School messaging checklist
For a school closure, transport delay or collection change, send one short message that names the school, tells the right parents what changed and says what they should do next. Agree who approves and sends it before you need it.
School SMS templates for parents
| Situation | Example message |
|---|---|
| School closure | [School]: School will be closed on [date]. Please do not drop learners off. We will share the next update by [time]. |
| Transport delay | [School]: Route [route] is running about [minutes] late today. For updates, call [school number]. |
| Collection change | [School]: Please collect [group] from [gate/location] today from [time]. For help, call [school number]. |
Use only information the recipient needs. Avoid naming individual learners or adding sensitive details to a group message. Replace every bracketed field and check the date, time and contact number before sending.
Prepare the parent list and send process
- Assign someone to maintain parent and guardian contacts. Separate whole-school messages from grade, class and transport groups so the right people receive each alert.
- Agree who verifies the facts, who approves the wording and who sends the alert. Identify a backup sender and use your school’s established communication procedure.
- Test the workflow with authorised staff. Confirm the recipients, preview the message parts and check what delivery information your account provides.
What should we budget and check after sending?
One short, one-part alert to 800 contacts costs R128 excluding VAT or R147.20 including VAT at SMSFlow’s standard rate. Longer messages or multiple contacts for a learner change the total. Preview the actual message and confirm the recipient count first.
After sending, review the available delivery report. For time-sensitive messages, use your school’s agreed follow-up channels where needed. A delivery status cannot tell you that every parent has seen the message.
If you’d like help setting up school alerts, bring an approximate contact count, the groups you message and the name or role of the person who approves sends.