Do you need a smartphone for school apps? The honest answer
The common UK school apps are parent-facing and run on the parent's phone or a web browser. Here is which apps need what, app by app.
“But I need it for the school apps.” It is the strongest card a child plays, and it is mostly bluff. The school apps UK families actually meet, ParentPay, ClassCharts, MyChildAtSchool, Arbor, Satchel One, SchoolMoney and Weduc, are parent-facing. The parent uses them on their own phone or in a web browser. The child does not need a smartphone of their own for any of them.
That matters, because the school app is the argument that gets a lot of Year 7s a smartphone they did not otherwise need. So here is the honest, app-by-app picture, checked against each provider’s own login and support pages on 13 June 2026.
Who the app is really for
There are two kinds of school app, and the difference settles the whole question.
The first kind is for you, the parent: payments, dinner money, trips, consent forms, attendance, behaviour notes, newsletters. These live on the parent’s account and the parent’s device. ParentPay, SchoolMoney, Weduc, MyChildAtSchool and Arbor all work this way.
The second kind is pupil-facing homework, mainly Satchel One and ClassCharts. Your child does log in here. But “logs in” is not the same as “needs a smartphone”. Both run as a web platform, Satchel One at satchelone.com and ClassCharts at classcharts.com, as well as an app. A school PC, a library computer or a shared family laptop covers it.
The table
| App | What it is | Parent uses it on their own device | Web browser route | Child needs their own smartphone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ParentPay | Payments: meals, trips, clubs | Yes | Yes, login at login.parentpaygroup.com (parentpay.com redirects there) | No |
| ClassCharts | Behaviour, homework, attendance | Yes, parent login | Yes, separate parent and pupil logins at classcharts.com | No, pupil side runs in a browser |
| MyChildAtSchool (Bromcom) | Parent portal: grades, attendance, payments | Yes | Yes, mychildatschool.com on phone or desktop | No |
| Arbor | Parent portal and communications | Yes | Yes, portal at login.arbor.sc, plus an app | No |
| Satchel One (Show My Homework) | Homework setting and submission | Yes, parent login | Yes, satchelone.com; pupil login works as a web platform too | No, a shared device works |
| SchoolMoney (Eduspot) | Payments | Yes | Yes, parent login at login.eduspot.co.uk | No |
| Weduc / ParentMail | School communications, forms, consent | Yes | Yes, web portal at app.weduc.co.uk plus an app | No |
Two notes on precision. ParentPay’s parent site at parentpay.com now redirects to parentpaygroup.com, with the login at login.parentpaygroup.com, so check your school’s guidance if a page misbehaves, but the web route itself is real and works on a laptop or desktop. And if your school runs an app not on this list, or you cannot confirm how the pupil side is meant to be reached, ask the school office rather than assume. “Check with the school” is the honest answer when you do not have it.
So the homework objection, dealt with plainly
A few secondaries do expect pupils to check and submit homework through an app, usually Satchel One or ClassCharts. That is a genuine need. It is not a need for the child to own a smartphone. Both platforms run in a web browser as well as an app, so the same login opens in Chrome, Safari or Edge on a school computer, a household laptop or a tablet that stays in the kitchen. The homework gets done. The child still walks out of the door with a basic phone, or no phone, and you keep the two decisions apart: a way to do schoolwork now, a smartphone later. If you are not sure how your school expects the pupil side to be reached, the school office will tell you.
If the school genuinely mandates a smart device for lessons, that is a different conversation, and a rare one. We weigh it in which phone should I buy and in the best phone for an 11 year old, where the refurbished iPhone SE (from £89 on Amazon Renewed) is the sensible answer for the small group whose school forces the issue. For most families it does not, and a Nokia 3210 (2024) at around £79 plus a £6 to £9 SIM is plenty.
Common questions
Do you need a smartphone for school apps? No, not for the common ones. The school apps most UK families meet, ParentPay, ClassCharts, MyChildAtSchool, Arbor, Satchel One, SchoolMoney and Weduc, are parent-facing. The parent uses them on their own phone or in a web browser on any computer. The child does not need their own smartphone for any of them.
My child says they need an app to check homework. Is that true? A few secondaries do set and track homework through Satchel One (formerly Show My Homework) or ClassCharts, and your child will need to log in. Both run as a web platform at satchelone.com and classcharts.com as well as an app, so a school computer, a library PC or a shared family laptop can do the job. It does not require the child to own a smartphone. If you are unsure how the pupil side is meant to be reached at your school, check with the school office.
Can I use ParentPay without a smartphone? Yes. ParentPay has a web login, now at login.parentpaygroup.com (parentpay.com redirects there), so a laptop or desktop browser works with your username and password. The app is a convenience for the parent, not a requirement, and nothing about it sits on the child’s device.
Which school apps go on the child’s phone rather than the parent’s? Almost none of the everyday ones. Payments and communications apps (ParentPay, SchoolMoney, Weduc, MyChildAtSchool, Arbor) are for parents. Only pupil-facing homework tools like Satchel One or ClassCharts involve a child login, and those run as a web platform on any shared device. If you cannot confirm how a specific app is used at your school, check with the school office.
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