You can use the Communications tool to send messages to groups of users (via mailing lists) or directly to individual users. If you are sending to just one user, you do not need a mailing list.
Add A Messages Page In Content Manager
Before users can access their messages, you need a Messages content page in the portal.
Log in as an Admin user.
Click Admin Control Panel.
Click the Content drop-down, then click Content Manager.
Next to the relevant Section heading, click Add new page (purple rectangle with a white cross).
In the Page Type menu, select Messages.
In the Content section, complete:
Section – Click the section you want this page to appear under (for example, Parents, Students or Staff).
Page Name – Enter a clear name for the page (for example, “Messages” or “Inbox”).
Tags – Tags are predefined.
If you want the Messages widget to appear as a header widget, add the
my-emailtag in this field.
Content – Optionally add instructions or information about how messages work.
In the Permissions section:
Page enabled: Tick this to immediately display the page to users.
Section visible to all users:
Leave ticked if everyone who can access this section should see the page.
Clear this box if you want to restrict visibility by School, Year Group, and/or User Type.
Click Save Changes.
Create A Mailing List (Optional)
Use a mailing list when you want to send a message to a group of users.
In the Admin Control Panel, open the Communications / Mailing Lists area (wording may vary slightly).
Click Mailing Lists or Add New Mailing List.
Follow your portal’s prompts to:
Name the mailing list.
Add the users or groups that should be included.
Save the mailing list.
📌Note: If you are sending a message to a single user, you don’t need a mailing list; you can target the user directly when composing the message.
Create A Message In The Communications Tool
You can build your message using the message creator in the Communications tool.
Open the Communications area in the Admin Control Panel.
Click to create a new message (for example, “New Message” or similar option).
Choose your recipients:
Select a mailing list if sending to a group, and/or
Select individual users where needed.
Use the message creator to build your content:
Add a subject (title) for the message.
Add your message body (text, links, etc.).
Configure Email Content And Labels
Before scheduling:
Decide how much content appears in the external email:
Display Message Content in Email.
Tick this if you want the full message content included in the email sent to users’ external inboxes.
Clear this if you want to keep the message secure and require users to log in to the portal to read the content. In this case, the email will usually notify them that they have a new message in the portal without showing the full text.
Add a label (optional):
Use the Label drop-down to add an existing label to your message (useful for filtering or categorising messages).
To create a new label:
Type your Label Name.
Click Create.
To preview the message as users will see it, click Show Preview.
Schedule And Send Your Message
Choose when the message should be sent:
In the Schedule options, select one of:
Now – Send the message immediately.
Later – Schedule the message for a specific date and time.
Keep as draft – Do not send yet; keep the message as a draft until you are ready.
When ready, click one of:
Save & Send – To send now.
Schedule – To confirm and schedule for the future date/time.
Save as Draft – To save without sending.
The message will then be available in the portal’s Messages area for recipients, and (if configured) in their external email inboxes.