Harnessing community spirit is a challenge in any school, but for a MAT it can be even harder. Each school is unique, and a school’s sense of identity can be its greatest asset. But as a MAT leader, you want there to be a shared ethos between schools that reaches across the trust.
On a single school level, Headteachers achieve this with a hands-on approach, getting to know pupils, parents and staff and building strong relationships over time. MAT leaders need to be able to clearly communicate their vision and values from a distance, and this requires a more strategic approach.
But the personal touch is still important; MATs are all too often accused of being faceless establishments which lack creativity or individuality. So how can you win? A communication tool such as a multi-academy trust app could help you to instil your vision and expectations across your MAT, whilst still nurturing the individual communities within each of your schools.
Taking a standardised approach to communication
If you’ve taken a standardised approach to uniform, assessment and behaviour policy within your MAT, then why not extend this to the way you communicate? Effective communication is key to the success of any school improvement strategy. And a multi-academy trust app will enable you to streamline communications across your MAT without compromising on efficiency.
How up-to-date is the information on each of your school’s websites? Even if it is up to date, how often do parents check it? You can send unlimited push notifications free of charge with your multi-academy trust app, so you can always keep parents and families completely up-to-date without the expense of sending letters or text messages.
“Being able to send unlimited notifications means there is hardly any missed communication” – Ryan Jones, Assistant Headteacher
Knowing that each school has a reliable tool will give you complete peace of mind that communication is strong across your MAT and that there are no weak links in the chain.
Regularly sharing news and photos
How do you currently share news across your MAT? If it’s through a termly newsletter, how much is this costing? And does it really get read? Why not share news and quick updates on a weekly basis through your school app instead? Then you can put more money back into teaching and learning.
Sharing news on a regular basis will reinforce the message that your MAT is the sum of its parts, and will help to create a sense of community and encourage schools to reach out to each other more regularly. Your multi-academy trust app is the perfect platform for this purpose. Photos, videos and news updates can be instantly shared at the touch of a button, completely free of charge.
If you’ve got a strong culture of sports within your MAT, the app is a great way to send updates about fixtures and scores. Or if one or more of your schools has a tradition of performance, then information about upcoming shows can be shared as well as photos and videos.
Being able to share their successes with other schools will give pupils and staff a greater sense of achievement, and a stronger sense of belonging. If you wanted to take this one step further and bring all the schools in your MAT together for an event, the app would be the perfect way to coordinate it.
Similarly, if you want to offer clubs or trips which involve pupils from different schools within your MAT, the app makes this easy to facilitate. Messages can be targeted, so that users only receive notifications which are relevant to them.
A dedicated app for CPD
Do you bring schools in your MAT together for INSET days? Whole MAT INSET days can be incredibly inspiring, and are a great opportunity to re-enforce your values, expectations and vision. But how lasting is the impact on teaching and learning?
Teachers thrive on sharing best practice, and one of the great advantages of being a MAT is having access to a wider community of excellent teachers. A dedicated app for CPD is the perfect tool for bringing this community together.
Videos of best practice, useful documents and resources can all be shared for staff to access instantly on their mobile or tablet. Specific groups can be set up for members of staff to join, so that they only see the information which is relevant to their own CPD. Of course, notifications can also be sent to all staff in the MAT such as calendar updates, curriculum changes or information about exams.
We are happy to offer you a no-obligation free trial of your MAT’s custom communication app. Just click here to book a free consultation!
