2018 is upon us and many schools are looking to review their processes over the next twelve months. That could, of course, including how they communicate not only with teachers and pupils but also with parents. This is a big part of current Ofsted judgements such as Leadership and Management which are used to assess schools on a regular basis.
Here are just some ways that many organisations will be looking to improve their communication in 2018:
Website Review
One area where many parents get their information is the school website. If you’re a head teacher, you’ll want a site that hits the mark, catches the attention and delivers on users’ expectations. Often, websites are uploaded, added to now and again off the cuff and quickly get more complicated than was originally intended. Lack of funding can often mean that updates aren’t made at regular intervals, something which can make a site look and feel outdated pretty quickly.
Ideally, schools should be looking to review their website every few years to make sure that it is fit for purpose. Is it easy to navigate? Is there obsolete information on there? What’s the download time like when someone visits? The good news is that all these questions can be quickly answered when you get a web site audit with the team at Parent Apps. If you haven’t looked at your site for a few years now, 2018 could be just the right time to carry out a health check.
School Apps
More and more schools are looking to improve communications even more with dedicated apps. In the past, this would have required a whole team of designers and a great deal of cost to arrange for individual institutions.
Apps have now become readily available at a much lower cost and they have distinct advantages for schools. First of all, most parents nowadays have a smartphone which they carry with them all the time. An app is easy to download and can be used to send simple notifications and other information that is useful.
Secondly, incorporating a dedicated app into your communication process also reduces the amount of time spent on administration. For example, if you need to close the school early because of winter conditions, you don’t have spend time getting into contact with parents – you can send an urgent notification to everyone in a matter of minutes with the phone app. It takes just one person not a whole team.
Apps aren’t just for sending notifications, however. They can give parents access to pdf documents and other important information. You can include video and photos of recent events and upload calendars and interesting school blogs. You can even use it to communicate with pupils and parents through social media.
The important thing for 2018 for many schools is getting even better at communication. Much of the evidence points to the fact that, when it is seen as a priority, it can encourage parents to engage more. Good communication is also a big factor in schools that achieve excellent Ofsted reports.
There’s no doubt that technology can be used to make things easier for head teachers and administrators but it’s also a brilliant tool for everyone involved in the school. If you haven’t yet updated your website or investigated the potential of a school app, it should be top of your list for 2018.