Most of my conversations with school leaders start in the same place: "We've looked at a few programs, and they all seem alike." They're right; in a demo, every piece of software looks tidy, fast and colourful. The difference shows up on a real school day: at the door in the morning, during a busy events week, on a new teacher's first day.
So, as someone from the sales team, I want to give you an honest list: ten questions to ask when evaluating any school management software, ours included.
1. Is the parent app available on both iOS and Android?
Your parents use different phones. Having the app in both stores, and an admin panel that runs in the browser, is a basic requirement. Funikid's parent app runs on iOS and Android, and the admin panel runs on the web.
2. How many taps does a teacher need for daily tasks?
Teachers decide whether software succeeds. How long does it take to take attendance, share a photo or mark a meal? Try these tasks yourself during the demo, or have one of your teachers try them. A cumbersome system ends up on the "I'll enter it later" list within a few weeks.
3. What do parents see, and when?
What is the first screen a parent sees when opening the app? How are announcements, messages, photos, meal information and notifications kept apart? Does an important announcement get lost among the photos? To see it through a parent's eyes, ask one of your parents to help.
4. Which modules are there, and which do you actually need?
A long feature list is not valuable on its own. List what you need: parent communication, attendance, meals, events, photos, payments, student records. Then look at how each one works in daily use. Funikid's modules are described one by one on the features page.
5. Do the roles and permissions fit your school?
Leadership, teachers, support staff, accounting and parents should each see different information. Can the software make that distinction, or does everyone see everything? For a detailed framework, see our article on roles and permissions at school.
6. What does it offer parents who speak other languages?
If some of your parents speak a language other than the one your school works in, the app's language options matter. Funikid's multilingual support was designed for exactly this need.
7. How are photos and personal data protected?
Who can see the children's photos? Can a class album be kept separate from a child's own album? Can parents see each other's phone numbers? The answers directly affect how much parents trust the school.
8. How will the switch work?
How will your current student list get into the system? How will teachers be introduced to it? What help is there for getting parents to install the app? A good transition plan matters as much as the software itself. For a start-of-year switch, our new school year preparation article can guide you.
9. Who will you reach when something goes wrong?
How do you contact the support team, how long does a reply take, and is there one-to-one help during setup? It's a good idea to test the support channel once before signing: send a question and see how you get answered.
10. Can you try it on a real school day before you buy?
This is the most important question. Watching a presentation is very different from spending a week with a class on the software. You can try Funikid free for 14 days; living through announcements, attendance, photos and messaging with one class and real parents during that time will make your decision clear. For a structured trial, see our 14-day trial plan.
A suggestion for your decision table
For each piece of software you evaluate, put these ten questions in a table and rate each one "good / adequate / weak". Don't let only leadership give the ratings: have at least one teacher and one parent rate too. These three perspectives reveal what the demo screen doesn't.
About pricing
Price is of course part of the decision. Funikid has Starter, Standard and Advanced packages; to talk about which one suits your school's needs, get in touch with our team. Still, my advice is to compare prices only after the questions above are answered: software nobody uses is expensive, even if it's the cheapest.
Frequently asked questions
Who should be involved in choosing the software?
School leadership, at least one teacher and, if possible, one parent. The teacher evaluates daily use; the parent evaluates the app experience.
What should we focus on during the trial?
Living through a real week in one class: morning attendance, sharing during the day, what the parent sees in the evening. Testing a few features in depth tells you more than skimming all of them.
Do these questions apply to a small nursery too?
Yes. A small school's advantage is that switching and trialling go faster; the answers to the questions matter just as much.
Where should I start to evaluate Funikid?
You can start with a free trial application, or first send us your questions.
About the author
Ece Demir
Sales Specialist
Writes from the sales team that talks to schools every day. Answers the questions leaders ask before deciding — choosing software, the free trial, the switchover plan and parent payments.
