Free
£0
One private group channel, direct messages and up to 25 people.
Three calendar months of recent history. No Microsoft 365 archive or Replay. Guests, such as parents, and Microsoft Teams belong to organisational plans.
Start freeFOR SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES
A conversation beyond the school gate.
In a channel the school provides.
A familiar way for parents and carers to message the school, and one place for staff to answer – in the app, a browser or Microsoft Teams.
The walkthrough is ten minutes in a real channel, on your own phone. Start free is personal messaging for adults: one private group channel, up to 25 people and three calendar months of history. Guests such as parents, Microsoft Teams and the Microsoft 365 archive come with paid plans, where the record files into your school’s own Microsoft 365, under your retention rules.
THE CONVERSATION TODAY
Parents already message the school.
Just not in one place.
A question about a child arrives on a teacher’s own phone. A class group grows on a consumer app. A reply about a trip sits in somebody’s personal chat. Most of it is well meant, and many of those groups work well for the people in them.
The harder part is the school’s side: knowing which conversations happened, who was in them, and where they are when someone asks.
Read our guide to WhatsApp in schoolsHOW IT FITS TOGETHER
Three places.
One conversation.
Families message where it suits them. Staff answer where they already work. The school decides where the lasting record lives.
Parent or carer
Joins from a texted invitation and messages in the ComplyChat app or a browser. No Microsoft account needed.
App or browserStaff
Answer in ComplyChat or from Microsoft Teams. Both see the same conversation.
ComplyChat, or Teams on paid plansYour school’s Microsoft 365
On a connected paid plan, the record files into your own Microsoft 365, under your retention rules.
Paid plans
WHAT CHANGES
Easier for families.
Clearer for the school.
◎
Familiar for parents
Messages, voice notes, photos and documents, in the app or a browser. Their phone number stays private from other members.
⇄
Answered from Teams
Staff can answer connected conversations from Teams. Teams integration on paid plans; Teams Store listing coming soon.
✓
Access the school decides
On a private line, every parent or carer gets their own private thread, so families never see each other or each other’s messages.
↗
A record the school owns
On a connected paid plan, conversations file into your school’s own Microsoft 365. Your filed archive stays there if you leave.
AN EVERYDAY EXAMPLE
A quick question.
A clear answer.
Priya asks about Friday’s Year 4 trip from her phone. Mr Evans, the class teacher, replies from Microsoft Teams. On a paid plan with a connected archive, the exchange files into the school’s Microsoft 365.
Illustration with fictional names. Not a screenshot.
Illustration
Priya · ParentComplyChat
Private family line
Mr Evans · TeacherMicrosoft Teams
ROLLING IT OUT
Start with one line.
Grow from there.
Tell us how your school works. We’ll help you choose where to begin.
01
Choose your first channels.
A private line counts as one channel, however many families reach it. So Foundation’s two channels could be one private line for families and one channel for staff.
02
Connect your Microsoft 365.
Your Global Admin runs the install, and you approve the wording people are shown.
03
Invite families.
Each texted invitation works only for the person it was sent to. Anyone not expecting one can decline it from the invitation page.
04
How channels are counted Keep the list current.
On paid plans, a private line can follow a CSV contact list exported from your school’s own system.
ON ANY DEVICE
Use the browser or get the app for iPhone, iPad or Android. Installing is optional.
PRIVACY AND PROTECTION
The detail,
in writing.
Core messages are stored and processed in the UK. Supporting services, including live-call routing, SMS, push notifications and maps, may process outside the UK.
PRICING
One price per tier.
No charge per person.
A lasting record
From £199 / month
Foundation: £199/month or £1,990/year, 2 channels. Governance: £599/month or £5,990/year, 10 channels. Enterprise: from £1,500/month or from £18,000/year, unlimited channels.
Yearly plans are invoiced in advance. All prices exclude VAT where applicable. No per-person or per-message charges. Setup included.
Compare paid plansDo parents need to download an app?
No. Parents and carers can use ComplyChat in a browser, or get the app for iPhone, iPad or Android. People joining a conversation need no Microsoft account.
Can parents see each other’s messages or numbers?
Not on a private line. Every person who reaches it gets their own private thread, so families never see each other or each other’s messages. A parent’s phone number stays private from other members; on paid plans, your school’s administrators can see members’ numbers in the client portal, to manage who belongs, and staff who answer from Microsoft Teams can see the number of someone who is not on your staff list.
Does it connect to our MIS?
Not directly. On paid plans, a private line can use a complete CSV contact list, uploaded by an administrator or read from your connected Microsoft 365 archive library, and checked daily, weekly or only on demand. Your existing system must produce the export.
Does an absence message update our register?
No. A message reaches staff in ComplyChat or Teams, but it does not update your attendance register. Keep recording attendance in your existing system.
Is it for pupils to message each other?
No. ComplyChat for schools is for conversations between the school and parents, carers and staff. It is not a pupil-to-pupil messaging service, and Free is for adults aged 18 and over.
We are a trust with several schools. Where do we start?
Governance includes 10 channels and local numbers for 3 sites. Enterprise pricing is agreed to suit larger organisations. We’ll help you choose on the demo.
SEE IT ON YOUR OWN PHONE
Ten minutes.
You send the first message.
Try a real channel. See the reply from Teams. Bring your school’s questions.
A real person replies within one UK working day.