While we look at the great benefits of school apps for staff and parents, allowing them to communicate better and stay engaged, we all too often forget about the most important part of the mix. Pupils themselves can also get huge benefits from a well-designed school app. These include:
Quick Notifications
Most children now have access to mobile phones and they’ve become part of everyday life. Not only do smart devices give parents’ peace of mind but it also provides schools with the opportunity to communicate better with their students. Reminders sent as notification to smart phones can mean pupils are less likely to forget or miss important events.
It can make things a lot easier for teachers if they know that their pupils are prepared when they come to class and have everything they need.
Class Timetables
Pupils can access their timetables online so that they know where they need to be and at any one time. For schools, it saves a lot of trouble for pupils and parents to have access to this kind of information at the touch of a button. It also makes it easier to change timetables and communicate that to pupils almost immediately.
Links to Important Information
More integrated apps can go one step further and provide pupils with the information they need, for example, to do their course work. This can be done by notifications containing pertinent links or having access to learning materials online that can be updated as and when information becomes available. This can also be tailored to specific groups so that only pupils who are relevant are contacted with certain information.
Promote Activities
School apps can also be used to advertise activities both during school and after hours so that pupils are aware of all the opportunities that are available to them. That can be anything from sports days to auditions for the school play.
Check Out Menus
There are plenty of other things that you can include in your school app. For instance, pupils can check out the lunch menu or find out when the school shop is open. There is no one size fits all solution which is why the app can be tailored to your specific school needs.
Better Engagement
All this leads to better engagement. When pupils feel more involved with what’s going on in the school they are more likely to take part in activities. An app can also be a great reminder that certain things need to be done – for example, homework has to be completed for a particular class or applications for a trip abroad need to be in by a certain time.
All this also takes the pressure of administering all communication with pupils. Certain staff can be given responsibility for updating the system so that everyone is kept informed and up to date. It can reduce the amount of information that must be printed out and can ensure teachers have more control of how information is disseminated to pupils.
Better communication and finding ways to achieve it is one of the top priorities for schools nowadays. The good news is that technology and smart apps are beginning to change how we do this, giving pupils more access and more information than they’ve ever had before.