In 2025 having a great school website is a non-negotiable. A good website should be simple to use, look great on any device, and help families stay connected with school life.

In this article, we’ll take a look at seven of the best primary school websites of 2025. We’ll highlight what makes them work so well and share a few ideas you can use for your primary school’s website.

Drumlins Integrated Primary School

The Drumlins Integrated Primary School website is clean, bright, and easy to navigate. It uses friendly colours and simple layouts that make it feel welcoming and accessible. Key information is easy to find, and the tone throughout reflects the school’s inclusive values.

The design supports the school’s message of learning together with respect. This makes it a great example of how a school website can reflect its ethos.

Crossley Street

Crossley Street Primary School’s website strikes a great balance between warmth and professionalism. The design is clean and easy to navigate and has clear sections for parents and visitors.

Their website does a great job of showcasing the school’s achievements and community spirit and also highlights its inclusive values. The use of photos and simple language helps bring the school’s ethos to life, making it feel welcoming, ambitious, and full of opportunity.

https://www.crossleystreet.leeds.sch.uk/

St Thomas’ Church of England Primary School 

The St Thomas’ CE Primary School website perfectly captures the school’s caring, community-first ethos. It’s bright, welcoming, and easy to navigate, with clear information for parents and visitors.

Their primary school website highlights what makes the school special, from its family atmosphere and strong Christian values to its brilliant Forest School programme and impressive eco credentials. It’s a lovely site that reflects the school’s warm personality and wide range of opportunities for every child.

https://www.st-thomas.lancs.sch.uk/

Warwick Road Primary School

The Warwick Road Primary School website is clear, welcoming, and easy to use. It reflects the school’s aim to help every child ‘Exceed Expectations’ and highlights their strong links with the local community.

The primary school website is well-organised, making it simple for parents to find key information. It also showcases regular updates, newsletters, and details about school events, giving a real sense of the school’s caring and ambitious ethos.

https://www.warwickroad.kirklees.sch.uk/

St Josephs, Oldham

The Saint Joseph’s RC Primary School website has a warm and welcoming feel, much like the school itself. It reflects the school’s strong faith foundation and sense of community.

The website has a simple navigation menu that allows users to easily access key information such as curriculum details, year group pages, and school news.

https://www.st-josephs.oldham.sch.uk/

Oakfield Primary Academy

The Oakfield Primary Academy website is bright, friendly, and easy to explore. It reflects the school’s focus on growth and inclusion.

The layout is simple and well-organised, which makes it easy to find key information and get a feel for the school’s values and community spirit.

https://www.oakfieldprimaryacademy.co.uk/

Hawksworth Church Of England Primary School

The Hawksworth Church of England Primary School website offers a warm and inviting experience. It features a clean layout and intuitive navigation, making it easy for parents and visitors to find information.

The homepage includes drone footage, providing a panoramic view of the school and its surroundings. This modern touch enhances the site’s appeal and reflects the school’s commitment to embracing innovative methods to engage its community.​

https://www.hawksworthceprimary.org/

Design The Perfect Primary School Website

A good primary school website should do more than just look nice. They should be easy to use and improve communication among parents, teachers and students. The best primary school websites in 2025 work well on phones, are simple to navigate, and make it easy for website visitors to find what they need.

School Jotter has been helping schools build fast, modern, and Ofsted-compliant websites since 2007, and we’ve now worked with over 4,000 across the UK.

Get in touch with our team today to learn more about our school website design services.

Whether you’re an independent private school or part of a larger network, your students are the heartbeat of your institution. But how do you attract students year on year when there are so many other establishments on the market?

Digital marketing strategies can boost your online visibility to increase student enrolment in today’s digitally focused world. In this article, we discuss 7 strategies that you can implement today to increase enrolment.

Why Private School Marketing Matters Now More Than Ever

Attracting students to your school isn’t like it used to be; private school competition is only becoming fiercer by the year. New private education institutions are appearing all the time, making it imperative to stand out from the crowd to attract students.

But it isn’t just market saturation you need to be aware of — parents are searching for more than just outstanding academics. These days, they want a well-rounded experience, reassurance their child(ren) will thrive, and personalised attention throughout the deliberation, onboarding, and attending phases. 

Parents and students alike are searching for schools in new ways, giving rise to digital-first decision-making and solidifying the importance of digital marketing in today’s private establishment world. It’s the only way to build trust and drive those enquiries.

7 Proven Private School Marketing Strategies to Boost Enrolment

1. Optimise Your School Website for First Impressions

First impressions don’t only matter on a human level, but on a digital level, too. Therefore, optimising your school’s website is a must-do for ensuring a positive initial impact. You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression, after all.

While there is a lot that goes into creating an optimised school website (all of which we can help you with), these are the three most important things to keep in mind when designing (or redesigning) your site:

• Mobile-friendly (responsive) design — We’re no longer relying on desktop devices to surf the web. In fact, the latest data shows 64.04% of all internet comes from mobile devices. If your private school website isn’t optimised for mobiles and tablets, you’re losing the majority of parents or students who browse on the go. A responsive site automatically adjusts to different screen sizes to guarantee a consistent user experience, regardless of the device it’s viewed on.
• Clear call-to-actions (CTAs) — From “Book a Tour” to “Download a Prospectus,” your website needs clear call-to-actions (i.e., buttons or links that tell people what to do).
• Showcase facilities, achievements, and testimonials — Parents need to get a feel for your offerings right off the bat. They shouldn’t have to search for basic information. So, make sure to highlight your institution’s achievements, facilities, and testimonials.

2. Use Storytelling and Video to Connect Emotionally

Video is a huge seller these days, especially with the rise of TikTok and Instagram Reels. You can use this to your advantage by placing videos on landing pages, home pages, social media, and even YouTube.

As for the content of your videos, ensure it matches the atmosphere and motto of your school. Capture student/parent experiences from past and present attendees or try behind-the-scenes content, so viewers can figure out whether your establishment is right for them (or their children). Recording such videos increases credibility, increasing the likelihood of enquiries.

3. Run Targeted Social Media Campaigns

Social media campaigns without proper targeting are useless, but with it, they can work wonders for your uptake.

Both paid and organic marketing can create flurries of enquiries. The former includes paid Facebook and Instagram ads that target local parents, while the latter includes student story write-ups, Q&As, and event highlights. Retargeting ads are also beneficial to show those who’ve previously visited your site what they’re missing.

4. Host Open Days and Virtual School Tours

Make sure you promote open days via email, flyers, and ads, and offer virtual tours for families who may not be able to make your open day dates. You can record segments of your in-person open days to add to video tours, ensuring every family gets the same experience.

5. Leverage SEO and Local Search Optimisation

Search engine optimisation ensures your private school appears high up on Google rankings, making families more likely to discover you. After all, nobody looks beyond the first page of search results.

We recommend focusing on:

• Claiming your Google Business Profile
• Using local SEO by targeting keywords such as, “independent schools near me” and “private schools in [location]”.
• Consistently uploading blog posts answering parents’ common questions
• Linking to different parts of your website from blog posts and other pages (called internal linking)

6. Build a Recognisable and Trustworthy School Brand

A strong, recognisable, and trustworthy brand is essential for private schools looking to increase enrolment. It’s the component that sets your school apart and allows families to connect with your values. Here’s how to develop one:

• Define your USP (e.g., pastoral support, academic excellence, extracurriculars)
• Ensure your visual identity is consistent across your website, logo, and prospectus
• Keep your tone of voice the same in all communications, including emails, printed newsletters, and social posts

7. Follow Up and Nurture Every Enquiry

When a parent or student enquires through your website, make sure to follow up and nurture them in a way that aligns with your school’s values. You should set up an email nurture sequence that occurs after form submissions. Offering downloadable resources (like the prospectus and admissions checklist) and guaranteeing consistent messaging from administration staff are fantastic ways to follow up on every enquiry to maximise results and boost admissions.

Marketing for Private Schools 101

Digital marketing takes time, but implementing these strategies will help potential students discover your school. And if something isn’t working? Change it! It’s important to adjust your school’s marketing strategy based on the data showing what works.

A well-designed website is crucial for schools. It’s the central hub of all information that parents, students, and staff need to access and navigate.

A good school website increases communication and engagement with parents and the wider community. It has the most recent information, news, and tools regarding recent events and developments.

In this article, we will discuss the top 10 features that school websites should have in 2025 to guarantee that your school has an up-to-date, effective, and compelling online presence.

1: Mobile Responsiveness

It is important to have a website that is compatible with all devices including phones and tablets. Since more and more people use mobile internet, schools need websites that are easy to use and look good on small screens.

Mobile responsiveness enhances a user’s experience as it enables them to find their way around the site and locate the information they need regardless of the device they are using. It also improves accessibility to make sure everyone including parents and students who rely on their phones for instant information and updates can be able to use the website easily.

2: User-Friendly Navigation

Intuitive navigations are essential for helping website visitors find the information they need quickly and easily. A well-organised website ensures visitors aren’t frustrated searching for important details.

To achieve this:

1. Organise content logically by grouping related information.
2. Use clear, descriptive labels for menu items, and keep the menu structure simple.
3. Ensure key sections like calendars, news updates, and contact information are easily accessible from the main menu.

This approach improves the user experience and makes it easy for parents, students, and staff to get the information they need.

3: Secure Portals for Students and Staff

Secure login areas are vital to protect private information and to give individuals access to the information in the school. Students and staff need a place to log in and access and control private information safely.

Secure portals may have areas for resources such as homework, grades, and internal communications. This makes it easier for students to assess their performance and get access to their work.

It also helps simplify communication and reduce the administration time needed by employees.

Secure portals are useful in protecting privacy and improving the operations of schools at the same time.

4: Comprehensive CMS

A good CMS is essential for a modern school website. They allow school staff to easily update and manage website content without technical knowledge. Teachers and staff can quickly post news updates and upload resources, keeping the school’s website site current and relevant.

Using a CMS designed specifically for schools has many advantages. These systems often include many useful features tailored to schools, such as integration with current systems, tools for managing class schedules and absence reports.

5: SEO Optimisation

SEO is can increase the number of visitors your school website gets. When your site appears higher in search engine results, it’s easier for people to find important information about your school.

To optimise your school websites content, use relevant keywords that parents and students might search for, such as “school calendar,” “homework help,“ or “school news.“ Write clear and informative meta descriptions for each page to give a snapshot of the content’s topic. It’s also important to regularly update your site with fresh content, like news articles and event updates. This to keeps your website relevant and engaging for both search engines and users.

6: Integrated Calendar System

A dynamic calendar informs your school community about important dates and events. It makes sure that everyone stays up-to-date with school activities, from holidays and teacher training days to sports events and school trips.

Integrating features like reminders and event notifications can make your school’s calendar even better. Parents can receive alerts about upcoming events and students can be reminded of homework deadlines and exam dates. This can improve both organisation and communication within the school community, meaning no one misses out on important information.

7: Social Media Integration

There are loads of benefits to linking your school’s social media accounts to the website. It allows people to stay updated and get real-time updates and is another platform to share news, events, and achievements with the local community. Integrating social media helps parents and students stay connected and engaged with school activities.

Social media integration also keeps content fresh. It’s a way to update your website by automatically displaying recent posts and updates from platforms like Facebook and Instagram. This not only increases community engagement but also showcases the daily life of your school to prospective families.

8: Multimedia Galleries

Photo and video galleries can visually showcase school events, achievements, and activities. They show a glimpse into daily school life, making it more appealing to current and prospective families.

Updating pictures and videos regularly is crucial to keep your school’s website current and engaging. Fresh content captures ongoing activities and can tempt visitors to return frequently to see the latest updates.

9: Multilingual Support

It’s important that non-English speaking parents and community members can view your school’s website so a translation feature is crucial. Having an international website means that everyone can access important information, making the website more inclusive.

This feature significantly improves communication by breaking down language barriers. Multilingual website support demonstrates your school’s commitment to diversity and inclusivity and creates a more welcoming and supportive community for all families.

10: SSL Certificates and Security

The security of your school’s website security is essential. Protecting data like student records, personal details, and internal communications is crucial to maintaining trust and confidentiality (plus it’s a legal requirement).

SSL certificates play a role in this protection. They encrypt data shared between the user’s browser and the website. This means that any information shared remains private and secure. Implementing a SSL certificate helps safeguard against data breaches and cyber threats, ensuring a secure online environment for your school websites users.

10 Must-Have Features for School Websites in 2025

A good school website needs to be mobile responsive, user-friendly, and equipped with secure portals for students and staff.

It should feature a complete CMS designed for schools, be optimised for SEO, and have an integrated calendar system.

Schools should review their current websites and consider incorporating these must-have features. Doing this will ensure their websites remain competitive, effective, and able to meet the needs of their community in 2025 and beyond.

Get in touch to discuss how School Jotter can help you build the perfect website for your school.

In 2025, a great school website is more important than ever. A great school website should be easy to use, engaging and work on any device. Our bespoke school websites make it simple for parents, students, and staff to find important information while also reflecting the school’s unique character and community.

This article explores the best school websites of 2025, highlighting their key features and best practices that make them stand out.

Crossley Street

Crossley Street were looking for a high impact non scroll website that would provide an instant overview of school life to potential parents alongside clear and ofsted friendly information. We worked with the school to use their drone footage and added this onto the front of the website. We then used a clear navigation system to signpost to parents how to find information within 2 clicks. The website looks great on both mobile and desktop devices. 

https://www.crossleystreet.leeds.sch.uk/

Learning for Life Trust

Learning for life trust wanted the gold standard in school web design. The trust requested a website that appealed to both parents and pupils and reflected the nurturing settings of the school. Clear in layout, bright colours and a friendly design this website captures the essence perfectly of the school. With bright colourful headers it makes the website easy to navigate whilst being an enjoyable experience for parents,

https://www.learningforlifetrust.org.uk/

St Josephs, Oldham

When looking for a new website St Josephs had a strong vision of what they wanted. A clear, modern, simple website. Our graphic design sat down with the Head to bring their vision to life. We also created a curriculum page for the school allowing parents to learn about the subjects taught in schools. St Josephs also have a social media wall to the left of the site meaning parents can access their social media accounts in 1 click. 

https://www.st-josephs.oldham.sch.uk/

Dair House Private school

Dair House Private school approached us to modernise their website to attract more parents to look around the school. After speaking with the school we established what we needed to portray on the website. We focused on a clear layout but with richness of content including key dates for the diary, a video and newsletters. 

https://www.dairhouseschool.co.uk/

Rothely C of E School

Rothely C of E school wanted a website to showcase the school in spectacular fashion. We worked with them to create a fun, colourful and vibrant website. With an opening introduction song of ‘The continents’ fading purple writing as well as slideshows in the background of all pages this website lifts spirits and illustrates to parents the lively spirit of the school. 

https://www.rothley.leics.sch.uk/

Areté Learning Trust

Areté Learning Trust’s website mirrors its core values of excellence, purpose, and aspiration.

Inspired by the Greek concept of ἀρετή, the site is clear, modern-looking and easy to navigate. This ensures that parents, students, and staff can quickly find what they need.

With a strong visual identity and engaging content, it perfectly captures the trust’s commitment to helping every child be the best they can be.

https://www.arete.uk/

Oakfield Primary Academy

Oakfield Primary Academy’s website was designed to reflect its welcoming and inclusive ethos as it provides a clear and engaging insight into school life.

The colour and design capture the school’s ethos and branding. The website offers easy access to curriculum details, events, and key resources, making it a valuable hub for both current and prospective families.

Hawksworth Church Of England Primary School

https://www.hawksworthceprimary.org/

Build Your Schools Perfect Website

A great school website is more than just an online presence, it’s vital for communication and engagement. The best school websites of 2025 are easy to use, mobile-friendly, and have the right information for parents, students, and staff.

Since 2007, School Jotter has helped over 4,000 schools build fast, accessible, and Ofsted-compliant websites.

Get in touch to learn more about our bespoke school website design.

There’s a lot to manage when running a school, so it’s easy to overlook something as seemingly small as your logo. But in reality, your school’s logo plays a big part in shaping its identity, reputation, and appeal.

A well-designed school logo does more than look good. It can create a lasting first impression, strengthen your school’s brand, and create pride among students, staff, and the wider community.

With that in mind, let’s examine the top five reasons your school’s logo is vital before discussing our tips and tricks for designing an effective logo.

1. First Impressions

You only get one chance to make a first impression, and what’s the first thing that catches students’/parents’ eye when they’re researching schools? Their logos. If yours falls flat, you won’t get a second chance to grab their attention — they’re already looking at the next educational institution!

2. Builds a Strong School Identity

Believe it or not, a logo is more than a simple graphic; it represents your school’s unique personality. A thoughtfully designed logo embodies your school’s spirit, heritage, values, and aspirations, ensuring new students can resonate with the atmosphere before even attending an open day.

Put simply, your logo is the cornerstone of your identity.

3. Enhances School Branding and Marketing

We all know we live in a digital world, but many schools struggle to stay ahead of the curve. Your logo is a valuable tool for branding, marketing, and recognition. Consider it your digital identity marker.

Ensuring your school has a well-designed logo demands instant recognition in the crowded virtual landscape. It also helps align all digital marketing efforts, adding to your school’s appeal.

Whether you wish to engage parents, attract new students, build a community in the local area, or all three, you need a logo to establish digital prominence.

4. Boosts Student and Community Pride

A logo isn’t just a collection of symbols that look good together; it’s a small but mighty pride-, belonging, and unity-boosting aide within your school and the wider community. 

Provided it effectively embodies your schools values and spirit, it will bring diverse group of people together under a shared identity. It marks the collective journey of everyone under your school’s roof, particularly during events and ceremonies. 

5. Professionalism and Longevity

Nothing screams “professionalism“ like a good logo. Your school needs one to maintain credibility — all organisations have a logo; your school shouldn’t be left out.

Furthermore, your logo can serve as a tradition and heritage symbol. Hopefully, your schools will be around for a long time, so why not allow your logo to connect the past with the present?

Tips for Designing an Effective School Logo

You now understand your school needs a good logo, but how do you create one? These top tips will guide you through exactly that:

• Keep it simple—Logos should convey your school’s philosophy and message to your target audience. But too messy designs create too much “noise,“ obscuring the communication and diluting your message. Aim to communicate clearly through a clean, instantly recognisable design.
• Make sure it’s timeless — Trends are all well and good, but they don’t last forever. A perfectly designed school logo shouldn’t fall into the trendy category. Instead, it should remain relevant and aesthetically pleasing for years. Opt for classic, balanced designs; they age wonderfully.
• Be unique — Your logo should be as unique as your school is! You know what makes your school stand out from the crowd, so make sure your logo conveys that. If it’s memorable, you are more likely to make a fantastic first impression. 
• Ensure it’s relevant — Whatever your school’s core principles, your logo should visually communicate them. Everything should have a purpose, from the colours to the fonts and symbols. 
• Consider versatility — Your school’s logo appears on many things: signs, printed media, websites, social media, and more. As such, it needs to be adaptable to different applications and look good in colour and grayscale.
• Hire a professional – While DIY design tools are tempting, a professionally designed logo ensures your school’s identity is strong, polished, and built to last.

School Logo Design 101

Your school logo ensures you make an impression, establish a strong identity, and foster pride in your students and community.

So, let us help you. Whether you want a complete overhaul or just fancy a refresh, we’re well-versed in making sure your logo makes the right impact. Get in touch today to find out more.

Want to boost your school’s admission numbers in 2025?

You need to take a multi-faceted approach, utilising various digital and in-person methods that work synergistically to encourage more students through your doors.

And we have seven proven ways to do just that:

Create a User-Friendly School Website

What’s the first thing prospective students and parents are likely to see? Your school website! And since you never get a second chance to make a first impression, you need this to be informative and easy to use. 

User-friendly web design means it’s simple to navigate and boasts a clean, intuitive layout. Both prospective parents and students should be able to find critical information (admission details, contact information, and curriculum) in as few clicks as possible.

Beyond that, it should be optimised for desktop and mobile browsing. Most people access websites from mobile devices. Thus, it needs to be fully responsive to guarantee a seamless experience and prevent missed opportunities.

Focus on Digital Marketing

A user-friendly site won’t necessarily drive traffic. To do that, you need a strong digital marketing strategy that consists of these major components:

SEO

Search Engine Optimisation is a long-term marketing technique that can considerably boost your school’s ranking in search engine results, helping you receive more organic enquiries. 

The most powerful techniques include:

• Keyword research — Identify terms prospective parents/students are searching for and make sure they appear on your website, particularly in headings.
• Regularly publish content — Assuming you publish only high-quality content that addresses the concerns/interests of prospective families, this will drastically improve your online visibility.
• Local SEO — Claim and update your Google My Business profile and ensure your establishment’s name, address, and phone number are consistent across all web locations.

PPC

PPC, or pay-per-click, is a digital marketing strategy that involves paying a fee each time your ad is clicked. While this may seem daunting, you only pay when somebody clicks. Therefore, those who find your website are more likely to be truly interested in attending your school.

Social Media Marketing

Social media is excellent for reaching wider audiences and engaging potential students. But to maximise engagement, go beyond basic posts (e.g., use polls, Q&As, and live videos).

Email Marketing

When done correctly, email is still one of the most effective marketing methods. It allows you to communicate directly with potential students and parents, nurture leads, and help them through the decision-making process.

Use automated campaigns to simplify email marketing. This “set it and forget it” process nurtures leads over time without manual input. For instance, once someone downloads your prospectus, they could receive a few emails that include testimonials, curriculum information, and tour invitations.

Feature Parent and Student Testimonials

Post parent and student testimonials on your website and social media pages so prospective families can get an accurate depiction of your school, its ethos, and positive news. Such success stories are not only relatable but motivational.

Offer Virtual Tours and Open Days

Events are a major component of your school’s strategy, giving prospective families the chance to experience everything you have to offer firsthand. Thanks to technological advancements, there are many ways you can provide this:

Virtual Events In-Person Events

Virtual open days have become popular in recent years, giving flexibility to those who can’t physically attend. Make sure you use the opportunity to showcase all the facilities, introduce staff members, and offer a live Q&A section. Nothing beats taster days, where potential students spend a day in the classroom.

Virtual Tours

Virtual tours allow you to show off all your school’s facilities in an engaging way. The best ones use a drone to “walk” prospective students through classrooms, cafeterias, playgrounds, and more. In-person tours and open days are a tried-and-tested way of acquiring students.

Host webinars on topics that matter to parents (e.g., preparing your child for secondary school). They position your establishment as a thought leader.

Improve Your School’s Reputation with Strong Reviews

Encourage past and present students, staff, and community members to leave reviews on Google and other platforms. This boosts your reputation and provides social proof of your establishment’s high rating.

Build a Strong Brand

Building a strong brand is essential for helping future students distinguish your establishment from other educational institutions. Good brands have a clear identity which students and parents can connect to. Think about what your school stands for and draw on impressions of current students to solidify your brand promise. That way, you can communicate it clearly to prospective families.

Partner with Local Businesses and Community Groups

Collaborating with your community’s businesses and groups spreads awareness of your school, increases visibility, and crafts additional avenues for parent and student enquiries.

Some of the most effective for schools include:

• Educational workshops — Offer workshops or seminars alongside local organisations that focus on child development, health and wellness, or school preparation to position your establishment as your area’s leader in education.
• Sponsorships — Demonstrate your commitment to the community and raise your school’s visibility by sponsoring local events, initiatives, and sports teams.
• Partnerships — You can partner with locally run businesses to offer your school’s attendees special offers or discounts. In return, they can feature your school in marketing materials.

Naturally, these aren’t the only collaborative opportunities available. Think outside the box and try internship opportunities, resource sharing, and even co-branded events to draw local students looking for connected yet educational experiences.

How To Increase Student Enrolment

Using these seven methods will help you achieve your goal of increasing student enrolment this year. Remember — it all starts with a user-friendly site that employs strategic digital marketing methods to get you on the front page of Google.

If you’re looking to increase student enrolment, get in touch to learn about our range of services including website design, marketing and prospectus and logo design.

Oracy may not always get the same attention as literacy or numeracy, but its importance in shaping confident, articulate individuals cannot be overstated. From group discussions in primary classrooms to debates in secondary schools, oracy equips students with the speaking and listening skills they need to excel academically and socially.

In this article, we’ll unpack what oracy really means, why it matters, and how you can foster these essential skills across all age groups in your school.

What Is Oracy?

Simply put, Oracy is the development and practice of speaking and listening. However, the pedagogical concept of the term is much deeper. It involves effectively communicating, articulating thoughts, and participating in meaningful, balanced discussions while demonstrating relevant body language and linguistic and emotional cues. 

Oracy manifests in various ways throughout daily life. However, an oracy-focused school environment aims to foster students’ confidence in active listening, verbal expression, and constructing and conveying coherent arguments—all necessary for a fulfilled professional and personal life.

The Four Components of Oracy

Since Oracy encompasses many skills, they’re categorised into four components of the discipline (otherwise known as pillars).

Physical

Widely recognised as the foundation of communication, Oracy’s physical component includes non-verbal elements like voice clarity, eye contact, and body language. These skills allow students to engage with their audience (even if that audience is one person) and exude confidence.

Linguistic

When you think of Oracy, you likely thought of the linguistic component of it. It’s a common mistake, but in reality, linguistics (i.e., vocabulary, grammar, and storytelling) is just one of Oracy’s four pillars! It helps students articulate their thoughts and feelings both clearly and creatively. Storytelling projects are a particularly enjoyable way to develop linguistic skills (but more on that later).

Cognitive

This component involves formulating arguments, thinking critically, and organising thoughts. Developing these skills enables students to respond thoughtfully to others and structure their ideas logically.

Social and Emotional

Last but certainly not least, Oracy’s social and emotional pillar revolves around understanding emotions — of those around us and ourselves. Students with these skills will be able to self-regulate, empathise with others, and manage their feelings as they communicate with those around them.

Why Is Oracy Important?

Research has uncovered many benefits of oracy-focused curriculums.

Evidence shows that developing oracy skills improves academic performance across English, maths and science. 

But it isn’t just about academic achievement. Oracy’s advantages extend to improved employability and career readiness, self-confidence, resilience, empathy, self-awareness, well-being, happiness, life chances, and civic engagement and empowerment.

Oracy in the Classroom

The implicit teaching of oracy happens all the time in the classroom. But when you’re looking to take an oracy-focused approach, the following tables guides you through the age-dependent specific skills you should work on with your students and strategies to ensure your classroom effectively involves all four pillars of oracy:

Age-Dependent Oracy Skills

Teaching Strategies for Oracy’s Four Pillars

Oracy vs Literacy and Numeracy

Literacy and numeracy have traditionally taken precedence over other curriculum subjects. But as of 2024, educators, researchers, and scientists alike say oracy should take over—or become as essential as literacy and numeracy, at least. Why? due to its importance, as discussed earlier. It forms the basis of our professional and personal lives, so why shouldn’t it be as important as other widely recognised essential disciplines?

Measuring and Assessing Oracy

While assessing oracy is still largely subjective, the Oracy Skills Framework and Glossary defines a list of attributes to look out for when assessing students’ skills. These include linguistic notions like using appropriate vocabulary in the context, physical attributes like pronunciation clarity, and cognitive choices like maintaining focus on the topic.

Improve Your Students Communication Skills With Oracy

Embedding oracy into your teaching and focusing on its four pillars, you can help your students build the confidence, communication skills, and emotional intelligence they need to succeed academically and socially.

Whether through classroom discussions, debates, or storytelling, prioritising oracy will prepare your pupils for the wider world beyond the school gates.

Explore Oracy Champions today!

GDPR Masterclass

30-Minute Masterclass with Claire Archibald: GDPR Education Expert

Friday 7th February 2025 | 12pm | Google Meet

Exciting news for all School Jotter and Webanywhere customers! We’re thrilled to offer you exclusive access to a free masterclass with Claire Archibald, a renowned expert in the field of GDPR education. Take advantage of this opportunity to deepen your understanding of GDPR and how it applies to Educational settings.

If you’d like Claire to address specific questions during the session, please email them in advance to claire.morritt@webanywhere.co.uk

This masterclass is free for all School Jotter and Webanywhere customers. Don’t miss out—sign up today and join us for this valuable learning experience.

Struggling with low enrolment numbers? It’s a tough spot to be in, with reduced staffing, tight budgets, and mounting pressure. Traditional methods like leaflets and banners may not be delivering the results you need. It’s time to think differently.

Enter Facebook Ads. With over 2.91 billion active users globally, Facebook offers a highly targeted way to reach prospective parents in your local area or even further afield. Here’s how to get started with a simple, cost-effective strategy.

Step 1: Open Your School Page and Select Promote

First things first: ensure your school has a Facebook Business Page. If you don’t have one, set it up—it’s essential for running ads.

Once your page is ready, click the blue “Promote” button on the left-hand side. On the next page, select “Create New Ad.”

Step 2: Set Your Goal

Define what you want to achieve with your ad. Facebook lets you choose from several objectives. For schools, common goals include:

•Get more website visitors: Perfect if you want to drive traffic to your admissions page.

•Get more leads: Ideal for collecting contact information to follow up with potential families.

•Get more page likes: Useful for building your school’s online presence and brand awareness.

Step 3: Add Images, Text, and a Call to Action

Next, it’s time to design your ad. Choose a strong image—something vibrant and relevant, like a snapshot of your nursery play area or a happy classroom.

Pair the image with compelling text and a clear call to action (CTA). For example:

•Open Day: Use “Interested” as your CTA.

•Website Visits: Opt for “Learn More” or “Visit.”

Your text and image should align with your chosen goal for maximum impact.

Step 4: Create Your Audience

This is where Facebook Ads shine. You can target your audience based on location, age, interests, gender, and more.

For example, if you’re hosting an Open Day for early years admissions, you might target:

•Parents with pre-school children.

•A 14-mile radius around your school.

This precision ensures your ads are seen by the right people, making your budget stretch further.

Step 5: Set Your Budget

Budgeting is simple and flexible with Facebook Ads. Decide how much you want to spend and set a daily or campaign budget. You can also specify how long your ad will run.

Once your ad is live, monitor its performance and follow up on interactions promptly. Whether it’s a comment on your post or a sign-up form submission, every interaction is a potential opportunity to engage with a new family.

Why Facebook Ads Work for Schools

Facebook’s detailed targeting capabilities and wide reach make it a cost-effective option for schools looking to boost enrolments or build their brand. It’s especially useful when traditional methods fall short.

So, take the leap. With just a few simple steps, you can create an ad that connects with your community and helps your school thrive. Start today—your next prospective family is just a click away.

Get in touch to discover how we can help market your school and boost enrolment numbers.

Artificial intelligence isn’t the only (relatively) new kid on the teaching block. AR (otherwise known as augmented reality) is another branch of technology that is changing industries worldwide. While it may be some time before it becomes commonplace, augmented reality is worth the investment for your classroom.

Don’t worry; the 2D teaching resources you’ve used for years aren’t going anywhere. AR in education brings a 3D element to the game, allowing students to explore everything from dinosaurs to human organs more deeply and nuanced than ever.

There are many benefits to bringing augmented reality into the classroom. These are just the top five:

1. Enhances Engagement Through Interactive Learning

Traditionally, classroom settings rely on passive learning methods (e.g., presentations, pre-recorded videos, lectures, etc.), leaving pupils yearning (often subconsciously) for more engaging, interactive experiences—like those provided by augmented reality in education!

This technology brings a much-needed shift in how educators conduct their lessons, offering enhanced learning opportunities through interactivity. By merging physical and digital realms, AR turns otherwise confusing, abstract concepts into tangible events that are more enjoyable and effective to engage with.

For instance, you can boost history lessons by letting pupils virtually explore landmarks or witnessing crucial events unfold in a 360-degree experience. Such levels of engagement are fantastic for long-term retention and empowering students to become active participants in their learning journey.

Augmented reality’s immersive, interactive nature doesn’t just captivate and engage students’ interests, but it also encourages collaboration between peers. They can engage with each other and the content to explore and solve captivating challenges. To put it simply, AR makes learning more engaging. What teacher wouldn’t want that?

2. Makes Complex Subjects More Understandable

Let’s use science as an example here. It’s a notoriously complex subject, with many variables and information to consider. However, AR simplifies it by helping students visualize complex concepts. Whether it’s a tiny animal cell or a huge planet, interacting with them in a “hands-on” manner helps pupils understand the components of each. 

The same goes for biology. Can you imagine anything more magical and memorable than holding a 3D model of a human heart? AR in education gives your students that experience, enchanting and motivating them to understand even the most confusing topics. 

And this is just one subject! You can use augmented reality to bring the past to life in history, make convoluted fictional worlds more immersive, and so much more. You’ll undoubtedly be surprised by its ability to make typically tricky subjects easier.

3. Promotes Active Learning and Retention

Through its integration of virtual elements into the physical world, augmented reality allows students to actively engage with the material rather than passively listen or read it. This hands-on interaction with virtual objects and realistic simulations deepens their understanding and develops problem-solving skills, critical thinking, curiosity, and retention—the latter being one of the most important. 

Knowledge retention has always been a challenge, no matter the grade. Traditional methods often fail to provide long-term information retention as pupils struggle to connect abstract concepts to real life. AR, however, works to solve this decades-long issue.

Research shows that the amalgamation of auditory and visual stimuli in augmented reality in education drastically boosts information recall compared to traditional teaching methods. Students who can see and interact with virtual items related to the subject they’re studying are more likely to retain the knowledge over time. Such a foundation of knowledge extends far beyond the classroom.

4. Supports Accessibility and Inclusive Learning

While many tools promise to elevate accessibility and inclusivity within learning environments, augmented reality (AR) is one of the most promising. It boasts the potential to banish barriers to education and let everybody engage with learning experiences.

One key element when considering inclusive education is the interests of those with disabilities or special educational needs. Interestingly, augmented reality catches the interest of students with disabilities and special educational needs. With that in mind, researchers analyzed several studies. They concluded that pupils with auditory limitations, ASD, ADHD, and dyslexia are particularly eager to engage with and benefit from AR in education.

Beyond that, augmented reality applications include real-time captions, audio descriptions, and translations, making content more accessible to those with language barriers, sensory impairments, or disabilities. They can also simulate physical environments, helping individuals with mobility challenges engage in all manner of learning experiences. 

5. Bridges the Gap Between Theory and Practice

As previously explained, traditional teaching methods often fail to bridge the gap between theory and practice. However, augmented reality changes the game. Breathing life into concepts and theoretical knowledge gives practicality to the material, deepening understanding and helping students retain the newly learned information.

Take physics, for example. Augmented reality simulations allow pupils to see abstract principles in action, making concepts more tangible and easier to understand. 

Integrate AR Into Your School Today!

Bringing AR to your classroom has innumerable benefits, including bridging the often-wide gap between theory and practice, supporting accessibility and inclusive learning, promoting active learning and retention, making complex subjects more digestible, and enhancing engagement.

If you’re looking to improve your school’s brand image and attract more students, explore our school website design!