Why do I have to verify my identity?
When making an offline process into a digital process, it is vital that we confirm that everyone is who they say they are. It needs to be impossible to create a fake profile.
When you first sign up, Fetching asks you to verify your identity by photographing your photo ID and then matching it to a live image of yourself. This stops anyone else from pretending to be you and changing your child’s collection plan. It also means teachers can trust that every update truly came from you.
What exactly is Fetching?
Fetching is a simple, secure way for primary schools and parents to work together to make pick-up time simple. It gives the school team live visibility of who is picking up each child, and helps you (the parent) manage changes, permissions, and daily collection plans – all without endless messages to friends and family, or to the school.
Do I need to download another app?
Yes, for parents, Fetching is a mobile app. For schools, Fetching works right in your browser on your phone, tablet, or computer.
How do I tell the school about a change in who’s picking up my child?
If you need help with school run, you can request it via the app. Once you send a fetch request, everyone that you are connected to on Fetching will be notified.
When one of them accepts your request, the school is automatically notified. You can connect with trusted adults (e.g. grandparent, childminder, neighbour) via the 'friends' screen on the app at any time.
What if I have a last-minute change during the school day?
You raise a fetch request and any time and the school system is updated instantly so even last-minute changes will be visible to the teacher at the school gate.
Is my child’s data safe?
Yes. Fetching is fully GDPR compliant and is built with security as the first priority. Only your school’s authorised staff can see collection data for their pupils, and only you can see your own family’s information. We never sell data to third parties.
Can I use Fetching if my child goes to wraparound care or a club?
Absolutely. However, it all depends on how your school is using the system and whether your child's school chooses to give Fetching access to the people running their wraparound care provision.
My child is collected by different people on different days – can Fetching handle that?
Yes, but to prevent you from having to raise requests every day, we recommend you set your two most frequent fetchers as 'parents'. These are the people that show by default on the school system and can pick up a child on any day, unless you have made alternative arrangements.
How does Fetching save teachers time at the end of the day?
Instead of chasing paper notes, cross‑checking lists, or handling last‑minute collection changes at the classroom door, you open your Fetching dashboard. One glance tells you exactly who is picking up each child – including any last-minute changes. No more “but my mum said I could go with Aunty Jane”, or wondering which person is "grandma".
Can we use Fetching for trips or sports events?
Not yet, but Fetching for sports clubs is currently in progress so sign up here to stay in the loop. parent forgets to update Fetching?
Does Fetching work with our school’s MIS?
Yes, we integrate with most primary school MIS platforms via Wonde so that class lists stay in sync. Talk to us about your specific setup – we’ll make it work.
How do we onboard the whole school without it being a big project?
Fetching is designed to be lightweight. The office team sends one link to parents, we provide simple “how to” guides, and you can pilot it with one year group first. Most schools are fully live within two weeks.
What happens if a non‑approved person tries to collect a child?
Your school’s normal safeguarding process applies. Fetching does not physically stop anyone, but it gives every staff member a reliable, up‑to‑the‑minute record. You will see immediately that the person is not today’s approved fetcher and so they should not release the child to them.
Fetching not only safeguards children - it protects teachers from home-time dilemmas as well.
Can we see historical collection records if there’s a concern?
Yes. We can set up flags for children you are worried about and even send notes to your safeguarding system. Speak to us about building bespoke reports for your school.
Is there a cost to the school or to parents?
Fetching is a paid service for schools, but it is free for parents. We keep pricing simple and affordable for primary schools. Contact us for a quote tailored to your pupil numbers.