There you sit again, explaining how to run your website when it’s clear there’s some sort of philosophical difference between you and your colleagues.
They need to make sure every site looks like every other one; after all, all their other marketing materials do. They want to keep the same brand, to keep the same message.
You disagree. You’re a headteacher or maybe even a governor. Maybe you’re just someone who cares about the way the website reflects your school.
All the schools in the trust are not exactly the same. You do not wish your school website to look the same as that of the other schools within the trust.
Both sides have good reasons. One group wishes to strengthen its brand identity. The other sees the necessity of reflecting the individual character of each school.
The actual problem isn’t usually policy-related. It’s design-related. There’s no easy choice between having uniform websites and letting everyone do their own thing. Instead, it’s about finding what you can compromise on.
There are good reasons for wanting to bring these assets under one umbrella. After all, if twelve schools had their own sites, someone might let them lapse. Bringing everything together makes sure nothing gets lost in the noise.
That being said, there are also compelling reasons for maintaining an individual presence for each school, beyond branding consistency. What should matter most – the trust name or the individual school’s?
If someone wants to visit one of your schools, they’re choosing that particular school, rather than the trust as a whole. Parents don’t choose which trust they’d prefer their child to attend; instead, they pick the schools they’d like their child to go to. There are many reasons why they may select one school over another: the headteacher, the pastoral style, the atmosphere.
If all your schools have the same website, you lose a key opportunity to showcase what makes each one special. For Websites for schools , visit fsedesign.co.uk/websites-for-schools/
On the flip side, a parent could choose a trust based on its schools, its reputation and its mission. This makes every touchpoint for them important. Inspectors too. Potential business partners too. A group of great-looking, well-designed schools will attract people to the trust. Uniformity is key to showing your parents and investors alike that you know what you’re doing.
The main thing holding up your decision may be an issue unrelated to either group: who should be responsible for the work? If it falls to the central staff, what assurance is there that the headteacher’s voice will still come through?
In the end, the central school trust needs to balance control with content flexibility and uniqueness per individual school.