Texting parents to let them know if their child’s school is closed because of bad weather is a simple idea but extremely worthwhile. It has meant that far fewer children are sent off to school before the parents realise it is closed.
Before the text messaging service, we had a dedicated voicemail, which parents could call to find out if schools were closed. However, there was a delay of about 45 minutes between the school announcing its closure that day and the information being distributed. With the messaging service, the text goes out immediately as the school announces its closure.
Our messaging service wasn’t one person’s bright idea, but it seemed the modern, logical way to keep people informed. In an age when I can get my bank statement sent to my mobile phone by text, it was about time that council services were brought up to date.
The texting service is one of the ways in which we are trying to modernise council services, by making information more accessible. Parents register for the texting service via our website, but if they don’t have mobile phones or internet access, we are in partnership with the local radio station, which makes announcements of school closures, and with Teletext, which displays the information on local pages.
We tried out the text messaging service on winter school closures, but the scope for its use in other areas is enormous. The business community is interested in using a similar service to be notified of road closures, and head teachers would like an automated and immediate way of getting in touch with supply teachers. It is such a simple way of keeping people in the know.
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