parents say schools should be doing a lot better when it comes to social media

The vast majority of UK parents would use a mobile app that gave them instant access to information about their child’s school, according to new research.

80% of a thousand parents polled say schools should invest in mobile so they could receive instant notifications of important information like school closures, holidays and events, digital agency Web Foundry has discovered.

It says its data shows “a rising expectation among parents” that they should have access to updates about their child’s education on the go.

Some 70% want access to information about school holidays and 67 think it should be easier to find out about school events, for example.

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

“An informative website should be a key tool for any school looking to engage with parents,” commented Phil Holt, managing director at the firm behind the research.

“Unfortunately, too many parents feel information is not readily available.

“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.”

Web Foundry is a design and digital agency with offices in Edinburgh, Manchester, and Warsaw that specialises in helping firms in a number of areas from branding and design, to strategy and digital marketing, to tackle complex projects.