Improving efficiency in the school office

What is the most effective way of reducing the amount of traffic coming into the school office?

There are two types of school offices. In one there is constant activity, interruptions, and change of direction. In the other there is a feeling of calm and organisation.

In each the work gets done – but the latter is a less stressful atmosphere in which to work simply because for everyone in the office, matters feel more under control, rather than directed by outside forces.

Interestingly, many people who work in an office where there is constant coming and going and ringing of phones feel that this is inevitable in a school environment even though it may not necessarily be an ideal working situation.

And yet the experience of other schools proves that this is not the case.

It is in fact possible to reduce the amount of traffic coming into the school office (even on a Monday morning) through one simple mechanism – by including on the school’s website not just that which is legally required but also the information that parents most frequently enquire about.

The government states that “every maintained school must publish specific information on its website to comply with The School Information (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2012”.

This includes the school’s contact details, Ofsted reports, exam and assessment results, performance tables, curriculum, behaviour policy, pupil premium, SEN report, charging and remissions policies, values and ethos.

Yet many schools are finding it difficult to comply with this legislation as the website isn’t quick or easy to update in-house.

It is therefore important that your school website comes with built in tools and controls to reduce the amount of time spent on maintaining the site and which enable any member of staff, even with the most basic of IT knowledge, to take on the task.

Furthermore the website should be accessible to every parent, anywhere, by ensuring that the information and content can be viewed easily on a range of devices including smart phones, tablets, laptops and desktop computers.

Where the website is easily accessible and full of information relevant to parents and prospective parents, traffic and calls into the school office can be reduced, making the school office a place in which work can be produced much more rapidly than might otherwise be the case.

If you would like to get an expert’s view on how well your school’s website is communicating information to parents, or indeed how the process of updating the website can be made more efficient, please do visit our website: www.inco-education.co.uk

Alternatively please call us on 01902 784 800 or email info@inco-education.co.uk