Simplifying communication and reducing admin with Schoolcomms

Overview 

Part of The Kemnal Academies Trust, Front Lawn Primary Academy sought a solution to simplify home–school communication, reduce administrative workload and support their sustainability goals. The school adopted Schoolcomms, including the School Gateway app, to centralise messaging and payments while becoming a fully cashless environment. 

Objectives 

• Reduce carbon footprint by minimising paper use 

• Simplify communication between school and home 

• Reduce workload for the admin team 

• Give parents more control over payments and responses 

Solution 

• Implemented Schoolcomms as a communication-first platform 

• Enabled cashless payments and dinner money tracking 

• Provided instant messaging and parent response functionality 

• Integrated with MIS to store all interactions securely 

“I had used it before in a previous setting… Many other systems started life as a payment portal, MIS or web page system and the comms were merely an add-on which didn’t seem to work so efficiently.”
— Front Lawn Primary Academy 

Impact 

• Considerable reduction in paper output 

• School became fully cashless, reducing dinner money debt 

• Lowered financial risk and admin workload 

• Over 91% of parents registered on School Gateway, with 82% using the app 

• Reminders and responses managed digitally, stored securely in the MIS 

“It has enabled us to become a ‘cashless school’ and we have reduced our dinner money debt—thus reducing workload and financial detriment.”
— Front Lawn Primary Academy 

Parent engagement 

• Strong uptake of School Gateway during COVID-19 

• Parents now use the app for all types of enquiries 

• New starters receive app guidance before joining 

• Drop in phone calls thanks to streamlined digital communication 

“School Gateway became the ‘go to’ for parents for every type of enquiry… We have subsequently seen a drop in the number of phone calls we receive.”
— Front Lawn Primary Academy 

Support experience 

• Fast and accurate support from Schoolcomms 

• Training delivered effectively to staff 

• System described as intuitive and user-friendly 

“The support and training are delivered with speed and accuracy and the system is user-friendly and intuitive.”
— Front Lawn Primary Academy 

Conclusion 

Schoolcomms has helped Front Lawn Primary Academy reduce its environmental impact, simplify communication and become a fully cashless school. The system continues to support staff and families with efficient, intuitive tools that save time and improve engagement.