Great school websites
With more and more teachers, parents and students using the internet, great school websites are becoming increasingly popular as they allow for easier school management, help to showcase the school to prospective parents and help students engage more with school activities. We’ve written a list of tips and ideas to help teachers get the most from their school’s website.
Integrated Calendar
Including an integrated calendar on the school’s website is an excellent way to help keep everyone informed of upcoming events. You can include the dates of term times, school trips, extra-curricular activities and more to help manage events. It also helps to save on paper and the need of having to issue constant reminders. Just make sure you keep the calendar updated!
Student Projects
There are so many great projects in schools that aren’t seen outside the classroom. Having a section on your website that displays some of the best work can give students a sense of pride as many will want to be featured online. It’s also a great way to show parents the great work that’s being done at the school to give them confidence in you. You could add either pictures, videos or blogs to present the latest projects.
School Supplies Suggestions
Each school has different requirements for what children need to bring to school. Parents and children will often forget to bring things at the start of a school term and may not be sure what is needed. Help to avoid confusion by including a list of all the essential and recommended items that children need to bring with them.
Contact Information
Your school’s website will be the first place parents go to when looking for contact information. Here there’s an opportunity to list different departments or have a contact form which allows parents to select their type of enquiry.
Online Store
An online store gives parents the opportunity to shop securely to buy items for their children. A secure eCommerce platform will let you list anything from text books, clothing or tickets to school events.
Website Design
The Design and layout of the website will be crucial to helping portray your school in the best way possible. Having clear pictures that highlight the best features of the school and experiences of the children is very important. The website colours and theme should be consistent with the schools branding to ensure parents receive the right message about the school. Finally, the navigation should be clear and thought out to help users get to the most important pages of the website without any difficulty.
Great school websites have ease of Use
A school’s website should be as easy to manage as possible for teachers. Websites that are built in systems that require technical skills can use up teachers’ valuable time. Make sure that when you get a new website for your school that it’s set up in a way that it’s as easy to manage as possible.School Meals Management
A school meals management
system can help to streamline school meals and make it easier for schools and parents to manage which meals will be prepared that week. Choosing meals in advance can help the kitchen staff plan their meals more efficiently and reduce schools’ administration time.
When you’re creating a new website for your school, try to think of systems that will showcase the school to parents, help to increase administration efficiency and improve the lives of students at the school.
This article was written by Josh Bruce of UK web design agency BFI. A former teacher, he’s still passionate about education and helping students and teachers get the most out of school.
