Good communication is a key part of any successful school. For primary school heads, creating an attractive and informative online presence is important. Making sure that your website is up to date and really delivers what you need it to, however, can be a bit of a challenge.
There’s no doubt that your website counts for a lot. It’s one of the first things that Ofsted look at when they’re reviewing your primary school for its latest report. But it’s also the place that parents often look when they’re trying to find information.
Is It Time For a Website Revamp?
The trouble with many school websites is that they can become neglected. If your site hasn’t been updated for the last three years, for example, chances are that it might be looking outdated and a little jaded. It’s easy to think that it’s all working perfectly fine. Closer inspection, however, might tell a different story.
How usable is your site?
This is one of the key questions that many school heads don’t answer properly. Usability is an important factor in website design. It means parents can easily find what they want. Many sites will have pages and content added after the initial design which means it can become complicated to navigate over time.
The trouble is, the more complicated your site is, the more difficult it is to find things. Usability isn’t just about finding the right information either. If your pages take too long to download or some documents are out of date it can look bad in the eyes of a reviewing body like Ofsted. Not only that, you’re making it more difficult for parents to get what they need.
Are you mobile ready?
The majority of us nowadays view web pages on our mobile phones. That’s been the case for the last few years and it has big implications for web design. Your site basically needs to be mobile ready – that means it looks just as good on a smartphone as it does on a desktop. You’ll be surprised to learn that many primary school websites still don’t have this basic facility in place.
Get A Website Review
You may already be thinking about revamping your website and, if you are, we’re here to help. It’s always good practice to regularly check that your site is fulfilling all its potential. Most primary schools don’t have a dedicated IT support team on board who can do that and it’s a task that can often get put back because of more important issues.
At Parentapps, we have the team in place who will be able to work with you, audit your existing site and help you develop a new one in next to no time. The cost of building a website has come down dramatically in the last few years and it’s much easier to get a tailored solution that really makes a difference to your school.
Ofsted have fairly strict requirements for school websites and our team will be able to go through their checklist to make sure you are fully compliant. Not only that, you’ll be able to create a website that really catches the eye and stands out from the crowd in your local area.
If you want to make sure that your primary school website is up to speed and fit for purpose, contact our expert team today to see how we can help.