sa国际传媒

Multi-academy trust (MAT) websites play an integral role in establishing the online presence of the schools they are associated with. The website provides crucial information regarding the trust and the new schools that can join the Trust.听

One of the major benefits of a new school joining a Trust is that they get to be a part of a beautiful website that reflects their critical part in making the Trust successful.听

Before we gain further understanding into what makes a great MAT website, let鈥檚 understand some of the benefits it can bring to a MAT:

• They guide the public perception of the MAT and their schools as authoritative and authentic sources
• They identify each school as a member
• They act as a source of information for the visitors from a trusted referral link
• They help to maintain consistency in design across multiple schools
• They are able to complete the design and development of the subsequent websites quite easily
• They prove to be cost-effective for MATs that would like to have a group of sites for their different schools

With an increasing number of Trusts willing to expand their services and make people aware of the advantages and benefits they have to offer, it becomes all the more important to make your Trust stand out from others. There are several ways to achieve this goal, but the best way would be to start with your Trust website.

Here are a few factors you may want to consider before revisiting your Trust鈥檚 website design:听

1. Offer an amazing visual experience听

People find it easier to connect with sites that help them navigate the site easily and access information, which is otherwise difficult to find.

There are plenty of styles that would suit the objective that your Trust wants to establish in the market, from professional photography to animated illustrations and video backgrounds. These all can be featured cohesively on your website to convey the brand and vision of your Trust.听

2. Deliver an outstanding user experience听

User experience plays an integral role in a MAT website. People will always remember experiences that saved them valuable time and access information without any hassle.听

Some of the user experience elements can look really trivial but you will be greatly surprised at how these are often ignored in the design stage. Also, it can be really frustrating for a user to navigate endlessly through the website to find one piece of useful information.

3. Represent the brand of your Trust on the web

Your personal brand has a great impact on every aspect of your organization. It dictates how the vision, personality, and values of the trust are communicated to its stakeholders.听

In fact, people will remember your Trust for a long time if the website is able to reflect the values and beliefs of your trust rather than just simple information.

To ensure you鈥檙e fully representing your brand, there are key pieces of information you should always have on your Trust website, including

• CEO and Leaderships team bios
• Information on member schools, including links to case studies and websites
• Your Trust USPs, values and ethos
• Latest news – what鈥檚 happening at your Trust right now?
• Recruitment information for both new schools and staff – with all of the great design work you鈥檝e done and the way you鈥檝e represented your brand, who wouldn鈥檛 want to join your Trust?

4. Adopt good social media practices听

Search engines are not the only way through which people will be able to find your website. In order to gain maximum exposure for your Trust, you should also have a prominent social media presence. And for that, you need to create a robust social media content strategy for people to find you on the web.听

5. Gain positive ranking through SEO

You can have the most beautiful website and the simplest of navigation, but it will be of no use if people are not able to find your Trust鈥檚 website. And Search Engine Optimization (SEO) will increase the possibility of your website appearing in the search results.听

 

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As mentioned earlier, there could be a thousand ways to make a great MAT website, but the most successful will be the one that is able to tell a unique story and make a great first impression.听

Remember that great design is not just about incorporating pretty on-screen elements, rather it is about making sure your design is accessible and offers a great user experience. This will also help in a better understanding of your MAT brand.听

The team at sa国际传媒 has worked with dozens of MATs to create a range of great website experiences. Get in touch if you鈥檇 like to find out more.

Since the pandemic, visits to schools for prospective families have been minimized.听 These might continue again in the future, but there may still be many people who are wary of visiting lots of schools in their local area.

Rather than visiting schools, families are now deciding on the potential school for their child: predominantly online. It’s no surprise that your website has to do the heavy lifting when it comes to communicating the value of your school.

Photographs and videography are the first impressions a school can make on its potential suitability for families and students.听听

Visuals are hard-wired into our brains as humans. People are 55% more likely to remember information when it is paired with the related image. Research shows we process images 60,000 times faster than text. What do you think of first when I say 鈥淭esla鈥�, not its features but the car itself (or in the same cases, I made you remember Elon Musk!)

If you want to make a strong first impression and create a deeper emotional impact; hiring a professional photographer is a necessity.听

You have to accept the fact that your school is a brand which attracts the right families. Photography and videography can assist in getting your message out to them!

We spend a lot of money creating quality education for students, meet-ups, and professional training for teachers and mentors. Why do we overlook to showcase the value we contribute to the lives of our students?

Here are three important reasons to quit wasting your time and opt for professional photography and videography right away!

 

1. Photography showcases authenticity

We know the Friday drawing classes are for creativity and fun. And, students love each bit of it. A trained photographer, like a trained teacher, will do their best to get that message across. They will help you capture the natural spirit of the school and facilities. Moreover, a photographer who is used to working with kids, has the right skills to make them feel comfortable and at ease.

It’s a great way to show prospective families how much students and teachers love their time together. Instead of telling them in three long paragraphs about the quality of life you provide for your students, it would be more effective if they could see it in a one-minute video!

 

2. It easily demonstrate your values

Photographs and videos not only “showcase” the activities students and teachers are doing, but they will also demonstrate how happy students 鈥渇eel鈥� while doing those activities.

It will help you capture their excitement, as well as the bond they have with their teachers or classmates. This simple image will demonstrate the ambience of your school!

Pro-tip: Most photographers avoid shooting on special occasions. Doing a shoot on teacher’s day, for example, would not be the best choice. Since it will not help them capture students their true selves.

 

3. Photographs will help you tell the story of your school

When you think about your own school, What is the first thing you remember? The classroom, the building right? Because places hold history.

Every school and campus is different and has a unique story to tell. Whether your school has that one wall painted in blue or its culture is centered around history or modern art. What makes it stand out?

Photography and videography will evoke the personality of the school. This a low key method of demonstrating how the faculty and students are part of this unique environment. It will always remain part of their personal history.听

Pro-Tip (part 2): Photographs are not only a vital aspect of your website, but they also play a role in your branding. Documents, newsletters, invitations, and school events should all have the same brand consistency.

 

We’ve learned the value of professional photography. Now, the next step is to find the right photographer for the job.

And, let’s be honest, this could be quite a bit of a task. Finding a talented photographer that can accurately capture the soul of your institution, meet your deadlines, and stay inside your budget is no easy task!听

You can go through 1000 portfolios and spend your valuable time figuring out the right photographer. Or you can ask our experts at sa国际传媒!

Being an educational organization and having designed and delivered over 6,500 school websites to our customers, we are committed to find the best fit for your school.

Reach out to us today for your school’s brighter future tomorrow!

Did you know it takes about 0.05 seconds for a user to determine whether they choose to stay on, or leave your website? You heard it right!听

Though it鈥檚 a common saying, 鈥渄o not judge a book by its cover鈥�, when it comes to your website design, it is almost always subjected to an extreme level of snap judgment that may influence any perceptions of credibility.

If you are new to website design or are unsure about what will make an impact and help to increase parental engagement for your school鈥檚 website, here are some basic design mistakes that you should avoid.

 

1. Using stock photos

Photography is one of the most critical elements of good school website design. Using stock photos or bad quality images can dramatically impact the value associated with your school website. If you intend to use stock photos at all, then make sure they are of high quality and realistically express the emotions you have in mind.

2. Too many menu items

Researchers have concluded that when too many menus or options are given to users, the human mind tends to get confused and is not able to take the required action. Not something you want to happen with your school website.

For example, if your website has too many menus on multiple parts of your web page or multiple dropdowns under each heading, it is less likely that your user, in this case, the students or parents, will find the information they need. In such cases, the user will quickly skim through the menus or sections and will immediately leave the page if they cannot locate the appropriate information.

Related to menu items, there is another design mistake that often needs the designer鈥檚 attention 鈥� invisible navigation menus. If the visual cues are missing from the breadcrumbs, your user may struggle to find where exactly they are on the website or where they want to go next.听听

 

3. Long pages

A school website serves many audiences 鈥� alumni, teachers, current parents, students, and prospective parents. The competing needs of the different types of audience compel many schools to overload their website with too much information that often extends to several pages and needs to be scrolled to access the complete information. This often leads to the parents missing out on critical information and causing a lot of confusion.

When building pages on your website, you need to use the most relevant and important information that must be conveyed and offer an option to either download a PDF for more information or contact the school to have queries resolved.

 

4. Keeping old / no longer relevant content

Continuing from the above point, keeping content that could be archived is one critical mistake website admins often make.听 Content should be focused primarily on the current requirements of the target audience. Other information, for example, news and updates dating back several years, doesn鈥檛 hold relevance for current parents and should be removed and updated from time to time.听

 

5. Not being mobile responsive

According to Statista, until January 2021, the total number of active mobile internet users in the UK was approximately.

The most common mistake made by many designers is that they design a school website keeping in mind only the desktop version and bringing in the mobile version as an afterthought. Clearly, if you do not design a website keeping the mobile view in mind, you鈥檙e definitely ignoring a major portion of the audience and site traffic.

Instead, you should evenly weigh your desktop and mobile view considerations from the start of the project, this will definitely improve the user experience on your school website. Even the new from Google provides an additional boost in your website rankings if it is mobile-friendly.

 

6. An old design

School website design has moved on a lot in the last few years. Ordinary home pages are oh-so-boring and outdated. Some designers also make the mistake of working on the design and the website copy separately. Designing the website first or creating the copy? This is kind of that world鈥檚 chicken and egg kind of question 鈥� who came first?

When looking for a design, make sure you choose something that stays relevant to the times and choose a theme template that has a modern look and feel. Making the site effective is more important than just focusing on the beauty aspect of the site. Text-heavy pages are a big no-no and over usage of graphics isn鈥檛 recommended either.

Another advantage of modern themes is that they also come with user-friendly navigation which helps both the parents and students to easily access information without worrying about what to click next.

 

7. Image resolutions too high or too low

Photos or images are an integral part of the website design process but if the image resolution is too high or too low, that can have an opposite impact on the user experience.听

When uploading images to your site, you should always look at the pixel dimensions. For a horizontal image, you should use at least 1024 pixels and the standard resolution for web images, also known as screen resolution, should be 72PPI.听

 

8. Too many images in slideshows

You might have seen many websites that have attractive images as slide shows or carousels, they might look really appealing, but they can detract from the crucial information you want your website users to find.

The Usability Guru, Jakob Nielsen, performed a test on a couple of users where he asked them to spot a particular deal on washing machines which was mentioned in one of the most prominent slides on a site – due to the number of slideshow images, most of the users missed that information. Thereafter, he concluded that image carousels get ignored. Notre Dame also performed a similar test and the result got them 1% action only on the first slide.

Even in the case of school websites, parents or students really do not have sufficient time to scroll through hundreds of images to find one specific piece of information.听

 

9. Avoid bright or hard to read colors for text

As rightly said by Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the Web, 鈥淭he power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect.鈥�

Some of the most common accessibility mistakes that you can make when choosing a website design include background and font colour combinations, not providing a visual focus on certain elements on the website, missing alt text on images, or including link text that does not provide sufficient detail.

When you choose your next website design, pick a company that has incorporated web accessibility in its platform.

 

10. Overuse of scrolling text and animations

When the question of adding animations to website design comes, contemporary users like you might instantly like the idea of seeing some movement on the website and hence adding animations. Now if the animations are user-triggered then it does a good job in bringing in the desired impact. But using too many animations or movements could negatively impact the functionality of the website by slowing it down, and especially so when you open it on your mobile devices.

Again, additional and unintentional horizontal scrollbars that often pop up in otherwise responsive websites can also ruin the look and feel of the website and can slow it down tremendously.

听

Final thoughts

While designing a school website, it is critical to always keep your target audience and brand image in mind in every step of the design process. If you can reconcile the two, you will have a beautiful product that will be loved by all.

Designing a school website or any other educational software undoubtedly requires thorough expertise and relevant experience and with sa国际传媒 guiding you every step of the way, you can get your website or app up in no time. Contact us right away to discuss how we can help you bring your vision to life.

Ensuring your school鈥檚 website is mobile-friendly is more important than ever for the new academic year.听 But what does that actually mean, why does it matter and how can you get it for your school?

What is a mobile-friendly website?

Making your site-mobile friendly simply means ensuring that your existing website will shrink down when it鈥檚 viewed on a mobile-device, e.g. a smartphone or tablet. All important information, contact info, key pages, images and even videos or animations, should be easily readable in this smaller format, and your design should translate well to mobile too.

Why is a mobile-friendly website important for schools?

More searches on mobile:

With searches on mobile devices having overtaken desktop for many years now, you want to make sure that all-important information about your school, whether for existing parents, or potential new families, is all available with ease.

Visibility on search engines:

For the last few years Google鈥檚 search algorithms have given great prominence to sites which are mobile-friendly, so a mobile-friendly web design could mean you appear higher in search results. This could be particularly important at this time of year, as parents are potentially looking for schools to send their children to.听

How can I check if my school鈥檚 website is mobile-friendly?

Google鈥檚 own is the quickest and easiest way to see if Google considers your web design to be suitable for mobile users. You simply enter your web address, and within a few moments Google will run a test on your site and present you with your results. Your website will be determined to be mobile-friendly (or not) and you will be given additional resources and information to learn more about the subject.

In addition to this it鈥檚 also worth taking a look at the website yourself on your own device, and consider, can you see and read all of your important information clearly.

What if my school failed the mobile-friendly test?

At this stage it鈥檚 important for you to speak to your website developers. If you haven鈥檛 had a new design for several years, then you should seriously consider investing in one to help make it easier for parents to see all the good things your school does.

Depending on the complexity of the design you want, a new website can take anywhere from just a few days, to several months to complete, but moving forwards, you should have a website that is much more accessible for more people.

If you鈥檇 like to find out more about a mobile-friendly website for your school

Our team of experts would be happy to help.听 Contact us and a member of our team will call you back.

Your website provides a vital link between staff and parents, school and home 鈥� or at least it should. There are so many templates schools can use to build a website quickly and easily but many of these could be outdated. They can often look old-fashioned and may be hard for parents to find their way around. So if you鈥檙e considering a new website for your school, how can you make sure to build a site that you can be proud of? Here are five key factors to consider.听

Web statistics

Why do people come to your website? Website statistics tell you how many visitors you鈥檝e had, which pages they visited, how long they鈥檝e spent on each page and much more. Once you know what people are looking for, you can make sure key information is easy to access. But you can only do that when you know the stats 鈥� so make sure your website design company offers access to them and presents them in an easy-to-understand way (Webanywhere does this! [/school-websites/]). Use this data to identify the information that is viewed the most and structure your website in relation to the traffic – reducing click rate.

Easy navigation

There鈥檚 nothing more frustrating than a website with poor navigation, especially when you鈥檙e using your smartphone or tablet. If we can鈥檛 find what we want straight away, we generally give up and go elsewhere. This is the same for parents, if they can鈥檛 find something in 3 clicks or less, they are likely to get frustrated and call the school office for information. Make sure you have a simple navigation structure that makes it easy to find key information. Again, choose a web design company like Webanywhere who provide simple, straightforward navigation tools.

Keep it 鈥榓bove the fold鈥�

Imagine a newspaper, folded in half. Where does the editor put the biggest, most important headline? On the top half of the front page, above the fold … And that鈥檚 the most important area of your website too. Think about what you want visitors to do when they land on your site 鈥� subscribe to a newsletter, request a prospectus, download a form? Put that CTA 鈥� call to action 鈥� on the top half of your homepage, and it鈥檚 the first thing people see 鈥� and the first thing they are likely to do.听

Keep it updated

There鈥檚 nothing worse than being out of date, yet so many schools鈥� websites look like they鈥檝e not been updated for years. A fresh, modern design using your school colours and badge gives visitors a great first impression. It鈥檚 not all about looks though 鈥� make sure your key information, like contact details, staff directories and term dates, are up to date too. It鈥檚 also vital to keep updated with ofsted requirements, such as keeping evidence of current and previous curriculum – a website is the perfect tool for this.

Encourage repeat visits

Finally, encourage people to visit the website by adding new content on a regular basis. Newsletters, field trip reports, photo galleries, a calendar and a blog all help you connect with parents and keep people coming back.听

Your school website provides the first impression to potential pupils, and it鈥檚 also a requirement to make sure it鈥檚 complying with .
Ofsted will often review a school鈥檚 website as part of their inspection, so it鈥檚 essential to ensure it鈥檚 up to date, easy to use and appealing to visitors.
To help you reach the high standards inspectors look for, here鈥檚 a handy checklist of things to do to make sure your school website is the best it can be.

Your school鈥檚 name, contact details and ethos

Communication is key, and easy contact between parents and the school is something Ofsted will look for. Make sure your website鈥檚 got:

• Your school鈥檚 name presented clearly
• The ethos, aims and values of your school
• Postal address
• Telephone number
• Name and contact details of your headteacher
• Name and address of the chair of the governing body
• Name and contact details of the member of staff who deals with queries from parents and members of the public
• Name and contact details of your special educational needs coordinator

Your school鈥檚 admission process

It sounds obvious, but you need to tell people how to apply for your school in a simple and concise way. There鈥檚 no point confusing potential parents and pupils; it鈥檒l just turn them away from your school. Be sure to include:

• Your selection criteria
• Your school鈥檚 admissions number
• Details on arrangements for disabled students
• How parents can apply
• Details of your oversubscription criteria

Behaviour and suspension/exclusion policies

Ofsted wants to see that your school can both teach and discipline students. Include:

• Your school鈥檚 behaviour and bullying policies. Also make sure they comply with section 89 of the
• Details of your school鈥檚 exclusion policy

Equality and accessibility objectives

A school should be an environment in which everyone should feel welcome and like they can succeed. Make sure you鈥檙e laying out a clear plan on how you鈥檙e making students of all ethnicities, sexualities, genders and backgrounds welcome.

• How your school is fighting discrimination
• Your school鈥檚 equality objectives
• How your school complies with the public sector equality duty
• How disabled students are involved and helped in the curriculum
• How your school provides physical access to disabled students

Performance tables

You have to advertise your school and tell people why they should send their children there. There鈥檚 no better way to do that than showing the quality of education parents can expect.

• Key stage 1+2 results – average standards of reading, writing and maths as well as the percentage of students who have achieved higher scores
• Key stage 4 results – percentage of students who have achieved a grade of C or above in English and Maths. Also, include the percentage of students who have gone onto higher education, training or employment
• Link to national performance tables

Content management apps such as sa国际传媒 can be a great tool to help make sure your website is up to date and complying with Ofsted standards. sa国际传媒 can help you create and manage your website in a streamlined way, so you鈥檒l easily be able to make a website that鈥檚 both appealing and easy to use for parents, pupils and other members of the public, but also will get you a good score from Ofsted.
For a more extensive checklist on extra things you can do to improve your school website, have a look at this.

Schools need funding. It鈥檚 a fact which transcends politics; when you鈥檙e dealing with our children’s futures and the security of the next generation, you need to make sure they have all the resources they need to succeed.
That鈥檚 why fundraising is so essential to the quality and upkeep of schools. With inadequate government funding, it often comes down to the parents to prop up their local schools, and even a small donation can go a long way.
However, it鈥檚 not as simple as just asking people to give you money. Schools need to make sure that when raising funds, you鈥檙e being accessible and understanding.
So take a look at your website. Is it easy to navigate? Is it welcoming and easy on the eyes? Does it have all the information a visitor might need to be presented in a digestible way?
Creating relationships with your pupils鈥� parents is important, and in the modern age of the internet, a school website is often the first thing a mum or dad will see. Make sure you鈥檙e giving a great first impression.

Make sure your website operates cross-platform

The best websites have a design which works across multiple platforms. If parents are using their phones or tablets, they need to be able to navigate around your website just as well as if they鈥檙e on the computer. If your goal is to raise money, after all, you have to take into account that people – especially parents – are busy and always on the go, so might not have a laptop on hand.
There鈥檚 nothing worse than a website which is poorly formatted for a smaller screen. It鈥檚 instantly off putting and aggravating to visitors if they don鈥檛 have immediate access to a computer screen.

Use content management systems like sa国际传媒

sa国际传媒 is an ideal app for schools trying to improve their website. Used by over 3000 schools nationwide, sa国际传媒 can help you create a unique website customised with features that suit your needs. Have you ever seen a website that has left you impressed with its design, and makes you want to keep clicking? That should be the aim for any school website to entice students and potential donors.
sa国际传媒 isn鈥檛 just for website creation, either. You can make school surveys, polls, quizzes and even content to help improve your pupils鈥� spelling.

Organise fundraising events

isn鈥檛 just about parents sending you money through a website. To truly engage with parents you want to go above and beyond, and with applications like sa国际传媒 you can organise events online. The app for phone can send notifications, too, so it鈥檚 a lot more convenient than sending out newsletters every month or trusting the kids to tell their parents!
Want to host a fundraising event at the school? Put it on your website and it鈥檒l automatically update to the sa国际传媒 app, so your pupils will never miss a beat. Some schools try to get creative with their fundraisers, and it鈥檚 something parents appreciate. Go the extra mile in your events: maybe a Britain鈥檚 Got Talent-themed talent competition, a Halloween costume contest, or even a cook-off. The more you appeal to your pupils and their parents, the more successful your fundraisers will be.
So, make sure you鈥檙e not neglecting your school鈥檚 online presence. In a world where we spend on average 24 hours a week online, schools have to adapt with and take advantage of the vast changes to how we communicate with each other. Used well, you can increase admissions and donations to better the education of the next generation.

The humble mobile app has transformed numerous aspects of daily life.
Our social media apps give us the freedom to chat with people all over the world in seconds. Our banking apps let us manage our finances at any time, any place. And gaming apps keep us entertained on buses, trains and in waiting rooms.
But school mobile apps have even more to offer: they provide schools with streamlined ways to stay on schedule, communicate with parents and educate pupils via interactive tools. Any designed to help pupils learn may be downloaded on a parent or teacher鈥檚 smartphone as an educational aid.
Many school mobile apps are available today, so how do you know which are the best?
We鈥檝e picked the top 8 below.

#1. sa国际传媒 – sa国际传媒 and Mobile App

sa国际传媒鈥檚 CMS is a complete solution for schools, empowering you with the means to update your website, add content, advertise vacancies, manage CVs, communicate with staff through text messages and more.
The sa国际传媒 mobile app is an excellent complement to the CMS, providing parents with various features and information. They can:

• keep up to date with the latest school events
• view calendars
• read newsletters
• check out galleries
• view maps
• see what homework has been set
• complete forms on the school website
• take part in surveys
• book appointments for parents鈥� evenings
• send free instant messages

This helps parents stay informed of their children鈥檚 school鈥檚 latest events, keep in touch with teachers and much more.

#2. Duolingo

Educating primary-school children on a second language can be a real challenge, but helps to make it simpler.
It has been called the 鈥榖est language-learning app鈥� by The Wall Street Journal and is (perhaps best of all) free! Duolingo is designed to help users learn multiple languages, including:

• English
• Spanish
• French
• German
• Italian
• Dutch
• Russian

Duolingo makes learning new languages fun and interactive, utilising quizzes and bite-size lessons. This school mobile app is available on Google Play and iTunes.

#3. My Study Life

Staying on top of homework, exams and special occasions at school is difficult for young children, but aims to change that.
This isn鈥檛 just a calendar app 鈥� you can use it to:

• see when work is due
• view when exams will take place
• set reminders for classes and unfinished work
• create timetables to reduce the risk of missed deadlines

My Study Life is a helpful app for schools, helping staff and pupils alike stay focused on tasks without confusing dates or classes. It鈥檚 available on Google Play and iTunes.

#4. Khan Academy

This free app is well worth looking into, providing access to a huge catalogue of videos and other learning resources across many subject areas.
You can use to:

• watch over 10,000 videos and explanations on maths, economics, history, science and more
• make education more interactive with over 40,000 questions
• try exercises and read articles on countless topics

Khan Academy gives teachers and children a vast catalogue of information, serving as an educational aid when studying a huge range of subjects. Achievements can be unlocked for a touch of gamification too, helping to engage pupils.
It鈥檚 available for download from iTunes only.

#5. Quizlet

Quizlet is a learning app based around flashcards, with multiple functions. This can be used by pupils as an aid to learning and practicing for tests through all years of primary school, as well as for teachers brushing up on subjects.
Quizlet offers the following features:

• prepare for tests and exams with the Learn section
• check your memory using Write
• share flashcards with other users
• implement custom audio and images to reinforce learning

Quizlet is free for the first seven days of usage, and multiple paid versions are available with additional functions. You can download it from iTunes and Google Play.

#6. WolframAlpha

refers to itself as a real-life counterpart to the powerful computers seen on Star Trek, offering information on a massive variety of subjects using cutting-edge algorithms to create answers / reports.
Apple鈥檚 Siri is used in some aspects of WolframAlpha. This app can help with:

• elementary maths
• algebra
• astronomy
• geology
• animals
• plants
• dinosaurs
• climate
• calendars
• weather
• geography
• oceans
• historical figures
• linguistics

And much more!
WolframAlpha is an impressive school mobile app that to benefit teachers in the classroom and pupils at home. It鈥檚 not free, but its low cost and real potential makes it a worthy investment.
You can find it on Google Play and iTunes.

#7. Math Motion: Cupcake!

Many children struggle to learn maths, even at the most basic levels. Not only is the work itself difficult, but just the prospect of studying maths can be incredibly intimidating.
is a colourful, fun mobile app designed to help pupils develop their maths skills by running a cupcake business. It educates through such tasks as:

• fulfilling orders
• working out the cost of every cupcake
• paying loans back

Math Motion: Cupcake! shows how important maths is in everyday life in a practical, more engaging way. This app is available on iTunes only, for a modest price.

#8. Star Walk

Space is a fascinating subject to study at any age, but particularly in primary school. Today鈥檚 children have access to countless exciting resources on space, stars and astronomy, and Star Walk is a great way to help them learn.
Using Star Walk, you can explore the sky in real time, identifying planets and constellations using just a smartphone. It allows you to:

• locate and discover facts about celestial bodies
• study an astronomical calendar to find when eclipses, meteor showers, full moons and more will occur
• use the Time Machine feature to look at sky maps of the past and future
• explore the night sky with Night mode, making the app more comfortable to use

Many more features and functions are included, making Star Walk an indispensable aid to educating children on astronomy. It requires no internet connection.
You can download from iTunes and Google Play for a small cost.

Each of these school mobile apps can help teachers, pupils and parents in a specific way, whether that鈥檚 building a reliable schedule, exploring historical events or even learning another language.
They鈥檙e simple to use and compatible with an extensive range of devices. Prices are generally kept low too, to suit schools on diverse budgets.
Have you used any of these apps, or do you have others to recommend? Let us know below!

Every parent wants to send their child to the best primary school, but how do they know which will help get their little one鈥檚 education off to a great start?
Research is a crucial part of the selection process, and school websites are a common first port of call. All primary schools must invest in a polished, professional site that both makes a powerful first impression on parents and provides a competitive edge over other local schools.
Choosing the right company to build your website is essential 鈥� and below, we explore what factors make the best school website design providers.

The provider must understand your school鈥檚 individual needs

A great website design provider works closely with clients, to gain a clear insight into the primary school鈥檚 goals, character and values. The more the team knows about a school and its ethos, the better it can represent them online.
Of course, there are certain fundamental elements of website design that work brilliantly for all primary schools. These include:

• Simple, user-friendly navigation
• A personal welcome from the headteacher to build trust
• Information on what makes the school unique
• A clear menu structure
• Educational resources (performance in league tables, assessment results etc.)
• A guide to the school鈥檚 values and goals
• A welcoming tone / personality
• Contact details
• Fast load times, especially on mobile devices
• Responsive design
• Quality images and videos

However, each of these factors has to be incorporated into the school website in an organic but relevant way. No two school sites should be identical.
Asking questions and listening to the school鈥檚 leaders is vital: a reliable web design provider will have a true passion for satisfying the client.

A portfolio of live websites is key

Working with an experienced primary school website design provider will help you attract parents and should have a selection of live sites to show you. If they don鈥檛, you鈥檙e right to be wary.
This is the same as hiring an artist with no completed paintings or a baker without any cakes to prove their talent: you want to trust that the people you鈥檙e employing know what they鈥檙e doing.
Reviewing the company鈥檚 previous work is a simpler, faster way to assess their credentials than reading a lengthy proposal. Even if it鈥檚 a brand new provider, they should have example non-client sites they created to demonstrate their skills.
Take time to explore the live sites and pay attention to your user experience. Was the website well-organised and easy to use? Was there plenty of valuable information and visual content?
Only choose a provider you genuinely feel satisfied with. Don鈥檛 be pressured into a decision or go for the cheapest option.

Practical experience matters

Following on from the above, good experience is just as important as a solid portfolio. The more primary schools the provider has worked with, the better their service is likely to be.
Why? Because they鈥檒l have a stronger grasp of what constitutes a great school site. They鈥檒l be well-versed in important elements of education-website design. And, because they鈥檒l know just how crucial it is to sell your school as the best choice for parents.
Any prospective provider you鈥檙e considering should be transparent about its background and previous clients. The team may present testimonials on their website and be happy for you to contact schools they worked with in the past.
Speaking to former clients provides reassurance and helps you judge the company鈥檚 suitability.

Your primary school website designers should have a strong online presence

Just as your primary school needs an online presence, so too does your prospective website design provider.
Be wary of any team that offers no contact details or a physical address; if they invite communications through an online submission form only, that could mean they will be hard to reach in the future.
And that鈥檚 unacceptable if you find your primary school website isn鈥檛 working right 鈥� or is down altogether 鈥� one morning.
Make sure your chosen company is dedicated to great customer service and offers responsive support in the event of any technical problems.

Focus on the latest tools and techniques

When you hire professionals to build your primary school website, you expect professional results. And reliable website design providers should leverage the latest software, tools and platforms to maximise their performance.
Of course, they need to understand that you may not grasp what their work involves and be willing to talk you through it in a clear, accessible way. You should be made aware of their plans for your site, their progress, their schedule and any other important points.
Ideally, your provider will be keen to keep you in the loop and ensure your school website meets your specifications beautifully. If your site doesn鈥檛 align with your school鈥檚 needs, how do you expect it to attract parents?
A good provider will build a responsive website that offers all the information and resources people need to gauge your school鈥檚 suitability for their child.

A complete end-to-end service

At Webanywhere, our expert team has built outstanding websites for many primary schools, delivering bespoke services tailored to each client鈥檚 unique needs. Thousands of schools have benefitted from our services since 2003, and we鈥檙e happy to work around your own schedule for maximum convenience.
We never charge by the hour for support or consultation. We have the tools, the training and the drive to take your primary school website from the initial design stage to launch 鈥� and beyond! Webanywhere鈥檚 team will keep your site live and updated for years to come.
Our developers will enhance all content on your site for optimal impact on users and search engines alike, helping your school reach the right people. It鈥檚 an exciting process and you鈥檒l stay fully-informed throughout, for your complete peace of mind. We always take quality service seriously, and are committed to 100% satisfaction.
Do you want to learn more about Webanywhere鈥檚 bespoke primary school website design? Just click below to get in touch!