Ideas in the wild

Ways to put Ask.School to work

Every chatbot ships with Question Links — one-question URLs and QR codes you can print, post, embed or paste into an email. Below: real ways schools are using them, with the kinds of questions families actually ask.

1

Type the question

Anything from “What time does Year 7 start?” to “How do I apply for free school meals?”

2

Copy the link or print the QR

Both come ready-made. Drop the link in an email, embed on the website, or print the QR for posters and packs.

3

Recipients ask, the chatbot answers

In the right voice, with the right access. Sharing the link doesn't bypass safeguarding — recipients still need permission to see sensitive data.

Westbrook School

Forgotten where you're meant to be?

Scan for your timetable →

Lunch menu

Bus times

Idea 01Students · in school

QR posters around the school

Pin scannable codes near classrooms, lockers, the dining hall and reception. Students scan for “Show me my timetable”, “What’s on the lunch menu?” or “When does the next bus leave?” and get an instant, personalised answer — no app, no login screen, no “sorry, that page is broken”.

Show me my timetableLunch menu todayNext bus home

Prospectus 2026

Westbrook

School

Independent · Co-ed
Founded 1932

Excellence in education

Admissions

A warm welcome from our Head of Admissions.

Ask anything

Open days, fees, bursaries

When is the next open day?
Sat 21 June, 10am. Tours at 10:30 & 12:30. RSVP not required.
Idea 02Prospective parents

Print, prospectus & admissions packs

Drop a Question Link into your prospectus, the back of an open-day flyer or the welcome pack so prospective parents can chat with admissions on the spot. Most don’t want to phone — and now they don’t have to wait until Monday morning.

When are open days?How do bursaries work?Book a private tour
westbrook.school/trips/year-8-italy

Year 8 Trips

Italy 2026 — Rome & Pompeii

7 nights · Half-board · Departing 14 July 2026 · £1,250 + £150 deposit

Questions about the trip?

Ask anything — payment plans, dietary needs, kit list…

When's the deposit due for Italy?
£150 by Fri 28 March. The full balance follows on 12 May.
Idea 03Current parents · web visitors

School website, trips & event pages

Drop a Question Link onto a trip page, an event invite, the homepage hero or the Year 7 transition microsite. Parents click once and start asking the chatbot about admissions, school trips, fixtures, an open evening — or whatever you’re posting about that week.

Italy trip kit listYear 7 transitionSports day fixtures

Westbrook School

Est. 1932

Welcome to Year 7

Dear Parent or Carer,

We look forward to welcoming your child on Wednesday 3rd September.

Mrs A. Lynton, Head of Year 7

Questions?

Scan to ask

Where do we buy uniform?
Schoolblazer.com — or the school shop, open Tue & Thu 3:30–5pm.
Idea 04New families · starting school

First-day welcome packs

Posting offers, induction letters or the September welcome pack? Sticker a QR onto the front. New families ask the questions they’d otherwise email reception with the night before — uniform suppliers, what to bring, the school day, when to arrive on day one.

Where do I buy uniform?What time does day one start?First-day checklist

Westbrook School

Need a quick answer?

Scan with your school login.

Or ask at the desk →

Idea 05Parents · students · staff

A QR at reception

Pin a QR at the front desk for the parent who's arrived early for pickup, the student who's lost their planner, or the supply teacher chasing a room number. Anyone with a school login scans and gets an instant answer — freeing the office to handle the things that actually need a human.

Pickup time todayWhere's room E12?Lost property hours

From: [email protected]

Westbrook Weekly — 27 May 2026

A note from Mr Hughes

This week

Diary dates

Sports day · Year 11 prom · PTA fair

Got a question about anything above?

Scan or tap — the chatbot has the answer.

Idea 06Whole community

Newsletters & weekly emails

Pin a Question Link to the bottom of every newsletter. Most parents skim and forget; the ones who want to follow up tap once and ask the chatbot about whatever caught their eye — the trip, the fair, the half-term dates, the change to next Friday’s pick-up.

Sports day kitPTA fair detailsHalf-term dates

Year 11 GCSEs

Exam timetable

Maths Paper 1

Mon 12 May

Hall A

English Lit

Wed 14 May

Hall B

Biology

Fri 16 May

Sci 3

Need a venue check or special access? Scan.

Idea 07Candidates · parents

Exam season survival

Print the exam timetable, but add a QR. Candidates check their own paper, parents ask about access arrangements, and pastoral leads aren’t fielding the same “which room is GCSE Maths in?” email forty times the morning of an exam.

Maths Paper 1 venueSpecial access arrangementsWhat to bring

Westbrook School

07:14

School closed today

Mon 8 February — weather

Site is closed due to overnight snowfall and unsafe road conditions.

Lessons run online from 9:00 via Teams.

Got a follow-up question? Ask the chatbot.

Idea 08Whole community · emergencies

Snow days & last-minute closures

Push a single update once — the chatbot answers “Is school open?” for everyone who scans the link in your closure email or socials. The phones stop ringing while you’re still on the call to the bus company.

Is school open today?Buses running?Make-up lessons

Chess club

Tue 3:30pm

Scan to ask

Drama club

Wed 4pm

Scan to ask

Football

Thu 3:30pm

Scan to ask

Coding

Fri 4pm

Scan to ask

Idea 09Students · parents

After-school clubs sign-up board

Pin a separate QR for each club on the noticeboard. Parents find out times, kit, cost and how to sign up without queueing at the office — and the clubs that are quiet get a clearer picture of why.

Drama club timesFootball kit listCost & sign-up

QR posters around the school • Print, prospectus & admissions packs • School website, trips & event pages • First-day welcome packs • A QR at reception • Newsletters & weekly emails • Exam season survival • Snow days & last-minute closures • After-school clubs sign-up board

In short

If a parent asks the same question twice, it belongs on a Question Link.

These nine are starting points. Print them, paste them, sticker them onto whatever you're already sending. Most schools find their own ideas within a fortnight of going live.

  • 01

    QR posters around the school

    Students · in school

  • 02

    Print, prospectus & admissions packs

    Prospective parents

  • 03

    School website, trips & event pages

    Current parents · web visitors

  • 04

    First-day welcome packs

    New families · starting school

  • 05

    A QR at reception

    Parents · students · staff

  • 06

    Newsletters & weekly emails

    Whole community

  • 07

    Exam season survival

    Candidates · parents

  • 08

    Snow days & last-minute closures

    Whole community · emergencies

  • 09

    After-school clubs sign-up board

    Students · parents

Ready to make a Question Link of your own?

Every chatbot in Ask.School ships with Question Links. Type the question, copy the URL, print the QR — and the chatbot does the rest.

Ideas | Ask.School — ways to use a school chatbot