Welcome back to school for the start of the 2019/2020 academic year. We hope you had a great holiday and are feeling refreshed after a very well-earned break.

As the routines begin to settle in now might be a good time to check if your website needs any updates for this year.

You can check your statutory website requirements are being fulfilled of course with our FREE downloadable checklist. However, you may want to look a bit more at how your website is looking for your new parents and visitors.

 

Do you have a clear welcome message?

A welcome message can be like the warm, friendly face greeting you at the door to the school. A chance for the Headteacher or CEO of the MAT to put their best foot forward and show the school ethos and friendliness in a paragraph or two. You may even want to add a video welcome message. You can include something time-relevant and welcome them to this academic year specifically, or simply use one which will stand the test of time to use throughout the year.

 

Can we find all the information we need?

Can new parents and pupils easily find timetables/school day information? Can they see a map of the school if it is a large site? Can they clearly find any relevant curriculum information or policies? If you have any parent payment sites or learning platforms, is there a link straight to them?

 

Is there any additional content or changes you’d like to make this year?

Maybe you have changed the curriculum you use and want to add more information to it. (Especially relevant with the new Ofsted Inspection Framework!) Or you may have some new after-school clubs available. Maybe last year you just didn’t get around to adding photo galleries and would like to this year. Whatever it is you want to add we’re here to help so please don’t stare at blank pages wondering what to do. You might have had some inspiration looking at another school’s website and wish your site could have the same layout/design/functionality as theirs. Have a chat with us to see if it’s a simple addition or a complete redesign – we can accommodate either and anything in between!

 

Can the relevant staff members access the admin area?

Sometimes staff roles change for the new year, or staff may have moved on and new ones joined in their place. If you have new staff who will need to have admin access this year and know how to update the website to keep it looking fresh, then get in touch to see what we can offer to support them. If you’ve forgotten your password you can request to have a reminder emailed to you from the log in page.

 

Have you deleted old files and links?

Sometimes we spend so much time adding new things we forget to delete some of the old things! Spend a bit of time checking the links on your website to see if they are still relevant. It is not uncommon to find broken links to pages you have since deleted, or a random page with no content. Take a few minutes to delete these or to renew the links so that new visitors don’t find themselves confused.

 

Does your website still reflect your ethos, values, and day-to-day school life?

Your website should mirror your real school. If you have taken the chance to shake up the curriculum, make major changes to assessment, or even changed your uniform, be sure to update the relevant sections of your website to reflect this. We can also help with changing the design and logos as required.

 

Are all of your achievements on there?

If you have any logos to add to the website from gaining Arts Marks, Sports Marks, Eco Awards…or any other such accolades, get in touch so we can add them to your website, or add a page to collect all of your “trophies” in one place.

 

The basics…

Last but not least, do check that the staff lists and governor lists are up to date – including the headteacher’s name on the welcome message. Class names on pages may also have changed and these simple-to-fix details can stop a parent from thinking they landed on the wrong school website!

 

If you need any help with any of the above please do get in touch so we can get your year off to a flying start.