News - Groupcall - Parental Communications

Education Company gains National Recognition as "Trailblazer" for Life Assistance Sector

Groupcall one of the leading providers of parental contact and truancy management systems for schools, has been named as the winner of the 2006 Trailblazers competition to find the UK's foremost company operating in the "life assistance" sector.

The company, which was one of six finalists operating in diverse market sectors, was named overall winner and presented with an award and a cheque for £50,000 at a luncheon at The Ritz Hotel in London hosted by competition sponsors, Daily Telegraph and CPP.

Groupcall's flagship product, Messenger, allows schools to simultaneously send voice or text messages to the landlines or mobile phones of parents, staff or other school contacts for a low monthly subscription fee. The system is being used in schools throughout the UK for pupil safety, emergency response, truancy monitoring and for generally improved parental communication.

"We are really honoured to have been recognised in this way and for others to acknowledge that our services have a contribution to make to child safety and the school-parent relationship," explains Managing Director, Lawrence Royston.

"Messenger is making it easier for schools to make contact with parents on the first day of absence to check the reason for non-attendance, where otherwise lack of resource may make this unachievable. In so doing, it helps monitor the safety of pupils by enabling all absences to be quickly investigated to ensure they are genuine and known about by parents. It has also provided an inexpensive and robust method of contacting all or groups of parents in the event of an emergency or change to the normal school day."

The company plans to use its £50,000 prize to launch a corporate social responsibility project within the education sector, which will culminate in the establishment of a new secondary school for special needs pupils.