A website for your school: what parents look for

When a family is choosing a school, the search usually starts on a phone: “boarding schools in Mukono”, “best primary schools in Kira”, or simply the name of a school a neighbour mentioned. What they find in the next minute shapes whether they call, visit or move on.

A school with no website, or with a website that has not changed in three years, sends a message about how the school is run, fairly or not. The good news is that a website that wins families does not need to be expensive. It needs to answer the questions parents actually have, on a phone, quickly.

• Where is it, and how do I get there? A map, the area name and directions from a known landmark.
• How much are the fees? Fees by class, day and boarding, and what else to budget for. A range is better than nothing.
• What does it look like? Real photos of classrooms, dormitories, labs, the compound and the dining hall, not stock pictures.
• How do learners perform? Recent results, explained simply, and what the school does for learners who struggle.
• Is my child safe and cared for? Boarding arrangements, the sick bay, discipline approach and who to call.
• How do I apply, and when? Admission dates, requirements and a way to apply or book a visit.
• How do I reach someone? Phone numbers that work, WhatsApp, and office hours.

1. 1Home: your name, badge, motto, one strong photo, and buttons for Admissions and Contact.
2. 2About: your story, values, leadership and what makes the school different, in plain words.
3. 3Admissions: how to join, dates, fees, the requirements list as a download, and an apply button.
4. 4School life: a gallery, clubs, sports, boarding and faith life.
5. 5News and events: results, achievements, open days and reporting dates. Update it at least monthly.
6. 6Contact: map, phone numbers, WhatsApp, email and a message form.

• Long welcome letters that never mention fees, location or how to apply.
• Photos that are blurry, years old or of another school.
• Animations and music that make the page slow on a phone.
• Phone numbers that no longer work, and an email inbox nobody reads.
• A news page whose latest story is from three years ago; better no news page than an old one.

Use your full school name and your area on the home page and in page titles, for example “St. Mary’s Primary School, Kira, Wakiso”. Give each page its own short description. Use your own domain name, such as yourschool.ac.ug or yourschool.com, and make sure the website loads quickly on a phone. Ask families and old students to link to the site, and add it to your Google Business Profile, Facebook page and school directory listings.

A free page in an online school directory also helps families find you. In Uganda, every school in the IWAT school directory can claim its page for free and link it to its website.

The most common reason school websites fail is that nobody updates them. Give one person, often the deputy or a teacher who enjoys it, the job of adding one news item and a few photos each month and updating fees each year. Choose a website tool simple enough that they can do it from a phone, and keep a copy of every version so mistakes can be undone.

1. 1Day 1: choose a template in your school colours and add your badge, motto, phone numbers and map.
2. 2Day 2: take twenty good photos on a bright morning: the gate, classrooms in session, the library, labs, dormitories, sports and assembly. Ask parents’ permission before showing learners’ faces.
3. 3Day 3: write the About page and the admissions steps in plain words; ask a parent to read them and tell you what is unclear.
4. 4Day 4: add the fees table, the requirements list as a PDF, and term dates.
5. 5Day 5: add one news story, check every page on a phone, and test the phone numbers and the contact form.
6. 6Day 6: connect your own domain, publish, and share the link on your Facebook page, WhatsApp groups and Google Business Profile.
7. 7Day 7: decide who adds news each month, and put it in their calendar.

If someone at school is comfortable with WhatsApp and a phone camera, they can build a good website with a school website builder in an afternoon. If nobody has time, or you want a polished result for an important admissions season, have it designed for you, and make sure you can still update it yourself afterwards.

With IWAT school websites you can do either: build it yourself for UGX 250,000 a term with hosting included, or have our team design it from UGX 800,000 once. Both come with your own address, a contact form and online applications.