In recent years, School Apps have soared inpopularity. Yet choosing a school app, is an incredibly important decision forschool leaders in the digital era. Schools have a responsibility to make surethat parents can easily access information and messages - but with the righttools, this can be made a lot easier.
In this blog post, we'll discuss what schoolapps are, why you should consider using one in your school, how they work andwhy parents love them!
School Apps make it easy for parents to getmessages, updates and more wherever they may be. Apps can be downloaded on yourphone or tablet so you don't need to worry about missed emails or undeliveredletters.
What Are School Apps?
Typically parents have no visibility of whathappens in school, and that can be a scary thing. With a School App, thischanges. Parents can stay up to date with school messages, news, assignmentsand more from the palm of their hand! They are also great for parents who wantpeace of mind when they send their children off into the world each day.
How Do They Work?
There are many different types of School Apps,and not all are built equally.
• Parent Gateways: use a single app that isshared by all schools. A unique code or login will access your school's area.As multiple schools use the same app, there is no flexibility in features ordesign, and performance can be negatively impaired.
• Template Apps: offer a downloadable app foryour school. Providers will offer limited design and feature options, usuallysharing the same layout and features. However, unlike parent gateways, theyusually offer a better level of reliability and improved parent experience.
• Custom School Apps: are tailored and built fora school individually. They offer the most flexibility across design and features,allowing schools to better tailor their app to meet objectives and needs.Platforms like EdUnity now have technologies that make appsaffordable for all schools.
Schools can use these apps to not only shareinformation with parents but also as a way of promoting school spirit andcommunity. Custom School Apps particularly offer more advanced featuresincluding e-Learning tools and software integrations that can increase thebenefits and use cases for a school.
Why Should Parents Care?
School apps allow families a little peace ofmind for when their child goes off each morning into an unfamiliar environment.
Not only does a School App provide a way toquickly receive school messages and keep up to date with the latest schoolnews, but it can also be a convenient way of interacting with schools. Fromgetting in touch with their child's teacher to submitting a parent consent form- School Apps, are a helpful bridge for school-parent relationships.
Why Should Schools Care?
Studies have shown that strong parentalengagement is linked to increased attendance, child self-confidence and evenbetter classroom behaviour. Yet aside from the benefits of improved schoolcommunication, there are a number of other reasons for schools to consider aparent app.
Schools can save money by reducing reliance onSMS, emails and printing by switching to a school app.
Schools have access to more than justcommunication with parents through an app: they're able to take advantage offeatures like eForms for aseamless and paperless experience.
Parents are more likely to engage themselves intheir child's learning, too: given the opportunity to access learning resources, viewassignments, contact teachers on the app - all without leaving home.
Headteachers and seniorleadership teams can also use school apps for powerful reporting. Built-inanalytics tools can also help evidence and track engagement levels - useful forschool inspections including Ofsted and ISI.
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