Transforming Online Presence at the Ted Wragg Trust

The background: Partnering with Juniper Education

Chloe Fox, Secondary Lead for South West Teacher Training ( SWTT) and Senior Leader at West Exe School, has a longstanding association with Juniper, having previously collaborated on website projects during her time at West Country Schools Trust. In early 2022, Ted Wragg Trust embarked on a quest for a comprehensive Trust-wide website solution. The objective was to implement a custom-built Trust website and subsequent bespoke primary and secondary school websites, complete with clones that could be seamlessly replicated across the Trust's various schools. The Trust also wanted to streamline operational processes and enhance its communication strategy through the use of its websites. Recognising the need for a complex solution, Chloe and the Trust turned to Juniper’s expert website services. Chloe explained why Juniper was always her first choice:

"When embarking on this project, I instinctively turned to Juniper Education as my first point of contact. Having collaborated with them on a previous website project, I was confident in their capabilities and the exceptional service they consistently deliver. Despite any updates and changes, my trust in their team remained steadfast, knowing they would once again exceed expectations."

The challenges: Reasons prompting change at Ted Wragg Trust

The challenges The Ted Wragg Trust faced were multifaceted and complex.

Firstly, the Trust found itself contending with an outdated and “clunky” website system, facing challenges that ranged from maintaining a consistent style and brand across the Trust to training staff on how to use their own school website and coping with disruptions caused by frequent changes in web addresses.

Secondly, the absence of a streamlined webpage drafting process hindered quality control, causing a strain on resources and often causing accidental errors on webpages.

Next, the Trust also needed to look at all of its policies and really help every individual school manage them better. Ideally, the schools wanted somewhere to centralise and manage them from and for one point of truth.

Finally, individual schools in the Trust had problems with agreements, domain names, and fees, with some schools feeling overwhelmed by unexpected charges in their current systems.

Seeking help, Chloe presented Juniper’s website team with the Trust-wide issues and challenges they were facing. Juniper devised a comprehensive plan of action, finding viable solutions to each one of their problems. On this, Chloe said:

“Our consultant really took our challenges and feedback onboard and streamlined lots of things. This just made it really easy for our Trust to make progress fast. He also took us through the website design process and gave us solutions to our problems. He asked questions we hadn't thought of, which challenged us to think about what we really wanted from this project."

The solutions: Juniper's resolution of intricate website challenges

The team implemented a plan to create professional and unified websites across the Trust, sticking to a strict timeline for each website launch. Each website featured modern homepages with clear pathways to essential information such as safeguarding and behaviour. The team also decided to include several new features and functions:

• A shared news feed with branded colours and school logos, allowing users to identify the source school website
• A top navigation bar for improved user journeys and brand consistency
• A “key facts” display highlighting information from each school
• A multi-pin map with colour-coded markers showcasing school locations and indicating their exact regions
• A "Meet the Team" section
• A shared vacancies area to streamline communication about current job openings within the Trust
• The ability to share school social media content
  

Juniper’s team efficiently tackled the challenge of policy management by centralising and optimising the process. Their well-designed policies page allowed easy categorisation, and amendments made to the centralised policy automatically updated across all websites in the Trust. This streamlined approach significantly reduced workloads and compliance efforts for senior leaders across each school and the Trust.

On this aspect of the project, Chloe commented:

“One of the best things Juniper suggested as a solution for us as a Trust was to create a policies page where we were able to centralise and segment them into their groupings. When one policy is updated, it is automatically updated across all of the websites in the Trust. This has taken a huge amount of work away from our Headteachers in our schools. Every day, our websites continue to save us a huge amount of time. The websites not only ensure we stay compliant across the Trust, but they look beautiful as well.”

Juniper brought transparency to pricing, improved domain name management, and unified the Trust's online brand identity, leading to enhanced operational efficiency and a collaborative and unified Trust-wide ethos.

Positive staff reactions to the Trust website project

Chloe shared the positive responses and feedback from staff within the Trust:

“The feedback on the website project has been incredibly positive. They were queuing up, waiting their turn to be added to the new system and becoming a part of this new way of working.

Many have highlighted how it allowed our school to shine, providing a clearer presentation of information. The process involved cutting out unnecessary elements and improving our messaging, resulting in a more polished appearance.

The integration of social media content into the website has proven valuable. Even for members of our communities not on social platforms, the website serves as a comprehensive hub where they can access and stay informed about various updates. The positive response is evident from day one, with staff expressing excitement as the new website popped up on their screens.”

Chloe also highlighted a notable benefit acknowledged by the staff: the effective use of assets like school videos, now prominently featured instead of hidden, has helped to create a positive first impression. The website now seamlessly integrates various elements, offering a unified platform to showcase the diverse aspects of the school community.

Chloe concluded:

“Overall, the project has had a really positive response and has had a positive impact on our Trust.”

Improving parent communications

Chloe also discussed parents’ responses to the website project:

“Parents have really enjoyed the new website. We've received lots of positive feedback, with many saying they find information quickly and easily. It's been a game-changer for us, saving time by directing people to the website instead of them calling the reception like they used to. The number of phone calls has significantly eased, thanks to parents being able to find what they need on the website. It's been a great improvement.”

The Trust has also learned what parents like, using website analytics to help tailor communications to their interests. The analytics highlighted the most engaging pages, guiding effective communication strategies.

Chloe continued:

“Parents now go to the website to check for information rather than call into the school. This has been a big change to the Trust’s communication culture, something we didn’t have before.”

The outcome: Online success with clear results

Juniper has helped to transform Ted Wragg Trust's online presence and streamline many of its processes. The Trust now proudly showcases a suite of professional and innovative websites, serving as a source of pride and significantly enhancing communications.

This transformative website project has empowered schools to refine their individual missions and values and has unified the entire Trust through consistent branding.

The centralisation of policies on a dedicated page not only streamlined updates but also ensured a uniform approach across all websites, prompting a re-evaluation of processes and leading to enhanced compliance and a more effective approach to addressing concerns.

Each website functions as a valuable tool, expertly guiding families and the wider community through essential journeys while providing timely and important information.

Moreover, it facilitated the creation of a unified Talent Bank area and "Work with Us" section, effectively conveying a cohesive message about the Trust's strategy and team. In just a year, over 500 CV submissions were received through the websites collectively, simplifying contact for individuals interested in various roles within the Trust.

The partnership marked a significant step forward in the Trust’s digital landscape, resolving past issues and instilling clarity and uniformity across all 16 schools.

Advice for other Trusts

For any other Trusts looking to take on a Trust-wide website project, Chloe imparted her final words of wisdom:

“A new website project can be daunting and cause sleepless nights, but it’s important to get key stakeholders involved; every single person needs to be on board and know that they are playing an important part in the project. Content will be your biggest challenge, and it will always take longer than you expect, but try and enjoy that phase and the reviewing period. The project will pay for itself in man hours and reduced workload very quickly and may fix lots of problems you didn't even realise you had.”

Ultimately, Chloe said, "What are you waiting for?" encouraging other Trusts to take the plunge for the benefits a well-executed Trust-wide website project can bring.