Phase: Primary
Local Authority: Salford
What goals were you hoping to achieve when you decided that an engagement system would be a good fit for your school?
We have been using Schoolcomms for over 10 years now. Initially, we started with the communication system so we could let parents know about upcoming events and also track nonattendance.
We took on the payment system in 2013, became cashless in 2018, and have not looked back since!
What has parent and staff reaction been to School Gateway implementation?
Initially, there was a bit of resistance to the online payment system but now parents love it, it’s easier and quicker for them. Staff don’t have the responsibility of sending the money to the office and there are no ‘missing payments’ as parents receive an online receipt when they have paid.
What challenges were you concerned about and how did you overcome them?
We encouraged parents to sign up with our termly newsletters and also used the really useful reports available on the system to pinpoint those parents who had not already signed up.
When some parents who hadn’t signed up realised they were not getting as much information as those who had, our uptake rate went up and now there are only a handful of parents who won’t engage with the payment service. We went completely cashless in September 2018 and did think this would create a few issues initially. However, it didn’t!
Parents accepted that the school no longer accepted cash and they are happy to pay at a PayPoint with a voucher if they do not wish to pay online. Again, we only have a handful of parents who use this method
What has been your experience with the Schoolcomms Customer Support Team?
Inevitably there will be a few issues when parents can’t access their child’s payment details or new children start at the school.
We can resolve the issue whilst the parent is in the school office if necessary and this makes for happy parents and office staff!
Were there any advantages to using Schoolcomms that you hadn’t considered when originally looking?
Using Schoolcomms has freed up more admin time than we first anticipated. We now don’t spend hours processing cash, balancing it and taking it to the bank. We definitely think Schoolcomms is worthwhile investing in!
Download the PDF version of Godfrey Ermen Primary School’s journey with Schoolcomms.
