Our sales team state side is being assembled and the East Coast office is being completed to specification ready for our big January launch. More details to follow shortly. Meanwhile the development team are working hard to localise the application in anticipation of handling the different time zones and variants of features like the calendar and blogs.

We are very excited about this project and also the opportunity it will offer the UK team to travel to the States yet remain a part of the School Website team. Not to worry though if you are a loyal UK customer, the team over here have been strengthened yet further with some excellent new recruits, with additions in the studio, project management, development and sales teams taking us to more than 40 people and firmly establishing School Website as the UK market leader.

Responsive web design (RWD) is an approach to designing websites aimed at providing the user with an optimal experience across a wide range of devices (desktop, tablet, mobile) and screen resolutions – good responsive design should be device agnostic. The objective is to provide a layout that minimises resizing, panning and scrolling to ensure that readability and navigation are tailored to the different sized screens from which the website can be accessed.

Should my school website be responsive?

Essentially, yes – it should. You can no longer discount mobile users or tablet users as in the minority, as they are not. In actual fact they will very soon be in the majority. Responsive design makes sense in that providing your users with the optimal user experience irrespective of their device can only be a good thing.

There’s good and bad responsive design...

Like good and bad design agencies, there is good and bad examples of responsive design. Here is a few things that you should make sure you have covered with your new school website:

• The mobile version should not be a trimmed down version of the main website. All content featured and functionality should be available for each layout (there is nothing more irritating than seeing something on the desktop site which can’t be accessed via the mobile one).
• Mobile layouts should consider ‘touch screen devices’ and where hover states are present on the desktop version a suitable alternative needs to be provided.
• You should know the different ‘pinch points’ that the new website will respond to. These are essentially the different screen resolutions to which the website will be tailored.
• A basic web app is not a mobile version (tut tut one of our so called competitors) and if the website is not available in mobile form then the website is not responsive.
• Navigation should be optimised based upon the size of the screen available. Horizontal scrolling should be avoided completely and if necessary replaced with something more appropriate on smaller devices.
• Video content should work on mobile devices. If your website requires the use of Flash to display video then speak to your website provider about a HTML5 alternative.

Responsive design for School Website customers

As always, here at School Website we continue to set the standards that others in the market follow. We’ve been providing a responsive design option to all of our school website customers for more than 18 months. If you are a primary, secondary, academy or independent school and would like to learn more about our responsive website design services for schools then call 0845 262 2030 or click here to request a free and without obligation design consultation.

Cue the digital age. Moving at a pace that some of the most technically gifted and digitally switched-on marketers struggle to keep up with, it’s fair to say that marketing a school has changed beyond recognition. To understand how it has changed involves considering how the development of technology has altered the way in which parents and pupils research a school and then subsequently want to engage with it. The customer journey if you will.

Increasingly, that journey begins online with a search (via Google), not necessarily with a particular school in mind. In this case, a school that’s website ranks poorly on search engines is instantly out of the equation. This puts massive emphasis on the need to include search marketing methods (SEO/PPC) as key components of a school’s marketing strategy. If they can’t find you then they won’t know you are there!

Now, for many, reputation will compensate for poor rankings. A potential customer looking for your school by name will find your site regardless of rankings. They reach your website; you now have three minutes to make that all-important first impression. The website they find must be visually engaging, interactive, easy to navigate and of course memorable. Did I forget to mention that like one in three of your website’s visitors they are on a mobile device? Make sure you add a mobile version to your marketing strategy.

A visitor might return to the website three or four times to satisfy various questions and/or to make comparisons with other schools. Many will view any available video content, search the school on social media sites (such as Twitter and Facebook) and check reviews from the likes of the Good School Guide. (Add social media, video and third party websites to the list.)

The potential customer wants to see a prospectus, but just like most of us, they don’t want to wait two days for it to arrive in the post. They want it now. Conveniently, they are provided with the option to receive an online version then and there in exchange for providing some all-important contact details. Online prospectuses have become commonplace; whichever side of the digital/print fence you sit on, giving a prospect what they want when they want it can never be a bad idea.

I could go on as this is only part of the journey. Hopefully you get the idea. The customer journey for schools is complex and can cross any combination of available communication channels. Each journey is different for every individual pupil/parent; even for two parents researching the same school!

For schools that have a limited internal marketing team (or none), it can surely be intimidating to contemplate writing a strategy that includes all of the above, let alone implementing it. The practise of marketing a school continues to change at an almost frightening pace. The only way for the majority of independent schools to create and implement a relevant marketing strategy is to take advantage of external specialists.

1. Register profiles for the different social media platforms. Whether you are using or intend to use social media as a school the first thing to do is make sure you have safeguarded the schools name for each. Taking twitter as an example, your profile name will be: twitter.com/yourschoolname

   Each platform (twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Flickr, Pinterest etc) has its own procedure for registering your profile name but from experience all are easy to follow. Once setup, why not add the feeds to your website homepage which a good content management system (CMS) should make easy to do. All sound like a lot of hard work? You can always get us to do it for you.

2. Start a Blog. Most good school website CMS have a blog feature built in. Headteacher's might start 'the heads blog', marketing or website manager a 'school news and events blog' - if there are school trips over Easter then make that your first post. Or setup a blog where the content comes from pupils, like a 'day in the life of'. Remember, a blog post doesn't need to be insightful to the point of prompting global change. Interesting, useful and aimed at a particular audience (pupils, parents, prospective parents) usually does the trick. You are reading our blog right now - other articles can be found at http://blog.schoolwebsite.co.uk

3. Look at the website statistics. Not probably the most exciting thing you could do this Easter, but maybe one of the most valuable. Stats tell you a huge amount about your users and your website. You also don't need to be an expert to interpret them. Look for where your traffic comes from, what's being looked at and from what devices? Lots of visitors accessing the website on their mobile phone? Might be a good idea to make some recommendations when you get back from Easter on making the website mobile/tablet friendly. If you don't have stats, then get some setup this holiday. Again a good CMS should have statistics built in but you can also setup Google Analytics which is free and easy to setup.

4. Do some SEO work. That's search engine optimisation for the the less website savvy. Sounds complicated right? But it really isn't. Start by establishing 10 phrases that you think might be what a user would type if looking for your school. Not single words (who uses just one word when they search?) but 2-3 keyword phrases like 'secondary school Birmingham' or 'boarding school London'. The website stats might also give some excellent clues. Pick a page for each phrase that you establish and then make sure the page name (URL) schoolname.co.uk/page name Title, Keywords and Description (meta-tags) all contain the selected phrase. Last of all make sure your phrase appears in the written content for the page - not excessively but a couple of times per paragraph. If you want to get clever then make sure you use your chosen phrases in your new blog that link back to your selected page. SEO work can be time consuming so if you would rather get someone to do it for you then go to http://www.schoolwebsite.co.uk/services/websites/search-engine-optimisation.htm.

5. Update the content (images and text). Any school website should have a CMS that allows you to make simple content changes. Use the Easter break to give the content a refresh. Even if you are planning a re-design sometime in the near future getting the content up-to-date will help no end, as well as making an immediate improvement to the user experience.

6. Start a website Survey. Find out what the users really think about the school website by setting up a survey or poll. This should be another feature built into the CMS but if not, external tools like survey monkey still do the job very nicely. The results will undoubtedly provide further insight into other improvements that could be made to the website when you next have a few minutes spare or justify more extensive changes in the future. It is also always nice to see a school show they are making changes in direct response to parent/pupil feedback.

7. Identify video opportunities. Video is one of the most engaging ways to capture the attention of your audience online. Look at the events that will take place next term and think about whether they would be good video opportunities. Remember, video needn't be shot professionally, pupils and staff with an interest in video/ editing would be the perfect choice (if like most schools a budget for video doesn't exist). If it does however, make sure you use a video production company with experience of working with schools. Whilst you are at it, set up YouTube and Vimeo accounts, ready to upload your new school videos if you CMS doesn't support video content making sure your CMS allows you to pull in video content from social media platforms.

If reading blog posts and eating chocolate is as involved in the school website as you want to get this Easter or you think the current school website's design or CMS prevents you from doing the things mentioned above - then get in touch with schoolwebsite.co.uk and arrange a free and without obligation consultation so we can do the hard work for you.

To learn more about School Website, the UK's largest supplier of websites for schools go to www.schoolwebsite.co.uk and view more than 50 examples of our work.

5) MD's Blog: The Danger of Form over Function - This piece explains why a school's website must work well first and look good second. 

4) Mobile Versions VS Apps for Schools - An insightful look at these two different communication options for mobile devices. 

3) Cookies and School Websites: 2013 - A plainly informative report on the current status of the web's most infamous snack. 

2) MD's Blog: School Branding and Positioning - A unique perspective on how marketing theory can be used to inform school communications (but often isn't). 

1) Ofsted and the School Website: 2013 - Here it is, the most-read (and most recent!) piece we have posted this year. 

This applies to every school in the land so no wonder hundreds of school marketers have read it already. Want to be the next? Be our guest, its FREE! 

We are pleased to be able provide this free content to every school marketer in the UK (and beyond)! Stay in touch for future content.

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This article looks at Ofsted school inspections as well as the separate topic of information which - based on government regulations - must always be available on a school’s website.

Ofsted Inspections

It’s common knowledge that Ofsted now look at a school’s website before visiting in person. This article offers you practical advice to help you make sure that your school’s site is meeting expectations if not exceeding them.

There is a DfE article that highlights the importance of each school having a high quality website which presents information to parents and other stakeholders.

School Website Content

Since the start of this school year, schools are no longer required to publish a prospectus or a curriculum policy. Instead, schools are now required to make key information publicly available on the internet. The best way for most schools to do this will be with a dedicated website.

The following content requirements are found in aforementioned DfE article:

Pupil Premium allocation, use and impact on attainment

Curriculum provision, content and approach by academic year and by subject

Admission arrangements

The school's policies in relation to behaviour, charging and SEN/disability provisions

Links to Ofsted reports and performance data

Details of the school’s latest Key Stage 2 and 4 attainment and progress measures

Every school is required to have an up-to-date website which covers the above points. Although schools are no longer required to produce individual prospectuses, each local authority still has a responsibility to produce a composite prospectus (containing information about every school) each year. LAs must also continue to provide support to parents who are going through the admissions process which includes making sure that schools are making information easily available (adding further importance to your school’s website).

Quick tip...

You can search for your school on the new DfE School Data Dashboard, find your school's page and link to it from your website.

What does it all mean?

As mentioned, Ofsted and LAs are now paying a lot more attention to school websites. It seems like it won’t be long until the school website itself becomes a standard feature of Ofsted reports.

Every school is expected to meet standards by following content guidelines but high class website design is the only way to impress visitors and represent your school to the fullest online.

One last thing, just for you

Here is an extra resource that you may well find valuable. Although this downloadable checklist does not appear to have been produced by the DfE, it is a thorough list that breaks down school website content into three categories: essential, desirable and other ideas to consider. The essential components are highlighted as required from September 2012 onwards as per the recent changes to school information regulations.

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Without giving away any of the secrets of our success (Our competitors do not have permission to read on!), many of our creative inspirations come directly from how a school is seen and how it wants to be seen.

Canons High School: a recent branding project for School Website

One school may be looking for a site that reinforces their traditional image whereas the next could be trying to portray a character which is completely new to the school. If the school isn’t completely clear on what that new image is, we often help them with branding decisions through researching their current image in the context of their market. We then go about ensuring that their new website and/or prospectus align with the messages that need to be conveyed about the school.

Having worked with so many schools, what strikes me is just how few have a clearly defined brand in place.

Many School Website Agencies use Templates

Whilst many school website design companies claim that they ‘do not use templates’ or ‘do not reproduce layouts’, the proof is in the pudding. I often see portfolios where the only difference from one school website to the next is the banner and the colour scheme! Perhaps their perception is that every school is pretty much the same and therefore their websites can be. I would argue that this is not purely the fault of the agency and that at least some responsibility must fall on the school itself. This will be explored more, later in the article.

Our perspective is that we are being paid to produce something that is bespoke to that school which is why we take the time to understand how that school is different from other schools that prospective parents are known to consider (our client’s competitors). In marketing terms, we consider the school’s positioning.

Each Website we Produce is Unique

One of the most common observations our prospective clients make is on the true diversity and individuality found throughout our portfolio. Every school website is unique and personal to a school’s identity and this doesn’t come about through chance.

I have been in many a meeting with representatives from schools both large and small where a debate has broken out amongst school staff over what the school’s main strengths are, which schools they are competing against and even which type of school it is!

When we realised that the demand from schools for branding and marketing strategy services was so great, we developed a whole new arm of our organisation: School Consulting. The new company now provides marketing consultancy exclusively to schools, advising them on long-term positioning matters.

Discover the Strength of Your School’s Image

Writing this article got me thinking... every school loves a test so here’s something you can actually try today. As Head Teacher, Marketing Manager, Business Manager or similar, write down five key strengths of your school that differentiate it from its competitors; assuming of course that you know which schools those are. Once you have your list of five, find out if your colleagues provide the same answers and maybe even ask a number of students to write a list as well.

Generally speaking, the smaller the total number of benefits provided when everybody’s answers are added together, the stronger your school’s image.

Open Day Experiences

I recently attended a number of open days with my own daughter. Sitting on the outside as a parent rather than on the inside as a marketer proved an interesting exercise. Upon arriving at each school, I could tell almost immediately if it was one whose tests would produce a short list of strengths or if it was a school whose members were pulling in all different directions.

Whilst for all three schools the prospectus and website communicated a consistent message, at two out of three open days the school seemed to be selling me an entirely different set of values, many of which I felt pretty sure were not accurate.

The representative at the most academic of the schools spent the majority of time dispelling the ‘rumour’ that it was an academic hot house (although I was not once asked where high academic achievement standards features on my list of priorities). The member of another of the schools which is a known high achiever in sport spent most of the time pointing to improvements in academic results and completely failed to mention the amazing PE facilities that I personally know the school has.

Know Where your School Stands in its Market

The purpose of this article is not to criticise other school website design agencies, it is in fact to our advantage that they do not spend time getting to know each school. Perhaps they don’t have the resources at their disposal to analyse school positioning as part of a website or prospectus project in the way we do.

This article is however intended to emphasise just how important it is for a school to know where it stands within its market (which requires knowing what that market is) and for everyone at the school to get behind that brand position and strengthen it. 

When a school’s strengths are clearly defined and commonly known there are no problems in communicating them.

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I don’t blame you! This must be the trickiest subject I have researched and written about so far in this blog. The information and opinions online seem endless.

The idea is that I do the leg-work so you school website operators don’t have to. After much desk research, the whole thing has become a lot clearer. I’ll present you with an outline of my findings then conclude with straightforward advice.

What are Cookies?

These are files which get stored in a person’s web browser on their computer when they visit a website. There are many types of cookies and they all do important jobs in the web browsing experience such as remembering a visitor’s preferences and allowing the website operator to see stats about usage.

In 2002, the EU created a policy that required each end-user’s consent before the placement of cookies on their hardware over concerns that the use of cookies had the potential to affect users negatively. Official advice for website operators has changed directions numerous times between then and now which has created widespread confusion, annoyance and money wastage in the UK and wider Europe.

What’s Changed?

In May 2012, the ICO suggested that, to meet the EU policy, all websites should seek consent to the use of cookies from the visitor. ‘Implied consent’ where the website visitor did not block cookies was apparently not sufficient. The ICO then put up a large banner on their own website requesting that all visitors indicate their consent in order to allow the use of cookies.

Whilst for a static website like theirs this was not a major logistical issue (probably only impacting on their ability to track visitor traffic stats), for sites heavily reliant on the use of cookies such as where e-commerce (storing items in shopping carts etc.) or personalisation (such as remembering an email address or postcode) was being used, the advised action was entirely impractical. The directive itself failed to give any guidance as to how website operators should overcome this and there was even less indication as to whether the rules for laptop/desktop browsers also applied to tablet/mobile devices. Naturally, this led to many ignoring the cookie law altogether; for those website operators who actively tried to comply, the ICO’s guidelines lead to many different interpretations.

More recently, the ICO’s own website and advice has changed, now suggesting that consent can be implied and all that is required is clear information for the user on which cookies are being used on any given site. Whilst this u-turn wont impress those that have spent large sums of money trying to comply with the previous guidelines, it is at least a more practical and workable solution.

What Does this Mean for my School's Website?

In short, it is advisable tell people which cookies your school’s website uses and why, like in this example from our client Charterhouse School.

The (optional) next step would then be to present advice on how a visitor can stop those cookies should they want to. In most cases, people have no need or desire to stop cookies anyway and furthermore, any person can quite easily manage cookies using their browser settings should they want to.

It is important to be aware of all cookies your site uses. If you’re not aware of any or all of the cookies your site uses, cookie auditing tools are available online, some for free!

To put this all into context, Dave Evans of the ICO said (in a video interview) last year that they would not even attempt to fine a website operator unless their use of cookies was likely to cause serious damage.

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Apps are delivered in two main types, native apps and web apps which have their distinctions; as explored in our earlier article.

Mobile Version

Most websites are primarily designed to be visited from a laptop or desktop computer while some have been optimised to look good and work well on mobile devices as well. The ‘mobile version’ is a different layout from what is shown when the same website is visited from a laptop or desktop computer. If a site has not been programmed to adapt its content, the desktop version will be shown when the site is accessed from a mobile device. In this case, one would say that the site does not have a mobile version.

The most restrictive factor in viewing web content on a mobile device is quite simply that the screen is a fraction of the size of a laptop screen or desktop monitor. This means that a normal web page shown on a smartphone will often display images and buttons the user can’t see properly and unreadable text. The user can of course zoom in but this will mean scrolling left and right to view content which is not ideal, scrolling up and down only is the accepted norm. This is particularly problematic on any website with a horizontal menu for navigation.

The fact that ‘smartphone ownership nears 60% of the UK's adult population’ (Guardian, 2012) has big implications for schools. Although geography has an influence, as much as 1 in 3 of a school website’s visits comes via a mobile device. Ideally, no school wants a web user to visit their standard website via a smartphone because user experience will not be optimal.

To view a mobile version produced by us, visit www.rugbyschool.net on your smartphone.

Mobile Version VS App

There is often confusion amongst school representatives about what constitutes a mobile version of a website and how this differs from an app. A mobile version should show every page of the website, rendering each feature and item of content in a mobile-friendly format compatible with touch-screen devices. A mobile version typically works across every smartphone browser, regardless of the make or model of phone.

In contrast, an app is not a complete website; it is a selection of features which in most cases either provide greater convenience in the grouping and accessing of information (such as creating a parent app with calendars, sports fixtures and news) or in harnessing the features of the phone itself such as GPS to provide satellite navigation (particularly handy in locating a sports pitch or a school which is hidden down a lane). To view an example of an app, go to the Apple App Store or Play Store via Android and download the free Charterhouse School app.

What’s Right for my School?

Unfortunately, it is not just a matter of choosing one or the other; every school has different requirements and of course any decision is budget-permitting.

With the growth of mobile internet usage, a mobile version is - in our opinion - an absolute must. Any school website provider which is not offering this contemporary feature should not be considered.

The likelihood that by the end of 2015, more people will be accessing the internet via mobile devices than from desktop/laptop should tell you all you need to know about the necessity of providing a website that is mobile-friendly.

On the other hand, whether or not your school requires an app very much comes down to functionality. Think carefully about the task(s) you would want an app to perform and ask yourself whether a mobile version of the website could in-fact deliver this. If the answer is ‘yes’ then the chances are that you don’t need both; if the answer is ‘no’ then developing an app in addition to the mobile version is certainly a viable option.

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We should also take a moment to thank our own creative team who designed the layout for the stand and the excellent work of our contractor who worked with us to bring it to life. Barely a person passed without wanting a photo either with the stand in the background or more popularly with our resident 6’6” super-hero.

At the show we concentrated our efforts on three of our most popular products:

On the School Website stand we demonstrated not only our unrivalled creative skills but also our technical execution in the delivery of ‘responsive’ websites that adapt for mobile, tablet, desktop and PC screens. The reaction was our most positive to date, with schools envious by what we had created for others and excited by a content management system that gave them control like nothing else on the market.

On the School Prospectus stand we concentrated on where we believed the future of the prospectus lies. With the use of augmented reality we demonstrated how a school could bring a printed document to life with animation and video overlays; A BETT first we believe. Also on show was our new interactive prospectus tool which for schools looking to produce an online version gives options never seen before in other software of its type.

Lastly, School Editions, a new product added to our portfolio designed to solve every school's problems when it comes to producing a school newsletter quickly and professionally. Crowds of people were wowed by the prospect of dragging news items and other online content into a newsletter which takes minutes to do rather than hours.

Again, another thank you is needed for the professionalism, enthusiasm and commitment of our sales and marketing team who worked tirelessly throughout the event - laughing in the face of sore feet (as we were without seats on the stand) and in some cases a nasty Friday hangover from the show party on Thursday evening. A special shout out also to our administrator (who shall go unnamed) who having not made it home Thursday night purchased a whole new outfit, including shoes, for the following day! 

Collectively, BETT has already proved our most successful yet and our investment already returned in new business only a week on from meeting nearly 500 schools on stand. We also enjoyed the opportunity to catch up with some old friends in the form of existing clients.

Now is the time to follow up with the rest of the schools that we met and start some great new projects!

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One of the world’s leading education technology exhibitions: ‘Bett is a global community where individuals discover technology for education and lifelong learning. Bett embraces innovative solutions that inspire, in order to shape and improve the way people learn from classroom to boardroom.’ bettshow.com

Our key theme for this year’s show is accessibility. We will be demonstrating our leading service which allows school websites to look amazing ‘any time, any place, any device’. This is because they are designed to respond to the visitor’s device or screen resolution in order to deliver optimal display size and page layout.

Look out for our advert in the event Show Guide which is based on this cross-platform theme and spans 3 consecutive right hand pages; representing computers, tablets and smartphones.

The leading provider of digital marketing to schools, School Website is a dynamic organisation dedicated to the objective of bringing the latest in website design and technology to our client schools.

Fluency CMS is our in-house content management system which hundreds of schools enjoy using to control their website; it’s arguably the best CMS for schools in the world.

School Prospectus is the print arm of the company, although we have also provided many schools with top quality digital/online prospectuses. We will be demonstrating the future of the school prospectus on stand! (Rumour has it that this features augmented reality for tablets and mobiles.)

School Editions is the answer to every school's needs when it comes to creating high-quality newsletters in a time-efficient way.

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Being able to do more within a browser, both creatively and technologically is undoubtedly a huge positive that brings with it tremendous advantages, some of our own recent go-lives such as Croydon High School using a 3D parallax effect are testament to this.

But, and there is a big but, there is a downside. Building a website is a blend of both creativity and technology, success comes in getting this blend correct; but most crucially, not at the expense of user experience. Too often I see school websites being created these days that perform nothing else than to showcase the capabilities of the design agency that did it, rather than to put the user experience at the heart of their design.

I can point to a very large independent school who went live only a couple of weeks ago (not one of ours fortunately) that requires 4 clicks to get to any page of content. Whilst I would be the first to say the website looks nice, as a design agency we would see that kind of mistake as an epic failure on our part to have forgotten the user to such an extent.

At School Website, we are lucky in that we have several user interface (UI) specialists who are tasked with being the voice of the user; ensuring that their experience is at the heart of what we do. We also make sure that every piece of technology, feature or function is justified; we can explain to the client why it is there and what it is for, as well as the benefit(s) we believe it brings.

For smaller agencies, a UI specialist might not exist, so in many instances you as the client become the UI specialist (although a good design agency even without a UI specialist should be able to offer solid advice). In those cases it becomes your job to ask the right question of the design agency that you are working with – which of course can be tricky...

When they propose a creative approach, ask them why they are taking it. What are the benefits it will bring and why have they matched it to your school? If they can’t answer those simple questions then chances are it’s not so well thought out!

When they develop the concept, put yourself in the shoes of the first time user, or if you are too close to the project get a friend or a member of your family to take a look; ask them where they would look to get certain bits of information. If they can’t do it easily then there is little doubt you have it wrong.

Lastly, remember: the user experience is an evolution. The website going live is the beginning, not the end! Nothing is written in stone (or at least it shouldn’t be) and things should be continually refined and tweaked to improve all aspects of the website; not forgetting of course that all-important user experience.

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Here are our top tips for making sure that parents and pupils get the information they need as quickly as possible...

Crucially, your school shouldn’t rely on a single system or platform that could let you down when you need it most. Where possible, a school should seek to cover all of the bases covered below…

Many schools now have systems for sending messages to lists such as all parents/guardians through text message and/or email (such as School to Home). These will be very useful channels for delivering news of school closure directly to families via mobile phones and most systems will provide reports so that the school can see which recipients have opened the message.

It is important to test communication systems that are not regularly used. One way to test would be to send out a message to a small internal group asking them to confirm with you that they have received the message. If they confirm then you can be confident that if/when you need to send that message out, the school’s contacts will receive it (as long as their correct email addresses and phone numbers are on record). If the test message is not received then seek technical support from your provider.

This also highlights the importance of having up-to-date contact information for every pupil’s parents or carers.

Your school may well have a Twitter and/or Facebook (or similar) account whereby pupils, parents/guardians and others can subscribe to receive messages sent out by the school. People may well reach the social networks before the school’s website; especially if, for any reason, they cannot access the website.

Even if a pupil finds the social post and shows it to their family, it will be clear that it’s no hoax if it’s posted by the school’s official profile!

It’s a simple point that can be very effective; consider recommending that people share the school closure message among neighbours and friends who have children at the same school.

For many families, the school’s website will be the first thing they think to check. Make sure that you are familiar with how to implement the emergency message feature on the website that creates a pop-up on the homepage (if you don’t have this feature then consider getting a website that does) and go ahead and test it to check that it works as you expect.

For a website provider to schools, snow will bring unprecedented levels of traffic to the website within a very short space of time. As this is being written (mid-day), the School Website servers are receiving 3 times more traffic than normal for this time of day and this is much less traffic than what was received between 7am and 8am this morning. Whilst we are lucky to have a scalable platform in place (which prevents the websites becoming slow or unresponsive at peak times), school websites with many other providers were not so fortunate this morning and therefore experienced slow loading times or worse still, downtime.

As with any channel, it’s important that the website is not your only communication method as things can go wrong...

If you are currently experiencing a school closure in January of 2013, put the kettle on and keep warm!

Click here now to book a free consultation with our school communication experts

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There are two main categories of apps; native and mobile. These will be looked at separately in the following sections.

A native app is downloaded by the user from an online app store (such as on iTunes or Google Play) directly onto the device it will be used on. Native apps bring with them the potential to use the features of the device they run on such as the camera, GPS, microphone etc. An example is a QR code app that uses the devices’ built-in camera to read printed codes.

A native app is designed to run on a certain mobile operating system. If an app is available on more than one type of device (such as iPhones and HTC phones), different versions have been created. Each different operating system has its own language code which means that creating native apps for schools that work on Apple, Android and Windows mobile devices is usually both a time consuming and costly process. If a school is going to produce native app(s) they might logically survey stakeholders to find out which handsets (and therefore operating systems) they use and focus on the most popular.

Recent developments have brought solutions that allow an app to be created in one generic format and then converted to the specific language for each respective operating system (PhoneGap for example).

A school might decide on a native app so that a user can have the app downloaded rather than just accessing it by visiting a website URL. If you download the ‘School Website’ app from the Apple or Google Play (for Android) app stores and use the ID ‘demo1’ you will see some of the ways in which native apps for schools can be used to improve communication with existing stakeholders. If used carefully, this a native app could also provide a marketing tool for promoting the school to prospective stakeholders such as parents and pupils.

A school should think carefully about whether a native app will evolve at the same pace as the app stores which distribute it, how the store itself views that particular platform (as it may prevent it from being published) and how effective it is at providing an app that actually works. At School Website we advocate building each app in the language specific to that particular app store.

Mobile web apps are accessed through a web browser that is already installed on the mobile device. This means that web apps can be stored on web server(s) and accessed on any mobile device which is connected to the internet. This sort of app does not need to be downloaded before use as it loads in the browser. Historically, a web app cannot access or use features of the device it’s running on; however this is beginning to change with developments in HTML5!

When it comes to schools, those who have opted for a mobile web app will have decided that they want to offer communication services in a way that is additional to their website. A school website that has a mobile version will display well on any mobile devices browser but a mobile web app can take it one step further, providing a more native-app-like experience in terms of interface and functionality, as well as offering additional options such as the personalisation of content.

Our forthcoming article about mobile versions of school websites and how they compare to mobile apps for schools looks at this in more depth.

The native app is quite different from the web app and a school should carefully consider whether they require one, the other or both. To do so, one needs to establish the intended purpose, the audience and therefore the technical aspects which it needs to deliver.

High quality apps do not come cheap but they can greatly add value for stakeholders such as parents and pupils and hence a school; especially at a time when around 50% of UK adults have smartphones with internet.

Click here now to book a free consultation with our app experts

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2012 was the most eventful year for education in the UK this side of the millennium. This article looks at some of the key events and what implications they might have for your school’s marketing and communications.

What Happened?

Pearson commissioned research that found British education to be the sixth best in the world and second best in Europe. 32,000 secondary school leavers were awarded lower grades due to last-minute boundary alterations by Edexcel and AQA. Gove’s plan to scrap GCSEs caused a great deal of controversy and led to criticism from Ofqual and the chief inspector at Ofsted. 55 Free Schools opened in September. By the end of the year, more than half of England’s state secondary schools were either an academy school or were confirmed to become one. Technology continued to have further impact on the classroom. Online university courses came to the fore while UK institutions were allowed to charge British degree students up to £9,000 a year.

What's the Impact on School Marketing?

Secondary Qualifications

The new EU Cookie Law comes into effect on the 25th May 2012 and if Cookies are used within your site it is not something that your school can afford to ignore. Having received many enquiries from school’s wanting to know how they can make their website comply, we have put together what we hope is some useful guidance.

What is a Cookie and how does our school website use them?

• Cookies require websites to obtain consent from visitors to store or retrieve any information on a computer or any other web connected device.
• Most websites also use some kind of visitor tracking, like Google Analytics, to measure site performance, and this will also use cookies in most cases.
• By requiring websites to inform and obtain explicit consent for cookies EU aims to give web users more control over their online privacy.

What School’s can do?

• Ignore the law, this may result in a £500,000 fine
• Stop using cookies – not easy to do as most web technologies use cookies everywhere
• Ask users for permission to use cookies. This can be done in a variety of ways.

What are industry bodies saying?

The ICO (13th December 2011)

• Conduct a comprehensive audit of cookies and how they are used
• Be transparent in displaying the information more prominently on a website
• Educate users about cookies
• Give subscribers the chance to opt out

What to do next?

• We advise all school’s to do an audit of their use of cookies (or get their website provider to do it for them)
• Update their terms and conditions to list the Cookies being used across the School Website
• Either, specify that by using the website they agree to the use of the listed Cookies OR Give users the opportunity to ‘opt out’ of using Cookies on the website altogether

If your school requires further information on how it might comply with the new legislation or you are reviewing your online presence completely then why not give School Website a call on 0845 262 2030 or complete our enquiry form. We can provide an audit of your website for Cookies in addition to specific information on what to do next.

Click here now to book a free consultation with our school website experts

Please note that The following information does not constitute legal or other professional advice and may not be relied on as such. It reflects School Website’s general view as to the broad effect of the legislation. It is accordingly generic in nature and does not take into account specific circumstances. It is no substitute for specific professional advice which the reader/participant is best advised to obtain if it wishes a view as to how best to implement the new rules.

QR codes are particularly effective in engaging potential customers (i.e. parents and pupils) at the early stages of the customer journey. At the initial ‘get in touch’ stages where a parent or pupil is selecting a school, you need to have a strategy in place to get visitors back to your site to re-engage with them, especially if the initial contact was an offline situation.

Using QR codes to drive traffic to your website is undoubtedly one of the most effective uses of this new technology, as is providing a QR code linking to further information on a topic from a printed prospectus such as a video, virtual tour or image gallery.

Here are a few pointers when deciding where and when QR codes might be appropriate:

1. The Environment

   There is a fairly practical decision that needs to be made when it comes to using QR codes, and that is the physical environment in which the user will scan the barcode. For instance, areas where there is no Wi-Fi or 3G connections simply will not work, nor will putting the barcode 30 feet in the air!

   

2. The Device

   Those that scan in your code will be doing so on a mobile device. So you need to make sure that the content that you are linking them through to is mobile friendly. If it is difficult to read or is not accessible altogether then your campaign will not be successful. Think navigation and user experience.

3. The User

   The more personalised the content to your user the better. If you can tailor the content they receive to their particular situation, then your campaign will be all the more effective. For example, what you might want to tell a first time visitor will be different to someone who has been to an open day, visited the school and met some of the staff.

4. The Social Networks

   Think beyond the school’s website to how you might extend the user journey via social networks and social media. Be aware, you do not want to limit your campaign to only those that have a login but if your campaign gains momentum through social media the results with undoubtedly be more impactful.

Here are a few pros and cons of QR Codes:

Pros

• Ease of use

  QR codes can be added to just about anything, from the school prospectus, fliers and leaflets to adverts on the Underground, and this versatility can be very useful for marketers. Their range of use is also extensive.

• QR codes can be tracked

  Using web analytics, and by using unique codes for different placements, marketers can gain some valuable information about how well campaigns are going, and what works and what doesn't.

• Easy way to send mobile users to online content

  The QR code offers, as the name suggests, a quick response mechanism which saves users the effort of typing in a URL.

  Used well, and in conjunction with a mobile optimised landing page, it can grab parents and pupils at the exact point where they have shown interest.

• They appeal to mobile users' curiosity

  Perhaps this will change once the novelty wears off, and codes become ubiquitous, but on seeing a QR code, I have the urge to scan it, just to find out where it leads.

• QR codes can be cost effective

  Creating the QR code itself doesn't have to cost anything.

Cons

• Other options are available

• Users need to download a QR code reader

  This is the big drawback for many. Mobile users have to download a (normally free) QR reader app before they can even begin to use them, which limits the audience.

• Scanning can be a long process

  The actual process of scanning a code can be a pain. Users have to get their phone out, fire up the code reader, before scanning and waiting for the landing page.

  With a fast internet connection this may work fine, but on a variable 3G signal, many users may lose patience.

Best practice...

There have been some excellent, creative uses of QR codes, and these generally have a number of common factors:

• Give customers a reason to scan

  Curiosity alone may be enough, but if you can provide a more compelling reason, then users will reach into their pockets and scan the code.

• Create some added value for users

  This doesn't necessarily mean special offers, but extending the experience for mobile users.

  Another is using QR codes on locations within the school for open days and tours, providing further information on the facility, area or its history.

• Get the landing page right

  People are on a mobile, so landing pages, as well as subsequent purchase or sign up processes, need to be optimised for mobile users.

Mistakes to avoid 

Not optimising your landing page is the obvious one, but there are other common mistakes to avoid.

• Not including a call to action

  Explaining why people should scan a code and what they can expect to find helps.

• Give people time to scan the code

  How long this process takes may depend on the dexterity of the mobile user, but I'd say at least 10-20 seconds. It is not therefore helpful flashing up a QR Code on a plasma in reception which disappears every 5 seconds.

• Don't just use QR codes for the sake of it

  If you use these codes, it should have a purpose, not just to show off.

 

Click here now to book a free consultation with our school website experts

If you would like to learn more about how your school can make the most of QR codes then give one of our sales team a call on 0845 262 2030 or complete our online enquiry form.

In the last 12 months we have had more schools than ever before ask us about how they can best drive relevant traffic to their school's website.

Whilst our own SEO specialist is always on hand to answer our clients questions and support them in optimising their website to achieve the highest rankings possible, for many schools they would simply prefer to buy into a managed service and not have to worry about meta-tags, back links or social bookmarks. So, that is what we have created. An SEO service that not only provides clear objectives but also measurable results. You only have to type in any school website related keyword to see our own website www.schoolwebsite.co.uk ranked in the number one position, so our own success in this field really does speak for itself.

Few schools use pay per click advertising, of those that do, it is a small minority that get the most from their budget. A quick search on 'prep school Newcastle' for example gives adverts for schools in Surrey – a wasted click for all concerned. Perhaps it is purely down to a lack of understanding that leads so many schools away from using what is undoubtedly one of the most effective online methods of driving relevant traffic to a school website. Whether you use PPC already and want to improve the effectiveness of your campaign or would like to start using it our PPC service for schools is here to help.

Click here now to book a free consultation with our school marketing experts

For further information, including pricing call 0845 262 2030 or complete our online enquiry form.

The table below shows the number of UK internet users that accessed the web via mobile in 2011:

With this in mind, schools need to be thinking about their mobile strategy, if only at this stage keeping an eye on the number of mobile visitors their site receive. When the stats start to rise above 30% it may well be time to push the button!

Those schools wanting to be at the cutting edge of technology need to get a wriggle on. One such school is Rugby, which for users accessing the site via their mobile provides a tailored version of the site, beautifully refined navigation and a single column interface for content. Don’t take our word for it, have a look for yourself:
www.rugbyschool.net

Click here now to book a free consultation with out school marketing experts

If your school is interested in getting a mobile version or you would like to discuss your website or mobile strategy call 0845 262 2030.

Success in social media comes from understanding the different communications channels at your disposal (If Twitter is a wine bar, then Facebook is your living room and LinkedIn would probably be your local chamber of commerce). Once you know your channels, you can understand who frequents them and why, which means your content can be tailored to engage them.

Likewise, there is no magic formula to optimising the website for the search engines. The content management system (CMS) will do the majority but like social media, a strategy is needed to be successful.

At School Website we employ a social media specialist to support your school in the implementation and development of a successful social media strategy. We will also show you how the use of social media can improve the search engine optimisation (SEO) of your website.

Click here now to book a free consultation with our school marketing experts

Firstly, apps are here to stay. Maybe not forever, perhaps one day everything can be done in the browser, however for the next three years at least the app market is set to continue its rapid growth.

Secondly, you need to ask two very important questions:

1. Do we have a significant number of customers (stakeholders) using smart phones?
2. How active are they on those devices?

The answer to those two questions will invariably differ from school to school, however one thing you can be sure of is that the number of users with smart phones is growing, as is their use of those devices.

Assuming the demand is there for an app, you then need to think about its purpose. Producing an app for apps sake is never going to be a good investment.

Think about the audience; your app needs to improve the user’s experience or engage them uniquely. An app is undoubtedly an additional communications channel which is there to be utilised, but much like social media - it needs to be done correctly to achieve success.

At School Website we have a range of ‘off the shelf’ apps for schools. One aimed specifically at prospective parents and another aimed at current parents and pupils. We have also developed a number of ‘bespoke apps’ from augmented reality to quiz based assessment. So if you have an idea for an app, why not get in touch and let us know.

click here now to book a free consultation with our school marketing experts

"‘I started work at school website on Monday 15th August. I had previously completed two weeks in February and was asked at the end of my second week if I wanted to return in the summer holidays. I accepted the offer as I had enjoyed working there.

During my time at school website in February I learnt how to use ‘Photoshop’ and had the opportunity of designing a website on my first two days. My first attempt wasn’t anywhere near professional but I was happy with the improvements I had made in my second attempt, which began to look more like a proper website. I also had the opportunity of uploading content (images and text) to websites that has already been built. This made me feel involved in the process of the client’s website design.

During my time at school website in my summer holidays I again uploaded content to different websites, but this time it was a bit more challenging as whilst uploading text sometimes there would be problems with the html code, which required a little adjustments to the tags that I was able to make whilst learning along the way. I also edited a lot of pictures in Photoshop learning different techniques from the designers on how to make a photo look more effective.

I personally am also interested in business and wanted to get a better understanding of how a web design business is run. I was able to speak to Dan (the director) about the experience of running school website and the difficulties he faced in the 10 years the company has been running. He gave me advice and recommended a book to read which would help me along my way if I was serious about running my own business.

School Website is a fun and relaxed placed to work I enjoy and enjoyed working there and would, if the opportunity arises, work there again."

From Charterhouse - where association football was reportedly founded - to Rugby School - where the game of Rugby gets its name thanks to the legend of William Webb Ellis - these two independent school heavyweights have both selected School Website to develop their new online presence.

'There are few, if any, older or more prestigious than Charterhouse or Rugby in the UK and both have global reputations. They are steeped in history yet famous for their forward thinking approach, so it is a massive compliment and an indication of our success that either one, let alone both see School Website as being the future for them when it comes to their website and online presence.' Daniel Clarke, Managing Director

Whilst Charterhouse and Rugby are some of the most well known names we are also delighted to be selected by the likes of Felsted, Colfe’s, Collingham, Ackworth, Formarke Hall, Sunningdale as well as two more of the GDST schools and the E.Ivor Hughes Foundation.

‘After going up against all of the major players in the education market we are delighted to come out on top and be awarded this contract. I think this shows that we not only offer the best web content management system available to schools but can also back that up with some of the most creative and eye catching designs. We look forward to working with ARK Schools and each of its Academies to produce an excellent group of websites.' - Daniel Clarke, Managing Director

To find out more about ARK Schools go to http://www.arkschools.org

If you are a school based in Ireland then why not get in touch and find out how School Website can help your school.

At School Website we've started 2010 with a bang. More projects and more enquiries than ever before, as well as some very exciting International expansion opportunities soon to be announced.

Consequently we are recruiting for the following positions:

Project Manager

We are looking for a good communicator, ideally with experience of managing web/print related projects. Knowledge and understanding of the web is crucial as is an ability to explain complex propositions to non technical clients.

Website Developer

We are looking for a talented web developer to join our application development team. As a minimum you must have the following knowledge/experience:

• C# ASP. Net (1-2 years)
• Object Oriented Programming/Object Oriented Design
• .NET 2.0 and . NET 3.5
• AJAX. NET
• LINQ
• SQL 2000 - 2008, T-SQL, Stored Procedures
• Javascript and helper libraries such as jQuery and Prototype

Business Development

Our sales team is expanding! We are looking for someone that ideally has experience of selling similar products (web /software related) to the education sector. You will be responsible for visiting potential clients and demonstrating our range of education based products. A full clean driving licence is therefore essential.

If you are interested in joining a dynamic and exciting organisation then please email Sam Sentance at sams@schoolwebsite.co.uk attaching your CV and including the position you are applying for in the subject line.

PLEASE NOTE: We are based in Richmond, Surrey. All applicants must live within an easily commutable distance or should be willing to consider relocation.

Founded in 1611, Charterhouse is one of the nine original public schools as defined by the Public Schools Act of 1868. The school moved to its current site in Godalming, Surrey in 1872 and has continued its tradition of academic excellence and sporting achievement.

Though steeped in history and tradition, Charterhouse see their 400th anniversary next year as a good opportunity to reassess their online presence and create something truly modern that exceeds the expectations of a typical school website. School Website’s design ability, CMS functionality and individual approach won out over a series of competitors and we look forward to a long and exciting partnership.

Come to stand R53 to learn more about how your school can strengthen its brand, improve its marketing and communicate better. All visitors to the School Website stand during the exhibition will benefit from a special discount rate on orders placed before the end of March.

For further details on the show visit http://www.education-show.com

You can view it at: http://kidszone.schoolwebsite.co.uk/

The feedback we have had so far has been brilliant. If you have any more comments then please feel free to get in touch and let us know. Have fun!