Schools trial PTA tech

A parent and teacher networking service has 200 school committees signed up across the UK and US

Available to use on any web browser including smartphones, PTAsocial is designed for parents, teachers and PTA committee members, who are all able share information about school events, volunteering opportunities and up-to-date news.

Many schools have overstretched PTA committees who have a large amount of work designated to a small number of people, making organising fundraising events time-consuming when farming tasks to each parent using email or paper. 

The app has been designed to reduce these problems by offering a simple alternative for organising and managing PTA events, while creating a secure social network for parents to connect with other parents in their school. 

PTAsocial has been created to benefit schools by building stronger parent communities, changing the culture of volunteering and getting more parents engaged in school life. By providing their PTA with this tool, schools not only save on admin costs, but furthermore they benefit from increased engagement and more funds to spend on school facilities and equipment.

PTA organisers can use the app to publish detailed task lists, then send a message to the whole school to appeal for volunteers. Parents simply click and browse to choose exactly how they will help, and just tick a box to volunteer. 

Organisers can also assign helpers to tasks via PTAsocial, and the app notifies them automatically by email. They can easily message all the relevant helpers for any specific task and have a two-way conversation on the task “message wall”. Members can instantly see what tasks others are doing, and offer help where it is needed.

Parents with busy schedules, but who are still keen to get involved, can contribute their time and skills whenever possible. Increasing transparency and removing barriers to volunteering means more parents are stepping forward, with some PTAs using PTAsocial now reporting 100% of tasks being taken up at large events like their Christmas Fairs last year. 

Tes Macpherson, creator of PTAsocial, said: “PTAs raise vital funds for schools but many parents feel like they cannot help as it is too time-demanding. PTAsocial makes life easier for committee members, because it enables more parents to get involved in school life without having to give up too much of their time. It’s designed to appeal to parents, and caters directly to their needs. 

“Schools are increasingly recognising the value of a strong parent teacher association in terms of the overall impact on the school’s desirability and even pupil attainment. Current tools provided by schools are largely inadequate, and many PTAs have turned to well known social media platforms, raising concerns over e-safety. PTAsocial not only connect parents and teachers while protecting their privacy, but also handles the organisational aspect of fundraising activities, saving time and increasing participation.”

Tes Macpherson has also recently been accepted onto the Google Campus for Mums programme, a unique community of 35 parent entrepreneurs. 

www.ptasocial.com

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