Parmiter’s School near Watford has started using a GPS smartphone app to enable Sixth Form students to register their attendance whilst in school, instead of a traditional classroom register.

Previously, many Sixth Formers that were on the school grounds but doing other activities, such as an early morning music lesson, were unable to declare their attendance because they were not necessarily in front of a teacher. But now an app is downloaded onto the student’s own smartphone and, by using the GPS location facility, verifies that student is in the school grounds.

If the student does not check in or register, their teacher can ping them a message asking them why they have not checked in.

Nick Daymond, Parmiter’s Head Teacher said

“We are delighted with this new app which is really getting our students to communicate in a unique and refreshing way. Not only can we send notifications in a safe and secure way, we can also update the entire sixth form with events, get them to take surveys and ensure they all have access to key documents and materials. It has already revolutionised the way we work with our sixth form and we hope this will continue into the future. The check in feature has been very useful in helping us to manage sixth form attendance in the school too”.

The App was developed by Cheshire based IdeaFarm Ltd