PRESS RELEASE
Exhibition: Bett 2013, 30 Jan-2 Feb 2013
Excel, London
Exhibitor: Capita SIMS
Stand: B250
Capita SIMS will be on stand B250 at Bett 2013, showcasing a free online calculator that enables an average secondary school to identify savings of 450 man hours, up to 39,000 pieces of paper and £8,000 in costs per year, simply by switching from paper to using SMS text and email for communicating with parents, students and staff.
The SIMS InTouch Savings Calculator helps schools see the potential savings of using technology to communicate with stakeholders. By entering details such as pupil numbers and details of which sorts of communications are posted out in paper form, a school can, in a matter of seconds, see what savings could be made.
The SIMS InTouch Savings Calculator has been developed using estimates from schools that have switched to using SMS text or email to communicate with parents, students and staff via Capita’s SIMS InTouch tool.
Chris McAree, headteacher at Caldew School, who is using SIMS InTouch, reveals that the savings extend beyond the school gate: “Before we could never be sure that messages were getting home. SIMS InTouch has solved these issues, saved us money and time and allowed us to really engage parents more readily.
“For first day absence reporting alone it has saved one and a half hours of our attendance officer’s time each day contacting parents. This equates to a saving of £3,990 a year. She can now spend this extra time working with parents on improving attendance rather than chasing up the reasons for it, which is far more proactive.”
Graham Cooper, head of product management at Capita SIMS, says: “Schools are always looking for more efficient and cost-effective ways of getting information out to parents, students and staff whilst reducing their carbon footprint.
“The SIMS InTouch Savings Calculator gives headteachers a quick and easy way to uncover the possible benefits of their school moving away from paper-based communications to email and SMS. The cost of producing and posting pupil reports as well as general letters or making phone calls to parents to check on a child’s absence can be considerable in a busy school. And in terms of time, the savings could equate to freeing one part-time staff member to focus on other tasks.”
The SIMS InTouch Savings Calculator is suitable for any type or size of school. The savings a school can make by switching to SIMS InTouch includes both the cost of the licence and annual maintenance of the software. Visit www.capita-sims.co.uk/savewithsims to find out how much time, money and paper your school could be saving.
Twitter cue: Find out how much time, money and paper your school can save with the free SIMS InTouch Savings Calculator #Bett_Show http://bit.ly/U56cqg
Notes to the editor:
• The savings cited in this press release have been calculated based on an average secondary school with a sixth form which has 1,200 pupils and 90 staff. The school uses paper for all its communications. An assumption has also been made that it communicates with parents entirely by post.
ENDS
Ref: CAP839
Issue date: 04/10/12
Capita contact:
Graham Cooper, head of product management, Capita SIMS, Tel: 01234 838 080 Email:graham.cooper@capita.co.uk You can follow Graham Cooper on Twitter at www.twitter.com/g_cooper
Press contact:
To arrange interviews, for further information or images, please contact,
Olga Hadjilambri, Catherine Lane PR, 2nd Floor, 145-157 St John Street, London, EC1V 4PY.
Tel: 020 8351 2542. Email: olga@catherinelane.com
About Capita SIMS:
Capita SIMS is the leading supplier of information systems to the education sector, providing a range of software and services to schools and local authorities to help raise standards and reduce administration. Capita’s SIMS is the most popular management information system for schools and is used every day by more than 22,000 educational establishments in the UK.
Website: www.capita-sims.co.uk
Twitter: @CapitaSIMS
