Education · Cloud phone systems
Phones that keep your school office calm, connected and contactable
Schools, academies and colleges run on a busy front office, lots of staff who are rarely at a desk, and parents who expect a quick answer. A cloud phone system gives you reliable call handling across every building, without an ageing on-site box to maintain.
The problem
Where the phones get in the way
Front office swamped at 8:30am
Absence calls, late arrivals and parent queries all land at once. One or two staff cannot answer every call, so parents ring back repeatedly.
Teachers cannot be reached
Staff are in classrooms, on trips or on playground duty. Calls are passed around by runner or radio, and messages get lost.
Ageing on-site handset systems
Many schools still run an old PBX and ISDN lines that are costly to fix. The PSTN switch-off around January 2027 makes replacing them unavoidable.
Multi-building and multi-site gaps
Trusts, split sites and satellite campuses often have separate phone setups, so transferring a call between sites is awkward or impossible.
The fix
What a cloud phone system changes day to day
Call queues and hunt groups
Ring the whole office team together, queue callers politely and route absence reporting to the right person so nobody is left on hold unanswered.
Absence and info lines
Offer a dedicated option for reporting absence or hearing term-date information, with recorded messages you can change yourself in minutes.
Mobile and desktop apps
Heads of year, site managers and pastoral staff can take and transfer calls on their own phone or laptop while away from the main office.
Out-of-hours and closure greetings
Switch to a closed-day message instantly for snow days, INSET days and holidays, with an emergency contact route for urgent matters.
Site-wide internal calling
Extension-to-extension calls and transfers work across every building and campus, so reception can reach a classroom or the caretaker directly.
Failover and call diversion
If your internet connection drops, calls can be diverted automatically to mobiles or another site, helping keep the school reachable.
Safeguarding and keeping records
Phone calls are often the first sign that something is wrong, whether a worried parent, an outside agency or a pupil calling home. Schools need to be able to find out who called, when, and who handled it. Call logs and optional call recording can help support your safeguarding processes and your obligations under KCSIE, alongside your own written procedures. Reports on missed and answered calls also show when the office is stretched, which helps with staffing decisions.
Recording and call data are personal data, so UK GDPR applies. We can help you set recording to only the lines that need it, set sensible retention periods and make sure callers are told. Your data protection officer stays in charge of policy; the phone system simply gives them the controls and reporting they need. Access to recordings and logs can be limited to named senior staff, so sensitive conversations stay properly controlled.
How a rollout works for a school or college
We start with a free survey and audit of your sites, handsets, lines and network. We map how calls flow today: who answers, who needs a handset and which numbers parents already know. Your existing numbers are kept, so nothing changes for families, and we plan the work around term dates to avoid disruption. We also keep the plan simple for office teams, so nobody needs technical knowledge to answer calls on day one.
Installation, handset setup and a short training session for office staff are typically done in the holidays or after hours. Our cloud phone systems are backed by 24/7 UK-based support, so if something needs attention on a Monday morning during term, you speak to a real person quickly. If a site has a particularly weak connection, we say so honestly and recommend how to fix it before go-live.
Keeping calls working when things go wrong
A school phone line is an emergency line. Cloud systems rely on a good connection, so we look at your business internet and network as part of the plan, and can recommend a separate or backup connection where it makes sense, with call priority so lessons using streaming or cloud tools do not break voice quality. Diversions can be set up in advance for trips or emergencies, so the right people know what to do and when.
Because the system lives in the cloud rather than a cupboard, a power cut or building issue on one site does not take everything down. Calls can be redirected to mobiles or another site within minutes, and our networking and cabling team can tidy and future-proof the physical side at the same visit. This gives headteachers and business managers real confidence that parents and agencies can always get through.
Your questions answered
Can we keep our school phone number?+
Yes. We port your existing geographic numbers across to the new system, so parents, governors and local authority contacts keep using the numbers they know. Porting is planned with a set date, so there is little or no gap, and we can schedule it for a holiday.
What happens when the PSTN switch-off completes?+
Traditional ISDN and analogue lines are being withdrawn, with the switch-off due to complete around January 2027. Phone systems that rely on them will need replacing or adapting. Moving to a cloud system runs calls over broadband, and also covers alarm and lift lines if reviewed.
Is call recording appropriate in a school?+
It can be, where you have a clear reason such as safeguarding or handling complaints. UK GDPR still applies, so you should tell callers, limit access and set retention periods. Recording is optional and can be applied only to selected lines.
Can teachers take calls without a desk phone?+
Yes. With a mobile or desktop app, staff can be reached on their own device and transferred calls follow them. Many schools prefer to limit this to senior leaders and site staff, and keep personal numbers private, which the system supports.
Do you support multi-academy trusts?+
Yes. Several schools can sit on one system with their own numbers, greetings and opening hours, plus shared directories and free calls between sites. Central teams get combined reporting, while each school keeps control of its own front office.
Will installation disrupt lessons?+
We plan around your calendar. Most installs happen in school holidays, evenings or weekends, with handsets labelled and ready. After a short training session for office staff, we stay on hand with UK-based support when term restarts.
Questions to ask before choosing a school phone system
- ✓ Can calls be answered by several office staff and queued at peak times?
- ✓ Can we keep our existing school and trust phone numbers?
- ✓ Does it work across all buildings and campuses with internal transfers?
- ✓ Can we change closure and term-time messages ourselves?
- ✓ What happens to calls if our internet connection fails?
- ✓ Do call logs and recording settings suit our data protection policy?
Other industries we support
Why choose CBC
Phones, networks and security from one UK team
We are committed to giving every customer the best possible phone and networking solution for their business, then supporting it for the long term.
- 24/7 UK-based supportReal engineers, any hour, no overseas call centre.
- One-to-one serviceA named CBC engineer who knows your setup.
- Grows with youAdd users, sites or features without changing supplier.
- Customer satisfaction firstClear quotes, fixed pricing and honest advice.
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