How to Take Your School Website From Good to Great in 2026

Create a website that helps your school shine

When a new year rolls around, many schools take the chance to reflect on what’s working well and what could be improved. The school website is often part of that review, because it’s far more than a DfE requirement — it’s your public face, your brand in action, your online source of truth, and, above all, the first impression for future students, families and staff.

When you spend your days creating websites for schools and trusts, you get a pretty clear idea of what “great” looks like — and that’s precisely what we do at Juniper Education, create great websites for the education sector.

If you’re thinking about a new school website this year, we can help you create one that genuinely reflects your school and community. We design websites to suit any budget, timeline or vision — and our in-house experts will guide you through the process from start to finish.

If 2026 is the year you want a school website that helps you shine online and stand out for all the right reasons, we’re here to make it happen.

Why a new website matters for schools in 2026

Schools tell us they want a website that genuinely reflects who they are — one that showcases their brand, identity and curriculum pathways, helps attract the right students and the best staff, reduces workload through smarter features and integrations, supports parent engagement, and is fully compliant and accessible.

It might sound like a lot, but it’s exactly what a school website should deliver — we know because we’ve built more than 7,000 of them. And as we like to say, the proof is in the pixels. So, take a look at our school website portfolio and see some of our proudest work.

But why does it matter?

Above everything else we’ve just mentioned, online users form an opinion about your school in less than 60 seconds — and your website is often where that all-important first impression is formed. It’s the first place parents go to for up-to-date information, and the first stop for prospective staff when deciding whether to apply.

Your school website matters more than you might realise. Getting it right isn’t just important — it’s non-negotiable.

Stages of a school website project

So you’ve decided to embark on a new school website this year, but you might be thinking, “Where do I start”? A website project can feel like a huge task, but when the process is broken down into clear stages, it becomes far more manageable.

We guide schools and trusts through each stage, ensuring that nothing gets missed and every decision is rooted in your goals, not guesswork. We spoke with our team of expert website designers, and this is what they said a journey typically looks like:

Discovery & brief

If you choose one of our bespoke offerings, we begin with a structured discovery session to understand what you want the website to achieve — whether that’s recruitment, community engagement, trust-wide consistency or a full visual refresh. This shapes the structure, tone and design direction.

Design & sign-off

Our designers then produce bespoke mock-ups that reflect your brand, values and curriculum pathway, or we’ll show you the different templates and design options we offer, depending on your preference. You review and refine these until everything feels right for your school.

Content & build

Next, we will build your new website design onto our CMS (content management system) and migrate your existing content over (or alternatively, you can add new fresh content yourself if you wish). This is where your pages start taking shape, and where in-line editing makes updating content simple.

Testing

We will review your new website to ensure it functions as expected from both a front-end user experience perspective and a back-end editor's perspective.

We will also check to ensure that your website works across all devices and all browsers.

Training & handover

Your team receives access to a full suite of training guides as well as practical training on the CMS so they can confidently update content, manage compliance and publish new material. We’ll also provide unlimited email support whenever you need it, even after your website goes live.

Launch & post-launch

Your old site stays live until you’re ready to go. Once the new site launches, we manage redirects, run final checks and support you during the settling-in period. We’ll also support you with your launch and offer suggestions on how to give your new website the celebration it deserves.

Easy-to-miss tips for a great secondary school website

Even with the best design team, a website only succeeds if the planning behind it is solid. These are the areas schools sometimes overlook — and the ones that make the biggest difference to the final result.

Be clear on the outcome, not the page count

Before thinking about pages, decide what your website must actually achieve. Improved recruitment? Clearer communication? Reduced parent queries? These goals shape smarter decisions later.

Content owners and deadlines

The number one delay in school website projects is content. If you are creating new content, assign owners early and set realistic timelines for reviewing everything so the project keeps moving.

Think beyond home and key pages

Curriculum pages, SEND information, policies and exam resources matter just as much as the homepage. Planning these early avoids rushed content later.

Photography and video that tells your story

Strong visuals can lift your entire website. Whether you’re using existing videos or planning new photography, aim to capture real, everyday school life — not staged shots. If you’re looking for fresh photography, we work with Edupic, who specialise in exactly this for school websites.

Accessibility checks from day one

It’s far easier to design with accessibility in mind than fix issues later. We’ll build in regular checks to ensure your site meets the latest standards.

Forms and integrations mapped out

Admissions forms, linking off to payment providers, adding in newsletters all need to work seamlessly. Mapping them early avoids technical issues at the end.

SEO and redirects plan

Protect your search performance by planning redirects and keeping key URLs where possible. This helps parents continue finding the information they need. Our SEO best practice guide for schools and trusts can help you understand the importance of SEO on your website.

Who will own the CMS long-term?

Decide who will manage ongoing updates and who will take responsibility for maintaining the website going forward.

Compliance & policies ready to publish

Gather statutory documents in advance so the site meets requirements from day one. Our DfE checklists for schools and trusts can help, but we’ll also provide guidance on the requirements.

Plan your launch comms

A new website is a milestone. Outline how you’ll tell parents, staff and your wider community — and make launch day feel special.

 FAQs from schools

After working on thousands of school websites, we’ve noticed that schools share many of the same concerns. Below are the key FAQs we hear regularly — along with helpful guidance for each.

How long does a new website project take from start to finish?
It really depends on the project. We can build a new school website in as little as 8–12 weeks, or it may take a little longer, depending on the scale and requirements. Once we understand what you need, we’ll agree clear timelines and milestones so you always know what’s coming next.

Is the CMS easy enough for non-technical staff to use?
Absolutely. Our true in-line editing ensures our websites are built for all school staff not just tech wizards, your website will be easy to use and easy to update and we’ll show you everything you need to know.

Do you offer training for our staff?
Yes. All schools receive interactive training, guides and ongoing support.

Will our site be accessible for all users?
Yes — every site is built to meet current accessibility standards so it’s usable for all parents, carers and students.

What happens to my current content?
We can transfer content from your existing site to your new one if you’d like us to.

What happens to the old site while the new one is built?
It stays live until the day you choose to switch over.

What about my domain name?
We’ll handle the transfer and technical setup.

Do I need new photos?
Not necessarily. You can use your existing library — but refreshed photography or video can transform the final look.

Do you offer photography and video?
Yes — as mentioned above, we partner with Edupic, specialists in school photography and videography.

I don’t even know where to start — do you have any examples?
You can browse our website portfolio to see the range of secondary school designs we’ve created. But you don’t need to come to us with a fully formed vision -we’ll guide you through every step so the project feels clear, manageable and exciting.

Why do schools choose Juniper Education?

Schools choose Juniper Education because our websites bring together strong design and practical tools that genuinely make day-to-day life easier. Each site is built to showcase your school, reduce admin and keep you confidently compliant — all backed by Cyber Essentials and ISO 27001 accreditation for robust security.

Start 2026 with a website that truly reflects your school

If you’re ready to take your school or trust website to the next level, we’re here and ready to help you shine online.

Book a website demo or speak to our team today