While January is often about getting back into routine, it is also a valuable time to look ahead. With 2026 upon us, many schools are beginning to think about how their website can continue to support communication, recruitment and community engagement.

Much of this planning can begin now using the tools already available within your Greenhouse School Websites CMS (admin login).

Review key pages with a fresh perspective

Start by looking at the pages that matter most to parents and prospective families:

1. Homepage

Check whether the content still reflects your school today. Is the information current, clearly structured and written in a way that is easy to understand? Small updates to wording, headings and layout can make a significant difference to how these pages are received. Is it easy to get a sense of your school from the homepage? Is there anything missing? Sometimes we forget to talk about things which are part of the school daily culture – making these upfront and centred on your homepage helps with the first impression visitors have.

2. About Us/School information

Your ‘about the school’ page(s) may be a continuation of your homepage or a more practical guide to school life. These vary from school to school. But it is important to regularly check that all the information is correct. A new headteacher message, some up-to-date photos, and a check to see if the practical information is still correct and relevant are all ways to ensure your website reflects current times. 

3. Admissions

For many families, the website is their first introduction to your school. And your admissions information might be the first they see for any school if they are looking for their first child’s next step. January is a good time to make sure your admissions information is clear and reassuring. Consider whether the information is laid out in a clear way. You may be including links to the Local Authority or your trust-wide admissions information, but explaining some key information and dates on your website can help reassure parents. Many also want to know what they should go to the LA with and what they should come directly to you about. Check that forms, prospectuses and key documents are easy to access. These updates help create a smooth and welcoming experience for prospective families.

4. Curriculum

Curriculum pages are a great way to keep parents informed on what their children are studying. Past the basic requirements for your curriculum to be on the website it can be great to share some more detail and photos of past work so that parents can see what is expected of children at different stages of their education. It is a great way to bring the curriculum to life too. Sharing key moments in photo galleries, alongside information on the medium term plans etc, is a really nice way for parents to feel they can support more from home too. 

5. Contact and key information pages

As well as statutory needs, such as the SENCo information, it is useful to double check that all staff information on your website is correct at the current time. Sometimes we forget this easily when we are busy at the end of a term saying goodbye to staff, so take the opportunity to double check this has been updated. And also have a look through the other key areas parents and prospective parents go to find information – can you navigate to it easily as a visitor to the site? Do you know where the policies are? Can you find the lunch menu? Can you find the form to complete to say you want to come to the next Open Day? Can you find the map with the entrances labelled for where you can pick your child up after school? Can you find the curriculum pages? 

It all sounds straightforward and obvious but sometimes we have to sit back and look at the school website with an ‘outside eye’ and see how easily we can find everything. Think about the common questions people have and see if you can find the answers on your school website. Then think about how you can make it more interesting/relevant/useful for the school community. We realise not many staff will spend much time on the school website so set aside a little bit of time at the start of each term to double check if anything needs updating/adding/changing. 

And don’t forget to delete any inactive pages you no longer need! 

Get in touch if 2026 is the time to look at a redesign for your school website too. We all need a refresh from time to time. 

With that said…I am off to see if there are any mince pies left…

Happy New Year!