How do we know if parents have received SMS messages?

Go to Sent items, select the message and click on Delivery status. You can see whether the message is pending awaiting delivery or already delivered.

How do we order more SMS Credits?

Go to Compose an SMS message and click on SMS credits. Here you can see how many credits you have left and you can click on the Order credits button to get some more.

Can we upgrade to a multi-user licence part way through the year?

Yes you can. Contact us and we will set up your extra users. You will be charged pro rata to your normal renewal date.

Can we import pre-admission students?

Yes. When using the import wizard ensure that the Pre-admission student box is ticked and they will be included from the ‘accepted’ stage.

Should I add new students using the add member facility?

NO. This should only be used for adding adult school members. Students, teachers and support staff should always be added using the import facility to ensure that the data in Schoolcomms matches the data in your MIS system. Members added individually cannot be synchronised using the import facility.

Why have some of my ‘Linked People’ been removed?

When using the import wizard, remember that the import overwrites the existing data. This means that if you untick a box that had been ticked on the previous import then those details will be removed. For instance, you first run the import with Email and SMS ticked so all those details will be included. The next time you use the import wizard you untick the Email box and leave the SMS box ticked. The email details will be removed and the SMS details will be updated. To update contact details you must leave both boxes ticked even if you think that only SMS details have been amended. The same applies to the boxes for students, teachers and family contacts.

Can parents send reply emails or texts?

If a parent is registered for several children will they know which child the message relates to?

If the parent needs to identify a particular child in the message, then the sender should put the $SchoolMember$ in the text of the email. This will be replaced by the child’s name when the message is transmitted.

Can I change the order in which members are presented on the select members screen?

Yes. If you click on the header of the columns then the order will change from name to form or role. All the column orders can be changed in this way.

How often should we perform an import from our MIS?

The import should be carried out regularly, depending on the number of changes to your school roll, to ensure synchronization with your database.

When I send an SMS, will the recipient know who it is from?

The message will be sent from the Schoolcomms SMS dispatch number. The first time you send an SMS message to your recipients, ask them to add the phone number to their contact list so they know that future messages are from you.

NB: If SMS reply messages are disabled, the message will appear to be sent from SCHOOLCOMMS.

How can I speed up the operation of Schoolcomms?

Make sure that you have Service Pack 1 for the Microsoft .Net framework 1.1 installed on your system. Schoolcomms can then communicate with the data centre much more quickly.

How can I speed up the Import from SIMS?

If you only need to update the contact details, you can choose to skip the member import. The member import takes a while as it has to retrieve all the groups from SIMS.

Should I install Schoolcomms on the server or on each workstation?

Schoolcomms should be installed locally on each workstation that you will use it from.

How can I see how many parents have registered?

Look in Management Reports. You can also see the details of the people who have registered with your school and if they have changed their contact details.

I have tried to attach a document to an email but I can’t find the file?

By default the browse box is set to look for pdf files. Scroll down the list in the file type box to search for a file in a different format.

I am getting some undelivered emails returned, what should I do with them?

Use the Schoolcomms management report to view a list of all email addresses that rejected delivery. This displays the reason for the delivery problem and the name of the school member that the recipient is linked to.

Consider using Schoolcomms to send the recipient a text message asking them to check the email address, or call them. If the fault is obvious or a typo you can change the address using the Edit Link button, or alter the details in SIMS ready for import.

In order to download the web logo, please  right click here and select 'Save Target as'.

FAQs relating to Web Registration and Security letters:

Can I send security details letters to more than one parent or carer for each child?

The application will only print one security letter for each child. You can photocopy it for children with separated parents as up to four parents or carers can link to the same child. Alternatively you can print another copy of the letter for the non resident adults from the saved PDF files.

A Parent/Student has lost their security details letter. What do I do?

Go to Manage School Members. Find and select the member and then choose Reset Security. This will issue a new letter with password for the parent/child. The old security details will be invalidated but existing linked users will be maintained.

If a parent asks us to register them just for SMS messaging because they do not have email, how do I do it?

Click on School Members and Groups, School members, and select the pupil. Click on Linked People, Add new link, and enter the details in the box on screen.

How do I make a .jpg file of my school’s header?

You can scan in a printed header – ask your IT support for help with this.

One of my parents says they have not received any emails despite having registered on the website?

If I reset a security number will it affect people already linked to that member?

No.

Can we change the text of the introductory letters for parents?

How do I open the PDF files of the security letters?

You need to have Adobe Reader installed which is freely available from http://www.adobe.com. If the files do not open automatically when you click on them, select the file, right click with your mouse and then select Open With and choose Adobe Reader.