A PRIMARY school principal is embracing mobile and social media to increase parental involvement in their children's education.
Research has shown that parental involvement in their child's schooling from an early age has a significant effect on their educational achievement.
Mary Harbinson, head-teacher of St Mary's PS in west Belfast, said she welcomed such findings and had, therefore, placed an increased emphasis on communication.
Ms Harbinson said a survey of parents on school communications and found that 100 per cent had mobile phones. Text messaging, they said, was the number one way that they wanted to be contacted.
The school subsequently considered how best to help parents access information via their phones and social media.
A communications strategy saw the school create its own Twitter and Facebook accounts to complement its website.
A mobile version of the web-site has also been created while the school has also introduced the Call Parents text service, which allows it to send messages to all parents quickly.
St Mary's has 150 children from different backgrounds including ethnic minorities, newcomers and Travellers.
Many of the parents speak English as an additional language, so it is important that the school is clear and concise in its communications.
"The Call Parents text service includes a subject line and short message and parents can respond with questions," she said.
"We found that letters sent previously were not being read because there was too much in formation and if parents had more than one child at the school this added to the confusion."
"We have a limited fund to spend on professional translation services and we find it much easier to translate short text messages for EAL parents into their own language and they find them less intrusive."
The Call Parents service, she added, also acted as a way to break down communication barriers with parents with limited numeracy and literacy.
"One of the measures of good school communication is that parents are involved. With good communication parents can learn more and that feeling of participation is shared with the children," Ms Harbinson said.
"It can build and strengthen the school community and it is important that we can reach out and involve parents and staff and the community around us.
"It is also another way of getting people to participate in the life of your school."
Ms Harbinson added that texting was a non-threatening form of communication.
"People feel they are active in the school community if they are communicating, participating and responding and it is an important way to support teachers and increase participation," she said.
"A school that is communicating well is not only benefiting the parents and children but also the wider community.
? INITIATIVE: Pupils enjoy the last days of term at St Marys Primary school in west Belfast. The school has launched a mobile phone-based scheme to get parents more involved in their children's education
? TEXT: St Mary's Primary School principal Mary Harbinson