Which Type of School Website Do You Need?
The right option depends on what the site has to do. A small school or nursery may only need a few pages: contact details, key information, policies and a link to the latest Ofsted report.
Most schools need more: news and a photo gallery, pages about the school, staff and governors, term dates, and a documents area where policies and reports can be read and downloaded. The Department for Education sets out what maintained schools must publish online, from admission arrangements and the curriculum to the SEN information report, and academies have similar requirements in their funding agreements. We plan a clear place for each item.
Everything is managed through a simple content management system, so staff can post news, letters home, event dates and closure notices without technical help.
Some schools also want a parent area with secure logins. If you already use a parent app or management system, we can link to it from the site so families have one starting point. A parent area can include:
Class news and announcements
Homework and class resources
Learning materials to download
Forms for trips, clubs and consent
Where to Start with a New School Website
Start with what the site must do: which information is required, what parents ask the office most often and who on the staff will keep the site up to date. A parent area is only worth building if teachers and parents will use it, so it is worth asking them first.
Plan for accessibility from the start. Schools are partially exempt from the public sector accessibility regulations, but content people need to use school services, such as online forms, must be accessible, and the school must publish an accessibility statement. GOV.UK guidance names WCAG 2.2 AA as the way to meet these requirements. We can test your school website against WCAG 2.2 AA and show you what needs fixing. Read more about web accessibility.
The design reflects your school, with clear sections for current parents, pupils and prospective families. You own the website, its content and accounts, and we can support it after launch as a paid service. Price ranges for each type of site are on our website development services page.
Tell us about your school using the form below. We will explain the options, answer your questions and prepare a quote for the website.
Planning a new school website? Tell us what it needs to do and we will suggest the right option.
Use the form below and we will get in touch.
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