Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) is now offering a service which allows schools to automatically send updates to parents when they are due to close e.g. snow closures.LCC is the first council in the UK to adopt such a service, which allows information to be passed on to parents and staff as soon as it becomes available, so they can avoid making unnecessary journeys.
To send notification of the school closure the head teacher, or another nominated person, uses a computer to access the service via the internet or alternatively can text closure details to a specified number from their mobile phone. This alert is then sent via text message to all parents and staff who have signed up to receive such updates.
Key contacts, including local media and school contractors are notified by email at the same time. The LCC website is also updated automatically, so all channels of communication are kept current.
The service is provided by TXTRound, a resource which is dedicated to improving communications with parents. Rob Warner, a director at TXTRound, said “Lincolnshire County Council can take credit for taking a proactive approach in an area where traditionally Councils have not got involved in such a direct way.”
He continued, “As we move forward, parents will increasingly expect such a system to be in place. We are already working on the next generation of additional features to provide even more help.”
This service will also be a useful tool within the rest of the council, Trading Standards for example are thinking of using the system to update people about important alerts, to further improve citizen interaction.
This facility is yet another method adopted by the web team in order to deliver good quality, highly relevant information to people who need it most, in a way that is accessible to them.
1 comments:
This sounds like a very good technical solution. But is there not a risk that its very existence and efficiency might actually encourage heads to decide to close their schools early? After the debacle this year when it seemed that everyone except school staff struggled to get in to work, what we need is to set our young children the correct example and not to give up when the going gets a bit tough. (ie 3/4 inch of snow!)
I make no criticism of Lincolnshire - I write as a parent in low-lying Derby where schools closed after a splattering of snow. I hope your system will be used for real emergencies and challenges, and that next year we see heads across the country prepared to support their staff in keeping schools open in some shape or form in all but the most adverse conditions.
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