Parental Engagement & Communication
We are continuing to develop our systems to improve the way that we engage with home and as a result there are a number of different Apps that we use to help us communicate important information with families.
Below is a brief explanation of the different Apps and their main purpose.
| Application | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Edulink One | This allows you to receive regular communication from school |
| Firefly | This is the schools virtual learning environment (VLE) |
| Class Charts | This allows you to closely monitor your child's achievements and behaviour |
| sQuid | This allows you to put money on your child's account to pay for lunch and trips |
What is Edulink One?
Edulink One is used to support parents, staff and students in and out of the classroom. It is accessible anywhere and on any device. It will allow you to see at a glance some important information related to your child’s daily experience in school and will display links to the other important systems that we use.
The primary reason that we want parents to download the Edulink One App is to ensure that you can receive timely and detailed communications from the school. Edulink also offers parents the option of changing basic details for themselves and their children.
During the summer term, you will receive an email with your login details.
We would like you to use this information to access Edulink One (via the App or Website).
.png)
What is Firefly?
Firefly is Cockermouth School’s virtual learning environment (VLE): a password-protected area where students can access a range of Teaching and Learning resources and homework tasks. It can be accessed on any device: PC; Mac; tablet (iPad and Android); and mobile phone (Windows, iOS and Android) via this link.
A ‘student planner’ App is also available via the app store/play store, and students can access their personal timetable, homework tasks and messages using this.
Parent Portal
Within Firefly, you can access the school’s parent portal, where you will be able to see up-to-date information about your child(ren) and also be kept informed of relevant school information that we hope you will find useful. On the portal, you will be able to see:
- Your child’s timetable
- Attendance
- Behaviour points awarded (rewards and sanctions)
- Homework and marks
- Progress Reports
- Important messages
Other school information is also available, including:
- School policies
- Term dates
- Letters home
Setting up your Firefly Account
You can only activate an account if you have a child on roll at Cockermouth School (in the case of new Year 7 students, this will be in September), and if you have provided us with an email address.
Step 1: In your web browser go to: https://cockermouth.fireflycloud.net
Step 2: Select the New to Firefly? Activate your account… link at the bottom of the window. The Activate Account window will show:
.png)
Step 3: On the Activate Account screen (below) enter the email address you have provided to school via the Data Collection Sheet (see section 8) then click Activate Account. This will send an email to the address you have entered with a link to allow you to set a Firefly password and complete the account setup.
Once setup and logged in, you will be able to access your child’s profile, attendance, behaviour, tasks and timetable details.
Firefly Parents Mobile App.png)
A Firefly Parents App is available for both Android and IOS devices. You can set up your Firefly account in a similar fashion to the web version, but you must enter the school code: COCKERMOUTH when accessing the app for the first time.
Firefly Help
Further help on the use of Firefly can be found via a link on the Dashboard, or go to: https://helpcentre.fireflylearning.com/parents
What is Class Charts?
Class Charts is behaviour management software used by staff to record and track student achievement and behaviour. The Class Charts App will allow parents to view the progress of their child in real time and see information on behaviour and achievements points.
It is important that parents / carers download the Class Charts App, as this is how they are able to find the detailed information about the achievement and behaviour points that their child receives. It is also how they will be notified if their child receives a detention and the information related to this.
In order to use the Class Charts Parent App, you will be provided with a parent code by the school in the first week of September.
What is sQuid?
sQuid is an advanced Cashless Payment Platform for schools, it allows parents to make secure online payments for lunch money, school equipment, trips and other related activities.
sQuid also allows parents to monitor their child’s canteen purchases.
It is important that parents / carers access sQuid (via the App or website), as this is how they will be able to add funds to their child’s account.
Students will be provided with their specific login information for sQuid during the Intake Days. On the Intake Days students will be able to pay for their lunch with cash, but by September we will require all families to have access to this online payment system.
Students on roll at Cockermouth School are entitled to download, install and use Microsoft 365 for free.
Instructions on how to access this can be found here.
Systems Support
Please see the guides below for information regarding access to the School's IT Systems.
If you are still having specific difficulty accessing Edulink One, Class Charts or accessing sQuid, please email: systemsupport@cockermouthschool.org
Please note that we can only assist in situations where issues can be resolved through school systems. We cannot support problems with personal PCs, laptops or other devices.
