A school website is one of the first places parents go for quick answers so by knowing where to look on the site, it saves so much time.
Term Dates and Calendar
Most schools put their Term Calendar or Term Dates on their website under the parents menu. This will tell you the Inset days and Half Term dates and when the holidays are. You should bookmark the page at the start of the academic year so you can find it easily when needed.
Admissions Information
If you are applying for a school place (whether that be primary or secondary) or have a child already at school and moving up a year, the admissions section of the school website will have information on the process of applying for a school place and the relevant deadlines. This section is often forgotten until parents need it in an instant, so it’s a good idea to read through this section before the application window opens.
Statutory Policies and Key Documents
As stated above, websites for schools are now expected to meet statutory content requirements set by the Department for Education. This means that a number of policies must be published on the school’s website. Information on what maintained schools must publish on their website can be found here: what maintained schools must publish on their website. Typically, this information is published under a “Policies” section of the website, or under the “About Us” section.
Staff Contacts and Absence Reporting
Many schools have a staff list on their website along with their email addresses. In addition to this there are often forms for reporting absences on a school website. You can often find these by searching for the words ‘report absence’ on the school website. These online forms are often dealt with straight away and can save you having to ring the school office and speak to someone.
Lunch Menus
The lunch menu for your child can often be found within the parents section of the website, or even within the school’s news feed. Most schools also include details of contacts for children with special dietary needs within this section.
A useful reference for Websites for schools is https://www.fsedesign.co.uk/websites-for-schools.
A well-designed school website can save you time by helping to answer most questions before a phone call is required.