Does your school have a website? Looks like they *all* have to now.

[GrumbleDook]

I've been catching up with some of the articles from IET Associates (some of you might not know the team but will have been impacted upon by their work in Becta and other groups) and it is always good to see what nuggets of information they find.

 

Mike has been looking at the DfE site to keep an eye on changes and has come across the need for schools to publish certain information ... not in a prospectus but online. Yes ... on a website.

 

Read the full article here.

[elsiegee40]

They don't have to have a website according to the White paper

 

On page 2 it says

... where there is no website maintained for the school,the governing body must arrange for the information specified in Schedule 4 to be published on a website, the address and details of which are made available to parents

 

(My bold) So it just has to be online... but that could be on Google Documents for example... as long as the parents know.

[SimpleSi]

You've split the hair to sub-atom level there

And what school hasn't had a website for the past 5 years?

(if there are any, then it must be a very small school on Lewis where everyone lives within 100 yds of each other )

 

Si

[GrumbleDook]

I can see a few 'collective' sites appearing somewhere ... where a few schools who only want to publish the minimum will do so.

[elsiegee40]

You've split the hair to sub-atom level there

And what school hasn't had a website for the past 5 years?

(if there are any, then it must be a very small school on Lewis where everyone lives within 100 yds of each other )

 

Si

Quite a lot of small primaries don't!

[Geoff]

Don't the LEAs site have a 'directory' of schools? I know Lancashire does?

 

Welcome - The Lancashire Grid for Learning

 

Isn't that sufficient to satisfy the requirements (admittedly Lancashire's effort would need to be fleshed out a little bit more beyond contact details)?

Edited April 25, 2012 by Geoff

[GrumbleDook]

Don't the LEAs site have a 'directory' of schools? I know Lancashire does?

 

Welcome - The Lancashire Grid for Learning

 

Isn't that sufficient to satisfy the requirements (admittedly Lancashire's effort would need to be fleshed out a little bit more beyond contact details)?

 

These directories tend to just be basic information and contact details ... And don't forget LAs don't have a remit for doing a lot of this for schools. It is the responsibility of the school (but I am sure some LAs and Academy groups will have a sample template quickly enough).

[elsiegee40]

Don't the LEAs site have a 'directory' of schools? I know Lancashire does?

 

Welcome - The Lancashire Grid for Learning

 

Isn't that sufficient to satisfy the requirements (admittedly Lancashire's effort would need to be fleshed out a little bit more beyond contact details)?

 

With more and more schools becoming academies, LAs won't provide more than basic info without a charge to the school.

[waltmanc]

I don't think this is going to cause any/many secondary schools problems, but I would think a lot of primary schools are going to be in for a lot of work.

[owen1978]

We don't have a website (primary) never has been a need really...

But I am creating a Wordpress blog site, something simple to keep parents and other people

informed.

 

Wordpress is simple enough so teachers and other staff can post info themselves instead

of giving it to me.

 

Was thinking of a facebook site, but the head doesn't trust facebook

[Geoff]

Was thinking of a facebook site, but the head doesn't trust facebook

 

Rightly or wrongly, the school is going to end up on facebook in some fashion anyway (Check ins and peoples employment and educational info will automatically create pages). So I think it's better that you have an 'official' page so you have a modicum of control, as opposed to none what so ever.

[SimpleSi]

Not having a school website is like not having a sign at the front gate

 

In the second instance, people passing by won't know the school exists of how to find it - in the first people from further away don't know the school exists or how to find it

 

Slight exaggeration obviously

 

The act of simply publishing the school contact details, the weekly newsletter, holiday dates and prospectus on a website is worth the price of admission alone

 

And thats before you get into using them as a showcase for pupil work and acheivements.

 

And of course, you can then do ChickCam!

 

To everyone without a website, get in touch with Carl at CS New Media Web Hosting - UK Based Web Hosting, Reseller Hosting, VPS & Dedicated Servers (or the many other alternatives available) and get it done

 

Si