Tuesday 21 January 2025
- What the ISO 9001 doesn’t cover
-
Some regions where ISO is not the prevalent standard, for example
North America, are not covered by our ISO Certifications and in those regions we have other assurance frameworks like SOC1 and SOC2. - Quality management systems (QMS)
- Yes
- CSA STAR certification
- No
- PCI certification
- Yes
- Who accredited the PCI DSS certification
- Foregenix Ltd
- PCI DSS accreditation date
- Friday 4 April 2025
- What the PCI DSS doesn’t cover
- Only our PayPlus environment is covered by our PCI certification. No sensitive payment card information is processed or stored in any IRIS environment and all processing activities are outsourced.
- Cyber essentials
- Yes
- Please provide your Cyber Essentials Certificate Number
- 2896d6f0-b1c8-4f71-8256-596356f682e0
- Cyber essentials plus
- No
- Cyber Essentials Alternative
- You do not have a current and valid Cyber Essentials Plus certificate, or will not have in place within 12 months of the date of award but have an IASME certified equivalent.
- Other security certifications
- No
Social value
- Section B - Commitment for Future: Delivery
-
-
Mission: Kick start economic growth. To secure the highest sustained growth in the G7 - with good jobs and productivity growth in every part of the country making everyone, not just a few, better off.
Policy Outcome 1: Fair work: That offers fair wages and good working conditions. Help people get a job, stay in work, and progress in their careers, with good employment opportunities across the country. Notes: Where there is a large proportion of labour costs in the contract, commercial teams should consider MAC in Outcome 1 as a priority
- New or retained jobs on the contract workforce in the relevant area that meet the criteria set out in MAC 1b, 1c and 1d
- New apprenticeships on the contract workforce in the relevant area that meet the criteria set out in MAC 1b
- Providing opportunities for, and measuring and monitoring of, staff workforce conditions over time, including employee engagement, involvement in decision-making and satisfaction and adapting to any changes in the results, with clear processes for acting on issues identified
- Plans to engage the contract workforce in deciding the most important workplace issues to address
- Ensuring new workers are informed of their right to join a trade union
- Monitoring of employee engagement rates (by protected characteristic) and, where necessary, the development of actions to ensure all voices are heard across the diversity of the workforce
- Employment contracts that reflect actual hours worked; steps taken to ensure employees understand their contracts and have the ability to review and adjust them if actual hours regularly exceed contracted hours
- Activities that support an environment where staff are educated about, and feel empowered to, address their physical wellbeing
- Activities that support an environment where staff are educated about and feel empowered to report and address bullying and harassment
- Activities to cascade good practice on fair working conditions throughout the supply chain
- Offer a pay and leave entitlement to all eligible staff who become kinship carers, ideally equivalent to statutory adoption pay and leave
- Payment of more than the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage (as appropriate) to the contract workforce
- Monitoring and reporting of gender and ethnicity pay gaps and plans to address them where necessary
- Entitlement to sick pay for the contract workforce, with provision in place for any staff who do not meet the earnings threshold for statutory sick pay, payment of sick pay from day one of absence and payment of staff on the contract workforce who are off sick a replacement income of 100% of their usual earnings for as long as possible
- Plans for an appropriate income replacement policy for staff who are required to spend time away from work to care for a sick dependent or close relative
- Understanding of in-work progression issues affecting the market, industry or sector relevant to the contract, and in the supplier’s own organisation and those of its key sub-contractors
- Measures to support in-work progression to help people in the contract workforce, to move into higher paid work by developing new skills relevant to the contract
- Support for the contract workforce by providing career advice, and providing opportunities for staff working on the contract with in-work progression career development into known skills shortages or high growth areas
- Support for educational attainment relevant to the contract, including training schemes that address skills gaps and result in recognised qualifications
- Volunteering opportunities for staff
- Understanding of the modern slavery risks and issues affecting the market, industry, sector or country (of origin or of source) relevant to the contract, and the workforce in the supplier’s own organisation and those of its key subcontractors
- Measures to identify, mitigate and manage modern slavery risks relating to the contract and how these will be implemented
- Outline policies and practices to be applied to or put in place for the contract to mitigate and manage modern slavery risks, including: Pre-employment checks, recruitment practices. Workplace conditions, safeguarding plans and processes in place and regular monitoring with relevant groups considered, which may include sampling
- How these flow down the supply chain and are monitored Illustrative examples include reporting, site visits, audits, etc.
- How to ensure business decisions re: price/cost, short lead times, payment timescales do not create modern slavery risks in the supply chain
- Means of influencing staff, suppliers, customers, communities and/or any other appropriate stakeholders with respect to modern slavery risks relating to the contract
-
Mission: Kick start economic growth. To secure the highest sustained growth in the G7 - with good jobs and productivity growth in every part of the country making everyone, not just a few, better off.
Policy Outcome 2: Skills for growth: Supporting growth sectors and addressing skills gaps.
- Understanding of employment and relevant skills issues, and of the education and training issues relating to the contract. Illustrative examples: demographics, skills shortages, new opportunities in high growth sectors, geographic/local community and skills/employment challenges
- Support for educational attainment relevant to the contract, including training schemes that address skills gaps and result in recognised qualifications
- Activities to support relevant sector related skills growth and sustainability in the contract workforce. Illustrative examples: careers talks, curriculum support, literacy support, safety talks and volunteering
- Delivery of apprenticeships, supported internships and T Level industry placement opportunities (Level 2, 3 and 4+) in relation to the contract
-
Mission: Kick start economic growth. To secure the highest sustained growth in the G7 - with good jobs and productivity growth in every part of the country making everyone, not just a few, better off.
Policy Outcome 3: Resilient, innovative and flexible supply chains: Support economic growth through enabling resilient businesses, opportunities for small businesses and voluntary, community and social enterprises
- Understanding of the types of businesses in the market and the level of participation by new businesses, entrepreneurs, start-ups, SMEs, VCSEs and mutuals
- Plans for engaging a diverse range of businesses in engagement activities prior to appointing subcontractors (including activities prior to award of the main contract and during the contract term)
- Activities that demonstrate a collaborative way to work with a diverse range of businesses as part of the supply chain
- Ensuring accessibility to contracting and subcontracting opportunities for disabled business owners and employees
- Structuring of the supply chain selection process to ensure fairness (e.g. anti-corruption) and encourages participation by a diverse range of businesses, including with regard to new businesses, entrepreneurs, start-ups, SMEs, VCSEs and mutual
- Methods for engaging with different parts of the community (including the education system and charities representing the community) and how communities come together to inform decisions, strategy and projects to leave a positive legacy for future generations
- Measures to involve local stakeholders and/or users in design (e.g. in the design of services, systems, products or buildings)
- Plans for positive actions with community groups.
- Plans to respond flexibly and adapt approaches to community engagement and initiatives
-
Mission: Make Britain a clean energy superpower: To cut bills, create jobs and deliver security with cheaper, zero-carbon electricity by 2030, accelerating to net zero
Policy Outcome 4: Sustainable procurement practices: Reducing carbon footprints, minimising waste, and promoting the use of clean energy and green technologies.
- Understanding of opportunities for additional environmental benefits delivery in the performance of the contract, including working towards net zero carbon emissions and use of clean energy and green technologies
- Collaborative ways of working with the supply chain to deliver additional environmental benefits in the performance of the contract, including working towards net zero carbon emissions and use of clean energy and green technologies
- Delivery of additional environmental benefits through the performance of the contract, including working towards net zero carbon emissions and use of clean energy and green technologies
- Understanding of how to influence staff, suppliers, customers, communities and/or any other appropriate stakeholders through the delivery of the contract to support climate and nature protection and improvement
- Activities to reconnect people with the environment and increase awareness of ways to protect and enhance it
-
Mission: Break down barriers to opportunity: By reforming our childcare and education systems, to make sure there is no class ceiling on the ambitions of young people in Britain
Policy Outcome 6: Employment and training: For those who face barriers to employment
- Understanding of employment and skills issues, and of the skills and employment shortages of high growth sectors relating to the contract
- Creation of employment opportunities particularly for those who face barriers to employment, such as prison leavers, care leavers and/or who are located in deprived areas, and for people in industries with known skills shortages or in high growth sectors
- Delivery of training schemes and programmes to address any identified skills gaps and under-representation in the workforce for the contract (e.g. prison leavers, care leavers, kinship carers, disabled people)
- Advertising, promotional and outreach activities designed to raise awareness of the offer to reach the target cohort
- Understanding of the issues affecting the representation of disabled people in the workforce in the market, industry or sector relevant to the contract, and in the supplier’s own organisation and those of its key sub-contractors
- Collection of the views and expertise of disabled people and their representative organisations on successfully supporting disabled employees or applicants
- Inclusive and accessible recruitment practices, and retention-focused activities, including those provided in the Guide for line managers on recruiting, managing and developing people with a disability or health condition
- Introducing transparency to pay and reward processes
- Offering a range of quality opportunities with routes of progression if appropriate, e.g. T Level industry placements, students supported into higher level apprenticeships.
- Working conditions which promote an inclusive working environment and promote retention and progression
- Other measures to provide equality of opportunity for disabled people and those with health conditions into employment, including becoming a Disability Confident employer and inclusion of supported businesses in the contract supply chain
- Understanding of the issues affecting inequality in employment, skills and pay in the market, industry or sector relevant to the contract, and in the supplier’s own organisation and those of its key sub-contractors. Measures to tackle inequality in employment, skills and pay in the contract workforce
- Inclusive and accessible development practices, including guidance for line managers on recruiting, managing and developing people with a disability or health condition
-
Mission: Break down barriers to opportunity: By reforming our childcare and education systems, to make sure there is no class ceiling on the ambitions of young people in Britain
Policy Outcome 7: Creating a pipeline of opportunities: For the contract workforce, reducing barriers to entry for under-represented groups.
- Understanding of the issues affecting the development of new skills by target cohort
- Understanding of the underlying factors affecting improvements to reduce barriers to entry and training schemes for the target cohort(s) related to the contract workforce
- Other measures to offer development opportunities for the target cohort(s) in the contract workforce
- Advertising, promotional and outreach activities designed to raise awareness of the offer to reach the target cohort
- Understanding of issues relating to entering the contract workforce
- Creation of outreach activities to create a pipeline of employees for the future contract delivery
- Content of the outreach activity is designed to suit the target cohort
- Advertising, promotional and outreach activities designed to raise awareness of the offer to reach the target cohort
-
Mission: Build an NHS fit for the future: That is there when people need it; with fewer lives lost to the biggest killers; in a fairer Britain, where everyone lives well for longer.
Policy Outcome 8: Increasing productivity through physical and mental wellbeing: In the supply chain and communities in the relevant area.
- Understanding of issues relating to health and wellbeing, including physical and mental health, in the contract workforce
- Understanding barriers to access to health and social care services or employment opportunities e.g. digital inclusion
- Inclusive and accessible recruitment practices, development practices and retention policies that support-focused activities including those provided in the Guide for line managers on recruiting, managing and developing which support people with a disability or health condition
- Actions to invest in the physical and mental health and wellbeing of the contract workforce
-