Your own website making machine Powerful and simple cutting edge networks of websites for schools HomeHome pageThe front page, the diary, the jumping off point for everything StoriesMain list of pages All our main pages, jump into who, what and why DiscussJoin our discussion group Come on in and start communicating those ideas, just join up or log in MembersA list of all our site members If you want to be anonymous with-hold your name, use something like Mickey Mouse, or Anonymous Coward Email usNeed to tell the webmaster... Get in touch straight away! If we need to we'll pass on your comments to the right person About usEverything about us Read more about who we are, and why we're doing this
We build and run sites for schools. Killer, kicking sites. Sites you'll love.
Site structure
Home
Create About
How much? What users say Legal Legals 4 kids More Stats Educational uses of blogs Bloom's taxonomy & blogs Case Studies Supporting the curriculum Lesson Plans Schools' banner ads Curriculum Online FAQs Thumbnail interface Group brains
Don't do this on your website
News Departments
Members
About us
We want to and will make it easy for schools to keep their staff, pupils, parents, partners, other stake-holders and wider community informed, updated and engaged.
Now, by merely typing in the text you can do it too!
It's so easy even 7 year old children can do it. If you are able to move a mouse, click a few buttons and string a few sentences together you can maintain a cutting edge site.
We'll give you all the training you'll need, support you on the phone or with email, all to make sure you get the best out of your investment.
Our killer features are:
Superb content management and blog software. Excellent Google optimisation.
An email to weblog interface, making updating your school blog a doddle.
Top draw support and feedback.
Try a demo or build your
Now, by merely typing in the text you can do it too!
It's so easy even 7 year old children can do it. If you are able to move a mouse, click a few buttons and string a few sentences together you can maintain a cutting edge site.
We'll give you all the training you'll need, support you on the phone or with email, all to make sure you get the best out of your investment.
Our killer features are:
Superb content management and blog software. Excellent Google optimisation.
An email to weblog interface, making updating your school blog a doddle.
Top draw support and feedback.
Try a demo or build your
30 day free trial
school website yourself. What will you write today's school news to be?Something nice about us
Something nice about us
I asked some users to say something nice:
Matt Prosser an ICT-Coordinator in Croft Community in Walsall
www.croft.walsall.sch.uk
When asked to set a school website up at the start of the 2005/2006 school year I was sent on a training course to get the 'old way' using HTML, after two training sessions I still had problems getting used to the format. After a meeting with the company who run WalsallSchools.org's blog service it seemed the most efficient way to keep the local community informed with what was happening in the school. The website was up and running in a few hours from go. As the only contributor to the website, updating on behalf of the whole school this simple service has probably saved me days and days in writing codes and FTP uploading.
Training was given to myself and with the aid of a fool proof book I set about adding news items to the website. At first I relied heavily on advice from Steve Hooker and now after over a year of blogging I still get handy tips. At the moment the website has over 600 pictures and 100 news items.
The effect the website has had on the school has been overwhelming for both the school and myself personally. Here are some quotes from people about the website, these quotes have either been emailed or given in person.
"Hi, my name is Matthew Prosser, just like yours. When I searched the internet I found your name over 20 times, I thought you might be famous... When I realised it was a school site I really enjoyed reading all the cool stuff you do over there in the U.K.." Received from Matthew Prosser U.S citizen - May 2006.
When meeting some Canadian teachers who were on an exchange I introduced myself as Matthew Prosser and got the response, "hey you're the one teacher I was looking forward to meeting, I looked at your school's website and thought how terrific it was."
We had a visitor to school Dr. Kenn who was performing a science workshop for the children. The first thing he mentioned to the Headteacher was, how wonderful he thought the school website was and how it was one he actually read and not just looked at... “I can't wait to read the report about my show.”
During the first few months of the website I was asked by the Headteacher to keep a close eye on the number of people viewing and when they were viewing. Around a month into this exercise I took my findings to the Head, who was quite alarmed at the number of people logging in during the early hours of the morning with a peak at around 4am to 5am. "Who could this be? " After a couple of days I returned with some of the answers that the children had given. "My uncle looks sometimes from Pakistan," and during Rhamadan the children were getting up before sunrise (5.30 am) to eat and prayer as they were fasting, after they had eaten they thought it was a waste of time going to sleep for an hour and so looked at the school website and compared it to other websites using the walsallschools.org format.
The number of times the school has been visited as a result of a 'Google' search has also increased. This boomed during the time the school was advertising for a Deputy Headteacher, this had a positive effect as we had quite a few applicants.
The children love the school website, I know this because they comment on how proud they feel when they see their writing work on the site. They also enjoy the fact the the staff are not afraid to be seen as almost human. There are many occasions where the staff are dressed funny, wearing silly hats or ears or have been part of one of my jokes or remarks. In fact the children loved it that much that when the staff were out of their classroom they would put the embarrassing pictures on as a wallpaper so that the staff would be reminded. In fact there was a time that staff were giving reward points for another teacher's picture to be used as a wallpaper on the desktop instead of their own. This turned into a bidding war.
A final example of good feedback received as a result of the website occurred only last month. I received an email from an ex pupil from the 1970's asking me to post some old pictures from that time. Within minutes I received an email from Steve Hooker sarcastically wishing me, “good luck” as it seemed a big job. Liking a challenge, I found out some old photographs and published a mini report, with trips, the old building, etc. being included. Since I have had a great response - two parents with children currently at the school are on the photographs and feel rather embarrassed (but at the same time secretly proud) they are on the website. Also, a great response from other people reading the website.
Most importantly is the effect the website has had on the children's work. I started an assembly on a Thursday where good writing examples were shared and then uploaded to the website. The children loved seeing their work. This assembly will start again, but did take a small break over the Christmas period. This also had a good response from people who read the website, they really like the idea.
What makes me keep updating the website is the response from the staff and children, the response from the people who read and the rather surprising emails I receive and finally the support I get from Steve. It is great to read his comments about what he likes and also what can be improved. I used ideas from other sites as it is great to having a community of people using the same system sharing good practice – using the trackback system from the site and looking at walsallschools.org's site gives a great idea of what is happening in other schools.
The future for the website in this school. I know I don't use the website to its full capacity and there is plenty for me to learn so it can only get better. I also intend on getting other staff and pupils to contribute. The pupils will be easier then the staff, I already have a willing pupil volunteer who leads regular messages on the site. Hopefully with a willing army of contributors we will get more hits and more publicity to the site.
