Most schools have someone managing the website and someone else handling social media.

In a lot of cases, those two people rarely speak to each other.

The result is two versions of the same school’s online presence at the same time. One is the carefully considered, professionally presented website. The other is a fast-moving social feed full of event photos, sports results and end-of-term updates. Both are public. Both are being read by prospective parents. And in many schools, they tell quite different stories.

Where the disconnect happens

A parent researching schools for their child does not follow a tidy path. They might see a Facebook post shared by a friend, visit the website to find out more, then go back to Instagram to get a feel for the school’s day-to-day life. They are moving between channels constantly, building up a picture as they go.

When the tone, quality and content on those channels do not match, something shifts. It is difficult to put a finger on, but it creates a low-level unease. The website feels formal and polished while the social feed looks rushed or inconsistent. Or the social media suggests a warm, busy school community but the website is cold and out of date.

Neither version is wrong on its own. The problem is the gap between them.

What parents are actually looking for

Choosing a school is one of the more significant decisions a parent makes. The rational checklist: Ofsted rating, results, facilities – matters. But research consistently shows that gut feeling plays a large part in the final decision, and that gut feeling is shaped by everything a parent sees and reads before they ever set foot through the door.

Social media gives parents a window into school life that a website cannot easily replicate. It shows the football team celebrating a win, the Year 6 production, the lunchtime chess club. When that content is good, it does something a services page never could: it makes a school feel real.
But social media works hardest when it points somewhere. A post about an open day that links back to a well-designed, easy-to-navigate website page converts interest into action. A post that links to a homepage that was last updated two years ago does the opposite.