Apps are everywhere. Collectively we download billions of them to our mobile phones and tablets each year. We do our weekly food shops, book flights and bank all from apps on our mobile devices.

But is a dedicated app suitable for your school? Can it deliver better communication and added value to parents and pupils?
We take a closer look at how your school could benefit from having a dedicated app.

The Benefits of a School App 

School apps give instant access to your school with just a quick tap of the app icon. Parent’s can keep it on their smartphone or tablet and always be sure that they can get the information they need fast and efficiently.

You can send notifications to parents. That means if you have an upcoming event or you need to communicate something urgently, you can inform parents quickly and easily. For example, if there’s bad weather on the way and you want to close the school early for the safety of the pupils, you can reach out almost instantaneously and inform parents to collect them.

Apps like Parentapps Connect not only enable schools to send out whole school messages but also have the ability to send targeted messages to specific parents or groups. And, schools no longer need to wonder if the communication was received because they have the added functionality to track whether messages were read.

A school app will greatly reduce the amount you spend on admin. Get your design right and think through what you want your dedicated app to do and you should be able to cut out a lot of paperwork and time spent phoning/texting parents or posting them paper letters. That releases your admin staff to do other important jobs and cuts down your school’s impact on the environment at the same time.

• You can integrate your own Management Information System (MIS) with your app to better improve communication
• You can also keep a clear audit trail of communications
• Apps like Parentapps Connect also come with a good deal of security to ensure that your school stays on the right side of the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and follows proper safeguarding protocol
• You can use two-step authentication, for example, for those users who are allowed to transmit information to others via the app and remove users if needed
• Parentapps Connect also has the functionality to send text messages and emails directly from the platform, ensuring that you are able to communicate with those family members who may not have downloaded the app

Your app can save you money on expensive text messaging services by replacing them with in-app push notifications, while also including a range of other information and features, such as:

• Term dates and upcoming events
• Newsletters and other information
• Consent forms and booking facilities for events
• Absence reporting and surveys

Additionally, one of the great features of Parentapps Connect is that it is branded to your school. That means you can create an app that fits with your vision and delivers the functionality your school needs.

How to Get a Dedicated School App

Designing your own branded app is easier than ever and more affordable than many people think. At Parentapps, we have a wealth of experience working with schools of all types, helping them to develop a dedicated communication tool that makes a big difference on a daily basis.

If you want to improve parental engagement, save money, and reduce your carbon footprint contact our school app development team today to find out more.