Effective communication in schools has been demonstrated to improve parental engagement, build better relationships with the community, and result in better outcomes for students. But too often, schools are held back by old and inefficient ways of communicating and concerned about convincing parents and staff to move to a new system. Here’s how school communication software can revolutionise your correspondence with parents and guardians, and how Schoolcomms’ platform can fit seamlessly into your school.
Why use school communication software?
Schools’ traditional methods of communication haven’t changed much over the years, but are they really working for your school? At the heart of an effective school communication strategy should be carefully selected communication channels that connect with your school’s parents, encourage parent-teacher collaboration, and get the important information to those who need to see it – which is where school communication software comes in.
School newsletters, for example, are your school’s opportunity to cover more in-depth updates across a range of subjects, and give parents valuable insight into school life. You can share them via multiple channels, such as emailing them to parents and sending printed copies to those not on the mailing list to ensure nobody misses out. With school communication software like Schoolcomms, newsletters don’t have to be time-consuming for staff; you can use predefined or custom templates to save time in producing them, then send push notifications to parents to let them know the latest issue is ready.
Communication software can improve your digital communications like emails and text messages, too. You can send messages to individuals, groups of contacts, or everyone on the contact list simultaneously from your communication platform, saving your admin staff valuable time and making communicating with parents more convenient than ever.
Using this method means there will also be a centralised record of all correspondence, for more efficient reporting and better relationship management with parents. Some platforms, like Schoolcomms, even have free real-time messaging built into the platform, for efficient two-way communication and better collaboration with parents, without the time or financial cost of operating a school mobile phone. The John of Gaunt School in Trowbridge reported that after implementing Schoolcomms at their school, all but 15 parents have chosen to receive updates in-app, with the remaining 15 text messages also being sent from the platform instead of from a school phone. The schools say this represents a “massive saving in terms of paper, postage and admin time”, and that they now “have an effective and efficient 2-way flow of information, with a noticeable increase in communication”.
How communication software enables better parent communication
School communication software streamlines correspondence between your school and parent community by simplifying all areas of communication. You can send instant updates to all or selected parents through push notifications, and send and receive secure instant messages for easy communication and improved parental engagement. Centralising your communications in this way lets you personalise how you correspond with individual parents by asking whether they prefer text messages, emails, or letters, and save your school money and paper by communicating digitally with parents who have provided details, instead of sending printed letters out to everyone.
The software enables schools to foster regular communication and collaboration with parents by enabling two-way messaging and document sharing, so schools can save even more paper and make sure parents are getting to see important documents. Schools are also able to use communication software to send important updates and reminders about things happening in and out of school, like events, trips, and after-school clubs.
How Schoolcomms can power up your school communications
Schoolcomms’ school communication platform is your powerful central platform to manage all your parental correspondence.
Our platform isn’t just about texts, emails, and instant messages; your school can use Schoolcomms’ market-leading solution to simplify the most arduous areas of school management. For example, our user-friendly club management system lets you set up and manage breakfast, after-school, and holiday clubs online, with bookable sessions, online payments, and shareable calendars making paper-based admin a thing of the past. Or why not try Schoolcloud Parents Evening to make this cornerstone of parental engagement simpler than ever? Say goodbye to appointment sheets and chasing students to make their bookings – our system enables parents to book their own appointments online, and even attend them remotely to enable maximum parent-teacher collaboration.
Schoolcomms makes it easy for parents to engage with their child’s school life, too. They can download the mobile app for immediate insights about their child’s education and wellbeing, with achievement reports, medical conditions and accidents, timetables, and more available to view in one place. Through the app, parents can report absences, update their child’s information, make cashless payments, and much more, to maximise parental involvement and ensure total peace of mind.
Case study: The John of Gaunt School
The John of Gaunt School was looking for an interactive system through which to communicate with parents and boost their engagement rates. When researching systems, they found that Schoolcomms was the only platform to offer direct reporting to parents, as well as its valuable SIMS integration enabling improved data management across the school.
Since adopting Schoolcomms, The John of Gaunt School has noticed a huge increase in communication from parents, who have particularly noted the convenience of reporting their child’s absence in-app – which makes logging the absences easier for admin staff, too. The school also reported significant cost savings since they can now send exam timetables and other important documents in-app instead of using stacks of paper.
When asked to describe the impact of Schoolcomms, The John of Gaunt School said that they now communicate with 99% of their parents using Schoolcomms, with 88% using the app. Only 15 parents now require a text message, with even fewer requiring a follow-up letter, representing hugely streamlined communication channels and big time and cost savings, too.
If you want to streamline your school communications for maximum effectiveness and efficiency, contact us about switching to Schoolcomms. We’ll be in touch to talk about how our solution can help your school, and the best part is, that you won’t pay a thing until your current contract ends.