10 May What makes a great school website?
Most schools today have a website, where parents, students, and staff alike can find information, and prospective students and their parents can find out more about the school. By considering what makes a great school website, you can make sure that your website conveys the information well, helping to enhance the reputation of the school.
Compliance
When considering what information should go on your website, make sure you are clear on what information has to be included, such as your admissions policy and Ofsted reports. The requirements are slightly different depending on whether your school is an academy or a maintained school, so check what your school is required to publish online.
Navigation
Websites for schools do not need cutting-edge designs. Instead, they need to prioritise making the information easy to find. As well as a clear menu with items like ‘about us’, ‘news and events’, and ‘parent information’, consider having a search function so that visitors can easily find what they are looking for.
Functionality
Prioritise the functionality of your website over the design. Have an uncluttered home page that leads logically onto other areas of the site. Time-saving features such as a calendar and contact forms will make your website useful to visitors, while well-chosen images and text will guide them through the site. To get the best results, choose a designer with experience in websites for schools, such as www.fsedesign.co.uk/websites-for-schools/.
You can also test features for functionality. For example, you can ask a group to carry out tasks on the site, like filling in a form, finding particular information or downloading a prospectus to see how long it takes.
Accessibility
You want your school website to be easily accessible. This means making sure it looks good on all devices. Responsive designs will work well on screens of any size, including phones, tablets, and PCs.
Make sure the home page, in particular, has a quick loading speed by avoiding elements that slow this down. Not everyone has a high-speed broadband connection. So, make it easy for them to quickly access all information.
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