A private school website that walks parents through admissions
Parents researching a private school read the website closely, often more than once and with a partner. They want the school's character, the admissions process step by step, the fees, the policies a school must publish, and a way to visit. A private school website earns the open-day booking by being clear and honest about all of it. Here's how to structure one and build it with Anticode.
Ethos, shown rather than claimed
Almost every school says it nurtures every child to reach their potential, so parents skip that sentence. What tells them about character is specific: the size of a typical class, how pastoral care is organised (tutor groups, houses, a named head of year), what a normal school day looks like, how much time goes to sport, music and outdoor learning, and how the school talks about results. A short "A day at the school" page with real timings and real photos does more than a values statement.
The admissions process, step by step
Admissions is the page parents return to most. Lay it out as numbered steps with dates for the coming year:
- Visit: open days, taster days or a private tour.
- Register: the registration form and any registration fee, and the deadline for each entry point.
- Assessment: what it involves at each age (an informal play session for younger children, tests or an interview for older ones), and how you support children with additional needs.
- Offer: when families hear, and how long they have to accept.
- Acceptance: the deposit, the parent contract and the next steps before the first day.
List the entry points you have (nursery, reception, the start of senior school, sixth form) and whether places are usually available in other years. Bursaries and scholarships belong here too, with who can apply and when.
Open day booking
Anticode's booking calendar suits private tours well: one family per tour slot, with the form asking for the service ("Private tour"), day, time, parent's name, phone and email. Two families can't take the same slot, and dates in the past or more than 120 days ahead are refused.
A large open morning is different: many families come at once, and the calendar closes a slot after one booking. For those, use a registration form instead. A custom form can ask for the parents' names, the child's age and current school, the year of entry and how many will attend; send the responses to a Google Sheet with a connector to make the visitor list. The school open day registration workflow walks through it.
Fees, plainly
Publish the fees for each stage, per term and per year, and list what's extra: lunches, transport, trips, uniform, exam fees, instrument lessons, boarding. Say how fees are paid (termly, monthly by arrangement) and the notice period for leaving. Parents who can't find fees assume they're higher than they are, or that the school is hard to deal with. The fee schedule changes yearly, so keep it in one place and update it before the next intake.
Policies and inspection reports
Schools in many countries must publish certain information online, such as safeguarding and child protection policies, the complaints procedure, admissions criteria, the curriculum, special educational needs provision and the most recent inspection report. The rules vary by country and type of school, and the school is responsible for meeting them. Anticode can give these a clear, dated policies page that links to each document. Forms don't take file uploads, and the CMS holds text fields, so the documents themselves should be hosted where you already keep them and linked.
Anticode also writes a starting Privacy Policy and Terms for the website from what it collects. Treat them as a draft for your bursar or data protection lead, not as legal advice.
News that stays current
A news page last updated two terms ago tells parents the school isn't paying attention. Keep news in a CMS collection (title, date, summary, body, photo) so the marketing or admissions team can add stories from the dashboard. There are no comments, RSS feeds or scheduled posts, so publish when the story is ready. Get consent before naming or photographing pupils, and follow your own photography policy.
Data and access
Admissions enquiries contain children's details. Anticode seals form submissions at rest, records the last 200 reads, exports and deletes, and won't publish the site until the account owner and the person publishing have two-factor sign-in turned on. Ask only for what you need at the enquiry stage; the detailed registration form can come later, from your school management system.
What's beyond the website
- No parent portal, logins or password-protected pages; the published site is public.
- No payment of fees or deposits on the site.
- No hosting of PDF policy documents in the CMS; link to them.
- No link to your school management or admissions system.
Questions people ask
Can parents book an open day on the school website?
Private tours fit the booking calendar, one family per slot. For open mornings with many families, a registration form collects the details instead.
Should an independent school website show fees?
Yes. Show fees per term and year for each stage, list the extras and explain bursaries, so parents can judge affordability before they visit.
Can we have a members-only area for current parents?
Not on an Anticode published site, which is public. Use your school's existing parent app or portal and link to it.