Does your school 'Tweet' ?

[ShakeWellBeforeOpening]

Just interested to see whether Twitter is a useful tool besides website, parent mail to keep in touch not only with parents but local community ?

My boys' school don't use it, nor does the one I work at.

But several other schools I know do use Twitter widely and I follow them (for sheer nosiness). I think it's a great way of keeping in touch with parents and also publicizing the school's achievements to a wider audience.

Yes there is a school Twitter account b

Yes and I think it's great. Updates on late running trips or mufti day reminders. Means I rarely forget anything.

Yes tis fab, each class has an account and I get to find out what ds2 is up to! Kids are encouraged to tweet too.

Thanks - those that have -

it is it just a way of communication info out there or have 'followers' taken it to be another means of dialogue ? so expecting replies to their tweets .

who updates the Twitter account - school office staff , Head, designated member of teaching staff.

I've tried to persuade the dc's schools to set up official twitter accounts, including offering to set it up for them and teach them how to use it.

Not completely altruistic - last couple of years we got very late notice when the school shut for snow, not least when the council website crashed due to so many people logging on to find out and school website only being updated occasionally as it is done by a 'friend of the school' rather than the school staff being able yo update it as soon as they know. Having a twitter feed embedded on the home page would mean they could get the info out so much faster and more easily.

One has turned me down flat as they (the govenors) didn't feel it was necessary (and ditto for an official Facebook page - on the basis that the children were too young for Facebook so it would be wrong - don't think they appreciated when I pointed out that they served alcohol in school during PTA events when kids were present but it didn't mean they were going to serve it to the kids).

Other school that ds1 has moved up to liked the idea and are looking into it... But still not done!

I have no idea who updates it - someone from the senior school. I came across it during the snow. I've seen comments from ex pupils and the school "follows" those who have been successful. There are occasional links to articles of interest eg the new a levels news from last week.

YES
the school twitter feed told us to turn off the alarm clock (at 6.45) on the snow day
the teachers feeds tell DD when work is on the VLE
etc

Yes, DD secondary school tweets - the school principal, not really admin type posts though, more blog posts, links to education news articles and re-tweets from other education tweeters.

Yes, they both do. I think it's mostly for parents though.
Primary school tweets a daily update during residential trips, plus updates on ETA of coaches coming back from any school trips.
Secondary school tweets snow closures (except they never close, so they are actually tweeting to say they're open) and sports fixtures.

It's a useful tool to have for things that need updating more frequently.

Neither school ever replies to direct messages, it's outgoing only.

The primary school account is updated by the member of staff in charge of that particular school trip. On the residential trips it's updated by more than one person, so they put their initials at the end of the tweet.

Yes, but I still haven't worked out how to set up a working twitter account.
Now I have an iPhone I'll try again.

School text, anyway.