Poor School Communications Have Left Parents Frustrated With The Lack Of Contact

New study from Sangoma outlines 1 in 5 parents are confused and frustrated with lack of updates from their child’s school

Poor communications between schools and parents have left 1 in 5 parents frustrated with the lack of contact and updates on their child’s progress and education, research from Sangoma has identified.

In its latest research Sangoma, a unified communications specialist, found that a fifth (20%) of parents felt out of the loop about their children’s school events due to a lack of contact with the school.

Additionally, when attempting to contact their schools, more than half (56%) of parents agreed they experienced long wait times to have their calls answered, with a further 40% of parents saying their calls went unanswered.

And despite many schools having answering machines for parents to leave messages if calls went unanswered, 46% of parents stated that they do not have calls returned when they have left a message, or were often unable to speak to the person they left a message for (47%).

Parents of children attending primary school, secondary school, and colleges were interviewed for the research survey. The research report highlighted the drastic need for schools to place an increased emphasis on improving their communication with parents to ensure parents feel confident they are completely up to date with their child’s progress and education.

Simon Horton, VP of International Sales at Sangoma, says:

“It is clear that schools are not keeping parents up to date with the latest updates concerning their child as a result of poor communications. Schools must begin to look at new technologies to help solve this issue.

“It is vital that parents are constantly in contact with their child’s school and receive updates on their activities and wellbeing, and are aware of the latest updates and events that may impact their child. This disconnection between schools and parents is leaving many parents feeling, understandably, frustrated and confused. And this raises concerns about how effective schools’ communications are when emergencies arise.

“With effective call management, call diversion, and messaging systems, schools can ensure parents are confident that when their contact their child’s school their call will be answered or returned.”