IRIS Reach
IRIS Reach is a parent engagement suite for secondary schools, combining email, SMS, and social media communication in one cloud-based platform.
What IRIS Reach is
IRIS Reach is a parent engagement suite for secondary schools, combining email, SMS, and social media communication in one cloud-based platform. Parents can receive school information through the MyEd app, including messages, attendance, timetables, absences, achievements, and behaviour. Messages sent in either direction can be automatically translated into over 40 languages. Parents can view real-time attendance reports based on registration data, while schools can send electronic forms and surveys and share hosted documents through text or email links. Up to twenty accounts can provide dedicated channels for departments and functions. Reach includes reporting, analysis, response management, and an audit trail. It synchronises with school management information systems such as SIMS and Integris, with nightly syncing as the default after setup. MyEd is available on iOS and Android, and the platform supports web use. IRIS offers schools a free demo; subscription pricing is available on request. Its helpdesk is available Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm, by phone or email.
Good
- Combines email, SMS, and social media
- Automatically translates messages into over 40 languages
- Supports electronic forms, surveys, and document sharing
- Synchronises with SIMS and Integris
- Offers a free demo for schools
Watch out
- Subscription pricing is available on request
- Internet Explorer is unsupported
Who it suits
IRIS Reach is intended for secondary schools and multi-academy trusts that need to manage parent communications. It may suit schools that want parents to access school messages and information through MyEd.
Verdict
IRIS Reach brings parent communication, attendance information, and school forms into a shared system. Schools can request a demo to assess whether its communication and information-system connections fit their needs.
The facts
Each one read from IRIS Reach's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Attendance
- The product page says parents can monitor attendance using real-time reports from collated registration data.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Backups and testing
- The security statement says data is backed up nightly and penetration testing is carried out at least annually.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Communication
- It brings email, SMS, and social media communications together in one place.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Communication channels
- The cloud-based platform manages email, SMS and social media communications in one place.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Department accounts
- The product page says up to twenty accounts can provide dedicated channels for different departments and functions.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Department channels
- Up to twenty accounts can provide dedicated communication channels for different departments and functions.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Document sharing
- Documents can be hosted online, with links sent by SMS and email.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Forms and documents
- Schools can create and distribute electronic forms and surveys and host documents with links sent by SMS or email.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Forms and surveys
- Schools can create, send and collect bespoke forms and surveys electronically.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Intended users
- IRIS describes Reach as a parent engagement system for secondary schools and presents it as a solution for schools and multi-academy trusts.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Messaging limit
- The MyEd help page says there is no charge for messages sent to and from the MyEd app.checked 11 Oct 2026
- MIS integration
- IRIS Reach synchronises with school management information systems such as SIMS and Integris, with data sync arranged during setup and running nightly by default.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Mobile availability
- The MyEd app is available for iOS and Android; IRIS recommends iOS 11.0 or later and Android 5.0 or later.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Pricing availability
- The product page offers a free demo but does not state a subscription price.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- IRIS Reach is a cloud-based parent engagement suite designed for secondary schools.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Reporting
- The product includes reporting, analysis and response management tools, and describes a complete audit trail.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Security
- IRIS's security statement says customer data is hosted in UK data centres and describes Okta authentication, role-based access, and encryption of personally identifiable data.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Support
- The IRIS Reach helpdesk is available Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm, by phone or email.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Translation
- IRIS Reach supports automatic translation of inbound and outbound messages in over 40 languages.checked 11 Oct 2026
Where it runs
- Browser support
- IRIS Reach supports most browser types and recommends current Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari; Internet Explorer is unsupported and may not work correctly.checked 11 Oct 2026
- MyEd app
- Parents can use the MyEd app for school messages and information, including student attendance, timetables, absences, achievements, and behaviour.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Parent app
- Parents can use a school-branded mobile app to receive information, and the page identifies the MyEd app for messaging, texts, emails and letters.checked 10 Oct 2026
The company
- Founded
- 1978checked 28 Sep 2026
- Headquarters
- Slough, Berkshire, United Kingdomchecked 28 Sep 2026
Alternatives to IRIS Reach
- 1

ClassDojo
Free planAndroidiOSWebmacOS8.2From $69.99 a year - 2

Schoolzine SZapp
Free planAndroidiOS7.6From A$349 a year - 3

Foxbright Communications Platform
AndroidiOSWeb7.5From $1,200 a year - 4

Remind
Free planAndroidiOSWebAPI7.4Free plan - 5

TalkingPoints
Free planAndroidiOSWebAPI7.4Free plan - 6

School Stream
Free planAndroidiOSWeb7.3Free plan
