Parent portal
The MSM parent portal is a website where parents can view school information, complete forms, and manage their child's enrolment. This guide covers three settings areas — Portal, Registration, and Re-enrolment — all found under Settings in the main menu.
Portal tab — branding and description
Go to Settings and click the Portal tab to configure your school's parent portal appearance.
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Portal Title | The name displayed at the top of the portal — required. E.g. Riverside Public School Music Portal |
| Portal URL | Your portal's public web address — share this link with parents so they can access the portal. This field is read-only. |
| Portal Description | Welcome text or information shown on the portal home page. Supports rich text formatting including bold, lists, and links. |
Click Save to apply changes.
Tip: Copy the Portal URL from this page and include it in your welcome emails, school newsletter, and any other communications to parents so they know where to access the portal.
Registration tab — new student sign-ups
The Registration form lets new families register their child's interest online through the portal. You control which fields appear, which are required, and what information parents see. Go to Settings > Registration.
The Registration tab has four sub-tabs:
General
Controls the core registration form settings. The Form Active tick box appears in the top right — tick it to make the form live for parents.
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Form Active | Tick to make the registration form visible and available to parents in the portal |
| Groups | Select which groups parents can choose from when registering — click × to remove a group |
| Instruments | Select which instruments parents can choose from — shown as pill badges |
| Instrument Preferences | How many instrument preferences a parent can select — 1 to 4 |
| Music Information | Introductory text shown at the top of the form — use this to describe your music program. Supports rich text formatting. |
| Terms and Conditions | The terms parents must read and accept before submitting their registration. Supports rich text formatting. |
Click Save.
Student Fields
Choose which student fields appear on the registration form and which are required. Each field has two checkboxes — Display to show it on the form, and Required to make it compulsory before submission.
Standard fields available: Grade, Class, Gender, Date of Birth, Photo Consent, and Private Tutor. Any custom student fields your school has set up also appear in this list — for example School House or Allergies.
Click Save.
A field must have Display ticked before Required can take effect. If a field is not displayed, it cannot be made compulsory.
Contact Fields
Choose which parent or guardian contact fields appear on the registration form. The same Display / Required checkbox pattern applies. Standard fields available: Mobile, Address, and Relationship. Any custom contact fields also appear here.
Click Save.
Questions
Add custom questions to the end of the registration form — for example, previous music experience or how the family heard about the program. Questions are listed with their type and question text, with a ≡ handle on the left for reordering.
Click Add item to add a new question, or click an existing question to edit it. Click Show Preview to see the form exactly as parents will see it.
- Heading — a bold section title to organise the form
- Text Block — instructions or information text
- Text Question — a short free-text answer from the parent
- Select Question — parent picks from a list of options you define
- Checkbox Question — a single tick box
- Date Question — parent selects a date
- Number Question — parent enters a number
Drag the ≡ handle to reorder questions. Click a question to edit or delete it.
Re-enrolment tab — returning families
The Re-enrolment form lets existing families confirm whether their child is returning for the next year. Parents complete it through the portal, and you review their responses and update student records. Go to Settings > Re-enrolment.
The Re-enrolment tab has two sub-tabs: General and Questions.
General
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Form Active | Tick to make the re-enrolment form visible and available to parents in the portal |
| Enrolling Text | A short label or heading shown on the form — e.g. Re-enrol for 2026 |
| Enrolling Info | Information shown to parents on the form — use this to explain the re-enrolment process. Supports rich text formatting. |
Click Save.
Questions
Add custom questions to the re-enrolment form — for example, instrument preferences for next year, or any changes to contact details. Works exactly the same as the Questions sub-tab in Registration above.
Reviewing re-enrolment responses
Once parents have submitted the re-enrolment form, go to Students > Enrolments > Re-enrolments to review their responses.
| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| First Name / Last Name | The student's name |
| Grade | The student's current grade |
| Groups | The student's group membership |
| Instruments | The student's instruments |
| Returning | A tick if the parent confirmed the student is returning |
| Completed | A tick if the parent has submitted the form |
Filter the list by student name, group, returning status, or completion status to focus on those who still need to respond. Click any row to expand it and read the parent's answers to your custom questions, or click through to open the full student record.
To follow up with parents who haven't responded, tick their students and click Email to send a reminder.
Reviewing new student registrations
When a new family submits a registration form, they appear in Students > Enrolments > New Students. The list shows each registration with the student's name, grade, group preferences, and instrument preferences.
To review and approve a registration:
- Click the student row to open the detail panel
- Review their registration responses
- Select a Group, Instrument, and Status for the student
- Click Save
The student is added to your student list and assigned to the selected group.
Tip: The instrument preferences selected by the parent during registration are highlighted in the instrument dropdown, making it easy to assign their first choice without having to refer back to the form.
Quick reference
A handy reminder once you are familiar with the system.
| Task | Where to go |
|---|---|
| Set your portal title and description | Settings > Portal tab |
| Find your portal URL to share with parents | Settings > Portal tab > Portal URL field |
| Enable the registration form | Settings > Registration > General > tick Form Active |
| Set groups and instruments for registration | Settings > Registration > General |
| Choose which student fields appear on registration | Settings > Registration > Student Fields |
| Choose which contact fields appear on registration | Settings > Registration > Contact Fields |
| Add custom questions to the registration form | Settings > Registration > Questions > Add item |
| Enable the re-enrolment form | Settings > Re-enrolment > General > tick Form Active |
| Add questions to the re-enrolment form | Settings > Re-enrolment > Questions > Add item |
| Review re-enrolment responses | Students > Enrolments > Re-enrolments |
| Approve a new student registration | Students > Enrolments > New Students > click student > Save |