Recommend a Parent communication app

[saggu]

Any recommendation for free/ cheap parent communication app?

 

Thanks in advance.

[Edu-IT]

None of these are cheap or free. Are you primary or secondary?

[1TF0rward]

Parent apps

[mavhc]

Email.

[1TF0rward]

Email.

Mailchimp can be good if under a certain amount of emails. Or you can pay for it? I know of a Primary school that uses it for newsletters which i introduced them to.

[mavhc]

First this is to define what you want it to do.

[saggu]

First this is to define what you want it to do.

We do use SIMS InTouch email but not always parents email IDs are correct so the email does not reach to them.

We are looking to have any notification app so that the notifications just appears as a message.

[mavhc]

Seems like you should ask the parents for their correct email address, and actually verify it. Going to be easier than making everyone install an app, and cheaper

[jmak]

What he said ^^

 

Pretty much all of the apps will require you to have accurate contact details - we use Schoolcomms which verifies against pupil name, email and mobile number before a contact can link a child to the app to receive messages.

 

Anything that is used to send information specific to a pupil or group of pupils *must* have verification that the contact details are correct.

 

If it's just generic school stuff, just use social media - most of the parents already have it, but you'd still need to persuade them to follow you.

 

We verified ours by introducing it alongside something parents had an incentive to respond to - in our case parents evening. Sent an email to all registered email addresses saying this is the registered address for your child and on same day sent a paper note with every child informing them that we'd sent an email and if they hadn't received one they wouldn't get a parents evening appointment. Proforma attached to the note for them to return with correct address.

 

That was years ago and it was a massive task. Nowadays all applications are on line through the LA and we get a copy of the address used to register. We then send an electronic data collection form to that address asking for additional addresses or changes. We've been at over 99% correct for years now (judging by parents evening bookings and responses to school trip registrations).

[mavhc]

Does the LA verify the email address? People put the wrong addresses into forms all the time, or just don't know their own email address.

 

Guess the best thing to do is every term send out a "are your details correct, click this link to confirm", and then get someone to follow up if it's not clicked

[jmak]

Does the LA verify the email address? People put the wrong addresses into forms all the time, or just don't know their own email address.

 

Guess the best thing to do is every term send out a "are your details correct, click this link to confirm", and then get someone to follow up if it's not clicked

Verified when they register. If it's wrong, they don't receive the email telling them their child has a place at the school. They're supposed to confirm they accept the place by logging on using the email and/or contacting the school. If a place is offered, but not accepted, we contact the parent and at the same time verify the email address. They're sent the request to fill in the data collection form by email with the invitation to attend a welcome evening. If they haven't completed it by the welcome evening we get them to complete the form on the spot or contact them to check. We have a parents evening twice a year and invitations are sent by email. Anyone who doesn't book has their email checked.

 

We have quite a high degree of confidence that the email address we hold is correct.

Edited May 24, 2019 by jmak

[jthompson]

We've replaced InTouch with EduLink, which also gives parents the option to update their contact details with us. Not free, obviously, but our postage bill will have dropped considerably since adopting an 'email first' approach to parent communications.

 

As others have said, it's worth going through a bit of pain to get the correct contact details for parents in SIMS in the first place. Once parents know that stuff they want is being sent to them by email (or some kind of account secured against their email) and not in the post, it puts the onus on them to make sure that the school has been given the correct details.

[saggu]

What he said ^^

 

Pretty much all of the apps will require you to have accurate contact details - we use Schoolcomms which verifies against pupil name, email and mobile number before a contact can link a child to the app to receive messages.

 

Anything that is used to send information specific to a pupil or group of pupils *must* have verification that the contact details are correct.

 

If it's just generic school stuff, just use social media - most of the parents already have it, but you'd still need to persuade them to follow you.

 

We verified ours by introducing it alongside something parents had an incentive to respond to - in our case parents evening. Sent an email to all registered email addresses saying this is the registered address for your child and on same day sent a paper note with every child informing them that we'd sent an email and if they hadn't received one they wouldn't get a parents evening appointment. Proforma attached to the note for them to return with correct address.

 

That was years ago and it was a massive task. Nowadays all applications are on line through the LA and we get a copy of the address used to register. We then send an electronic data collection form to that address asking for additional addresses or changes. We've been at over 99% correct for years now (judging by parents evening bookings and responses to school trip registrations).

 

Parents incentive sounds good approach. Also prompting during parent's evenings.

 

Thanks

[saggu]

Thank you all for your responses. The office staff does the data collecting every term but ....

I can promote via social media, incentives and parent's evening.

[mavhc]

Also put onesignal on your website, then people can subscribe to notifications for free

[saggu]

Also put onesignal on your website, then people can subscribe to notifications for free

 

What do you mean by onesignal free version on the website?

[mavhc]

https://onesignal.com/

 

When people visit the website they get the "do you want to allow this site to send notifications" message. Then you can add a wordpress plugin to send out notifications when you make blog posts etc, or just send out manual messages. Can't tell who gets them, but combined with mass emails it improves things.

[saggu]

https://onesignal.com/

 

When people visit the website they get the "do you want to allow this site to send notifications" message. Then you can add a wordpress plugin to send out notifications when you make blog posts etc, or just send out manual messages. Can't tell who gets them, but combined with mass emails it improves things.

 

Thanks @mavhc. Looked at this link. The free version is not GDPR compliance. Paid version was not clear about price. It shows for 500 users $0.

[mavhc]

https://documentation.onesignal.com/docs/handling-personal-data#section-getting-user-consent

 

They don't get any PII anyway, and apparently don't even store IP addresses for EU people, so can't see a problem

[saggu]

https://documentation.onesignal.com/docs/handling-personal-data#section-getting-user-consent

 

They don't get any PII anyway, and apparently don't even store IP addresses for EU people, so can't see a problem

Seems fine. Many thanks @mavhc. Your input is much appreciated.

[jimdjenkinson]

I've used Squad in Touch (squadintouch.com) for school sports fixture management. It has a free parent App with push notifications. It has recently developed a whole school communication solution (Squad In Touch). It's free for parents and offers email/push notifications/texts. It is excellent value for money and includes an introductory free level. I recommend you give it a try!

[saggu]

Also put onesignal on your website, then people can subscribe to notifications for free

hi, I am trying to add Onesignal on to website.

I have made the account and trying to make the app and it looks like we have to compile the app. Do you know if this is how app will work? also is Apple developer free?

 

Many thanks in advance.

[mavhc]

hi, I am trying to add Onesignal on to website.

I have made the account and trying to make the app and it looks like we have to compile the app. Do you know if this is how app will work? also is Apple developer free?

 

Many thanks in advance.

 

I just use it to send notifications to people via web browsers "school.org wants to send you notifications, allow/block", wordpress plugin means each new post can send a new notification, or log into the onesignal.com site and send your own.

 

You'd not use it as the only form of communication as you can't tell who's subscribed, but it's a useful addition to email/for unimportant news

[saggu]

I just use it to send notifications to people via web browsers "school.org wants to send you notifications, allow/block", wordpress plugin means each new post can send a new notification, or log into the onesignal.com site and send your own.

 

You'd not use it as the only form of communication as you can't tell who's subscribed, but it's a useful addition to email/for unimportant news

 

The problem with this is only if someone is logged on to the website and click 'allow' then only the notification can be seen.

 

I think we need an app and I am not able to create it.

 

Any expert coder here please help.

[mavhc]

How are you going to get people to install it, how are you going to know who's installed it?