Local agency or remote studio for a private or international school website in Bath: how to choose (2026)

The verdict in three sentences

An IB World School day school in Bath recruits two audiences at once: local families weighing the IB against A levels, and relocating families who often research the school from abroad, in another language and another time zone. A local agency is the better choice if you need frequent on-site content and in-person governance, while a remote studio suits a school that wants a fast, multilingual, self-service admissions site and can source photography locally. The site should explain the IB clearly, use IB naming and marks only as the IB allows, and be fully owned by the school.

What does an IB day school in Bath need from its website?

Families relocating to the Bath and Bristol area for university, engineering, tech or public-sector roles usually start their search months before the move. They want to know quickly whether the school offers the Primary Years, Middle Years or Diploma Programme, how mid-year entry works, and whether a virtual visit is possible. Local families, meanwhile, often ask one question first: IB Diploma or A levels?

The website therefore needs a short, honest IB versus A level page, a programme map by age, an admissions timeline that includes mid-year entry, online booking for in-person and virtual visits, and a fees page or at least a clear route to fee information. Multilingual content helps when a large share of enquiries comes from non-English-speaking families; at Kolonell, that is the Premium tier.

Which questions separate a good provider from a weak one?

Ask both the local agency and the remote studio the same questions, and compare answers against what a strong answer looks like.

On time zones, a team working on GMT overlaps fully with the school's office hours in Bath; what matters more is whether overseas parents can complete the journey without waiting for a reply.

How do the costs compare over three years?

Figures are 2026 ballpark ranges from typical agency quotes and public agency rate pages in the South West, not a survey. Local builds for an independent day school often fall between £9,000 and £22,000.

Photography is excluded from all rows: budget £1,000 to £2,000 for a local photographer in each case. Kolonell's GBP grid is Starter £2,300, Growth £3,900, Premium £6,900, each with a project manager reachable in your time zone, native English or French copywriting, delivery in 3 to 4 weeks and 3 months of support. Maintenance after month 3 is on quote; the £120 per month is a market assumption. Links to your MIS, admissions platform or parent portal are integration on quote. Details are on the international website offer page.

When should an IB school stay with a local agency?

Stay local if you need the agency to attend IB events, film CAS projects and exhibitions on site, run governor workshops in person, or rebuild the whole brand with print. Go remote if your brand is set, your marketing lead can run approvals over video, and the main problem is that overseas families cannot find clear answers or book a visit online.

Rules to brief your provider on

• Data protection: UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 apply to enquiries and applications, including data from families abroad. Cookies need consent under PECR.
• Safeguarding and images: follow the school's safeguarding policy and Keeping Children Safe in Education; publish pupil images only with recorded consent.
• Accessibility: WCAG 2.2 AA with an accessibility statement; schools have duties under the Equality Act 2010.
• IB references: use "IB World School" and the IB logo only in line with the IB's own guidelines, and only for programmes you are authorised to deliver.
• Inspection: if the school is inspected by ISI, link the latest report accurately.

This is not legal advice.

Mini case study

*Illustrative example, hypothetical persona.* Marta is head of admissions at an IB World School day school in Bath with Primary Years and Diploma Programmes. She estimates that about 40% of her enquiries come from families still living abroad, and roughly 30 new international families join each year, so about 90 over three years. Her options: the local multilingual build at £28,200 over 3 years plus £1,500 of local photography, so £29,700, or Kolonell Premium at £10,860 plus £1,500 of local photography, so £12,360. Spread over 90 families, that is about £330 of website cost per family with the local agency and about £137 with the remote studio. She also checks the qualitative side: the local agency offers termly filming, which she does not need, so she goes remote and puts part of the £17,340 difference into a virtual tour.

FAQ

Should our site compare the IB Diploma with A levels?

Yes, local families ask about it constantly. A clear one-page comparison with 5 or 6 points (subjects, assessment, workload, university recognition) answers most first enquiries.

Which tier do we need for a multilingual IB school site?

Premium at £6,900 is the multilingual tier at Kolonell, and the number of languages is set in the quote. Growth at £3,900 covers an English-only site.

Can overseas parents book a virtual visit?

Yes, through an online booking flow showing local times. Integration with your admissions software is on quote, and a simple calendar booking can be part of the build.

How long does the project take?

Kolonell delivers in 3 to 4 weeks once content and photos are ready. Schedule launch at least 6 weeks before your main admissions season so search engines index the new pages.

Can we publish our IB results?

You can, if they are accurate and current. Show the year and cohort size, and avoid comparisons you cannot document.

Want to see how this looks for your school? Request a free quote with your programmes, languages and admissions calendar.

Let's scope your project. Tell us which IB programmes you run, which languages your families speak and your admissions season, and we will propose a tier, a fixed GBP budget and a 3 to 4 week timeline. See the international offer or request a free quote: detailed reply within 48 hours.