With varied roles, from academic to support staff, and diverse stakeholders, well organised and effective communication is vital to the success of independent schools.
An intranet, as a centralised communication hub, is a great way to reach multiple audiences with different needs and varying access to digital workplace tools.
We spoke to our independent school customers to find out how they’re using their intranets, which features they couldn’t do without, and some unexpected benefits and use cases.
Here’s what we found out:
Targeted comms
Depending on whether staff work in academic or support roles their needs, in terms of communication, can differ greatly.
Targeted intranet-based comms not only reduce reliance on email, ‘audience targeting’ and ‘must read’ features also mean staff only see what they need to, which avoids information overload and saves time.
Event management
From sports days and school plays to extra-curricular activities, exams and parent/teacher meetings, the school calendar is full of events.
Using an intranet ‘Events’ tool, schools can manage events more efficiently, showcasing the event with a dedicated page, allowing invitees to register and add the events to their calendars, then tracking attendance.
People directory
Independent schools often have large numbers of staff working across different departments and educational stages. An intranet people directory allows easy access to contact information, enabling teachers and staff to reach out to colleagues directly.
Staff can add more personal information to their directory profiles, including hobbies and interests, which can help build stronger relationships and fosters a sense of community amongst staff members.
Student intranet
Academic and support staff aren’t the only ones in independent schools who can benefit from a modern intranet. A student intranet is also an effective way to build a positive culture amongst school pupils.
An intranet for students can be used to share timetable and curriculum information, school news and student achievements. By giving selected students responsibility for creating content for the intranet, schools can help to create a sense of pride and belonging amongst pupils.
Document management
Be it school policies, curriculum information, staff handbooks or HR-related documents, intranets provide independent schools with a secure and organised system for managing documents. This eliminates the time wasted searching for physical copies or relying on outdated email chains.
By implementing version control and access controls, intranets ensure that the right individuals can find and work on the most recent documents.
User-friendly publishing and scheduling tools
Resources are often an issue in independent schools, with responsibility for internal communication falling on one person, or even as part of single person’s role.
Intranets with a user-friendly content management system, with drag and drop functionality, page templates and scheduling tools, can make the creation of internal comms content much quicker and easier.
Comms for offline staff and visitors
Although some independent school staff are desk-based or have online access to the staff intranet, many support staff don’t.
If your intranet has a digital signage solution, intranet content can be displayed throughout the school allowing offline employees to keep up to date with the latest news and events, helping to build culture and belonging amongst staff members.
One Involv customer used their Involv Cast digital signage to display the school lunch menu so staff and pupils could see what would be on offer for lunch, with kitchen staff adding the options each morning.
Digital signage is also useful for school visitors for sharing achievements and information on school news and events.
Read our case study to find out how Kingswood School is using Involv Intranet for targeted communication and reducing reliance on email.
Want to know how to use your intranet to improve your internal comms?
Book a demo with one of our friendly experts today for tips and advice.