Learn how your school can use StudentPayPlus to streamline your school's store operations, payments and parent ordering and donations experience.
A primary public school on Sydney's North Shore, with over 550 students from Kindergarten to Year 6, relies heavily on its Parents and Citizens (P&C) association to manage key operations like the tuckshop and uniform shop. Recognising the need for improvement, the P&C Association was eager to enhance the management of the uniform shop.
Removing the ‘manual’ out of uniform shop management
Before StudentPayPlus, the school’s uniform shop was managed manually and was open just once or twice a week. Parent’s described the manual phone and email order process as “complicated” and “not easy.” The limited hours made it difficult for parents to make purchases, especially during busy times like the start of the school year, seasonal uniform change periods or before photo day. Without a streamlined system, tracking past orders and managing stock was challenging especially during peak periods. “It was always hard to find the time to get there as a parent, especially during the hours that the uniform shop was open.” Claudine T., Parent Volunteer and P&C Association member.
A more efficient, user-friendly solution
Recognising these issues, the school and its P&C association sought a more efficient, user-friendly solution. Their main goals were to simplify the purchasing process for parents, improve record-keeping, and offer more flexibility in managing the uniform shop. The P&C association saw the potential benefits of taking the shop online to resolve these challenges.
Affordable one stop online solution
After exploring various options, the school’s P&C association landed on StudentPayPlus for its uniform shop. Claudine explained that the decision was based on several factors, saying, “It was the low price point… and the fact that it’s in the same app as the Sentral for Parents app, which parents were already using. They don’t have to install anything new.” This integration with Sentral, a platform already familiar to the school community, made the transition much smoother for everyone involved.
Quick and easy setup
The onboarding process for StudentPayPlus was quick and hassle-free. Claudine noted, “From what I could see, it was pretty quick and easy.” The current uniform shop manager found the system easy to manage and it significantly reduced his manual workload. Claudine added, “He doesn’t have to deal with manual orders and phone calls like he used to, so he’s happy.”
Overall, the feedback from parents has been very positive. They appreciate the convenience of making purchases at any time and the ability to track their previous orders. As Claudine confirmed, “It’s much easier now from the parents’ point of view.”
"Now having StudentPayPlus, it's great. We can see our previous orders, what size shirts we bought for our children, and know exactly what we need to do next."
"Easy collection and delivery and having the ability to purchase at any time, this is really great. Yeah, it was definitely needed." Claudine T., Parent Volunteer and P&C Association member.
Looking forward
The outcomes for school and its P&C association have been highly positive, with most of their goals achieved. The uniform shop is now more accessible, allowing parents to view past orders and make purchases online with ease. The school community is eager to explore other features of StudentPayPlus, such as selling non-uniform items like event tickets and other P&C activities, which highlights the system’s flexibility. They are also looking forward to integrating the StudentPayPlus point of sale (POS) solution to further streamline in-store purchases once it becomes available.
“I haven't heard anything negative at all, so yeah, they're just happy that it’s finally all online." Claudine T., Parent Volunteer and P&C Association member.
The introduction of StudentPayPlus to manage the school’s uniform shop has been a success. The school has effectively addressed the challenges of manual operations, benefiting both parents and staff through the streamlined online system. While the community is excitedly awaiting the integration of the POS system, the overall experience has been overwhelmingly positive, and the school looks forward to further leveraging the capabilities of StudentPayPlus.
"Now having StudentPayPlus, it's great. We can see our previous orders, what size shirts we bought for our children, and know exactly what we need to do next.""Easy collection and delivery and having the ability to purchase at any time, this is really great. Yeah, it was definitely needed."
Learn how your school can use StudentPayPlus to streamline your school's store operations, payments and parent ordering and donations experience.
