How To Use Your School Website To Support Learning And Teaching

Published: October 30, 2023

Use Your School Website To Support Learning And Teaching

One Of The Best Tools To Use

In this digital world, your school’s website is going to be one of the best tools you have to help students learn and teachers teach. A good website goes beyond the basics to capture all the opportunities students need to learn and teachers need to teach.

Designing your school’s website to enhance both learning and teaching takes time and talent. To enrich your students’ education you need to know what you are doing and how your website can facilitate that education process.

The Basics Of A School Website

The very basics any school website should have would be a solid and informative About Us page. This allows prospective students and their parents to know and understand the school, its culture, as well as its goals, and more.

Besides including the curriculum, your website should also include a staff and teacher web page for the same purpose. Getting to know the staff is essential to facilitate learning.

On top of that part of the basic school website information will be the upcoming events and special occasions. This information lets parents and students be aware of what is happening throughout the school year.

A web page for photos and videos will also help the students get to know the school and what they can expect when they enrol. Also, you should have a contact page or contact information that is easily accessible for parents to contact the school to ask questions about their children’s progress or to talk to their teachers.

These are just some of the basics you will need for your UK school’s website.

Features Of An Effective School Website

Having the basics is a good start. It is a simple way to initiate interaction between the school and the parents and or students. But the website needs more to make students, etc., want to come to the website and take advantage of all that is on it.

One of the ways to do this is to develop a system that is compatible with PCs, laptops, tablets, and mobile phones. Having a responsive website makes the school’s website more attractive and user-friendly.

Then you can add features like maps so parents can find the school easily. Along with adding a map to your school’s website, you can place all the necessary forms on it in a downloadable format so filling the forms out will be easier and faster.

Along with those features, making it accessible from anywhere at any time allows for parents to know when there will be school closings, special events, and field trips, as well as being able to make appointments.

Other features should include a school calendar, multi-platform as well as easy-to-use navigational tools. The most important feature will be website speed. The school’s website should load up very quickly so parents do not have to spend a lot of time waiting for the page they need.

Ways To Engage Students Through The Website

There are many options you can implement when you want to engage your students through your website. One that works for both students and parents would be to include some surveys to gauge how your students think about the school and what goes on.

These surveys can help the administrative staff tweak programs, eliminate the less popular ones, or learn how to make them better, and so on. Getting feedback from the students is a great way to improve learning through the school’s website.

Another option would be to place questions online through different software programs or apps. Then let the students answer the questions independently before joining together in a joint online session through your website.

A third option would be to create a social engagement area on your website and let teachers interact with the students. This digital social engagement space is a great tool to help students trust teachers, staff, and each other.

This can be done through asking different questions, an activity designed to get people talking to each other, and a myriad of other possibilities. With the right professional help, you can add more ways to help engage students on your school’s website.

How School Websites Can Benefit Teachers

School websites are a boon to teachers as they can use them in their own time when they are free. This is probably the biggest asset a school website offers teachers.

The teacher is not tied to just school hours to communicate with their students nor do they have to sacrifice quality family time to do the same thing. The school’s website allows a teacher to schedule the time for interaction that fits their personal needs.

Also, the teacher can place mandatory work assignments on the website making it easier for students to know what they need to do, or if they have been absent, they will know what work they need to do to catch up with the rest of the class.

Also, when time is limited for both teachers and parents, the school website allows for easier communication when it is most convenient for both parties

The Role Of The School Website In Keeping Parents Informed And Engaged

This is an essential feature of the school. Parents want to know how their child or children are progressing and the school website makes that communication smoother as well as more convenient.

Parents can log in and navigate to the web pages that concern them and their students and see what I going on. Or they can have virtual meetings with teachers to understand what is happening in the classroom.

The school’s website also keeps parents up-to-date on school events, and other activities so the parent is aware of those events as well as any cost their child needs to pay to participate.

Some Final Words

If you need help in constructing your website to enhance teaching and learning, then contact our company. We have the tools, skills, and know-how to create a website that will promote both teaching and learning through your school’s website. Contact us today to solve this issue faster.

How To Help Children Being Bullied In Primary School

Published: October 27, 2023

Help Children Being Bullied In Primary School

Bullying has always been a problem. This is a fact that has to be acknowledged and understood. There will always be those kids who like to bully weaker, smaller children but understanding the problem is only the first step in helping children being bullied.

This is not a problem that will go away any time soon. Learning how to handle bullying and teaching those tips to your students is essential in reducing the number of bullying incidents.

Recognize The Signs Of Bullying In Primary School

Unfortunately, there are too many signs that indicate a student is being bullied at school. Here are just a few of those signs to get you on the right path to recognizing when bullying is taking place:

  1. The child refuses or does not want to go to school
  2. The child’s eating habits change
  3. The child is not sleeping very well
  4. The child’s belongings are damaged, lost or the child has visible injuries
  5. The child avoids taking the school bus to school.
  6. Their emotions change and he or she can become more withdrawn
  7. The child gets sick more often and too frequently for real illnesses to be the source
  8. The child experiences a loss of friends and they are always on their own

Encourage School Children To Tell You If They’re Being Bullied

It can be difficult to get a child to tell their parents or teachers that they are being bullied. The reason for that reluctance is that telling on the bullies only makes the situation worse and the bullies angrier.

To get the child to speak up, they need to feel safe and be in a safe environment that enhances their confidence in their parents or teachers. Some of the things that do not encourage the student to tell what is going on in their lives is to not make it a group activity.

The student should not have to talk about it in front of the class, nor should then be forced to be in the same room as the bully. Avoiding the don’ts of this problem is one good way to encourage the student to open up and let teachers or parents know what is being done to them.

Also, do not force the child to tell. Give them the opportunity and let them decide if they will talk or not.

Teach Your Child How To Cope With Bullying In School

There are different methods you can use to teach your child how to cope with bullying. One good method is to get them involved in after-school activities that do not involve their schoolmates.

This provides the bullied child a chance to make new friends. They will not be isolated anymore. Or teach your child to spend more time in groups. This will cause the bully to hesitate somewhat as they prefer two on one, etc., contact and not when the odds are against them.

Then, teach your child that bullying is not their fault. They did not do anything wrong, usually, that incited the bully to attack them. Give them a reason why the bully is targeting them and one good reason is that the bully is jealous of them.

One important lesson that helps a child cope with bullying is to believe them. Don’t pass it off or give a superficial response. Take the child seriously and then help them deal with the problem.

Be Aware Of Any Signs That The Bullying Is Continuing Or Getting Worse

Getting to know the signs of bullying is very important and those signs are listed above. But knowing those signs is not enough as in many cases they do not indicate that the bullying activity is getting worse.

One sign of excessive bullying would be how the child acts. He or she can fall into depression when the bullying only intensifies. Declining grades will be another sign that bullying is getting worse.

A loss of interest in hobbies, sports, or other favourite activities will be another indication that the bullying has not stopped but has increased.

Create A Safe And Supportive Home Environment In Every School

The steps to achieving this objective are many. One good option to use is to reward those students who practice the proper inclusive character that all students need to feel.

Another is to teach teachers how to spot bullying and bullies and give them the tools to stop it before it gets worse. One of those tools can be an anonymous reporting process. This can be done by phone or through the school’s website.

 

A fourth option would be to monitor any possible bullying hotspots that are located around the school. These are areas where teachers and staff do not have a clear field of vision or cannot see at all.

These hidden areas are a bully’s prime spaces to act out on smaller, weaker children.

Get Involved In The School Community

One of the best ways to learn about and witness bullying is to get involved with the school and other parents. This involvement provides you with more opportunities to see what is going on directly and who is initiating the bullying.

This involvement also provides the opportunity for teachers and parents to enforce the school’s rules. Bullying can be reduced if bullies are punished properly and they see there are consequences for their actions.

When You Need Help

Bullying is a tough problem to solve as more and more cultures interact with each other at school. To get some more guidance on bullying and how to deal with it, or create safe anonymous communication on your website, contact us.

Our company has experience in helping schools create safe website spaces to help children who are a victim of bullies. Our contact information is located here and on several web pages for your convenience.

Together we can help reduce the number of bullying incidents and victims.

How School Jotter Works With Your MAT – Bespoke Design, Cloned Policy Documents And Shared Vacancies

Published: October 14, 2023

How School Jotter Works With Your MAT

Multi-Academy Trusts need a good school website design. This goes without saying as a poorly designed website can and will turn many prospective audience members from reading your website or being interested in your academy.

With our 20 years in this industry and designing dozens of MATs websites, our company offers your academy a wealth of talent, experience, and know-how so you get the website design that fits your school.

Tap into our expertise to see how we can make your website even better.

Bespoke Design For Website For Schools

The term ‘bespoke’ means to speak for. That is what your website is doing for your academy. It is speaking for you online to many people who happen to land on your website home page.

This means that what is on your website, either good or bad, will tell your website visitors a lot about you and your academy. This is an area that School Jotter can improve to make your school look better.

We take out the bad and replace it with top-grade information, images, and other interesting website content to attract and keep your target audience engaged.

Your website is often the first impression for your academy, so let us help you make a great first impression and build your online presence with our talent and innovative spirit.

Broaden Your Presence With Shared Vacancies

One of the ways our company helps boost your online presence is through a shared vacancy method. This is where we optimize and maximize your presence through high-profile websites like social media outlets.

We also take steps to prevent cloned policy documents. This problem is where your web pages are cloned and used on another website. This problem can steal some audience from your website by having the cloned pages rank better than your web pages.

Streamlining Your School Website Design

This is one of the most important challenges that most MAT websites face. At one time there were multiple schools using multiple platforms to host their websites as well as helping their website design.

This created an overloaded work schedule for many people as they had to continually go through their websites to make sure the websites were MAT compliant.

Also, it took a lot of time and effort to ensure the content was consistent and published regularly. The solution School Jotter came up with was simple and easy to implement.

Our company designed one platform to make sure all schools in their group had consistent designs, branding, and content. This enabled standardization for all schools and made the websites easier to navigate.

With this one platform design came a user-friendly interface that enabled administrators to manage their website content better while remaining in compliance with governance regulations and requirements.

Then the seamless integration with the central MAT website made it possible for consistent and accurate information across all schools’ websites. Our platform takes the hard work out of maintaining your multi-academy trust website and makes it easier to read and navigate to all web pages.

Building A Website For Schools

This can be a difficult task for even the best of web designers. Remaining original, creative, and innovative while creating an engaging site is tough work. Web design is not for everyone, which is why our company has compiled a team of experts to work with you to create something special for your school.

Our team has extensive experience in the SEO world and educational technology. They can guide you to the best design that will engage your target audience and be informative at the same time.

With the experience gained over the past 20 years, we can guide you every step of the way from building an original website to updating an older one. Not only do we understand all the challenges for both web design options, but we also have the solutions that will help build an attractive website and give it a boost online.

On top of all this, our professionalism as well as our attention to detail enables your school to get one of the finest website designs that will impress your target audience.

When our work is done, communication between you, parents, staff, and others should be greatly improved.

Boost Your Online Presence

There are some creative and innovative methods that we can implement to help your school’s website get a boost in the search engine rankings. Our products are designed to make your school accessible as well as work in the 21st century.

We offer a 30-day free trial so you can see how your website will look and perform. This gives you a chance to work out any bugs that interfere with your online look.

Also, we can provide drone footage to give your target audience a unique perspective of your school. Videos are key to enhancing your online presence and this is a creative way to reach that objective.

Finally, we offer a mobile app for you to reach more parents. More and more people are escaping their laptops and PCs and using their mobile phones to get the information they want.

Implementing this mobile app helps you to communicate better with parents. They do not have to interrupt their day to catch up on the news or other important information about their children’s schools.

It is all there on their mobile phone. After your 30-day trial, your fees to continue are reasonable and affordable.

How School Jotter Works With Your MAT

It is a simple question to answer. We provide you with an easy-to-use platform that makes it easier to remain compliant with MAT requirements as well as build you a better way to communicate to your audience.

To see more of what we can do for your school, call or contact us today. Our team is ready to guide you through the process to make sure your school stands out from the crowd while boosting your online presence.

How You Can Improve Your MATS Online Presence With Organic SEO?

Published: October 5, 2023

Improve Your MATS Online Presence

In an increasingly digital world, Multi Academy Trusts (MATs) face a unique set of challenges. From attracting prospective students to engaging with parents and stakeholders, MATs must establish a compelling online presence. One highly effective way to achieve this is through the strategic use of Organic Search Engine Optimization (SEO). In this article, we will explore the vital strategies and techniques that MATs can employ to enhance their online visibility and ensure they reach their target audience effectively.

Improving your MATS Online Presence With Organic SEO

As the digital landscape continues to evolve, organic SEO has emerged as a powerful tool for boosting online presence. Organic SEO focuses on optimizing a website to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) without relying on paid advertisements. This is particularly important for MATs, as it can help them stand out in a competitive educational environment.

1.      The Role of Keywords

Effective keyword research is the foundation of a successful organic SEO strategy. MATs need to identify and target the keywords and phrases that potential students, parents, and stakeholders are likely to use in their online searches. This process not only improves the visibility of your MATs’ website but also ensures that it ranks for the right queries.

2.      Audience Research

This is a challenging task to do when you do not have an audience to ask questions. But if you have even a small loyal audience, you can ask them some key questions, such as:

  • What do they like?
  • What they do not like?
  • What do they want to see more of?

Their answers should help you adapt your school website to those needs and create a better online presence.

3.      Quality Content Optimization

Content is king in the world of organic SEO. MATs should invest in creating high-quality, informative, and engaging content that caters to the needs of their target audience. This could include blog posts, articles, videos, and other educational resources that showcase the institution’s expertise and commitment to quality education.

Find new content that your audience will like and publish in creative ways that help your website be engaging, attractive, as well as current. Your audience research will help you with this task.

4.      Update And Optimize Current Content

If you have had a website for a while and an audience, then you may have older content that may be out of date. Refresh that content and bring it up to date. Remove or edit sales pitches that can turn many of your audience members off.

Other improvements can be to enlarge previously shorter posts to add new and important information. If you have lists on your website, make them longer and more comprehensive.

These changes should engage your audience more and keep them on your website longer.

5.      Do An Onsite SEO Audit

What this audit does is help you clean up your website making it easier for search engines and your audience to read. The audit helps find duplicate pages, improper direct or indirect chains, broken links, URL structure, and much more.

Once these problems are resolved, search engines can read your website and rank it properly. Also, you want to see how fast your web pages load. If they load up in 3 seconds or more, it is time to speed that loading time up.

6.      Technical SEO and On-Page Optimization

Technical SEO involves fine-tuning various elements of your website, such as meta descriptions, alt tags, and header tags, to enhance its visibility in search results. On-page optimization, on the other hand, involves optimizing individual pages for specific keywords, ensuring that search engines can easily index and understand your content.

7.      Link Building Strategies

Link building is another essential component of organic SEO. MATs can enhance their online presence by earning high-quality backlinks from reputable websites, educational organizations, and industry-related platforms. These backlinks signal to search engines that your website is a trusted source of information.

8.      Recreate Your Homepage And Navigational Tools

A user-friendly website is not only vital for retaining visitors but also for SEO. Google and other search engines reward websites with good user experiences. MATs should focus on mobile responsiveness, easy navigation, and quick loading times. A well-organized website with clear calls to action can significantly improve user engagement and satisfaction.

This should be done with your audience in mind. Making the home page more attractive, and easier to read helps deliver a stronger online presence. Plus when you make the navigation simpler to use, your visitors should find it easier to navigate and to explore your website.

When the homepage is unattractive and hard to use, then your audience will not like reading your website. Make these changes to get your audience to like them and you should see an improvement in your online presence.

9.      Investigate Your Competitors’ Websites And Strategies

Getting motivation from what other people are doing is a great way to update and upgrade your website. See what they have done and then try similar approaches to your website.

Plus, you can get motivation from those companies outside of the MATS sector. Every little bit of research can help you improve your MATS website and gain a bigger online presence. Here are some areas to research:

  • Search result rankings
  • Social media
  • Paid ads
  • Local directory profiles
  • Email marketing campaigns

This investigative work will take some time but can be done quicker when you employ the proper SEO tools.

10.  Use Local Directories To Boost Your Online Presence

Even if your academy is not limited to your local area, these local directories can boost your online presence. Searchers can find information about your academy without going to your website.

Although you want them to come to your website, getting your information in front of people through a variety of methods is the best way to get known and build searches for your website. Plus, the local directory will have a link to your website to make that search easier.

It takes time for any and all SEO strategies to build your online presence. This is not something that will happen in a day or two. You need to trust your strategies for the long haul and give them time to work.

After a while, if they are not working, make your changes.

Some Final Words

If you are not ready to handle a MATS website design for your academy, or it is a bit over your skill set to do, contact our company. We have the experience to build a great-looking website that will be multi-academy trust website compliant along with building your online presence through organic SEO.

Showcasing Your School’s Unique Identity with a Distinctive School Website

Category: School Websites

Published: October 3, 2023

School's Unique Identity with a Distinctive School Website

The Purpose Of Primary School Website

It is possible that you may think that primary schools do not need a website or even a well-designed one. But the way for any primary school to showcase its unique identity is through a very good school web design.

Such websites are not just about promotion. They present a peek into the educational journey awaiting prospective students, allowing them to get to know the school before they arrive for their first day of learning.

To learn more about this topic just continue to read our article. It has the information you want to know about so you can present your school’s unique identity to everyone in your area.

Explore Your School’s Unique Identity

Every primary school website is a project that demands time and effort. One of the key steps in the process is to explore your school’s identity. While every school has some similarities between them, there are unique differences that help your educational institution stand out.

You can find these differences by exploring your school’s identity. Once you know these unique differences, you have the information you need to start constructing a great school website that highlights that uniqueness.

Understanding your school’s identity is vital to your school meeting the educational needs of the surrounding community. Knowing what matters to your school the most helps you create, develop, and implement key learning programs that put your students ahead of the curve.

This information also helps you develop a great and unique school website that helps you stand out from all the other schools.

Defining Your School’s Branding And Messaging Through Website

An important reason why there are websites for primary schools to showcase their ethos to the community. What better place to showcase who you are than on a well-developed and creative school website?

Your branding goes beyond logos, school colours, and attractive fonts. It is the total package of who you are, what you do, and where you will take your students.

Your brand and message talk about your history, your vision for your students and the school, and where you want to be in the future. To communicate your unique identity to all your website visitors and parents, you need to understand and develop those key issues.

To define your school’s brand and message here are some questions to answer:

  1. What is Our History?
  2. What is Our Mission?
  3. How Do We Market Our School To Parents?
  4. Are We Consistent with Our Message?
  5. What Do Students Love About Our School?
  6. Are We Engaged and Building Community?
  7. What About MY Child?
  8. Why Choose Us?
  9. What’s our future?

Creating A Compelling School Logo And Visual Identity

The first step in this creation is to understand the power behind visual communication. A bad logo will communicate the lack of creative talent, boredom, and many other negative aspects that are associated with a bad logo or other visual images.

To shape parents’ and other adults’ perceptions and build a positive impression on them, you need to create a unique, interesting, and colourful logo and other images.

These creative images help draw people to your website and create a desire to learn more about your school. Your logo and other images are the most persuasive elements you can use to attract students and gain parental support.

To design your logo and images, you need to know your brand and tell a compelling story all the while keeping it nice and simple. Then do not design for the extremes but for the middle and make sure to know when to step back and when to highlight achievements.

Showcasing Your School’s History And Values

When showcasing your school’s history keep it creative and interesting without going too far. Use your history to help build community as well as school spirit.

You can use your school’s yearbooks or other photo histories to enhance the content of the page. Then when you want to highlight your school’s values, put them in a vision statement.

This outlines the school’s philosophy and aspirations but do not include your values in your mission statement. This needs to be filled with content that reflects your current goals and how you will achieve the objectives laid out in your vision statement.

 

Highlighting The School’s Unique Programs And Extracurriculars

Less is more. You do not want to turn prospective students and parents off from attending your school. Your web pages should be designed to make these aspects of school life exciting, fun, and something a student would want to be a part of.

Use more images and less writing to bring the message you want to send to students home. Provide short testimonials from students containing what they think of this part of their school life.

Let the images reflect the values of the school as well as show that all parts of school life help meet the school’s mission and vision.

Evolving Your Unique Online Identity

Your online identity needs to build trust. This is building trust in the parents and the potential students that what they read is really who your school is. Trust is everything, especially in this digital age.

Evolving your unique online identity means reaching for this vital goal. Without trust from the students and parents, it will be very difficult to meet the community’s educational needs and achieve the objectives outlined in the school’s vision and mission statements.

The purpose of the school website is to create that trust before the student attends their first day.

Ensuring Ofsted Compliance for Your Primary School Website

Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills) plays a pivotal role in maintaining and enhancing educational standards in the UK. As primary schools increasingly integrate digital platforms into their operations, ensuring that school websites are Ofsted-compliant is essential.

Some Additional Words

This may all sound difficult and above the heads of many teachers but there is good news. If you feel overwhelmed by developing a school website, then contact our company.

We are School Jotter and we have the experience, knowledge, and products to help you create a top school website which will Ofsted Compliance and will reflect your unique school identity. Contact us today to see what we can do for you.

How To Maximise Parent Engagement Through School Communication App

Published: September 25, 2023

How To Maximise Parent Engagement Through School Communication App

Traditional communication methods are giving way!!

This seems to be the trend since the digital age has entered society and school life. It seems that more parents are moving away from the traditional forms of communication, handwritten notes from teachers, face-to-face conversations with teachers, and calls from the school to the home.

Many parents of primary school children feel these old-fashioned methods just do not work anymore and prefer a more modern approach viz modern technological communication options.

Instead, they prefer a digital communication system that lets them receive text messages, videos, and other information straight to their mobile devices or computers. These alternative methods is useful for parents and school for communicating unforeseen events like school closure due to weather conditions or providing information about important upcoming seminars or conferences.

The Importance of Parent Engagement

The consensus among education experts is clear: Parental engagement significantly influences a child’s academic and social growth. A few of the universally accepted advantages include:

  • Academic Performance- Good parental engagement is seen as a vital reason for students performing better grade-wise. They do their homework, get better grades, and learn better with this support.
  • Behavioural Impact- Good parental engagement helps their children to choose healthier activities and behave in a socially healthy manner. Without this support, the behaviour of the students is not exemplary but adds to the stress teachers have to endure.
  • Social Skills Development- Finally, parental engagement is important for students as the latter develop better social skills. This can cut down on bullying, and negative interactions with other students and make school life more tolerable for all students.

Also, parental engagement seems to pay off as more students fail to develop a smoking habit and turn to physical education activities. They have a better attitude and perspective on life giving each student a better foundation to succeed in life.

This engagement needs a little help from the primary schools and this help can come in the following ways:

  1. Creating a vision for parent engagement
  2. Preparing school staff to work with parents
  3. Assessing and improving the school’s strategies for involving parents
  4. Assessing what parents and families need to be more involved in school health

Designing a Parent-Centric User Experience of the school mobile apps

While children and teens are very good at downloading and using apps, more often than not, their parents are not gifted or agile. It is important to create a parent-centric user app whose design allows the less technological advanced parents to use the app easily and without hassles.

To accomplish this objective, the user-centred design method is the go-to option. This allows designers to create an app for adults to use. Its simplicity enables all adults, including the less technologically advanced ones, to use the school mobile phone apps and communicate with teachers, learn about events, the news, and more.

Often parents miss the information needed because they do not have the technological ability to use the different apps and they are in a job that keeps them from accessing this information and more.

These parent-centric user mobile apps create a better experience for parents as they get to access important information concerning their children without trouble.

Various Communication Tools For Parent-School Interaction

The digital age has brought innovation and new tools for parent/teacher communications. There is a vast array of these tools that have moved parents away from the old-fashioned methods used by their parents and grandparents.

One tool is Jotter 3.0 which provides access to school information if one has a QR code. Only the parents will have this code giving them privacy to see what is going on in their child’s school life.

There are various other tools available, all of which include text messages, videos, and alerts that parents need to know about and see. Parents should be able to interact with their children’s teachers with the help of these tools.

Last but not least, there are a host of social media outlets where parents can connect with teachers through private social media accounts.

The digital age has supplied enough tools that parents do not have to take time off from work to communicate with a teacher.

How To Use The Priamry School Mobile Apps To Share Student Accomplishments

These mobile apps come with built-in features that allow teachers to easily upload and share student accomplishments. The instructions are usually found in the operational information that is a part of each app.

The key would be to access the menu to reach the appropriate function that allows you to send student accomplishments to their parents. All mobile apps should be easy to use but some are not as simple as others.

The complicated operation tends to deter parents from using those apps and learning about their children’s success. Then with the direct communication features, parents can interact with their children’s teachers no matter where they happen to be.

This access is also 24/7 so even if you come home late you can still take the time to access the information and learn about your child’s day without waking them up.

Each app will have its own method of operation which may not be the same as another app. Make sure to read the instructions so you understand what to do.

Some Additional Words

While the journey to maximising parental engagement in primary schools has its challenges, leveraging the right technological tools can significantly bridge the gap. With Ofsted compliance in the UK underscoring the importance of effective communication between schools and parents, such platforms become even more critical.

Our suite of products at School Jotter is designed to make this engagement seamless. Visit our website to explore our offerings, and don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions. Your child’s academic success may be just a click away.

20 Years Building School Websites

Published: August 21, 2023

Celebrating 20 Years of School Jotter

At School Jotter, we are thrilled to mark a significant milestone this month – our 20th anniversary! For the past two decades, we have proudly embarked on a journey of collaboration and growth, working alongside many schools across the country and contributing to their success.

Two Decades of Transforming Education

Our journey has been one of continuous learning, innovation, and partnership. Over the years, we have had the privilege of collaborating with thousands of schools, each with their unique stories and aspirations. As we reflect on the past 20 years, we are humbled by the impact we’ve been able to create in the educational landscape.

Elevating Schools’ Reputations Through Integrated Solutions

Central to our mission has been the development of integrated solutions that empower schools to thrive in an increasingly digital world. Our flagship offerings, the School Jotter Websites and Mobile Apps, have been instrumental in elevating schools’ reputations and transforming their communication strategies.

Seamless Synchronicity for Effective Communication

The beauty of School Jotter’s integrated platforms lies in their seamless synchronicity. The harmony between School Jotter Websites and Mobile Apps creates an ecosystem that enables schools to communicate effectively with their community and parents. Regardless of geographical boundaries or device disparities, these platforms ensure that crucial information, timely updates, and engagement opportunities are accessible to all stakeholders.

Fostering Connection and Involvement

In a world where effective communication is the cornerstone of success, our integrated solutions play a vital role in fostering connection and involvement. By providing a user-friendly interface for schools to share essential updates, accomplishments, and insights, we help build bridges between schools and their communities.

Looking Ahead: A Stronger Future Together

As we celebrate our 20th anniversary, we are filled with gratitude for the incredible journey we’ve had so far. The impact of the School Jotter Websites and Mobile Apps synchronisation cannot be understated – it has revolutionised how schools communicate and engage. Our commitment to supporting schools in their growth journey remains unwavering.

Let’s Connect and Explore Together

We invite you to be a part of our journey as we move forward. If you’re interested in enhancing your school’s communication strategies or exploring how our integrated solutions can benefit your institution, we would be delighted to connect. Reach out to our dedicated team at info@schooljotter.com. With two decades of experience behind us, we are well-equipped to assist you effectively. Let’s schedule a conversation and delve deeper into your unique needs.

As we celebrate 20 years of collaboration and growth, we look forward to continuing our mission of empowering schools and fostering stronger communities. Thank you for being a part of our journey!

School Jotter Podcast – School Web Design, Accessibility and School Podcasting

Published: May 24, 2023

School Jotter Podcast - School Web Design, Accessibility and School Podcasting


School Jotter Podcast – Website Accessibility


School Jotter Podcast – School Podcasting

Alerts for Upcoming Ofsted Inspections

Category: Ofsted

Published: March 22, 2023

Alerts for Upcoming Ofsted Inspections- School Jotter

Schools in the UK have a legal obligation to maintain a certain level of performance and quality of education. One of the ways that this is monitored is through Ofsted inspections. Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills) is the non-ministerial government department responsible for inspecting and regulating schools and other education settings in England. The Ofsted inspection process can be a stressful time for schools, and preparation is key. However, with the help of School Jotter, schools can be alerted to upcoming Ofsted inspections by monitoring policy download statistics.

As part of its compliance checks, Ofsted inspectors will typically review a school’s website to ensure that it meets certain requirements

5 things that Ofsted looks for on a school website should include:

  1. Contact information: Schools are required to provide up-to-date contact information on their website, including the school’s address, telephone number, and email address. This information should be easy to find and clearly displayed.
  2. Curriculum information: Ofsted expects schools to provide detailed information about the curriculum they offer, including what is taught in each subject, how progress is assessed, and how students are supported to achieve their full potential. This information should be easily accessible on the school’s website.
  3. Safeguarding policies and procedures: Schools must have robust safeguarding policies and procedures in place to ensure that students are safe from harm. Ofsted inspectors will check that these policies are available on the school’s website and that they are up-to-date and reflect best practice.
  4. SEN information: Schools must provide information about how they support students with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities. This information should be easily accessible on the school’s website and should include details of any specialist resources or services that are available.
  5. Pupil premium and sports premium: Schools that receive pupil premium and/or sports premium funding must provide information on how this funding is used to support disadvantaged students and improve outcomes for all students. Ofsted inspectors will check that this information is available on the school’s website and that it is up-to-date.

School Jotter is a platform that provides a range of digital tools to help schools manage their online presence, communicate with parents, and engage with students. One of the features of School Jotter is the ability to monitor policy document downloads. This means that schools can see when lots of policy documents are downloaded and under what time frame. By monitoring these statistics, the platform can flag impending Ofsted inspections, giving leadership and staff prior warning to prepare.

School Administrators can Monitor Download Patterns of Policy Documents to be Alerted in impending Oftsed Inspections

The policy documents that schools need to have in place cover a range of areas, from health and safety to safeguarding. Ofsted inspectors will look for evidence that schools are meeting their legal obligations in these areas, and that policies are up to date and followed. By monitoring policy download statistics, School Jotter can help schools identify when policies are being downloaded more frequently than usual. This could indicate that an inspection is imminent and that staff and leadership need to ensure that all policies are up to date and that everyone is following them.

In addition to monitoring policy downloads, School Jotter also offers a range of tools that can help schools prepare for Ofsted inspections. For example, the platform includes a customisable self-evaluation tool that can help schools identify areas of strength and weakness. This can be a valuable resource for schools when preparing for inspections, as it helps them to identify areas that may need improvement and to develop strategies for improvement.

School Jotter also provides a range of communication tools that can be used to engage with parents and the wider school community. This can be particularly useful when preparing for Ofsted inspections, as it allows schools to demonstrate that they are actively engaging with parents and seeking their input. By using School Jotter’s communication tools, schools can also keep parents informed about the inspection process, which can help to reduce anxiety and build trust.

In conclusion, School Jotter is an invaluable tool for schools preparing for Ofsted inspections. By monitoring policy download statistics and providing a range of digital tools, schools can be better prepared for inspections and ensure that they are meeting their legal obligations. The ability to monitor policy downloads can provide early warning of inspections, allowing schools to ensure that all policies are up to date and followed. Additionally, School Jotter’s self-evaluation tool can help schools identify areas for improvement, and its communication tools can be used to engage with parents and the wider community. With the help of School Jotter, schools can feel more confident and prepared for Ofsted inspections, ensuring that they are providing high-quality education for their students.

If you are interested in learning more about Ofsted Inspection Alerts and having an Ofsted Compliant Website speak to our team.

Rave Reviews from Satisfied Customers

Published: March 5, 2023

Branding for schools- School Jotter

School Jotter provides high-quality website and app solutions to schools, making communication and administration easier. The company has received positive feedback from its customers who have praised its products and services. In this blog post, we will highlight some of the reviews received by School Jotter from satisfied customers.

Here at School Jotter, we take great pride in providing schools with high-quality websites and apps that make communication and administration easier than ever before. That’s why we’re thrilled to receive such positive feedback from our customers, who have nothing but good things to say about our products and services.

In November 2022, The FrenchAm Schools raved about their experience with School Jotter after a sales demo. “School Jotter was absolutely awesome,” they said. “School Jotter helped me understand the product offered and was able to answer all my questions. Great team. Thank you.”

In September 2022, Hollycroft Primary School (OWLS Academy Trust) was equally impressed after a sales demo. “Great even did the questionnaire for us. Magic!” they exclaimed.

St. John the Evangelist CofE Primary School was also delighted with School Jotter’s customer service and support during their sales demo in September 2022. “Great customer service and support,” they said.

Hertford Vale C.E Primary School had a productive meeting with School Jotter in September 2022, thanking them for “lots of good advice about the website and app” and stating it was “a very productive meeting.”

Saffron Green Primary School, Rubery Nursery School, Little Heath School in Redbridge, St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Primary School in Newchurch, Silloth Primary School, and Orchard Park Community Primary School were also delighted with their experience with School Jotter, giving positive reviews after their sales demos or meetings.

At Lower Wortley Primary School, School Jotter’s representative, Claire, was particularly noted for his friendly and knowledgeable demeanour. “Claire was friendly and knowledgeable about the products on offer,” they said. “Claire could answer questions well and provided us with examples of different websites available.”

School Jotter has been a trusted provider of high-quality websites and mobile apps for schools for over 20 years. During that time, we have created thousands of custom solutions for schools of all sizes and types, helping them to communicate more effectively with students, parents, and staff, and to streamline their administrative processes.

Our team of expert designers, developers, and support staff are committed to delivering top-notch website and app solutions that meet the unique needs of each school we work with. Whether you need a simple school website to showcase your school’s offerings or a complex app that can handle everything from attendance tracking to homework assignments, we have the expertise and experience to make it happen.

We take great pride in our ability to provide exceptional customer service and support to all of our clients. Our team is always available to answer questions, provide guidance, and address any concerns or issues that may arise. And when you work with School Jotter, you can rest assured that you are getting a high-quality product that is backed by our commitment to excellence and our long-standing reputation in the industry.

So if you’re interested in learning more about what School Jotter can do for your school, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Our team will be happy to provide you with more information about our services, answer any questions you may have, and help you get started on the path to a more effective and efficient school communication and administration system.