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February 2007 - SNOW PROBLEM - Schools use text alerts to contact parents about school closures
Thousands of parents with pupils at more than 100 primary and secondary schools across England and Wales were notified of snow-related school closures early this morning using an innovative text alert system.
The Groupcall Messenger system allows schools to send text messages (SMS) to the mobile phones of parents, staff and other school contacts or voice messages to landlines or mobile phones in any language for a low monthly subscription fee. Messenger reads pupil contact information direct from the school's management system, enabling a message to be sent to all parents in a matter of seconds, relieving the burden on school staff to make and field calls to parents.
One infant school in the London Borough of Redbridge, anticipating heavy snow today, even ordered and installed the system yesterday to enable them to contact parents quickly this morning.
"The need to contact large groups of parents because of sudden closures or unexpected changes to the school day is exactly the type of situation that the system was developed for," explains Groupcall's Lawrence Royston. "We anticipate further use during the day if schools decide to close early."
The system, which is installed in more than 600 primary and secondary schools throughout the UK, was developed in consultation with primary and secondary schools. It is also used to monitor unauthorised absence and, according to the most recent truancy figures released by the Scottish Executive, was proven to reduce truancy by as much as 27 per cent.
For more information - Please contact us at sales@groupcall.com
