Text service launched by church

Messages will be sent to mobile phones

A north east school is using the latest mobile phone technology to provide parents with regular text messages on pupils' progress.

Staff at Keith Grammar School say the scheme is being well received and will boost established links between home and school.

Rector John Aitken says it will be used to praise a positive attitude to work or behaviour.

Texts will also be used to highlight any problems which may arise.

A text alert service is to be launched by the Catholic Church in Scotland. The initiative will allow the church to run its own opinion polls and provide news to subscribers via mobile phones. It will also encourage church members to cast a vote or voice an opinion in media polls on issues such as denominational schools. The church has hundreds of subscribers to its e-mail alerts and hopes that at least half as many people will sign up for the free text service.

The idea was the brainchild of Peter Kearney, the director of the Catholic Media Office.

This is a tremendous development which shows the church in Scotland engaging with the latest communications technology Bishop Joseph Devine

He got the inspiration from football club websites which offer subscribers a text service with news and latest scores.

Mr Kearney said: "Using text messaging allows the Catholic Church to communicate quickly and effectively with its supporters and subscribers.

"It allows us to issue news alerts, run snap opinion polls and encourage the Catholic community to participate in polls and opinion surveys run by other media organisations.

"We will e-mail all our existing web subscribers this week encouraging them to sign up for the text alert service."

Bishop Joseph Devine, president of the church's national communications commission said: "This is a tremendous development which shows the church in Scotland engaging with the latest communications technology."