Parents call on schools to build dedicated mobile app

Almost 80% of parents say they would use a mobile app that gives them instant access to information about their child's school

Posted by Hannah Oakman | October 16, 2016 | Technology

• #schools
• #parents
• #mobile-app
• #research
• #web-foundry
• #engagement

According to research, parents say schools should invest in the technology so they can receive instant notifications of important information like school closures, holidays and events.

The research, conducted by digital agency Web Foundry, revealed a rising expectation among parents that they should have access to updates about their child’s education on the go.

Of the 1,000 parents surveyed for the report, 70 per cent said they wanted access to information about school holidays and 67 per cent said it should be easier to find out about school events.

66 per cent said schools should send urgent notifications, such as if the school was closed for the day, while 56 per cent wanted to be able to view their child’s school report online.

Asked how they preferred to access information online, almost a quarter of parents said they would use their mobile phone and 14 per cent said they would be more likely to use a tablet, like an iPad.

As services and information become available online, parents increasingly expect to be able to access these on mobile devices

The findings come after one in five parents said their child’s school website was not updated often enough and many find them too difficult to navigate.

Phil Holt, managing director at Web Foundry, said: “An informative website should be a key tool for any school looking to engage with parents. Unfortunately, too many parents feel information is not readily available.

“As services and information become available online, parents increasingly expect to be able to access these on mobile devices. An overwhelming number of parents said they would use a mobile app to receive notifications of important updates about their child’s school.

“Schools therefore need to take note that websites optimised solely for desktops and laptops are no longer good enough, and more needs to be done to make them user-friendly across multiple devices. 

“Increasingly parents expect to be kept updated about important events like closures, events and holidays anytime and anywhere.”

For more information, please visit: www.web-foundry.co.uk