Automated technologies: helping schools and local authorities to best deal with school closures

Published by Livewire for Livewire Public Relations in Education and also in Local Government

Earlier this year, over 5,000 schools faced strike action, with over 3,000 forced to close completely. Schools up and down the country were affected, as they were in the extreme weather conditions last year when many were forced to close after the UK experienced the heaviest snow falls in 18 years. In order to effectively deal with closures such as these, schools and local authorities should consider the advantages of automated technologies in implementing an effective notification system to avoid uncertainty and inconvenience for parents and school staff.

During recent strikes, over 500,000 messages were sent by our Call Parents system to notify parents of school closures as soon as they were announced, enabling schools to alert parents instantly, enabling them to reschedule their day if necessary. Implementing such systems enables schools to send instant messages to parents via text message (SMS), e-mail and automated phone call at the click of a mouse. As soon as closures are announced, school staff can use the school’s management information system to select numerous classes or a whole school, and send out thousands of text messages to inform the relevant parents and staff of the closure in seconds. 

Schools should ensure as many methods of notification as possible are utilised to communicate with parents, including traditional methods, such as local radio announcements and alerts on school websites. However, it is evident that automated technologies offer the most convenient solution for all affected and local authorities must ensure that schools are equipped to provide parents with such a service.

In the instance of school closures, parents need relevant information in a timely manner, therefore, having as many lines of communication as possible between school and parent, is vital. We all know that the mornings are an extremely busy time of day for parents, whatever the circumstances. Schools must act quickly as parents do not need the inconvenience of investigating potential school closures online or listening out for radio announcements. Many will not have the time to check emails and some parents may not have access to the internet at home, however, the majority of parents have access to a telephone. Should schools need to close, technologies provide schools with the means to inform parents instantly via technologies they are familiar with, enabling them to make alternative arrangements at the earliest opportunity, if necessary.

The assurance provided as a result of having these technologies in place is beneficial in developing relationships between schools and parents, and helping schools to comply with the government’s requirements to be more accountable to local authorities, parents and pupils. In the case of school closures, parents need to make quick decisions and appreciate the implementation of technologies that can provide this information. For parents, there is nothing more frustrating than unclear information. Getting children ready for school and discovering that school is closed when dropping them off is extremely inconvenient for parents and disruptive for pupils. If schools can assure that parents will be alerted to school closures as soon as they are aware, they can be confident in the running of the school and their consideration of parents’ needs.

If parents are unsure of the status of a school closure then school offices and admin staff can become inundated with parents trying to find out whether or not they should bring their children to school. Automated notification systems can save schools time and money, especially during school closures when the alternative would mean extra staff being brought in to make calls, requiring extra expenditure that schools may not have accounted for. A single member of staff can inform parents at the touch of a button, meaning that should schools be closed, parents are informed immediately and school staff do not have to put themselves at risk during adverse weather conditions by getting in to school to help ring round parents.

Using traditional methods of calling each parent to alert them of a closure can be extremely time consuming and costly, especially if calling mobile phones. In comparison, the cost of sending a text message is between 4p and 6p and requires a single member of staff to alert hundreds of parents in an instant. If a closure is premeditated then schools can also use automated technologies to save on the admin costs resulting from printing hundreds of letters to be taken home by students, with no guarantee of them reaching the parents. Parents can be warned in advance via text message, providing links to the website for further information if necessary, and the school will then receive a read-receipt to ensure that all parents have read the message and are suitably updated.

With the continued disruption of bad weather in this country, and more public sector strikes imminent, it is critical that schools invest in low-cost, high quality systems to efficiently deal with closures. Parents require instant and timely information that is guaranteed to reach them, in a format that they are familiar with. Schools need a system that can provide this service whilst reducing admin costs and executing closures in an organised manner. This type of technology is used every day by schools to make processes more efficient, it’s not a piece of kit that is going to be locked away in a cupboard gathering dust; it gives schools excellent return on investment and forms part of their everyday jobs.

By Stephen Clarke, Managing Director, Contact Group

Visit www.the-contactgroup.com for further information.

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