In short
- Messages: absence and late arrival, exam reminders, results notices, timetable changes, fees, events and urgent closures.
- Two ways to send: staff use the web platform; your school system can send through the REST API.
- Sender name: your school's own name, registered by Interkey during onboarding.
- Staff access: two-factor sign-in, admin and user permission levels.
- Records: a delivery receipt for each message, and reports you can export.
SMS for schools: messages to parents and students
Each example below fits one SMS segment. "example.com" stands for your school's own portal or website.
| Moment | Example message | Characters |
|---|---|---|
| Absence | Sara was marked absent today, 3 Feb. Please contact the school office if this is unexpected. | 92 |
| Late arrival | Omar arrived at school at 7:55 am today, after the start of the school day. | 75 |
| Exam reminder | Reminder: Grade 8 maths exam on Sunday, 9 Feb, first period. | 60 |
| Results released | Term 1 results are now available on the parent portal: example.com/results | 74 |
| Timetable change | Early dismissal on Thursday, 6 Feb at 11:30 am for staff training. | 66 |
| Fee reminder | Term 2 fees of SAR 9,500 are due by 15 Feb. Pay or ask the finance office: example.com/fees | 91 |
| Parent meeting | Parent-teacher meeting for Grade 5 on Tuesday, 11 Feb, 4 to 6 pm. Book a slot: example.com/m | 92 |
| Urgent closure | The school will be closed tomorrow, 4 Feb, due to weather. Classes move online: example.com | 91 |
| University deadline | Course registration for the spring semester closes on 20 Jan. Register: example.com/reg | 87 |
Use the student's first name only, and keep grades, health and behaviour details out of SMS. Link to your portal for anything personal.
Which rules apply to school messages
Messages that a school-side event triggers about a specific student, such as attendance or a results release, are transactional notifications. Transactional messages do not carry the marketing-consent requirement that promotional messages do.
Some school messages are promotional: enrolment offers to new families, paid summer programmes, or discounts. These follow the Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) "Regulations for Curbing SPAM Messages & Calls" (version three, October 2022, approved by CST decision 493/1444):
- Consent: each recipient must have explicitly agreed to receive promotional messages.
- Sender name: the suffix "-AD" is added to every sender name classified as promotional.
- Blocked by default: operators must let users block or allow promotional messages; promotional messages start out blocked until the recipient allows them.
- Hours: promotional and awareness messages may not be sent from 10:00 pm to 9:00 am (during Ramadan, from 1:00 am to 12:00 noon).
Keep notices and promotions in separate messages, from the sender name that matches each type. If you are unsure how a message type is classified, ask us during onboarding.
Transactional vs promotional SMS
Two ways to send school notices
| Route | Suited to | What your team does |
|---|---|---|
| Web platform | Front office and administration staff sending notices, reminders and announcements | Manage contact lists, use approved templates, schedule the send, export reports |
| REST API | Notices your school system triggers on its own, such as absences recorded in the morning | Your IT team or system vendor calls the API when an event is recorded |
- API access is limited to whitelisted IP addresses or a VPN connection, so plan which server sends the requests.
- SMPP and SOAP are also available for large institutions with existing systems.
- Templates are approved by your school and by Interkey before use, which keeps wording consistent across staff.
If you want your school system to send notices automatically, tell us which system you use in the form below, and we will explain what the connection needs.
Staff access and control
- Two-factor sign-in: staff sign in with their password and a verification code sent to their email.
- Admin and user levels: your administrator decides who holds admin rights and who works at user level.
- Approved templates: staff send from wording your school has approved, so a notice to parents reads the same whoever sends it.
- Spending limits on the account, agreed during onboarding.
Keeping parent contact lists accurate
- Collect a mobile number for each guardian at enrolment, and confirm it at the start of each term.
- Store numbers in one international format (+966 5XXXXXXXX).
- Remove numbers when a student leaves or graduates.
- Check the delivery receipts after each important notice: a number that keeps failing usually needs updating.
Writing messages parents understand
An English message (GSM-7) fits 160 characters in one segment, or 153 per part when it is longer. An Arabic message (UCS-2) fits 70 characters, or 67 per part, and a single Arabic word puts the whole message under these limits. Each extra segment is billed. Send each family one language, the one they chose, and lead with the date and the action you need.
Your school's sender name
Parents trust a message that arrives under the school's name. Interkey registers your sender names with the operators through CST's central bulk-SMS system during onboarding. Groups with several campuses can ask for one name for the group or one for each campus.
Who Digital Connect suits
- Good fit: private and international schools, school groups, universities, colleges and training institutes sending to parents and students in Saudi Arabia.
- Not a good fit: a school sending only a few hundred messages a month.
- Pricing: by quote, based on your monthly volume and traffic type.
Questions from schools and universities
Can our school system send messages automatically?
If your system can call an external API, your IT team or system vendor can connect it to the Digital Connect REST API. Tell us which system you use, and we will explain what the connection needs.
Can teachers send messages too?
Your administrator decides. The platform has admin and user permission levels; ask us during onboarding which permissions each level includes.
Can we schedule exam reminders in advance?
Yes. Campaign scheduling is built into the platform.
Do parents need to opt in?
Notices about their own child, triggered by a school event, are transactional and do not carry the marketing-consent requirement. Promotional messages need explicit consent.
Can we know if a parent received an urgent notice?
Each message has a delivery receipt, which shows whether it reached the phone. It does not show whether the parent read it.
Is Interkey permitted to provide SMS services?
Yes. Interkey holds CST's permit to provide short message services (SMS).