Keeping track of what’s happening at school and the next big events on the horizon can be a challenge for parents. If you also have to juggle your own work schedule and busy home life, as most of us do nowadays, anything that makes the day go a little bit easier is a welcome bonus.
With technological developments such as the smartphone and tablet, the way we communicate has changed significantly in the last few years. From social media and instant messaging and access to the internet whilst on the move, we can now find all the information we need just by picking up the phone and tapping a few buttons. Shopping channels can contact us directly with their latest offers and we can keep track of what is going on in the world with instant notifications.
The great news is that schools are now starting to invest in apps which are designed to keep parents informed about what is going on. For many it is proving a great time saver and source of important information that is readily available at the touch of a smartphone button. Essentially, a school app allows them to send out blanket communications to parents, saving a lot of time and money whilst keeping everyone informed.
- Timetable changes, reminders of events, days out and after school meetings, parents don’t have to go searching for bits of paper or trying to find them on the school website, they can simply click on the app and get connected.
- It’s quick and simple to download, generally easy to use. Not only that, it’s free.
- The great thing about the school app is that it can send parents push notifications. So if there’s a problem or mum and dad need a reminder about something it will come up on the smartphone or tablet screen as an alert.
- A school app can be tailored to specific years and even individuals which means that parents don’t get pestered by notifications that aren’t particularly relevant to them.
- Parents also get to buy into the whole green technology thing – money isn’t being wasted on sending out letters and flyers and administrative time isn’t spent on trying to contact individuals to update them about any little change in the timetable.
- It allows parents to plan their lives more effectively because they can check what is going one when they have to organise something during their own day.
- Parents can even interact with the app and take part in surveys and satisfaction questionnaires that help improve the running of the school.
- They can interact more with the school by getting interesting and fun updates – for instance, if the kids are out on a day trip pictures can be posted to show what a good time they are having.
More and more schools are now getting involved in app development because it helps them to communicate more effectively with parents. In the past this may have been an expensive and time consuming thing to set up for any school – first you had to find the money and then you had to get the right developer to put the app together.
Nowadays, things are so much easier and schools are discovering that it’s cost effective and easy to do. For parents it’s even more exciting because they are literally tapped into the lifeline of the school and use the app to help organise their day as well as keep an eye on what their kids are up to.
To find out more about getting an app for your school click here, or if you would like to get in touch with the Parent Apps team to find out more or to have any of your questions answered please get in touch.
Image courtesy of Pixabay accessed via Creative Commons