Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can a parent reply to the messages they receive?

Q: Are these replies charged to the school in some way?

Q: Is there a limit to the number of pupil contacts in a group?

Q: Is there a limit to the length of the message that can be sent?

Q: Can the message have non standard characters in it such as áéíóú?

Q: What happens in the new school year if we have our pupils grouped by the class they are in?

Q: Can a pupil have more than one contact mobile number e.g. Mother and Father?

Q: If a group contains the same number twice will the message go twice to the same number?

Q: How do I know how many messages have been sent by the users in my school?

Q: Are delivery reports available for messages sent through the system?

Q: How can my school start using the NewsFromSchool.com system?

Q: Who is behind the NewsFromSchool.com service?

Q: Can we use SERCO’s Facility software with NewsFromSchool.com?

If you don’t find the answer to your question here please use the email link on the left to send your question to us by email or give us a call on 086 0762195.

Q: Can a parent reply to the messages they receive?
A: Yes they can. The text message will come from the mobile number used to login to the system so it can be replied to as normal.

Q: Are these replies charged to the school in some way?
A: No there is no charge to the school for these replies. They are normal text message from one phone to another and charged accordingly.

Q: Is there a limit to the number of pupil contacts in a group?
A: No there is no limit.

Q: Is there a limit to the length of the message that can be sent?
A: Yes. The maximum length is 457 normal characters  per message. A message less than 160 characters in length counts as 1 text so costs 2.5 cent. A message between 160 and 320 characters counts as 2 text messages so it will cost 5 cent and one longer than 320 characters will cost 3 text messages or 7.5 cent.

Q: Can the message have non standard characters in it such as áéíóú?
A: Yes it can but once it goes over 70 characters it is charged as 2 text messages although it will be received as 1 text message. This is a technical requirement of the SMS text standard and is beyond our control at the moment.

Q: What happens in the new school year if we have our pupils grouped by the class they are in?
A: You can simply rename the class. For instance your group may be called 1St Class 09-10 to indicate the group that contains the contact mobiles for everyone in first class for the 2009 to 2010 school year. Next year you would simply rename that group to 2nd Class 10-11 as they have now moved into second class for the 2010 to 2011 school year.

Q: Can a pupil have more than one contact mobile number e.g. Mother and Father?
A: The system stores one mobile contact number for each pupil’s name. If there’s a need to have 2 contact numbers for a pupil then that name can be entered twice with both mobile numbers. The reason we once store one per name is to keep the costs down for the school.

Q: How do I know how many messages have been sent by the users in my school?
A: Your school’s usage of the system can be checked while you are logged into the website. You see what messages were sent, who sent them and who they were sent to. This is how your schools usage is calculated for billing so you can check online that your invoice is correct.

Q: Are delivery reports available for messages sent through the system?
A: Yes they are. We provide delivery status reports for messages to Vodafone, O2, Meteor and the 3 network. This enables you to tell exactly when a message has been received on the phone. It also helps to identify numbers that are not correct or have been discontinued as the messages sent to these numbers will have a failed status when viewed through the online usage facility.

Q: How can my school start using the NewsFromSchool.com system?
A: Simply enter an email address and roll number on the left hand side of the home page and click the Register button. Once complete you can start sending messages from the 50 free credits in your account.

Q: Who is behind the NewsFromSchool.com service?
A: ExpressWebs.net is the business behind the service. We are an internet services company working with websites since 2001. We also have a sister site called Txt2Team.com which is used to send messages to sports clubs members such as a local GAA club. This site has been sending text messages since 2007. Based in An Spidéal, Co. Galway we host, manage and develop websites for clients. We also have a website development site specifically for schools on SchoolWebEngine.com.

Q: Can we use SERCO’s Facility software with NewsFromSchool.com?
A: Yes you can. This means that your school can use Facility to send SMS text messages to parents without having to logon to the NewsFromSchool.com website. The usage data for messages sent from Facility will appear under your Usage menu item on the NewsFromSchool.com website. Charges for text messages sent via SERCO’s Facility software are the same as for those sent directly via the website.