For independent schools, gaining new admissions have become increasingly challenging. Much of this is down to an increase in the number of viable options for those that have the funds to send their children to an independent school, as well as a tricky economy which is reducing the number of people that can afford this type of schooling. Thankfully, there are ways independent schools can increase their pupil admissions, even in this challenging market. We’ll look at a few options here.

Why Independent School Admissions are Becoming More Competitive

There are a few reasons why school admissions are becoming more competitive.

In many regions throughout the United Kingdom, there is a shrinking number of school-age children. While there are some parents who will gladly send their child to a quality independent school slightly further afield, the school does need to be very special for that.

There is also a lot of economic uncertainty around right now, and things are unlikely to get easier in the near future. This means that many parents are not willing, or may not have the funds, to send their child to an independent school.

Those who do have the funds will find that they have more options than ever before when it comes to school choices. Competition is great for parents, but never brilliant for the independent school.

Understanding What Today’s Parents are Looking For

In order to boost school admissions, schools should have an idea about what parents are looking for. They should then aim to deliver it.

Academic Outcomes Still Matter – But They’re Not Enough

Parents expect high exam scores. They expect their children to get into fantastic universities. They expect high quality teachers. The problem? Many independent schools can provide this and, unfortunately, exam results are no longer the ‘attraction’ that they once were.

Parents want to see what opportunities the school can offer their children. They want to see how the school will develop their child into a well-rounded human. They need to deliver experiences that can help set the child apart from the pack when it comes to university admissions, and future job prospects. Close links with the community, reputable establishments, etc. help with this.

Pastoral Care, Wellbeing, and Values

Parents want to ensure their child is being educated in a nurturing environment. They want to see school values, and an overall ethos that aligns with what the parent wants for their child.

Good independent schools will be able to demonstrate the various programs they have to boost the development of a child on both an emotional and social level.

Facilities & Enrichment Activities

Parents place a huge focus on facilities in the school. Top sports options? Great drama spaces? Up-to-date classrooms and science labs? Right away, parents will pay attention.

Extracurricular activities that can also benefit the child will be looked at closely. Quality music programs, sports, drama, and a multitude of clubs (e.g. army cadets) can work wonders at attracting new school admissions.

As we said before, parents don’t just want academic results. They want their child to grow as a person and develop a multitude of skills.

Strengthening Your School’s Value Proposition

This is about marketing. You could have the perfect independent school. Everything a parent could possibly dream of for their child, but if you do not convey this in the correct way, admissions will be slim.

Clearly Articulating Your Unique Selling Points

Schools need to establish what their unique selling points (USPs) are, and start to articulate them in the right way. It isn’t enough to just mention the unique parts of the school, but provide evidence of those USPs. This means, for example, sharing testimonials, or maybe results.

Think about what parents want for their children, and ensure that the mention of any USP ties into this. Don’t just say ‘good exam results’, say why the good exam results can benefit students.

Aligning Messaging Across Prospectus, Website, and Open Days

It is important that once you decide on the messaging your school has, everything should be consistent. You should always be reinforcing the same messages throughout any material your school produces, whether it is on your website, prospectus, or talks at open days. You always need to be drilling into parents what your school’s USP is, and tell them why it is beneficial.

How Your School Website Impacts Admissions

For many parents, your school’s website will be the very first impression they get of you. Therefore, it is essential that the website is designed in the right way, by the right people.

First Impressions and Trust Signals

If you’re promoting an independent school where you want parents to spend their hard-earned cash on sending their students, then make sure the design makes you seem credible. This means a professional design.

Think about what needs to be highlighted on the website too. For us, testimonials are a must. You may also wish to share any awards or accreditations your school may have.

We also think it is essential to include details of the leadership and the teachers. Not only will this be another method for demonstrating why your school may be a good fit, but also adds a touch of ‘human’ to the site. Things seem less sterile.

Ensure Key Information is Easy to Find

This means details on your curriculum, tuition fees, extra curricular activities, and any admission criteria. This information should be no more than a click or two away, since that is the information most parents will want.

Mobile Experience and Accessibility

Your site needs to be accessible on mobile devices. There should also be accessibility options to make your website easier to read for parents. This includes the ability to adjust font sizes, contrast options, etc.

Using SEO and Content to Attract the Right Families

While some parents may have first-hand knowledge of your school, many parents may be finding your school through the search engines. Therefore, investment in search engine optimisation (SEO) is key. This helps to get your school found.

Targeting Local and Intent-Driven Search Queries

This means thinking about what parents may be typing into a search engine when searching for schools like yours. Many of these searches may be local searches e.g. “independent schools in (your town name)”, or “independent school near me”. We suggest optimising your site for keywords that suggest a parent is looking to enrol. Work with an SEO expert on keyword optimisation, and it is essential you get this correct.

Content That Answers Parent Questions

This may mean FAQs about school admissions, the curriculum, and key parts of student life. Blog posts on achievements at the school, guides to the admissions process, recent exam scores, and maybe highlights of some of the extra curricular activities at the school.

Open Day and Admissions Page Optimisation

Many parents will be looking for this information, so make it easy to find. Always ensure that future open days are listed in a prominent place (preferably on the front page), and ensure you tell parents what to do to register for open days. Highlight key information about the school’s admission process.

Improving Enquiry Conversion, Not Just Traffic

Traffic is a good thing for a school, but it is not everything. Traffic needs to convert. These tips should help.

Clear Calls to Action for Different Parent Journeys

Calls to Action tell a parent what to do next. Think about the page a parent is on. For example, if the parent is looking at the Open Day page, then a CTA such as “Book Your Place” works. If the parent is looking at the school curriculum, then “Download Prospectus”. If the parent is near the end of the pipeline i.e. considering sending their child to the school, then “Contact Admissions” works.

Reducing Friction in Enquiry Forms

Enquiry forms make it easy for parents to contact you. However, they only work if they are easy. Don’t request too much information on your enquiry form. Minimal information only. You can request more information later on.

Following Up Enquiries Effectively

When you receive an enquiry, follow up on it. How you follow up will be dependent on the enquiry. Receiving basic information such as fees, curriculums, etc. can work via email. More information about admissions works better on the phone.

Making the Most of Open Days and School Visits

Promoting Open Days Digitally

Always promote Open Days. They should be clearly listed on your website. You may also want to promote them via social media and email lists. Make sure you tell parents how to sign up for open days.

Creating a Strong On-Site Experience

Always put your best foot forward with tours and presentations. Ensure your best teachers and students are leading the tours. Provide ample opportunity for the parents to see the best of your school facilities. Make sure you spend a lot of time highlighting your USP.

Measuring What’s Working (and What Isn’t)

Independent schools should always be tracking stats. Keep a log of website traffic. Note how much of this turns into an enquiry. Log which of these enquiries turn into admissions. If you can, you might also want to talk to parents to find out why they have chosen your school.

Over time, you will start to see what works well for your school and what doesn’t. This will allow you to adjust your campaigns.

How Independent Schools Can Increase Pupil Admissions

Yes. Independent schools are finding it harder to attract new admissions, but this can work in your favour. You have a lot of competition, but this also provides you with the motivation you need to really highlight what your school offers over everybody else. Continue to adapt your strategy, and you will increase your school’s admissions.

Get in touch with us to learn about how we can help with marketing and website design.

In school marketing, the most effective websites aren’t built just for prospective parents — they’re built for the families you already have.

If your website reflects what’s really happening in school and the wider community, it becomes a place parents and carers will check on a regular basis.

A great example is Long Toft School in Doncaster. Their news feed goes beyond school updates to include local library events, community support such as food bank information, and regular celebrations of pupil achievement. These in-tune marketing moves help with community belonging.

This approach creates a sense of energy and connection. It gets shared, talked about, and trusted as a great website to visit.

The takeaway is simple:

When your website becomes the heart of your community, engagement follows.

 You’ll be surprised at how few schools invest in bespoke school website design. Many put a template up on their website, fill out some information and call it a day. While we do understand that bespoke school web design costs money, which can be a problem with tightening school budgets, investment in the development of a website can boost the school in a number of ways. This makes it more than worth the cost. Let’s explain.

Tailored to Your School’s Values and Ethos

Bespoke school web design is, from the outset, designed specifically for your school. Everything about that website will be designed to enhance what your school values are, and highlight the ethos of your school. The job of your web designer will be to get to the bottom of what you want to showcase about your school, and that’ll come out in your web design.

With proper bespoke school website design, your school will be showcased in the best possible light. Whoever visits your site will see exactly what your school is all about. To see this in practice, have a look at some generic school websites, and then websites for public schools. You’ll see a vast difference between them.

Improved User Experience for Parents and Carers

When a parent or carer lands on your website, you want them to easily find what they need in no more than a couple of clicks. Important information should always be prominent. The problem? Many generic websites are not designed in this way. In fact, many generic websites fail to include information that may be important to parents or carers.

By opting for bespoke school website design, the user experience can be handcrafted for parents and carers. This means making it easy to access important information, displaying the important information, and even making it simple to communicate with the school (e.g. forms to report absences, sign permission slips, etc.)

Ofsted Compliance Built In

Ofsted requires schools have certain information on their website. Requirements can change often, too. Unfortunately, many schools either don’t include the required information or, when they do, display it in a way that is too difficult to access. This can hamper any Ofsted inspection. If you opt for bespoke web design from a company that is specialised in school website design, then you can be sure that the correct information will be displayed. It will also be displayed in such a way that is easy to access for parents, teachers, and Ofsted.

Bespoke website designers will also ensure that information can be updated easily should any requirements change.

Accessibility and Inclusivity from the Outset

Many generic websites are not designed with accessibility in mind, which can be a problem for schools. With bespoke web design, in addition to making it easier to get around a website (which makes things more accessible), other features can be added.

For example, mobile-friendly design which should make it easier for almost everybody to access a platform. Remember – the vast majority of people nowadays browse sites from their mobile devices.

Colours, images, and text will be perfectly combined to ensure that everything is easy to read for everybody. Many generic sites don’t take into account that poor contrasting of text on a background can hinder reading for many people.

Some designers can even add in multi-lingual support when you are running a school in a far more diverse community.

Stronger School Branding and Identity

A generic website can never properly showcase the brand for the school. With a generic website, you have very little control over the aspects that can be changed. This means that you may not always be showcasing your school in the best possible light.

With proper website design, you can maintain a consistent brand across your website. This means consistent colours, logos, image use, etc.

A bespoke design can also be produced in such a way that enhances what your school’s brand is, far more than you would with any generic template. Many schools that opt for bespoke design aim for a website that looks completely different from other school websites because it suits what they are all about.

A consistent brand identity is key in this day and age, even for schools.

SEO-Friendly Structure & Website Performance

Getting found in search engines is key, even for schools. A good website designer will make things easier on this front. This includes crafting a fast-loading website (which, even outside of SEO is important), ensures that the site structure is easily browsable for search engines, and more.

Combined with other SEO techniques, many schools will find that their websites become far easier to find through the search engines when they opt for bespoke website design. This means more site visitors, and more potential applicants for places at the school.

Scalable and Future-Proof

Good web site design leaves room to grow. With a quality bespoke website design in place, there will be no need to upgrade to a new website every year or so (which you may get with generic templates). Bespoke design will make it easy for schools to update information. In fact, with proper design it will be as simple as tapping new information into the site’s admin control panel. This will ensure that the website is always up to date.

Good web design will also be future-proof. It will work on computers, just as well as it will work on mobile devices. This means everybody can access the platform.

The Benefits of Bespoke School Web Design

As you can see, there are numerous reasons why bespoke web design for schools is worth investing in. It can enhance your school’s brand, ensure you meet Ofsted regulations, and help to future-proof the site. Contact us today to discuss school bespoke website design.

A multi-academy trust, or MAT for short, is intended to bring together multiple schools under a single leadership. The idea is that many processes for the network of schools will be much more streamlined, which can assist with funding and efficiency constraints. If your school is part of a MAT, then it is important to know that you will have different requirements from standard schools when building your MAT website.

Why Website Compliance is Different for MATs

A MAT is not an individual school. It is a network of schools, all run by the same leadership entity. This means that there are certain pieces of information that an individual school wouldn’t require on their website.

You have to remember that a MAT, in the eyes of the law, is a legal entity. The law stipulates that a MAT must have clear information about the governance of the MAT, transparent financial reporting, and links to certain MATs-related documents. The law also states that there is a legal requirement for any directors of the MAT to have their salary posted if they earn more than £100,000 in a year.

The idea is that the MAT is as transparent as possible, allowing parents and other parties to ensure that the MATs is operating for the benefit of the school, rather than lining the pockets of the directors.

Who Sets Website Compliance Requirements for MATs

Quite a few parties are getting involved with website compliance requirements for MATs. This includes:

• The government: they regularly update legal requirements for MATs. Many inclusions for a website can be found in the Equality Act 2010 and Children and Families Act 2014.
• Academies Trust Handbook: updated versions are released by the Department for Education each year. This gives most of the legal requirements about what needs to be hosted on MATs websites.
• Companies House and the Charity Commission.
• Ofsted

While it may seem like a lot of interested parties, MATs won’t need to jump through too many hoops to ensure they meet legal requirements for their websites, at least not if they work with a reputable school website developer.

What Must be on a MAT (Trust) Website

The main MAT website (i.e. the website dedicated to the trust) has more requirements placed upon it than individual school websites. Rules do update from year to year but, generally speaking, the following will always be required:

• Governance and Leadership: this should include details of the trust i.e. name and contact details. All members and trustees of the trust should be disclosed. The Articles of Association should be included, as should a leadership structure. The trust funding agreement is an absolute requirement.
• Financial documents: this includes the annual audited accounts, executive pay disclosures (if an executive is earning more than £100k per year), and any other relevant financial statements and reports. This is all to ensure that money within the trust is being spent correctly. There may also be other requirements, depending on how the MAT is formed and operated.
• Trust Documents: this includes details on admissions and appeals, safeguarding, complaints policies, whistleblowing policies, SEND documents, and equality statements.

In addition to all this, there is a requirement to link to the individual websites for all the schools associated with the MAT.

What Must be On Individual School Websites?

In addition to the central MAT website, each individual school will have certain information requirements too:

• Any statutory school information. This includes details of the MAT, school contact details, headteacher and local governor details, admission requirements, and Ofsted reports.
• Curriculum and learning: should be an overview of the school curriculum. Details of how the school approaches learning (especially reading), assessment information, SEND information, and any details about remote education.
• Parent & pupil information: complaints process, safeguarding details, attendance policies, behaviour policies, key dates, and uniform policies.

What Belongs on Both Sites (and How to Avoid Duplication)

There are many documents that will be required on both a MAT site, and the individual school website. The key rule is that if anything is determined by the MAT centrally, to apply to all schools, and then that data is applied locally then it should be included on both websites. This includes:

• Key details about the MATs-related
• Safeguarding policies
• Admission policies
• Complaints policies
• Data protection information

Ideally, all of the information should be located on the MAT website. It should be then linked to from the school website. This ensures that data is not duplicated. It also makes things a whole lot easier to update when policies change.

Common MAT Website Compliance Mistakes

MAT websites should be compliant, but they aren’t always. Here are some of the mistakes we’ve spotted on many MAT websites:

• Lack of proper data about MAT trustees. This may include no information about trustees, or missing information about important members.
• Trust policies between the MAT site and the individual school are different. This is often down to schools taking it upon themselves to rewrite policies that shouldn’t be rewritten.
• No updated financial information.
• Dead links, especially between the MAT and schools.
• Trust site includes information only relevant to individual schools. There should be no school-level detail on the MAT site.
• No trust policies. Instead, the MAT only posts them on individual school websites.

How Inspections Assess MAT and School Websites

A MAT site will always be checked before inspections. Inspections will look at whether any information is missing, that there is proper transparency about the MAT, and that the information is properly accessible. Inspectors will check this against their list of required information.

Any missing content will be questioned and, depending on the severity of the missing content, may lead to serious issues during the inspection.

Best Practice Structure for Trust & School Websites

It is important that MAT and school websites are built properly to ensure that information is in the right place.

The trust website should include information relevant to the overarching MAT. This includes governance, finance details, policies, and the overall strategy for the MAT.

The school website should include anything specifically related to the school, while also linking to key information on the MAT site (this includes policies). So, anything related to the day-to-day running of the school, including the curriculum, key dates, and day-to-day operations of the school should only be listed on the school site.

It should be easy for any relevant parties to find the information they need on a site. So, make sure there are central document libraries that include details relevant to all schools. This should be hosted on the MAT. Navigation should be easy between various policies and, importantly, branding should be similar.

Final Thoughts on MAT Website Compliance

MAT website compliance is essential. It ensures that MATs are operating legally. This ensures that relevant parties always have access to correct information about the MAT and their operations.

It is essential that MAT websites and school websites are separate. Data duplication should be kept to the minimum, as should the posting of irrelevant information on MAT websites (i.e. anything related to specific schools under their remit).

Laws and requirements can change, and the MAT governance should always stay on top of things to ensure that their MAT website stays compliant. Remember, regularly auditing data is much, much better than finding out you’re missing key information during a routine inspection.

Get it touch today to learn about our school website design and marketing services for MATs.

More and more schools are starting to wake up to the benefits of having a mobile app. While it will probably take a few more years before school apps are as widespread as they deserve to be, the schools that are running them are seeing benefits for their teachers, students, and parents.

Here, we want to discuss a few of the benefits that mobile apps can deliver and why, if you run a school, you will want to consider having one. Getting a mobile app developed may be cheaper than you think.

What Is a School Mobile App?

If you own a smartphone, then chances are you’ve downloaded plenty of apps on your phone. They are those small pieces of software that you can open up from your home screen. A school mobile app is pretty much the same as this. Downloadable software. Open it on your mobile device whenever you want, no need to visit a website or anything.

Key Benefits of Mobile Apps for Schools

Let’s start with discussing the benefits of using mobile apps for schools. Bear in mind that benefits between school mobile apps will vary depending on their features. So, don’t forget to discuss what features you want with your app developer.

Improved Communication With Parents

The main benefit, and something most schools strive for, is better communication with parents. School mobile apps make it incredibly easy to share important information with the parents of students. No need to send out letters or emails. Just post any important information so it is available through the mobile app.

Increased Parental Engagement

Mobile apps should, hopefully, make interacting with the school a lot more convenient for parents. It becomes a whole lot easier to get feedback from parents, comments, responses to ‘permission slips’, etc. Many schools find that when they have a mobile app running alongside a proper school website, the amount of responses they get from parents shoots up.

Reduced Admin Workload

The more that can be done through the mobile app, the lower admin workload. For example, if a school mobile app is designed to process absence reports, share key dates and information, etc. then administrative staff won’t be dealing with anywhere near as many calls. This allows them to focus on other work, which is important when many schools are needing to trim their budgets while also dealing with increased workloads.

Real-Time Updates & Emergency Alerts

Unlike a website, a mobile app can send ‘push notifications’. This means a notification that is sent straight to the mobile device. The parent is guaranteed to see this push notification. They can be sent whenever, which makes it far easier to send important information instantly e.g. details about school closures, reminders to parents, etc.

Better Attendance & Punctuality Support

There are a few ways a school app can impact attendance and punctuality. For example, many schools are using apps to better report to parents on their child’s attendance, often in real-time. This will allow any issues to be easily spotted. Some schools are providing updates when a student is late to school, or to give updates on start times, etc. Some school apps can also provide better access to school schedules, making it easier for parents to plan.

Supports Students’ Learning Experience

School apps can share key information with students, including study materials, useful links to videos/documents, etc. Basically, supporting information for a child’s learning. Some schools may even provide detailed information about homework, past exam papers, and more. This information will likely also be on a website, but it is so much easier to access through an app.

Consistent Messaging Across the School Community

A central app sharing information with parents makes it so much easier to keep messaging consistent. You don’t have various teachers sharing different information with parents/students. This ensures no issues.

Benefits of Mobile Apps for Parents

Many of the benefits that we highlighted above also benefit the parents. The main ones being better sharing of information about the school, particularly urgent information that may need to be shared by push notifications. Access to a school app means that a parent is much more likely to check the app. Many will avoid a website, but having an app in the palm of their hands makes things a lot more convenient. This means that parents will easily be able to respond to anything that is required of them, spot upcoming events, and keep an eye on their child’s progress.

Common Features of a Good School Mobile App

A good school mobile app will be well-designed. It should be easy to find the information that a parent needs in no more than a couple of taps of their screen. In fact, essential information such as school schedules should be right there on the main page.

A good mobile app should also share key information. Basically, anything that is relevant to a parent/student e.g. admissions information, key dates in the school calendar, and school start/finish times.

A good app should also have additional features, particularly interactive ones. For example, allowing parents to report absences directly through the app, or sign permission slips digitally.

Why Mobile Apps Are Now Essential for Schools

With more and more schools switching to digital information sharing, a school mobile app is now more essential than ever before. Parents and students love mobile apps, they’re convenient. It makes it easy to access to the right information. Far more convenient than a website. While most schools don’t have mobile apps at the moment, more and more schools are starting to open up their eyes to the benefits of them. Mobile apps genuinely are the future for schools.

Get in touch today to learn how our Mobile App can help you school.

In 2026, 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 2026, highlighting their key features and best practices that make them stand out.

Upwood Primary

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.upa.education/

Alpha Preparatory School

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.alpha.harrow.sch.uk/

Hamilton Primary School

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.hamiltonprimary.com/

Bentley Child Care

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.bentleycc.org.uk/

Unity Multi Academy Trust

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.unitymat.co.uk/

Mulgrave Primary School

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.mulgraveprimary.org.uk/

Thomas Deacon Education Trust

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.

https://www.tdet.education/

Saint Georges Preparatory School

https://www.saintgeorgesprep.co.uk/

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 2026 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.

In 2026, having great secondary school website is essential. It should be easy to navigate, mobile-friendly, and designed to keep students, parents, and staff connected.

In this article, we’ll highlight five of the best secondary school websites of 2026. We’ll break down what they do well and share ideas you can apply to your own school website.

Cleveden Secondary School

Cleveden Secondary School, based in Glasgow, is a large, inclusive school with strong ties to the local community. Over time, their website had become cluttered and inconsistent, making it harder for families to find key information. This was especially true on mobile devices, which accounted for over 60% of traffic. Staff were also spending too much time uploading and managing documents manually.

To solve this, Cleveden partnered with us to modernise their site. Using a modular page builder and drag-and-drop templates, the new site now matches the school’s branding and is easy for staff to update. A live calendar synced with Outlook 365 keeps parents informed of changes and events, while a built-in policy manager ensures all documents are up-to-date and easy to access.

Since the new website was launched, the site has halved mobile load times, doubled newsletter sign-ups, and significantly reduced support calls to the school office.

https://www.clevedensecondary.com/

Little Heath Special Needs Secondary School

The school’s website reflects this ethos with accessible design and thoughtful content. It highlights initiatives like the School Council, which ensures that all students, including those who are pre-verbal, have a voice in shaping their community.

This focus on empowerment and inclusion makes Little Heath’s site a strong example of how a school website can embody its values and connect meaningfully with families and stakeholders.

The website is also fully responsive, and accessible and our CMS makes it simple for staff to update.

https://www.lheath.net/

West Derby School

West Derby School in Liverpool wanted a clearer way to showcase opportunities. With 1,100 pupils and a busy enrichment programme, key information was getting lost.

Their new School Jotter site added a dedicated Sixth Form microsite, with subject intro videos, a live careers ticker, and a one-click Ofsted archive.

It’s made a real difference as external Sixth Form applications have increased by 18%, and visitors now spend more than twice as long on the site. The school even won “Best Use of Technology” at the 2024 Liverpool Learning Awards.

https://www.westderbyschool.org/

The King’s School

The King’s School in Witney wanted a website that reflected its Christian values and close-knit learning environment. The old site wasn’t capturing what made the school unique, and enquiries had stalled.

Their new website focused on storytelling, with Bible verse rollovers, pupil voice audio clips, and a custom prospectus builder. Parents could also select what mattered to them, like SEND or music to get a tailored PDF.

The new secondary school website has been a massive success. Enquiries rose 55% in the next admissions cycle, and £18k was raised for bursaries in just eight weeks. With staff now able to update pages themselves, IT support requests dropped to near zero.

https://www.tkswitney.org.uk/

Norton College

Norton College needed a website that could reflect its role within the Ryedale Learning Trust while keeping a local and student-focused feel. Branding was inconsistent, and Sixth Form promotion needed a boost.

Their new trust-ready site solved both. It shared content like policies auto-pulls from a central hub, while school colours and crests update automatically.

A student newsroom keeps the site fresh, and live widgets display Sixth Form places and transport updates in real-time. Since launch, Sixth Form open-evening sign-ups beat targets by 24%, mobile bounce rates dropped by over half, and duplicate content uploads across fell by 70%.

https://www.nortoncollege-rlt.co.uk/

Ready To Build The Perfect Secondary School Website

A great secondary school website should do more than just look good. It should be easy to navigate, and mobile-friendly, and people stay connected. The best school websites in 2026 make finding key information simple, whether it’s timetables, policies, or Sixth Form details.

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

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 2026 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 2026

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 2026 and beyond.

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

In 2026, 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 2026. 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 2026 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.

The Autumn 2025 Budget has had somewhat of a mixed reaction in the school community. While there have been many major changes that could drastically increase the amount of funding schools receive in certain areas, there isn’t much clarity about which schools could potentially receive the funding boost, not to mention the fact that the budget doesn’t allow for an increase in core school funding.

As of writing, the Autumn 2025 Budget has been unveiled for at least a month, which means we can now offer some insight into how the budget will impact schools.

Overview of the Autumn 2025 Budget

The Autumn Budget 2025 was announced on 25th November 2025. While there was an expectation that a significant portion would be dedicated to education funding, many of the policies that were introduced remain fairly unexplained, and likely will until the new year.

Education stakeholders have been watching this budget closely because, like most budgets, there will be a direct impact on how much funding a school can receive. The government had also pledged a significant investment in schooling, although it remains to be seen whether the changes proposed by the budget will have a real impact. Of course, in the case of schools, many are craving significant extra resources, since many schools are generating significant amounts of debt.

Major Funding Changes for Schools

There has been one major funding change for schools, and one non-change that is causing a lot of schools to become quite worried about their future.

Central Government Taking Over SEND Funding (from 2028–29)

Perhaps the biggest change in the budget is the central government now taking over SEND funding, something which was previously the responsibility of local authorities. Local authorities are quite pleased by the announcement, since many of them were struggling to fund SEND themselves. The government has allocated £6 billion to SEND for the transition in 2028-2029, with budgeting set to rise further in the following years. This at the cost of many of the free schools that were supposed to be built.

This does, potentially, mean that school budgets will be slightly better for helping to fund SEND. However, we cannot know for certain since the white paper on the impact of the government taking over SEND has yet to be released.

Unfortunately, many people do not believe that this is the right move. SEND will take up a healthy amount of the education budget, and many people fear this could result in a decrease in overall school funding as the years go on. Although once again, this is something that remains to be seen. However, it is somewhat suspicious that the government keeps delaying its report on this.

No Significant Increase in Core School Funding

Unfortunately, there is no significant increase in school funding. This has caused concerns amongst unions and school leaders, since many schools are already struggling with funding themselves. This is all thanks to inflation, increased running costs, and higher pay demands.

This does mean that some schools, particularly the more under-funded ones, will need to tighten their belts in some areas, or perhaps look for alternative funding options to balance the books a little. Even then, some schools will struggle which could have a long-term impact on the students. Hopefully, this is something that will be considered in the next budget.

New Education Investments Announced

The government has announced funding in a few core areas. Much of this is to help improve literacy rates among children, while also boosting learning opportunities.

£5 Million for Secondary School Libraries

£5 million will be set aside for improvements to secondary school libraries. This, on average, means £1,400 per secondary school in the UK, although we imagine that the funding won’t be evenly spread among schools. We expect schools with seriously lacking library facilities to see the most benefit from the policy.

Bear in mind that this is an extension of a previous policy from the government. By 2029, every primary school in the UK will have a library available. This is thanks to £10 million in funding. Although the size of the libraries is likely to be quite limited.

The policy should lead to improved literacy and access to books among students, particularly among students who may not be within easy reach of a public library.

£18 Million for Up to 200 Playground Upgrades

The budget sets aside £18 million for 200 playground upgrades around the United Kingdom. However, it is worth noting that we currently have no idea where those playgrounds are, nor whether schools will see much benefit from them.

That being said, the schools that do benefit from this policy could see benefits to outdoor learning and physical activity among their students. This can mean more opportunities to educate their students, while also letting students blow off a little bit of steam during their breaks.

We will need to wait for the government to see how funds will be allocated here, but some schools with limited outdoor play areas may be able to apply for some funding.

Impact on Students and Families

An impact that many parents will feel is the scrapping of the two-child benefit limit. This could increase the amount of funds that families with over two children have at their disposal. The hope is that this could significantly reduce child poverty.

While this cash won’t be funnelled directly to schools, schools should be able to see some benefit from the policy. There may be an increase in student attendance and well-being. This could directly lead to improved learning outcomes.

What This Means for School Leaders

The lack of a significant increase in core school funding is likely to cause issues for many schools, which may result in some schools looking for ways to cut costs between 2026 and 2029. While there have been mild funding increases in libraries and playgrounds, it is still unknown who will receive the cash. This will make managing budgets even harder, especially as real-world pressures continue to take hold.

While some are praising SEND reform, which could lead to an easing of pressure on local authorities, there is no indication about how it will work yet. While we will likely get an update in the early part of 2026, a lot of things could still change. This means that schools are currently unable to play for SEND reform.

How the Autumn 2025 Budget Will Affect Schools

Local authorities are likely the clear winners in the autumn 2025 budget, since SEND will now be taken off their hands. Schools that have not received much funding for their libraries, or are operating in areas with heavy poverty, may also see some benefit.

The non-increase of core school funding will likely impact all schools in a negative way, though. Budgets are already tight enough, unfortunately.

In the short term, we will likely see schools try to trim their budgets slightly, especially amidst uncertainty about how the SEND reform will pan out. However, the budget, if it works, does have good long-term prospects. Those students who fall under SEND could potentially receive increased funding for their education. The investment in libraries could also boost literacy rates. The scrapping of the two-child cap on benefits could also lead to better educational outcomes. It could be years before we see any real effect, though.

The next spending review will, hopefully, allocate more funds to schools. However, it is unknown whether there will be any significant increase. The fact that the government is not increasing now doesn’t really bode well. In fact, if they take over SEND, we could see a decrease in budgets allocated to schools, although we hope it doesn’t come to that.

Get in touch to learn about our CMS, website design, or marketing services.