Designing a Working Website
A working website is
not a solution to a current informational need, it is a vehicle for ensuring
current and future information can pass between the Academy and its
customers. It should be seen as a means to communication and not an end in
itself. When designing a
working website, therefore, the questions that need to be asked about every
page are: ·
Who will be reading this? ·
Why will they be reading this? ·
Does this page give them the answer they want? · Does it let them know what they should do next? What Pages to Include
It is possible to
create an effective working website for an Academy school with just a small
set of web pages. Indeed, effective working websites often have little more
than these. The minimal set of web pages is: ·
A Home page
which is regularly updated with current news and pictures. There should be a
link to the current newsletter(s). ·
A Contact us
page, giving a map, address, phone numbers, fax number, an email
contact, and key names. If you don’t want to have email addresses available
to searchbots, include instructions of how to generate an email address (e.g.
“To contact a member of staff, use their first initial followed by their
surname, followed by @sampleacademy.co.uk”). ·
Pages about the school: History, Sponsors,
Specialisms. ·
Year 7
Application pages, with a copy of the main school prospectus and
all the information and forms needed to apply for a place at the Academy.
There should also be complete information for appealing the refusal of a
place. ·
Sixth Form
Application pages, with a copy of the sixth form prospectus and
all the information and forms needed to apply for a place at the Academy.
There should also be complete information for appealing the refusal of a
place. ·
A page giving details of how to make a Mid-Year or Other Application. ·
A Vacancies
page, where applicants can access all the information and forms
they need to apply for a post at the Academy. ·
A page giving Recent
News – perhaps the last ten issues of the weekly newsletter, or
selected articles. This should not be allowed to become an archive for old
news. ·
A Freedom of
Information page, giving details of how to make a request. · A Governance page, giving the latest approved minutes for the Governors’ meeting and subcommittees. What to Include on Every Page
·
The Academy logo. ·
A link to the Virtual Learning Environment. ·
A link to the Parent Information Database. ·
A link to the Online Payment System (for
parents, staff, students, sponsors - anyone who wants to pay money to the
Academy). · A link to the Staff Virtual Office, if it is available outside school. |
A Working Website
Keep it simple -
complexity costs.
Ensure every web page
has an owner interested in keeping the content current.
Keep a schedule for
checking web pages. Every web page should be checked at least once a year.
Check active web pages
regularly and update them when necessary.
Don’t carry dead
information. A school website is not an archive. Keep your archives off-line.
Change pictures
regularly.
Be ruthless. If a web page is out-of-date and not being maintained, delete it. |