School websites that parents can rely on
I build websites for schools that answer parents' questions before they pick up the phone: admissions, fees, the calendar, transport, notices and results, kept current through the year. Then I make sure the school shows up when families nearby search for a school.
What a school site needs
- Admissions with dates and documents
- Notices and circulars, easy to post
- The academic calendar
- Transport routes and timings
- Required disclosures for your board
Two kinds of parents visit
Prospective parents visit when they are choosing a school, mostly around admission season. They want to know the board and curriculum, the age criteria, the fees, the facilities, how far the bus goes and what the school is like. They compare a few schools on their phones in the evening, and a school with a clear, current website makes the shortlist more easily.
Current parents visit all year for practical things: tomorrow's holiday, the exam timetable, a circular they lost, the uniform list, a result. If they can't find it on the site, they call the office. Every notice that is on the website, where parents expect it, is a phone call your staff don't have to take.
A good school site serves both, with admissions up front for new families and notices one tap away for current ones.
What I build into a school website
Admissions
The process step by step, age criteria, documents, dates and a way to enquire or apply.
Notices and circulars
A notices page staff can update, with the newest first and older ones kept for reference.
Calendar and timings
Term dates, holidays, exams, school hours and office hours, all in one place.
Transport
Bus routes and stops, pickup times and who to call when a bus is late.
Disclosures and results
The disclosures your board requires, board results and achievements you can show with real data.
School life
Facilities, events and activities, with photos taken with permission and children's privacy respected.
School services in detail
Each part of the work has its own page.
Admissions coming up?
Send me your current website or prospectus. I'll tell you what parents will look for and what the site needs before admissions open.
Children's photos and privacy
School websites carry photos of children, and that needs care. I recommend using photos only with parents' permission, avoiding full names next to children's faces, and keeping student data such as marks or phone numbers off the public site entirely. Results can be shown as totals and toppers with consent, rather than as lists anyone can download.
If the school collects admission forms online, those details should go somewhere secure, reach only the people who need them and never sit in a public folder. I set forms up that way from the start.
Guides for schools
Running coaching classes rather than a school? See coaching institutes. For higher education, see colleges and institutes.
Questions schools ask me
Can teachers or the office post notices themselves?
Yes. On WordPress, staff can post notices, circulars and photos from a simple dashboard with their own logins, and you decide who can publish. On a plain HTML site, the office sends me the notice and I publish it. For a school that posts every week, the dashboard usually makes more sense.
Does the school need an app as well?
Usually not for the website's job. A site that works well on a phone covers admissions, notices and the calendar for parents. Many schools already use a separate app or system for attendance, homework and fees, and the website can link to it rather than replace it.
What does a CBSE school have to publish on its website?
CBSE requires affiliated schools to publish a mandatory public disclosure on their website, covering things like affiliation details, staff, results and infrastructure, in the format the board sets. I build that page from the documents you provide and keep it where the board expects it. Other boards have their own rules, which I check for your school.
Should fees be on the website?
If your fee structure is fixed for the session, publishing it saves the office a great many calls and shows parents you are open with them. Some boards and states also require it. If fees vary by class or stream, a clear table by class works well.
Want a school website parents actually use?
Tell me about your school, its board and what parents call the office about most. I'll suggest what the site should cover first and give you the price.