29th November 2023 Some sites are intermittently displaying a Server Too Busy error.
This issue is currently being looked into. We will provide an update once we know what caused the site to stop responding.
ONGOING
22nd November 2023 09:31-Some sites inaccessible for a short period on 21st November - RESOLVED
Yesterday evening, we detected an unusual amount of traffic to some websites which, upon review, indicated an attempted DDoS attack. DDoS stands for Distributed Denial of Service, which in effect forces a huge amount of traffic to servers so that they are not capable of keeping up with the request demands.
Upon finding out which sites were being targeted, our infrastructure team was able to re-route traffic to these sites away from our main services, thus allowing normal functionality of service. The times for the outage as a result were 5.45pm - 6.15pm, 6.40pm-7pm.
There is no ongoing risk to any sites. This issue was immediately identified and mitigating actions taken. All website functionality should be fully restored and websites performing as normal.
RESOLVED
7th November 2023 17:00 - Error messages when trying to load sites RESOLVED
The issues experienced earlier today around slow loading speed or errors when trying to load a webpage have now been resolved.
Thank you for your patience whilst we were working to restore full service functionality.
RESOLVED
7th November 2023 - Error messages when trying to load sites
We have identified an issue with slow or no connection to some websites. This appears to be an intermittent issue. In some cases, the web page will not load or is slow to load. In other cases, websites are returning an error message when trying to access, which says 503 Service Unavailable or There are no servers available to handle your request.
We apologise for the inconvenience this is causing to our customers and would like to assure you that this is being investigated as an urgent issue. We will update on this page as soon as we have further information.
RESOLVED
23rd October 2023 - The School News App -push notifications not being received by some Android users
We have identified an issue where some Android users are not receiving push notifications for any messages sent via The School News App. We believe this issue affects Android 13 users only.
We are working to resolve this issue as soon as possible.
We apologise for any inconvenience this causes and we will be providing an update on this status page once this has been resolved
ONGOING
23rd October 2023 - The School News App now available from Google Play Store for Android users
We are pleased to be able to report that an issue with some Android users being unable to download The School news App from Google Play Store has now been resolved.
The School News App can now be downloaded by all Android users in the Google Play Store.
RESOLVED
19 September 2023 - Some Android users unable to download The School News App from Google Play Store
We have identified an issue with some Android users being unable to download The School news App from Google Play Store. We believe this issue affects Android 13 users only. When trying to download, the user will see a message that says 'This app isn't available for your device as it was made for an older version of Android'.
We are working to ensure that a version of the app compatible with Android 13 is available as soon as possible.
We apologise for any inconvenience this causes and we will be providing an update on this status page once this has been resolved
RESOLVED
06 August 2023 5:30 - Server Issue Resolved
We identified a disruption with one of our servers, leading to a brief hindrance in web traffic routing for some users. Upon investigation, the cause was traced back to an external service disruption. Immediate measures were taken to rectify the situation, and we can confirm that all services are now operating as usual. Furthermore, steps are being implemented to enhance our systems and avert future issues of this kind.
We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused and wish to reassure you that such incidents are treated with the utmost priority.
RESOLVED
18 July 2023 - Twitter Update
We are writing to bring your attention to a key change affecting our services, specifically regarding the integration of Twitter feeds onto your school websites.
Twitter has recently modified their terms and conditions, imposing significant constraints on third-party developers, including ourselves. These alterations encompass a new pricing structure for API access, stringent restrictions on data retrieval, and a daily limit on the number of tweets that can be accessed.
We have endeavoured to keep pace with Twitter's evolving policies, making extensive adjustments to our codebase in response to their announcements. However, the inconsistent and unpredictable nature of Twitter's changes have introduced challenges in maintaining the seamless service delivery you are accustomed to.
As a result of Twitter's repeated adjustments, with no clarity as to whether more adjustments will be made, we have determined that it is no longer feasible to support Twitter feeds in the way we have been doing. We wish to highlight that this decision is a direct response to Twitter's changing platform, rather than a reflection on the quality of service we strive to provide.
From this point forward, we will no longer offer support for integrating Twitter feeds onto your websites. We want to reassure you that this does not affect the integration of other existing social media feeds on your sites, which will continue to function as usual as per those providers current terms and conditions.
We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. Unfortunately, this is out of our control, however, we remain committed to upholding the high level of service you expect from us and will continue to work diligently to provide robust and flexible solutions that are responsive to the ever-changing digital landscape.
RESOLVED
19 June 2023 5:30 - Server Issue Resolved
We were alerted yesterday that there was an issue with one of our Servers at the data centre, causing some websites to become unavailable. Our data centre provider investigated and discovered that there was a problem with the cooling module. The faulty component was replaced, and the server was then rebooted with no loss of data. The server was then scanned and repaired overnight and is now fully online, with all affected sites returning.
We apologise for the inconvenience this has caused and would like to reassure you that incidents of this nature are dealt with as a priority.
RESOLVED
13 June 2023 9:50 - Server Issue Resolved
The issue identified with one of the servers in our data centre this morning has been resolved. We will continue to monitor the situation.
RESOLVED
13 June 2023 9:00 - Server Issue
We are experiencing an issue with one of the servers in our data centre. We are working with our provider to resolve the issues which will be affecting a number of our customers and hope to have this resolved soon.
RESOLVED
24 April 2023 15:00 - Twitter API Changes
Following on from our previous updates informing you about the changes to Twitter's API and the potential impact on your website's Twitter integration. Since our last communication, new information has come to light, and we want to provide you with an update in a transparent manner.
Initially, we suggested the option of paying $100 per month for a custom Twitter API integration. However, it has been brought to our attention that this option may breach Twitter's terms of service, as our CMS is considered a single use case. In light of this, we advise against proceeding with this option.
We have also explored the possibility of paying $42,000 per month for the Twitter API integration. We would be willing to consider this option if there is sufficient demand, but it would require us to cover the costs. To help us gauge interest in this option, please respond to our survey, indicating how much you would be willing to contribute per month. We will only proceed with this option if we can cover our costs and, if demand is high enough.
You may already be aware that this situation has caused a great deal of concern among many businesses, with some prominent companies, such as Microsoft, choosing not to use Twitter integration as a result. Early indications suggest that other businesses may follow suit, which could potentially lead Twitter to reconsider their stance. However, there are no guarantees, so we will continue to monitor the situation closely.
At present, the Twitter Widget appears to be the most viable alternative and can already be included within the page content area of your website, using the Code Snippet tool. Given the uncertainty surrounding Twitter's approach, we recommend holding off making any other changes in your approach to using Twitter in your website, for the time being. We anticipate that Twitter's position may change in the future, as since their recent change of ownership they have been unpredictable.
We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this situation may cause and appreciate your understanding. We remain committed to providing you with the best possible service and keeping you informed of any further developments.
RESOLVED
19th April 2023 10:00 - Twitter API
Twitter has recently removed access to their free API, and as a result, our ability to sync your website with Twitter has been impacted, leading to a potential loss of functionality. We regret any inconvenience this may cause, but please rest assured that we are here to support you in adapting to these changes.
To help you determine the best course of action, we are working to implement the following alternative options, tailored to different needs:
Free Package (Limited Updates): Whilst this option will limit the frequency of updates to your website and how often you can post to Twitter, due to API limitations, it may be sufficient if regular updates are not a priority for you. It will take us some time to implement the changes required for this to work, but no action is required by our customers.
Custom API (Regular Updates): For schools that frequently update their Twitter feeds, daily or weekly, we recommend considering this option. For a monthly fee of $100, paid directly to Twitter, you can configure a custom API for your website. This will give you greater control over the update frequency, allowing you to post to Twitter more regularly and refresh your website feed hourly, daily, or weekly. The posting and reading limits for Twitter’s Basic package, listed below, will help you ascertain if this will meet your needs.
- 3,000 Tweets per month - posting limit at the user level
- 50,000 Tweets per month - posting limit at the app level
- 10,000 Tweets per month - read-limit rate cap
correct at time of writing - please refer to Twitter for up-to-date information on allowance for their Basic package.
Twitter Widget: Twitter have a freely available widget, which can be used to embed tweets into the page content areas within your website. This is already used by many of our customers to enable them to show their Twitter timeline. Further information about the widget can be found here: Twitter Widget
We understand that these changes may be disappointing, but we are committed to helping you make the best decision for your website's needs. Please be aware that these alterations are due to decisions made by Twitter and are not a direct result of our actions. We will be working in the coming weeks to implement the changes necessary to allow you to display tweets and post to Twitter and will be in touch again when we have made the changes needed.
Thank you for your understanding, we appreciate your continued trust in our services.
RESOLVED
14th April 2023 08:15 - School Mobile App
RESOLVED
11th April 2023 11:00 - Twitter API
Twitter has removed their free API access. We are seeing sites experience a loss of syncing with Twitter feeds.
We continue to investigate a way forward to allow our customers to display tweets on their sites, and push updates out to Twitter.
RESOLVED
22nd March 2023 11:00 - Hardware issue
We were made aware of a hardware issue affecting one of our servers earlier this evening, which may have affected a small number of websites. The hardware has now been replaced and we are continuing to monitor the system.
RESOLVED
15th March 2023 08:00 - Login Issues Resolved
The team have made some changes to the configuration on one server to resolve the issue for a small number of users who may not have been able to log in. We are continuing to monitor the system.
RESOLVED
14th March 2023 - 16:00 - Login issues
10th March 2023 08:00 - Issues Resolved
Our hosting provider has resolved the DNS issues which may have caused a limited number of users problems trying to access sites via certain ISPs.
RESOLVED
9th March 2023 17:00 - Possible issues with some sites
We are aware that our hosting provider is currently investigating some issues with DNS and are looking to resolve this. In the meantime, some sites might not return for a limited number of users trying to access sites via certain ISPs.
3rd March 2023 - Server Outage Update
Detail of incident: At 19:34 on 22nd Feb our monitoring team noticed an issue with one of our Servers after a windows update was applied. We requested the server restart; however, it did not respond. We then asked our third-party provider to replace the motherboard in the server as it was not showing a RAM slot. This still did not resolve the issue and upon further investigation requested the hard drive be replaced. Following this our attempts to rebuild the raid array were unsuccessful. Whilst our third-party attempted to resolve the issue with the server, we simultaneously began the process of restoring the data from a raid mirror image to a contingency server. In total, we experienced a total downtime of approximately 31 hours, affecting a small percentage of our websites. It then took another 5 hours to restore functionality completely to the CMS for those sites.
Preventative actions: We will ensure updates on our servers only happen at weekends or School holidays to ensure minimal disruption if a similar issue was to occur. We are also investigating changes to our hardware configuration, to improve the speed at which we can restore service.
We understand your website is an important tool for your school and we would like to apologise for any inconvenience this outage caused you and your community.
RESOLVED
24th February 2023 07:00 – Server Issue Resolved
We have worked overnight to resolve the issue with one of our servers. All sites should now be working, with no loss of data however, we are still working to restore the webstats feature on the affected sites. Should you still be experiencing any other issues, please contact our Support Team.
23rd February 2023 09:00 – Server Issue
We are experiencing an issue with one of the servers in our data centre. We are working with our provider to resolve the issues which will be affecting a number of our customers and hope to have this resolved soon.
6th April 2023 15:00 – Twitter integration
Updates about the changes Twitter will be making can be viewed here: https://twitter.com/twitterdev
We continue to investigate a way forward to allow our customers to display tweets on their sites, and push updates out to Twitter.
ONGOING
13th February 2023 12:00 – Twitter integration
The latest information from Twitter is that the changes have been postponed further.
Updates about the changes Twitter will be making can be viewed here: https://twitter.com/twitterdev
9th February 2023 11:40 – Twitter integration
Twitter has delayed the removal of free access to their API until 13 February 2023. At this time, they still have not released full details on its replacements.
Updates about the changes Twitter will be making can be viewed here: https://twitter.com/twitterdev
We will monitor the situation closely and provide further updates when we have them.
8th February 2023 15:40 – Twitter integration
On 2 February 2023 Twitter announced that they will no longer support free access to their API from 9 February 2023.
Updates about the changes Twitter will be making can be viewed here: https://twitter.com/twitterdev
Due to the limited information available to us at this time, we are unsure of the impact this will have on our customers and their websites. We anticipate websites displaying Twitter content and how users share updates to Twitter may be affected.
We will monitor the situation closely and provide further updates when we have them.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.