Their School App for Parents is a parental engagement app that aims to improve the way parents and schools communicate digitally. It is currently used by over 700 schools and nurseries in the UK. Since students returned to the classroom post-lockdown it has been opened more than 4.3 million times , demonstrating the value of staying connected and being part of the community.

Clear communication between parents and schools is vital to every child’s school experience, but at times it can prove to be costly and time consuming. In addition, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, with strict social distancing guidelines and limited face-to-face communication, has made this even more challenging.

Connectus identified the need for an app-based solution and partnered with Vidatec to deliver it.

The challenge

Connectus recognised the need for more streamlined communications between parents and schools. It became evident that the methods being used by teachers to communicate with parents were insufficient and having a negative impact on their workloads. Connectus also discovered that the traditional ways of communicating, such as phone calls, text messages and written letters, were not cost-effective and increased demand on administrative staff as well as teachers.

It is clear that keeping up to date with what’s happening at school can be a challenge, especially when parents have their own busy schedules. Connectus saw an opportunity to embrace the digital world we live in and design an app to help parents support their child’s learning and development at school.

The importance of communication and keeping parents informed was emphasised further during the COVID-19 pandemic. With ever-changing guidelines for schools and students there was an urgent need to embrace technology to ensure information was disseminated quickly and clearly.

The approach

Connectus wanted to develop an app that was accessible from multiple devices its apple and android and platforms, giving parents instant access to information shared by schools. Whether it be a message about school trips, timetable changes or reminders about important events, it all had to be communicated quickly and through a platform that was easy to use.

Vidatec worked with Connectus to create a list of project requirements and agree what would be the key drivers behind the school to parent app. The mains goals for the app to achieve were:

• Be easy to use
• Provide training and support
• Be compliant
• Integrate with school management systems across England
• Offer unlimited messages
• Include calendars
• Be branded

User experience was central to the development of the app. The team at Vidatec created an interface that could merge with several school management systems, such as SIMS and RM Integris, via Wonde which made it easy to use, control and manage. By working with Vidatec’s UX and UI developers Connectus were able to improve their app.