Communication

Transition Information from Parents

We appreciate that the transition process can also be daunting for parents and carers, with lots of information to read and things to organise. Our aim is to make the process as smooth as possible, and you should hopefully find everything you need here on our Transition pages of the website.

Initially to accept your child’s place at The Forest School and to get your child registered and set up for school we need to collect a variety of information from you. We have summarised this below in our 2026 Transition timeline showing key dates and communications.  

Communications from Forest - MCAS

We aim to keep our parents fully informed of their child’s progress and of all school developments. For home school communication we use MCAS (My Child at School) - the parent portal from our Bromcom management system. This enables us to send letters and urgent messages directly to you via the MCAS app on your preferred device. In addition, MCAS provides information and facilities to enhance your child’s journey at The Forest School including the ability to view your child’s timetable, attendance, behaviour points, plus reports and exams information.

Before your child starts at Forest, you will be emailed an invitation code to create an account on the parent portal My Child at School (MCAS).  (The invitation code will expire if not used within 2 weeks - a new code will be required if this time passes before the first login.)

If you already have a child at Forest, your Year 6 child will automatically be added to your current account. There is no need to create a second account.

MCAS can be accessed via a web browser or a downloadable app.  Please follow the instructions provided to activate your account.

On occasion we may also send emails and text alerts directly.

The Bromcom MCAS service is registered with the Data Protection Registrar which guarantees that all information supplied will be kept completely private.

IMPORTANT – To ensure that you receive all communications from The Forest School, please ensure that you have downloaded the MCAS app and have successfully logged in. You will receive an email from the school containing all of the information to be able to action this. 

For assistance with this, please contact the school office: office@theforestschool.net

Please also ensure that we have the correct contact details for you. Any changes to these should be communicated to the School Office via the email address above.

iPayImpact

iPayImpact is a simple and secure way for parents/carers to pay for all school purchases. It removes the need for students to bring cash and cheques into school, making school purchases completely cashless. iPayImpact can be used to purchase school dinners, trips, events, tickets, and access the school shop. Either through desktop, tablet, or a mobile phone, enabling you to review payments, purchase history and current balance anytime, anywhere.

You will first need to register and create an iPayImpact account.

• Register for your account - Visit www.ipayimpact.co.uk/IPI/Account/LogOn and click ‘Register’
• Create an account
• Enter the student’s Account Ref – please see your email for your child’s Account Ref
• Enter a username and password – this is what you will use to login into your account, your username cannot be your email address
• Enter a valid email address and confirm 
• Answer the maths test – to prove you are a human!
• Agree to the terms and conditions, and click ‘Register’
• You will then receive an email with an activation link – click on the link or copy and paste the link into your browser. This will activate your account.
• Your account is now active - you can log into iPayImpact and start managing your school purchases.

If you need help registering for your account, further information can be found online at www.ipayimpact.co.uk/IPI/faq where you will be able to view a range of helpful articles to get you up and running in no time.