Posted Jul 25th 2025
The Core Features Every School Website Should Have
A great school website strikes a balance between practical functionality and meaningful engagement. Whether you’re aiming to enhance communication with parents or showcase your unique ethos, there are certain features that are non-negotiable.
Responsive Design: With so many users browsing on phones and tablets, your website must look and work perfectly on any device.
Accessible Content: Accessibility isn’t just good practice, it’s a requirement. Your site should make it easy for all families and staff to find information, including those using assistive technology.
Easy-to-Update CMS: School news, announcements, and events change quickly. A robust, user-friendly content management system (CMS) makes keeping content up to date simple for non-technical staff.
Integrated Calendars and Alerts: From term dates to policy renewals, built-in tools that send reminders, alerts, or manage events will save time and ensure compliance.
Secure and Private: Schools must protect pupil and parent data while complying with regulations, so the platform must be secure and regularly updated.
These basics provide a foundation, but when it comes to education, generic features often only scratch the surface.
Why Schools Have Unique Website Needs
Unlike most businesses, schools must support a diverse community: students, parents, staff, governors, prospective families, and regulatory bodies. You’re not simply selling a service. You’re representing your institution’sheart and soul, building trust, and managing sensitive information.
Here’s what sets educational websites apart:
Showcasing Ethos and Achievements: A generic template can’t always convey your school’s character, values, or culture.
Frequent Content Updates: Staff need to add news, policies, events, and reports quickly and accurately.
Compliance Demands: Ofsted lists specific information schools must publish online. The right CMS helps you meet these standards, sending automated reminders for key updates.
Inclusive Communication: Visual accessibility tools, translation options, and mobile optimisation are even more important when your audience is so varied.
Integrated Digital Tools: Video prospectuses, 360-degree tours, and chatbot education features give families deeper insight and improve engagement.
A school website is a living extension of your campus—its digital front door—so the needed tools often go well beyond those offered by mainstream builders.
Bespoke Educational CMS vs. Generic Website Builders
There’s no denying that platforms like WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace have made website creation accessible to everyone. They’re perfect for basic sites and small businesses. But when it comes to schools, these one-size-fits-all solutions can fall short in key areas.
With a bespoke educational CMS:
Your dashboards are tailored for school workflows, such as policy tracking, event calendars, and class updates.
Content editing becomes intuitive, even for non-technical staff, so updates don’t stall when IT expertise is limited.
You benefit from built-in compliance tools, including audit trails and automated reminders for requirements such as regular Ofsted policy reviews.
User roles and permissions are designed to match the school environment, allowing appropriate access levels for staff, governors, or student leaders.
Accessibility and safeguarding are woven into the design from day one.
By comparison, generic web builders often require costly plug-ins or workarounds to achieve these results. That can mean more time spent troubleshooting, less consistency, and a poorer experience for your visitors.
Schools that choose platforms designed for education benefit from greater simplicity, security, and support. You can explore more about specialised offerings by reading about the advantages of website designers for schools.
How to Evaluate the Right Solution for Your School
There isn’t a single “best” answer for every school, but the decision should focus on your specific needs, vision, and capacity. Here are a few points to guide your choice:
Define your goals: Are you looking to share news, drive admissions, foster community, or all of these?
Assess your team’s confidence: Do staff need something they can manage themselves, or will they require ongoing technical support?
Consider future growth: Will you need to add features like digital prospectuses or live chat in the coming years?
Test for accessibility and speed: Make sure your chosen solution performs well for every user, on every device.
If you’re looking for inspiration, many schools have found success using platforms created just for education. See what makes the best website for schools stand out.
Final Thoughts
Your school’s website is an essential channel for communication, trust, and engagement. While generic website builders offer an easy start, a bespoke educational CMS is purpose-built for the demands of modernschools, placing accessibility, compliance, and ease of use at the forefront. As you evaluate your options, focus on solutions that not only look the part but also empower your school staff and community.
If you’re ready to create a site that truly reflects your ethos and supports your day-to-day needs, seek guidance from experts who understand the unique challenges of education. Together, you can craft a digital presencethat captivates, informs, and supports your journey into the future
