Schools are under increasing pressure to ensure their websites adhere to the DfE’s most recent requirements. It can be a challenge for already stretched headteachers and school leadership teams, particularly if they are without IT expertise.
Like anything in life though, a website needs to be managed, and it needs to be updated regularly if it is going to be a worthwhile investment.
Since it was amended in 2014, the ‘School Information (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2012’ now states that schools all over the country must have a facility to publish specified content online, meaning schools need to have the staff resource to create and maintain it. Schools without a website are obliged to make the necessary arrangements to acquire one, and schools that have one must ensure it meets these regulations.
As one of the first things that prospective parents see when considering a school for their child, the website plays a crucial role. It needs to make a considerable first, and lasting impression, and hold all the necessary information to help parents make an effective school choice.
And once a child is enrolled at a school, parents are naturally keen to be involved; to be kept up to date, but also to offer support where possible, and the website is the ideal platform for this. School staff can use it to share what they are teaching and how; objectives or goals from the curriculum; details of homework that has been set; important dates, events, and school trips, and tips on how to extend learning at home. It also provides the perfect bridge between school and home, acting as a general communication tool for teachers and parents, essentially creating an interactive platform for the school. It is in essence, the face of the school.
Is it Ofsted-ready?
It is now a well-known fact that Ofsted now looks at a school’s website before visiting in person. Before an inspector goes to a school, they will look very closely at the website to check it gives parents all the necessary information about the curriculum. They’re also likely to look at how the school communicates with the wider community, and check additional features, like links for the children – making sure that the games are safe, for example.
What should maintained school websites include, according to the DfE?
- The school’s contact details
- Admission arrangements
- A copy of, or link to, your most recent Ofsted reports
- Details of exam and assessment results
- A link to the DfE’s school performance tables website
- The content of your curriculum
- Your behaviour policy
- Details of how your school spends its pupil premium funding and sports premium
- Your schools’ special educational needs (SEN) policy
- A copy of your charging and remissions policies
- Your school values
- A statement of the school’s values and ethos