The great thing about modern technology is that we can communicate much more quickly than ever before. That means if there is a problem schools can get hold of parents pretty much straight away and make sure everyone is kept fully informed.
One common occurrence that can affect a school is bad weather. What does you do when the children have to go home early because the snow is coming down or you live in a flood area? But there might be a number of unforeseen events that require you to get a message out to parents as quickly as possible.
Many schools still have a list of mobile and home numbers that the admin staff then have to phone or text when there is a problem of this kind. It’s quite a wasteful procedure and can take some considerable time to get done. It’s not so bad if the problem is a single child who is not feeling very well – in this instance a personal telephone call is the most appropriate action. When it involves the whole school though, something more efficient is obviously beneficial.
Of course, making sure that parents are kept fully informed has been helped in recent times with improved technology. Most of us today have a smart phone or a device such as a tablet or laptop that is almost always connected to the internet. Getting everyone to install a school app can make communicating emergencies as easy as tapping a few keys. You don’t need a big team to contact parents, just one designated person to input the information and send it as a notification that appears immediately on everyone’s device.
Not only does this give parents time to get themselves organised it takes a lot of pressure off administrative procedures in schools. There doesn’t have to be an emergency. It could be something as simple as an after school activity being cancelled which means parents have to come and pick up their child earlier.
The benefits of using a school app to send this kind of information are clear to see:
- First of all, it’s quick, you can be sure that the message has been sent and everyone who has the app installed on their device will receive it.
- It’s easy to use and can be maintained by one or two designated people rather than a whole team.
- You can add links to more information which parents can access, as well as telephone numbers that can be called if there are any additional problems such as a parent having difficulty picking up a child.
- It takes the pressure off what could be a very stressful situation, giving teachers and heads more time to do what they should be doing, ensuring the safety of the children in their charge.
Having a dedicated school app is not just great for communicating urgent news, it’s an excellent way to make sure that parents, staff and pupils remain interconnected all the time. This helps everyone plan their days better and can cut down on the administrative burden that schools have. The good news is that it is a relatively inexpensive way to improve communication and can be tailored to your school’s particular needs. In short, it’s the kind of technology that everyone will find useful.