A school website serves families at different stages: researching admission, preparing an application and managing everyday school life. Structure those journeys separately so essential information is not lost inside a news archive. Accuracy, accessible documents and careful handling of children's information belong in the brief from the beginning.
This guide covers admissions structure, family information, content approval and appropriate public enquiry routes. Discuss the relevant requirements through ITZ’s Website Design service.
Admissions journey
Explain the application process, required documents and the next step for prospective families. Clearly distinguish an enquiry from a submitted application or confirmed place.
Map the prospective parent's questions: curriculum, age groups, campus, approved fees and the steps for an admissions discussion. Clarify whether a form requests information, starts an application or books a visit. Give each route a responsible team. Families should not need to submit repeated enquiries simply to discover which process applies.
Information architecture
Group curriculum, school life, fees and transport information according to parent tasks. Use descriptive navigation and keep essential content readable on mobile devices.
Separate public admissions material from information intended for existing families or staff. Organise documents by purpose and date, and provide accessible page summaries where practical. A parent searching for transport arrangements should not have to open several unrelated PDFs. Review mobile navigation with someone unfamiliar with the school's departmental terminology.
Plan Your School Website Structure to discuss admissions structure, family information, content approval and appropriate public enquiry routes.
Verified institutional information
Publish approved accreditation, rating and regulatory references with accurate context. Confirm current wording and permitted use with the school’s responsible team before publishing logos or claims.
Verify accreditation, inspection references and institutional claims with the school before publishing them. Record who approves changes to fees, policies and leadership information. A copied badge or old report should not imply a current status beyond its scope. Link to authoritative records where suitable and maintain clear dates for time-sensitive documents.
Content and safeguarding
Establish approval processes for student imagery, staff details and downloadable material. Keep calendars and admissions information current. Where multiple languages are needed, use reviewed translations and consistent navigation.
Use approved consent and safeguarding processes for photographs and personal information. Avoid publishing unnecessary pupil identifiers or treating an ordinary public form as a secure document-collection system. W3C's preliminary accessibility guidance supports an initial review of navigation, labels and presentation; document requirements and appropriate information handling need their own responsible reviewers.
A practical example
Illustrative example: a family wants to arrange a campus visit, while an existing parent needs a transport update. One generic contact form gives staff little context and makes routing harder. Distinct, clearly labelled routes can collect appropriate information without requesting a child's full records at the first point of contact.
Your review checklist
- Separate admissions and existing-family information journeys.
- Verify institutional claims and date sensitive documents.
- Review image permissions and pupil-information handling.
- Test key parent tasks on a phone and with a keyboard.
Frequently asked questions
What should the main admissions button do?
It should lead to the actual next step in the school’s process, such as an enquiry, visit request or application portal, with clear instructions about what follows.
References and further reading
Related services and guides
Discuss the next step
Plan Your School Website Structure. Use the form below to discuss admissions structure, family information, content approval and appropriate public enquiry routes. Share the relevant goals and existing arrangements; do not include passwords, private records or access tokens.
Plan Your School Website Structure ↗
Reviewed and expanded on 15 October 2026. Examples are illustrative; the appropriate approach depends on your business requirements and existing systems.
