Education Websites

Multi Academy Trust Website Design

Websites for MATs need to do more than look smart. They need to bring every school into a consistent, compliant platform, help each school keep its identity, and give staff a CMS they can update without fighting the system.

Talk to us See trust projects
The CAM Academy Trust website homepage Anglian Learning academy website example

The real problem

Most trust website projects are operational projects wearing a design brief.

Multi academy trust website design is not the same as building one ordinary school website and copying it several times. Parents, staff, governors, prospective schools and central trust leaders all need different things from the same platform.

The best MAT websites solve the publishing workflow as well as the public-facing design: shared functionality, clearer compliance content, easier school onboarding and enough flexibility for every school to feel like itself.

What trusts need

A shared platform, not a set of disconnected websites.

Shared trust-wide tools

Vacancies, calendars, term dates, policies, file downloads, alerts, staff listings and structured homepage areas can be built once and reused across the trust.

School identity stays intact

Each school can keep its own logo, colour palette, imagery, local information and priorities while still feeling part of the wider trust.

Editors can keep moving

WordPress gives staff a familiar editing experience, with clear templates and reusable content blocks instead of a restrictive old CMS.

Compliance is easier to manage

Centralised policy and statutory content patterns reduce duplication and make school website compliance less painful across multiple sites.

Planning the project

A practical rollout plan, not just a design presentation.

Trust website projects need clear decisions about scope, content ownership, migration, training and long-term support before the first school goes live.

Scope and pricing

We quote to the number of sites, migration work, integrations, content support and custom features required, with the ongoing support costs set out clearly.

Rollout and timescale

A phased rollout lets the trust test the shared platform, gather school feedback and move further sites across without forcing every launch into one risky deadline.

Migration and training

We audit the current websites, plan redirects, migrate agreed content, test each site and train editors before launch.

Accessibility and ongoing support

Accessible templates, structured statutory content, managed hosting and ongoing maintenance help the platform stay usable, secure and easier to govern.

Project proof

We have already solved this for academy trusts.

For The CAM Academy Trust, we moved a suite of school sites away from a restrictive CMS and built a more flexible WordPress foundation. For Anglian Learning, we created a scalable school website system that could support a large and growing network.

  • Multi-site WordPress foundations for school networks
  • Our Schools directories with logos, details, maps and filters
  • Controlled policy, governance and online safety content
  • Staff, leadership and vacancies publishing workflows
The CAM Academy Trust WordPress trust and school website platform

Shared school functionality, controlled trust content and a familiar WordPress editing experience.

View project
Anglian Learning Scalable academy website network

A reusable WordPress foundation for schools that needed consistency, speed and individuality.

View project

What a better MAT website should deliver

Useful for families, manageable for staff, scalable for the trust.

A trust website that explains the organisation clearly
School websites that are consistent without feeling identical
A CMS staff can use confidently
Reusable templates for common school content
Scalable onboarding when new schools join
A maintainable platform for future improvements

Planning a trust website project?

Let us help you turn a group of school sites into a platform.

We can help bring your trust and school websites together into a more uniform, compliant WordPress platform that works for the central team and each individual school.

Start a conversation View more work

Common questions

Planning a multi academy trust website platform

How much does a multi academy trust website platform cost?
Every MAT website project is quoted to scope. Cost depends on the number of school sites, migration requirements, integrations, content support and custom functionality. We agree the platform scope, rollout plan and ongoing support before providing a clear proposal.
How long does a multi-school website rollout take?
Timescales depend on the number of schools, the condition of existing content and the trust approval process. We normally plan a phased rollout so the shared platform can be tested properly before further schools are migrated.
Can trust-wide policies and content be managed centrally?
Yes. Shared policies, vacancies, governance information, alerts and other trust-wide content can be managed centrally, while school teams retain control of local news, events, staff information and school-specific pages.
Can each school keep its own branding?
Yes. The platform can share templates, functionality and accessibility standards while allowing each school to use its own logo, colour palette, photography and local content.
Can you migrate our existing trust and school websites?
Yes. We audit the existing websites, map important content and redirects, migrate agreed pages and files, test each new site, and train editors before launch. The rollout can be phased to reduce disruption.
How do you support accessibility and school website compliance?
We build accessible templates and structured content patterns that make statutory information easier to publish and maintain. We can support content audits, accessibility testing and consistent policy publishing, while the trust remains responsible for approving its statutory content.
Can new schools be added after the initial launch?
Yes. A shared WordPress foundation makes it faster to onboard future schools using the established templates and features, while still adapting the design and content to each school.

Send us a message.