Home Screen

Owned by Former user (Deleted)
Last updated: Mar 08, 2018 by Former user (Deleted)
5 min read

The Home page will be the first thing parents see when they access your school within OurSchoolsApp.  This will be the main hub that allows them to navigate all the rich content that you provide to them using this platform.

The Home tab enables tiles (icons) to be added, amended and deleted from the app, with the exception of the main tiles (Information, News, Calendar, Contacts and Settings) which cannot be amended or deleted. 

Each time a new item is added to the home screen, all parent users will be alerted to this via a free push notification.


You can add 4 types of tiles to the home screen:

URL

This is a link to any website that is associated with the school (e.g. school home page, social media pages, uniform providers, associated clubs or partners, council pages, Ofsted etc.)

OurSchoolsApp includes a number of pre-set tiles to help get you started including Facebook, Twitter and Ofsted to name a few, so you don’t need to add a logo for these if you choose to use them.  Simply edit the URL in field provided.

Document

You may upload a document which will be linked to the tile added. You may choose any of the following file types up to 1mb in size: docx, doc, pdf, jpeg, jpg & png.

Phone

This is also known as "Tap to Call" functionality.  By adding a phone number in this way, parents can tap on the tile and OurSchoolsApp will send the phone number straight to the device's phone application.

Email

This is also known as "Tap to Email" functionality.  By providing a contact email address, parents will be able send an email to school.  When they "Tap to Email" a new email will launch in their email client with that address field pre-populated.


When the school website is updated, it can be difficult for parents to know that new information has been added.  Using OurSchoolsApp to host a link to the updated web page means parents will have quick access to any new information.

The number, and order of icons within OurSchoolsApp is entirely up to you. Of course, it is recommended that you do not add too many icons; as this affects the usability for parents.


Step-By-Step Guide

Add a New Home Item

Adding a new item is straightforward, and will automatically alert parents of the new addition to your home screen. Each item you create will be added within a grid of icons. Depending on the size and screen resolution of the phone, the layout of the grid may alter to best fit the screen.

  1. Select 'Home' in the navigation bar at the top of the pane.
     

  2. Select the Add button situated in the centre of the screen.

     

  3. The Add Home Item dialogue will appear.

     

  4. Enter a Title of the item you wish to add.
     

  5. If you wish, you may upload a custom image by selecting the Upload Image button. You may wish to select one of the pre-sets and move to step 6.

    1. Once selected, the file browser window will appear. Select the desired image, and select 'open'.

    2. Use the cropping tool to adjust the image size. Remember: the tiles are square, so images will need to be to this shape, to display correctly.



    3. Once you are happy with the cropping, select the Crop button.

      Note:

      If you do not select any of the pre-set images or upload your own, a default icon image will be used.

  6. Scroll down the window and choose the type of tile you would like to add from the menu.

    1. URL - enter the full web address for the page you wish to link to (remembering to include http://) and you may test the URL to ensure this is correct by selecting the button to the right of the field.

       

    2. Document - Select 'upload document', and a file browser window will appear to let you select the desired document - compatible documents types are: docx, doc, pdf, jpeg, jpg & png.


       

    3. Email - Enter the desired email address in the field provided.


       

    4. Telephone - Simply type in the full phone number (including area code) without spaces in the field provided.


       

  7. To finish, click 'add' and your new tile will be added to the home screen. At this point all parent users will receive a push notification alerting them that a new item has been added.

Amend a Home Item

If you wish to change anything about a tile that you have already added, you may use the Amend function:

  1. Select the item you wish to amend and select the Amend button in the central control panel


  2. You will now see the edit dialogue window appear to allow you to change all attributes, in exactly the same way when adding a new item (see Add a New Home Item).



  3. When you are happy with your changes, select the 'amend' button to apply them instantly to OurSchoolsApp

Note:

Amending an existing item will not send out a push notification. This only happens when a new item is added.

Delete a Home Item

 Removing an unwanted tile is as easy as clicking delete.

  1. Select the tile you wish to remove, and select Delete from the central control panel


  2. Confirm you wish to delete the item by selecting the red Delete button

     
  3. It is now gone from the admin tool and parents will no longer see this item

Update the Home Screen Tile Order

 Even changing the order in which a user will see your tiles, is straightforward. We recommend that you add the most important tiles first, and then anything that you consider less so further down the list. 

  1. Select the Update Order button in the top left corner


  2. Drag the tiles into the desired order 


  3. Click the green Save button to the bottom right corner