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APP 400 · Mobile apps

School App Development Manchester

We build parent communication apps for primary schools, secondary academies, multi-academy trusts and nurseries in and around Manchester. One app replaces scattered texts and paper letters, so families see closures, trips and clubs on their phone.

  • Since 2003trading in Manchester
  • 20,000+UK businesses helped
  • Collect M8Unit 3, 116 Bury New Road
  • A personchecks every file
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APP 400

Community, learning and property

Every job is a fixed quote, agreed in writing before any work starts. No obligation.

All 45 app servicesOr tell us what you need and we will quote it.Discuss an app

What a school app does for staff and families

School offices juggle texts, emails and paper slips that come back crumpled or not at all. A parent app puts those in one place: letters in a feed, term dates in a calendar, and a push notification to every family on a snow morning.

The two-way parts save the most time. Parents report an absence, sign a trip permission slip or claim a club place, and the office sees replies in one list. Where your management information system offers an approved connection, such as Arbor, Bromcom or SIMS, we pull class lists and contacts so you are not keeping two registers, through an app backend and API we build alongside the app.

We set the app up in line with UK GDPR, help you complete a data protection impact assessment before launch, and design to the ICO’s Children’s code if pupils use it. Keeping Children Safe in Education shapes who can message whom. The app carries no advertising.

Schools and settings we build for

Across Manchester, the core app adapts to settings with very different rhythms.

  • Primary schools that send many short notices and need permission slips for frequent trips.
  • Secondary academies with large year groups, options evenings and exam timetables to share.
  • Multi-academy trusts wanting one app with a separate space for each school.
  • Nurseries and pre-schools sharing session bookings, menus and collection arrangements.
  • Independent schools running boarding notices, fixtures and a busy clubs programme.

How we build your school app

1

Talk to the office first

We sit with the staff who send messages and process replies, because their workload decides what matters.

2

Map data and safeguarding

We list the personal data the app holds and who sees it, then draft the DPIA with your data protection officer.

3

Design for busy parents

Screens suit a parent reading one-handed at the school gate, with large text and plain labels.

4

Build and connect

We build the apps, staff dashboard and any MIS connection, testing with dummy pupils.

5

Pilot then launch

A handful of families try the app first, then we submit to both app stores and write a sign-up letter for parents.

What your school receives

  • iPhone and Android apps published under your school or trust name.
  • A web dashboard for office staff to post news, letters and alerts.
  • Absence reporting, permission slips and club sign-ups with exportable replies.
  • A shared calendar with term dates, events and parents’ evenings.
  • Role-based access for teachers, office staff and leaders.
  • A completed DPIA draft and privacy notice wording for your review.

Rules the app has to respect

UK GDPR gives children extra protection, so we collect the minimum, keep it for a defined period and delete it cleanly when a family leaves. If pupils log in, the Children’s code points towards high privacy settings by default and no location tracking without good reason.

For safeguarding we usually recommend staff-to-parent messages with structured replies rather than open chat, so nothing sensitive sits in an unmonitored thread, and every action is logged. We set this up in line with published guidance, and you should take legal advice for your own situation. Ongoing app maintenance keeps it current as operating systems change.

Frequently asked questions

Can the app connect to our management information system?

Often, yes. Many MIS providers offer an approved route for third-party apps to read class lists and contacts. We check what your provider and licence allow first. If no connection is available, staff import a spreadsheet each term instead.

Will parents need to create a password?

Usually they verify with the email or mobile number the school already holds, then set a PIN or use face or fingerprint sign-in. That keeps sign-up quick while making sure only known contacts see pupil information.

Who owns the data in the app?

Your school or trust remains the data controller. We act as a processor under a written agreement, host the data in the UK where possible, and hand back or delete everything if you ever move to another system.

Can a trust run one app for several schools?

Yes. Each school gets its own news, calendar and staff accounts, while parents with children at two schools in the trust see both in one app. Trust leaders can send messages across every school when needed.

Do you add advertising or sell data?

No. A school app should never carry adverts or pass family data to marketers. The app exists only to serve communication between your staff and your families, and we design it on that basis.

Related services

Ready to retire the paper slips and text blasts? Ask for a school app quote, call the office on 0161 315 1151 or message us on WhatsApp at 07737 902425.

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