Think of your website as a window into your school. It’s your chance to show prospective parents and pupils the wonderful learning environment they could be a part of.
It also functions as a communication tool for parents and paints a picture of your school community to Ofsted inspectors. You’ want to make sure your school website is ready to be inspected by Ofsted, and this means aligning your content with Ofsted and government requirements.
How Ofsted assesses your school website
School websites are reviewed before an inspection, so inspectors will make an initial judgement of your school before even stepping through the door.
Every local-authority-maintained school must publish specific information on its website to comply with the School Information (England) Regulations (2008), as amended by The School Information (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 and 2016 and other relevant legislation including the Equality Act 2010: advice for schools and the Children and Families Act 2014.
Examples of inadequate school website practices
A school in County Durham was recently criticised during their Ofsted Inspection for poor leadership and management, as well as communication between school and parents. The report highlighted faults with the school website:
“Leaders do not regularly canvas opinions, and methods of communication between home and school are sometimes fragmented. It does not help that some information on the school website is out of date.”
What is Ofsted looking for in a school website?
Remember, your website must contain all the statutory information but should also communicate, inform, and engage with the user! Ofsted will look favourably upon a school who have gone the extra mile with their website – not just the bare minimum.
Organised and easy to navigate
Just as important as having all the statutory information on your website, is having the information easy to find in an organised, logical, and concise way. A user journey is a series of steps visitors may take on your website in order to reach a particular goal.
Consider your user journey. If your school website is cluttered and difficult to navigate, Ofsted Inspectors and web visitors are likely to leave before finding the information they need and exploring other pages.
Think about each area of your website paying particular notice to your high-value pages. For example: What information will parents most likely look for? What information would someone looking to apply for your school need to know? Group these together under a relevant header.
Visibility of statutory information
Having a website that is not easy to navigate will lead to frustrated visitors and inspectors. It is so important to ensure your information is up to date and engaging.
The right content will create a visually appealing yet informative website and demonstrate strong communication with parents to Ofsted Inspectors. Remember the golden rule. Communicate, inform, and engage! Your content should be informative, compliant with statutory requirements but also engage the user.
Updating your school website regularly with fresh content
News stories, blogs, events, and personal accounts from parents and pupils are valuable tools for communicating with your community. These resources can highlight the exciting activities happening in your school, showcase your balanced curriculum, and reinforce your school’s unique identity.
Be imaginative. You could have weekly class blog takeovers where the pupils show off their super writing skills, have monthly a day in the life of…video blogs, your pupils could even turn journalists and interview their teachers!
There are so many different ways to make your content engaging. Remember, it’s great to promote activities in school, but be careful not to overload the site with old news and make sure old content is removed or updated. Frequently updated relevant content will keep your website alive on search engines and keep it engaging for users.
Your school may be outstanding in all areas, but if your website does not meet your statutory requirements, this will impact your Ofsted rating.
Contact One Education for school website marketing solutions
Here at One Education, we offer a comprehensive range of school website services designed to ensure your website is both Ofsted-compliant and effective in showcasing your school’s unique strengths.
Our experts can help you with:
- Website audit: We’ll assess your existing website, identifying areas for improvement and ensuring compliance with Ofsted requirements.
- Content creation: Our team of skilled writers can develop engaging content that highlights your school’s achievements, ethos, and curriculum.
- Design and development: We’ll design and build a visually appealing, user-friendly website that reflects your school’s brand.
- Photography: Our professional photographers can capture stunning images of your school, students, and staff, bringing your website to life.
- Ongoing maintenance: Our ongoing maintenance services will keep your website updated, secure, and optimised for performance.
Don’t let an outdated website hold your school back. Contact us for our marketing services and discover how our expert services can help your school achieve its full potential.
