Piota School Apps
Bridge the Gap with an App
With 95% parents now owning a smartphone and regularly using apps, Piota believes that customisable school apps are the future of engagement.
Piota builds high-quality apps that are completely free to download. Our school apps can help streamline communication, cut costs, save time and aid pupil learning. Piota apps are used in Early Years Settings, Primary and Secondary schools throughout the UK.
Improve communication, engagement and feedback with an app for your school.
Download one of our apps, Castle Rise Primary School
Click on the relevant link on your Android or iOS device.
Or search for Castle Rise Primary School in your app store.
The benefits of a school app
Improve communication, engagement and feedback. Save time and cost.
Better communication
With a Piota app, schools can send parents messages directly to their phone or tablet, significantly reducing the amount of lost communication. Alerts, reminders and news can all be sent in real-time to ensure that parents are always completely up to date.
Instant information
Your school app will be the ideal reference point for parents. Information regarding events, routines, term dates, clubs, school and class information, uniform regulation, curriculum information, lunch menus and much more can all be updated and posted within the app for quick and convenient viewing.
Reduce admin
Eliminate the problem of missing letters, unread emails and delayed responses with your school app. Forms and messages requiring replies can be sent using the app, with reminders sent to non-responders and replies automatically logged and collated. Response rates are increased whilst admin workload is significantly reduced for both admin staff and teachers.
Cut costs
Gone are the days of spending endless amounts of school funds on paper and printing. With a school app, you will be able to save costs on content materials by simply making the process electronic. Launch your school app to both Apple and Android app stores for parents to download for free and enjoy the convenience of paperless news, permission slips and event calendars.
New source of evidence
Streamline the survey process through your school app by sending snap surveys that can be filled out quickly and efficiently. By giving parents the opportunity to fill out short questionnaires on a regular basis, the school will quickly build up useful evidence of school effectiveness to be used to show governors, Ofsted and improve processes internally.
Forward thinking
It is important for schools to make the most of the modern technology available. Handheld devices with easy-to-use apps have become an integral part of day to day life for many. A customised school app for parents and teachers, therefore, demonstrates the progressive attitude of an institution that is prepared to keep up with 21st Century demands.
About
Piota’s goal is to help schools communicate better with parents, carers and students. We understand that tight funds and limited administration time make bridging the gap between schools and parents a challenge, so we design school apps that are simple and quick to use while still delivering meaningful gains for the school, parents and ultimately students.
With extensive experience in both education and app development, we have the sector insight and technological know-how to deliver a school app that will revolutionise the way your school engages. The Piota team are all parents and have been heavily involved in education through various roles including advisor to DfE, MAT director, governors and PTA organisers.
Pupils' parents engaged
Schools using our apps
Average page views per school per month
In partnership with:
Your App
Are you a school that is looking to share calendars, news, surveys and to automate administrative processes? Why not Put It On The App? Trends in Google search show that interest in school apps has increased exponentially in recent years. Times are changing and schools are looking to streamline processes and update operations in new and intelligent ways. Piota can create a sleek and individualised school app that will help you to communicate with parents effortlessly and in real-time. Parents and teachers alike will love having accessible school information in the palm of their hands.
Parents, students, governors and whomever else the you want to invite can download your school app onto their phone from their app store for free. The school will have complete control of the information that is displayed and sent within the school app, as well as access to Piota support and system upgrades to ensure that the app for your school is always performing perfectly.
What can you put on your school app?
- Messages, alerts and reminders
- News stories, pictures, blogs and videos
- Snap surveys
- Forms, permission slips
- Events and school calendars
- Targeted messages to classes, clubs and specified groups
Process
We will carefully develop your school app to meet your customisation specifications, without having to make you wait for months for your app to be completed.
No-obligation demo
The phone call is no-obligation, giving you time to consider the benefits of a Piota school app.
Your app 2 weeks later
Once you choose to create a school app with Piota, we can have your project started and finished all within just two weeks.
A tutorial for your staff
After giving the staff of your school a 20 minute telephone tutorial explaining how to operate and upload content, your school app will be ready to launch.
Ready to engage parents
Once you are happy for parents to download your school’s app, we can launch it in the relevant stores and assist you with getting your parents engaged.
News and views
Recently published articles looking at parental engagement and school apps.
How to improve attendance at parents’ evenings
Parents’ evenings are a golden opportunity to engage parents and improve outcomes for pupils. A good parents’ evening can lead to improved home-school communication, and pupils feeling more motivated. A key challenge when organising a parents’ evening is...
read more
3 chances to engage parents in the spring term
Now that the spring term is well underway, there are many important dates coming up in our Parental Engagement Calendar. Finding opportunities to engage parents now will make it much easier to enlist their help for KS2 SATs, KS3 options or exams and assessments at...
read more
Teacher Toolkit blogs about Piota
Ross Morrison McGill, better known as Teacher Toolkit, is the most followed teacher on Twitter and writes the most influential UK blog on education. His latest post is called ‘Communicating with Parents’ and looks at Piota’s apps for schools. So,...
read more
Whilst having my Ofsted visit in July 2015, I showed the inspector my Julie’s Childcare App! She was really impressed with it, especially as an engagement tool for communication between school setting and parents. The app is quick and easy to use for busy families. One of the statements on my report was my ‘partnership with parents was first class’. I was told the app supported me in this area. Thank you, Piota.
Julie Nixon, Head teacher & Proprietor
Julie’s Childcare
It’s been invaluable in terms of saving paper and also in speed of response from parents. We are really glad we’ve got it.
Sophie Bedson, Business Manager
Sandon Primary, Stoke-on-Trent
Having an app has brought us firmly into the 21st century, our parents love the immediacy of information and the layout.
Gail Hard, Head Teacher
The Dawnay School, Surrey
The app that Piota have set up for us is first class and has been tailored to our individual needs, directly working towards an area for development that was highlighted during our last Ofsted inspection. The Treetops App has been extremely well received by parents and carers and the added bonus being that the technology is remarkably easy to use. I have no hesitation in recommending Piota for their professional conduct, they are always ready to support with advice and technical guidance, and the performance of the product is superb, I don’t know how we operated without it!
Ryan Jones, Deputy Head
Treetops School, Essex
The App
Piota school apps in action
Security
The whole world can see your school app, which is why we advise schools to only publish non-classified information. Just like your website, your school’s app should only feature information that should be published to a wide audience.
Data storage
We understand the importance of knowing exactly where your secure data is being stored, which is why all of the data and content from a Piota school app is stored on a UK based server and sent via encryption.
Data compliance
Our data server is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office and the Data Protection Act, ensuring your valuable information is always protected. Our school apps comply with UK laws and best practices.
Our commitment
Once your school app is completed, your school will become the Data Controller and Piota will become the Data Processer. This means that you will always be in charge of your own content and data with school app support from the Piota team.
Pricing
The cost of a Piota school app starts at £500 per year depending on pupil roll, choice of features and degree of setup help required.
Under 500 pupils
- Plus £200 set up fee for Year 1
- Customised
- User training
- Telephone support
500+ pupils
- Plus £200 set up fee for Year 1
- Customised
- User training
- Telephone support
Chains, groups & clusters
- Bespoke group design
- Customised for each school
- User training
- Telephone and on-site support