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14 April 2025 ● 5 min read

More Than Just a Phone: Call Recording, Attendance Logging & Safeguarding Built In

The top communication challenges UK schools are facing – and how modern phone systems solve them

Let’s be honest – the school office is the engine room of every school. But in too many cases, it’s being powered by a phone system that’s stuck in 2009.

If your team is still battling with clunky handsets, missed voicemails, and manual attendance logs, you’re not alone.

And more importantly: you don’t have to keep putting up with it.

Here’s what outdated systems are really costing you – and what your school gains when you upgrade.

🚨 1. Missed Calls = Missed Opportunities (and Safeguarding Risks)

School offices are busy. Phones are ringing, parents are arriving, staff are asking questions — and in the middle of it all, calls go unanswered. Or worse, answered without the right information.

What’s the impact?

  • Parents get frustrated or anxious

  • Safeguarding concerns can be missed

  • Office staff are overwhelmed and burnt out

How a modern phone system helps:

  • Caller ID with student info: Know who is calling and why before picking up

  • Voicemail-to-email: No more scribbled post-its or forgotten messages

  • Emergency call handling: Prioritise urgent calls in real-time

📝 2. Manual Attendance Logging Is Eating Your Time

Every school handles dozens of absence calls every morning. But if your admin staff are writing them down, passing notes, or manually inputting them into your MIS, that’s precious time lost.

The smarter way:

  • Log absences instantly from the call screen

  • Push data directly to your MIS (SIMS, Arbor, Bromcom, etc.)

  • No double-handling, no mistakes

🛡️ 3. Safeguarding Needs Speed — Not Spreadsheets

Not every parent should be allowed to pick up a child. Not every caller should be treated the same. But if your system doesn’t flag key concerns in real-time, your staff may not have the info they need to act.

The safer approach:

  • Instant safeguarding alerts: Flags on court orders, access restrictions, or known risks

  • Integrated with CPOMS: Log the call and link it to an incident with a click

🔄 4. Your MIS, Finally Working With Your Phone System

Why are your phone calls and your student data still living in different worlds?

Modern school phone systems integrate directly with your MIS platform — whether it’s SIMS, Arbor, Bromcom, or others — so you can access what you need, when you need it.

  • See parent contacts, student profiles and attendance status during calls

  • Create logs and alerts that actually sync with your data

  • Save staff from jumping between screens (and making mistakes)

📈 5. Scale and Professionalism — Without the Price Tag

Schools are under pressure to modernise, communicate better, and improve safeguarding — all while managing tight budgets. The good news? You don’t need a big IT department or a huge investment to get started.

With Microcare Systems, you get:

  • Simple setup with full UK-based support

  • Affordable packages tailored for primary, secondary or multi-academy trusts

  • Ongoing updates, training and scalability built in

The End Result?

✔️ Happier parents
✔️ Safer systems
✔️ Less admin
✔️ Staff who feel more in control

Ready to see it in action?

We’ll show you how schools just like yours are using Microcare Systems to revolutionise their office communication.

📞Call now on 0161 763 8801 to book your demo