Woodside Primary School Case Study
One school's journey to a more intuitive website.
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When you want to make an excellent first impression and stand out from the crowd, you can trust the UK’s largest provider of school websites. Juniper’s school website design offering combines the expertise of two industry leaders, Primarysite and e4education.
Introduction
Woodside Primary School, a single academy school, recognised the need for a revamped website to enhance user experience and accessibility for parents. They embarked on a mission to create a more intuitive, user-friendly platform, surpassing their previous website.
The new website, which went live in August 2023, is a testament to their commitment to deliver crucial information to parents effectively. Woodside Primary School's journey towards this transformation began when they chose Juniper Education to embark on their digital voyage.
Choosing the best value option
The school spent some time looking at other local and national school websites. They wanted a website which was easily accessible, informative, and attractive. Juniper websites were the ones which appealed to Headteacher Claire Bennett and her team the most.
Claire said: “I spoke to other Headteachers who had worked with Juniper, and they were very complimentary about the service and support Juniper provides.”
Claire continued that although they looked at many other website providers, they “decided to work with Juniper because we liked the way we were listened to during our initial conversations, we could get the bespoke website we wanted, we’d get support, and we felt Juniper gave us the best value option for the requirements we had.”
Moving from an outdated website
The school's previous website was difficult to update, and it wasn’t easy to find information intuitively. The school also commented that their old website “looked too formal and a bit dated. We wanted a website that really reflected the culture of our school, that was easy for children, parents, carers, and other professionals to use, and easy to keep updated.”
During the design consultation, it also became evident that Woodside Primary School wanted to showcase their house points system more prominently on the website.
Collaborating for the best outcome
Throughout the project, the school collaborated closely with Juniper’s web developers through emails and check-ins, ensuring an efficient exchange of ideas and progress updates. The initial meeting set the stage for a journey of teamwork that resulted in a more intuitive website that not only meets the school's objectives, but enhances the web experience for parents, staff, and pupils.
Understanding the importance of the school’s house point system, Juniper’s team collaborated with Woodside to explore the possibility of showcasing it on the school's website – to great success. As a result, Juniper’s design team was able to incorporate this feature, aligning with the school's vision and gaining positive feedback from the school community.
Paying attention to the details
The school also wanted to feature a video on its homepage, which Juniper’s design team was more than happy to accommodate. Claire said about these bespoke website features and functions: “We received so much support. We were quite picky about colours and images, too, but Juniper worked with us on every detail.”
Whilst the school also didn’t have any branding guidelines, they wanted their strategy and website to have a similar look to give the school a cohesive identity. Juniper’s design team were able to produce a website in keeping with the school’s brand, down to the details, and create a design that aligned to the school’s vision.
The outcome: a new website with tangible results!
On the new website and its impact on the whole school community, Claire said: “We’re really pleased that more of our children are now engaging with the website. It’s much more child-friendly and provides current information that is relevant to them. We’ve had lots of compliments from other professionals and families, and the metrics show that engagement with the website is much better than it used to be.”
The new website has also been well-received by staff members. Staff can contribute to the sections of the website that are relevant to them, so they feel some ownership and pride. The Headteacher said: “We can easily upload images and information, so keeping the website current and relevant ensures children and adults alike are engaged by the website.”
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Working with a great website team
Woodside Primary School had nothing but praise about their collaborative experience with Juniper Education throughout their new website project.
On the partnership, Claire Bennett commented: “Our project co-ordinator was fantastic, and nothing was ever too much trouble. We also got to meet with the designer and talk through important details. The training videos that Juniper provided, and the help facility on the website means support is always there. It doesn’t just end with the launch of the website.”
“I’ve got to give a big shout-out to our Project Co-ordinator who was fantastic. Nothing was ever too much trouble, and I was given above and beyond support! There was always a prompt response to questions and queries.”
Claire continues: “In our experience, Juniper is a company that will provide you with the right website for your school, give support and training from start to finish (and beyond), are good value, and the team are easy to work with.”
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Shining bright online
Woodside Primary School's new website continues to be a valuable resource and showcase for the school. Juniper Education is proud to have been part of their transformation, helping them shine online and serve their school community excellently.
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