case study
Gaskell Community Primary School
Gaskell Community Primary School is situated in the centre of Bolton, and its community is made up of children from various different backgrounds.
Interview with Deputy Headteacher – James Cranage
How have you found your website’s integration with the school app and payments?
“We can easily direct the parents and staff to the website for school payments including dinner money, school clubs, trips, staff school dinners, extra-curricular activities, and school residentials.
Our school newsletters and important information and dates can all be accessed via the school app. Important messages and reminders for parents and staff can be sent via the school app.”
What is your favourite feature about payments?
“Payments on Parentapps have allowed us to save time collecting cash at school and staff can now use their time effectively on other work. The payments are received much more efficiently, and the system has reduced late payments, missing payments, or errors. This has reduced the number of queries at the school office as electronic payments are easily traced to the right child. It is a much safer way of collecting money in school and we no longer have to store large amounts of cash or spend time arranging for it to be taken to the bank.”
How do your families interact with your website, school app, and payments?
“Users of our website are greeted with a welcome from our Headteacher and can use it to see our school vision and values.
They are able to see the names of each member of staff that work at our school as well as the Governing Body and their roles within it.”
We also have key information on the school day and somewhere for parents to contact us if they need to.
“We have included a copy of all of our important school policies and information for staff and parents.
There is a dedicated section on the website for children where they can access their Virtual Classroom. Other information such as Remote Learning, School Council, Extra Curricular Clubs, and Forest School can also be accessed.
For parents, we have a section where they can access information about school admissions, attendance, uniform, online safety, newsletters, term dates for the academic year, and school meals/payments. These can be paid for through our website.
We also have our Before and After School Club advertised on our website where parents can view the activities and food menu. Our website also allows parents to fill out the forms if they require a place at the club.
We have included a calendar that is updated regularly with important information about the activities that happen throughout the academic year. Our school newsletters and important information and dates can all be accessed and viewed via the school app.
The school app is used to communicate messages and important reminders to parents and carers. They can make payments for school payments including dinner money, school clubs, trips, staff school dinners, extra-curricular activities, and school residentials.
Payments via the school app allow parents to make payments without coming to the school office to pay or send large amounts of money in with children to school.”
Please sum up your overall experience with Parentapps.
“Parentapps have been great from start to finish. The customer service is exceptional, and they always aim to resolve our queries as soon as possible.”