Business websites / Education
How to Plan a Private School Website
A private school website serves prospective families, current families, students, staff, and the wider community. It must help families evaluate fit while keeping operational information accurate, accessible, and appropriately separated.
Map the questions families ask before applying
Document the decisions from first awareness to enrolment: educational approach, age range, curriculum, pastoral support, location, transport, fees, admissions criteria, available places, and visit options. Note which questions differ by year group or entry point.
Organize public pages around those decisions rather than school departments. Keep current-family systems and routine notices in a clearly separate area so prospective families are not forced through calendars and login links to find admissions information.
Show educational fit without generic claims
Explain what teaching and student support look like in practice. Connect curriculum, facilities, activities, values, and outcomes to specific examples, policies, and people. Do not imply guarantees about attainment, admission, or future opportunities.
Use photography and video with appropriate consent and a clear safeguarding process. The guide to planning website photography helps define the shots, permissions, and formats needed before production.
Turn admissions into a visible, staged journey
Show entry points, deadlines, required documents, assessment steps, fees, financial assistance information, and the expected response after each action. Offer clear choices for booking a visit, asking a question, registering interest, and submitting an application.
Ask for only the information needed at each stage and explain how family and child data will be handled. Confirm form delivery and give admissions staff enough context to respond without making a family repeat the same details.
Design for term-time change and accessibility
Assign owners and review dates to fees, admissions dates, staff, policies, transport, events, and closure notices. Archive or replace expired information instead of letting multiple versions compete in search results.
Test key journeys with keyboard navigation, screen readers, zoom, mobile devices, and plain language. The redesign accessibility guide can help make these checks part of scope and acceptance.
Make admissions easier to navigate
Need a school website that helps families evaluate fit and take the next step?
Northform can design the structure, content model, admissions journey, and publishing system for a private school website.
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