There’s no doubt that one of the big challenges schools have always faced is how to encourage effective communication between all the relevant stakeholders. More demands on staff mean that finding efficient ways to get information out to parents and pupils, for example, has become a priority for many schools.
In the past this involved having enough staff onsite to help deliver on the communication strategy. The good news is that technology is really helping school heads meet Ofsted expectations in this vital area.
In short, the rise of the school communication app has helped revolutionise the way that teaching staff stay in touch with parents.
What is a School Communication App?
A number of things have changed over the last decade. The first is that almost all of us nowadays have some form of smartphone or tablet. Pocket size devices that we carry around with us wherever we go. The second is a wider connectivity. In the past, you had to be connected to a telephone line to use the internet. Now we have Wi-Fi and hotspots almost everywhere which means we can access the online world at all times while on the move.
A school communication app can be downloaded in a matter of seconds onto any smart device and give parents, teachers, admin staff and pupils access to important information. It can be used to send real time notifications if there is a problem or when parents need reminding about an upcoming event. It can provide access to important documents, procedures. It can even take payments for special school activities.
The Benefits of a School Communication App
Of course, there are a wide range of benefits of having your own school app, including:
- It can be integrated with your internal management information system (MIS) which means you can seamlessly connect up your operational process with your informational provision.
- You can send targeted messages to different classes, groups or even individuals. For instance, if you have a class that has PE next day, you can remind parents to pack the right kit or if there is adverse weather on the way you tell everyone that school will be closing early.
- You can send private and sensitive documents securely if needed and give parents access to policy information at the touch of a button.
- You can use the system to send either email or text information to parents who don’t have the app downloaded. You can also produce reports on who has opened or viewed information to see how successful your messaging is.
- School apps give you a strong audit trail for Ofsted to demonstrate your communication efforts. You can also show that your school is GDPR compliant.
- You can translate messages into different languages for those parents that require it and communicate with more than one family member if they are signed up to the app.
Why Choose Parentapps?
The good news is that developing your own app has become very cost effective in the last few years. In the past, it could take up a sizeable part of your operating budget to create something like this. At Parentapps, we have the team in place who can tailor a school app to your specific needs. Not only will we ensure that you have all the right usability and security in place but we have the ongoing support you need if you want to change things or encounter a problem.
Contact the friendly team at Parentapps today to find out more.