The three notification channels
School Vault sends parent notifications through three channels, which can be used simultaneously:
- In-app notifications, appear in the parent portal notification bell. Always free, always sent. Parents must be logged in or have the portal open to see them immediately.
- SMS (via Termii), delivered to the parent's phone number. Works on any mobile phone, no internet needed. Costs one Termii credit per message. Most reliable for reaching parents who do not check the portal frequently.
- WhatsApp, delivered via WhatsApp Business API. Richer than SMS (can include photos, PDF links). Requires the parent's WhatsApp number to be on file and the school's WhatsApp Business account to be connected.
What triggers each notification type
| Event | In-App | SMS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Child marked Present (arrival) | ✅ | Optional | Optional |
| Child marked Late | ✅ | Optional | Optional |
| Child marked Absent | ✅ | ✅ (default on) | Optional |
| Child checked out | ✅ | Optional | Optional |
| Daily report published | ✅ | Optional | Optional (with PDF link) |
| Minor incident logged | ✅ | No | No |
| Moderate incident logged | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Serious incident logged | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| New homework published | ✅ | No | Optional |
| Report card published | ✅ | Optional | Optional (with PDF link) |
| Fee payment confirmed | ✅ | ✅ | Optional |
Configuring notification settings
- Go to Settings → Notifications.
- Toggle Email Notifications and SMS Notifications on or off for the school.
- Enable or disable specific notification types: Daily Report Reminders, Attendance Alerts, Payment Reminders, System Updates.
- Click Save Changes. Changes take effect immediately.
Start with SMS for Absent and in-app for everything else. Many schools are tempted to turn on SMS for every event, but parents quickly start ignoring an over-notifying school. Reserve SMS for high-priority events (Absent, Moderate/Serious incident, fee payment) and use in-app for informational updates.
What happens when a notification fails
- Failed SMS: Common causes are an invalid phone number or insufficient SMS credits. Contact your onboarding support contact to top up SMS credits.
- Failed WhatsApp: Shows as "Not Delivered". Causes: the parent's number is not on WhatsApp, the WhatsApp session has expired, or the parent has blocked the school number. Contact support for WhatsApp issues.
- In-app always succeeds if the parent account exists, in-app notifications are stored in the database and displayed when the parent next logs in.
Viewing the notification log
Go to Settings → Login Activity to review recent system activity. For detailed notification delivery history (Sent / Delivered / Failed status per recipient), contact your onboarding support contact — notification log access may be available on request.