Sending text messages home to parents

[BatchFile]

I've been asked to look into a system to send text messages home to parents. I've never really researched it (as we only got phone signal round here a couple of years ago!) So basically what do you use, how much does it cost and would you recommend it?

[rh91uk]

Well, our head isn't too keen on the idea but we had a presentation at a network managers meeting from SIMS InTouch and it looks good enough .... SIMS InTouch

[Jon]

I have just setup schoolcomms here, very easy to install and fully integrates with sims.
Schoolcomms

[FN-GM]

They use truancy call at our place. It has the facility to text parents and staff. It also fully integrates with SIMS

[GREED]

+1 for schoolcomms. Contact Frances or the team there, very nice people and helpful. Can organise a visit for you to a local school or facility for a demo. faultless software, easy to use, good price structure, integrates with SIMS well.

[maark]

we use truancy call/ call parents - seems to work pretty well.

[AngryITGuy]

They use truancy call at our place. It has the facility to text parents and staff. It also fully integrates with SIMS

+1 for Truancy Call and Call Parents. Works a treat we used to contact parents and staff during the recent bad weather you can use it within the school network environment or upload your data to their servers and run it from the web anywhere.

[DaveP]

We are using ParentMail. I don't have much to do with it but for those who are involved with it they seem happy enough and it seems to work fine. All you can ask really.

[Edu-IT]

We use KKS here.

Keep Kids Safe Communication Project – By schools for schools

[mdrabble]

+1 for Truancy Call and Call Parents. Works a treat we used to contact parents and staff during the recent bad weather you can use it within the school network environment or upload your data to their servers and run it from the web anywhere.

Ditto..... easy to install and use

[flyinghaggis]

We use a service called BulkSMS and run CSV exports from our MIS system to populate the lists when we need to send out a text to parents

BulkSMS.com - #1 Internet Bulk SMS Gateway

We looked at some of the options mentioned above but none of them tied into our MIS system (WCBS PASS) so the above worked out cheaper and was just as effective. If you have an MIS system that does integrate directly into one of the above systems that might be a neater, albeit more expensive, option though

Edit: Just to add we're currently paying 4p per text message sent out (so about £50 every time we text all the parents in the school). At the moment we generally only use it for sending out school closure/etc emergency texts though there are discussions to use it more frequently. How does the cost compare with what other systems on here cost? Would be nice to have a comparision as many of the others seems based on a subscription (which they never give you figures for on the website!) rather than paying per text?

[Sylv3r]

We use Schoolcomms - we spent around £1,000 a couple of weeks ago just sending TXT messages when the school was closed for the week. 1450 Students + 150 staff but we also sent TXT's to both parents so in total we were sending around 2,000 TXT's per day.

[jonnykewell1]

we use KKS - Keep Kids Safe Keep Kids Safe Communication Project – By schools for schools

[BatchFile]

we use KKS - Keep Kids Safe Keep Kids Safe Communication Project – By schools for schools

Anyone have any idea what this costs? their website gives nothing away

[jonnykewell1]

Not sure on costs, but give them a call, only a standard uk landline num.