The modern day state school website

I think that pretty much all of you reading this post will agree that 2020 proved to be one of the toughest and most challenging years ever for schools around the United Kingdom.

Many events transpired, from Brexit to the pandemic, that immediately caused schools to think and almost instantly change the way that they operate.

At the worst point, we saw schools being forced to close back in March 2020, and pretty much overnight, we saw several key activities being moved online. We then saw the role of the school website grow to a level of significant importance like we have never seen before.

Ever since then, mso has seen and experienced this growth first hand, receiving a record level of new business enquiries from state schools in the space of 12 months.

With this in mind, we thought we would look to explore 2 key reasons that have seen this industry-wide shift to digital.

Reason 1 – Everyone is now online.

As a web agency that works with many schools across the UK and internationally, it is fair to say that our team sees more school websites on a daily basis than most people.

Before 2020, the team consensus was that the state school sector was pretty behind the wider education industry curve when it came to websites.

A large majority of those we analysed consisted of dated website designs, too many pages filled with duplicate content, built on bespoke technologies which limited a school’s control and flexibility to actually manage and update their websites on a day-to-day basis with ease.

Having such a website experience failed to provide a suitable representation of the school and just tended to conform to industry standards and expectations.

However, the impact that events in 2020 have had, has seen many state schools place significant importance on the school website, with the majority of school activities now being accessed or completed online.

This impact has highlighted the need for new and modern website features that were never previously considered. Features such as virtual tours and experiences that provide website visitors with a glimpse into school life and facilities, without leaving the comfort of their own home. Booking systems that permit prospective parents and pupils to secure an appointment to visit the school.

This change in mindset has opened the eyes of many to the endless possibilities that schools now have when it comes to their school website.

Reason 2 – Shift to a marketing and admissions tool.

Historically, the state school website has always been seen as a source of information for key stakeholders, providing access to important details, documents and online tools.

This hasn’t changed in that the school website should be considered as the digital hub, for stakeholders to gain access to what they’re looking for at ease.

However, we’re now seeing huge importance being placed on state schools, now using the school website as a marketing and admissions tool to attract prospective pupils that are able to help them deliver on their targets for the school.

Having a school website that looks beautiful and visually appealing, will help provide a recognizable and distinctive website experience, which will prove memorable when a prospective family is shortlisting options for their child to study at.

Many schools look to the independent school sector for inspiration, as these school website experiences tend to place extreme importance in showcasing the personality of the school, utilising the brand and the unique messages that each school has.

Ensuring that your school website is able to showcase this uniqueness and provide a perfect representation of your school, is now central for the majority of state schools who are looking to utilise the school website as a marketing and admissions tool.

Closing Statement

Last year’s events have helped contribute towards a fiercer and more competitive school landscape.

This has made the need for an effective school website experience that is able to offer modern-day website features that make the lives of the website visitor easier, whilst showcasing the school and enabling it to stand out, more important than ever before.

It would appear that there is now a bright light at the end of the tunnel, with many schools slowly returning to normal levels.

However, what may not return to normal is the role of the state school website, with the modern-day state school website here to stay, due to it now being central to the school’s operation.