The phone stays in the locker. The message still gets through.
TAG is a pocket-sized e-ink device with two buttons. Parents can reach their child during a phone-free school day, one message at a time, and there's nothing else on it to distract anyone.
Try it: press the buttons on the device. Hold the orange one for 3 seconds to ask for help.
via TAG
The gap
Phone-free schools are the right call. They also leave a gap.
Government guidance says schools in England should be mobile-phone-free for the whole school day, breaks and lunch included, and ministers plan to make it statutory. Heads agree, and parents mostly do too. But plans still change during the day, and every change ends up as a call to the school office.
“Can you tell Sam that Grandad's picking him up, not me?”
A message like that usually means a phone call, a note, a runner and an interrupted lesson. With TAG it arrives on Sam's device, and his parent sees it once he's tapped GOT IT.
Illustrative example.- 1Pick-up changesWho's collecting, where, and when. These are the messages that really matter.
- 2Yes/no decisions“Can you go to Jo's after club?” He answers with one press.
- 3ReassuranceParents see when a message has arrived and when it's been answered.
How a day works
Phone in at the door. TAG out. Back at home time.
The school owns and looks after the devices. Pairing happens once each morning and is released automatically when school finishes.
Phone in, TAG out
At handover the smartphone is locked away. Its TAG app scans the QR code on a school device, pairing it to that child until the end of the day.
A message lands
The device buzzes once and shows a single message. If it's still unanswered, it gives two gentle reminders at most, and that's it.
One tap back
GOT IT for a notice, YES or NO for a question. The parent sees the answer straight away. The child can't type anything.
Handed back, released
The child hands TAG back and scans it in. At the school's finish time every pairing is released, ready for tomorrow.
For schools
Reach every pupil at once, and see who's read it.
The TAG dashboard messages the whole school, a year group, a class or a custom group, and counts the replies as they come in.
- Broadcasts with a live countTrip cancelled? See who's acknowledged and who hasn't.
- Hold-for-help alertsA 3-second press on the device alerts staff and the child's parents together.
- Devices that don't go missingStaff are alerted if a paired device leaves school Wi-Fi, or isn't handed back at home time.
- Fewer office interruptionsParents' day-to-day messages go straight to the child, not through reception.
Broadcast11:02
Alerts3 open
For parents
Everything you need to say. Nothing to scroll.
The TAG app on your phone pairs with the school's device each morning. After that it's one message at a time, and you can see exactly where each one has got to.
Send
Write a notice or a yes/no question. It shows under the name you choose, like “Mum”.
See it land
You'll know when it's on your child's screen and when they've answered. Nothing is guessed.
Hear if they need you
If your child holds the help button, you and the school are alerted at the same moment.
Something is happening, and your child taps GOT IT. No pretend choices.
There's a real decision, and your child taps YES or NO. The answer is final.
The device
Deliberately the least interesting gadget in the building.
TAG is designed so there is nothing to do with it except read a message and answer it.
TAG Family: a version with its own mobile connection for the journey to and from school. The school model runs on school Wi-Fi only.
Built with care
Designed around safeguarding from the first line of code.
Children can't start conversations
There's no free text from the device, only constrained replies and a help request. That leaves no room for group chats and no room for bullying.
Only the right adults
Parents only see their own child's messages. Staff accounts are managed by the school, and every action is logged.
Hosted in the UK
TAG runs on UK-based servers and keeps personal data to a minimum. Each pilot school agrees its own retention period.
Honest about what it isn't
TAG supports your normal procedures but doesn't replace them. It isn't an emergency service, and a help alert isn't a guaranteed response.
Questions
The sensible questions.
Who is TAG for?
Pupils who bring a smartphone to school and hand it in for the day. TAG keeps that pupil reachable by their parents while the phone is locked away.
Who owns the devices?
The school. The devices stay on site, pair with a different child each morning if needed, and are handed back and released every afternoon.
What happens if a device leaves school?
If a paired device drops off the school's Wi-Fi for more than a short grace period, staff and the child's parents are alerted. Any device not scanned back in after home time is flagged too.
Can the school message everyone at once?
Yes. The dashboard can send to the whole school or to any year, class or custom group, and shows acknowledgements live.
Where is TAG at today?
The software is built and tested. We're now running live demonstrations and recruiting our first pilot schools. The physical device is designed and will be manufactured for the pilot.
Pilot programme
Be one of the first TAG schools.
We'll bring a live demo to your school: a parent's phone, a TAG device and the dashboard, all talking to each other in real time. It takes about 20 minutes.