One of the areas that multi-academy trusts often want to improve is their collective brand and specifically how this appears online. That means developing technology such as smartphone apps and websites that have a collective look and fee and which work together to provide everything that teachers, parents and pupils are looking for in today’s digital world.
The truth is that most schools have websites which haven’t been up updated in a long while. Information is added without much regard for usability and structure. Sites can become complex or top heavy in a short time, difficult to navigate because there’s been no review of functionality from the users point of view. In some cases websites can simply look too outdated and don’t work with devices such as smartphones and tablets.
Schools joining any academy trust generally come with their own online processes and ‘brand’ that needs to be adjusted to fit in with the new organisational environment.
If you have any online sites, they need to be reviewed and updated at regular intervals to make sure you are providing access to the latest technology and giving users everything they need. This provision can vary considerably across different academies within a trust and it can prove difficult to get everyone singing from the same hymn sheet.
Online users have become used to getting what they want and we’re a lot more sophisticated in what we do in the digital environment. Getting it right and developing a website that really delivers provides parents and pupils with a whole range of information, boosts engagement with a your academy and improves relations across the board.
Again, as with apps, this has an area that has improved significantly in the last few years and which has, just as importantly, come down in price. Gone are the days when you had to work closely with a new developer and struggle to find the money from your school budget to make changes. The latest website development tools are instantly available and can be implemented quickly, in some cases in just a matter of hours. That means you can carry out an overhaul of the look and feel of your site and get it up and running in much less time than before.
Communication is at the heart of any organisation and schools and academies are no different from modern businesses. Old, poorly constructed websites are certainly visited less often. When you have something that looks new and exciting it draws people in to find out what you offer and improves engagement with all stakeholders.
New website development also means you can bring in the branding of your multi-academy trust. Better navigation and accessibility opens up the information you want to provide to everyone while also creating the online infrastructure which shows each school as part of a more important whole. It helps each academy stand out from the crowd and the evidence shows that this also increases engagement including with parents.
At Parent Apps we are always searching for ways to deliver value added extras to the schools and academies we provide services to. If your website has not been updated for a while, we can work with you to develop a modern and dynamic online presence that really hits the mark. Contact our friendly team today to find out more.