The verdict in three sentences
A website redesign for an independent school in Edinburgh typically costs £10,000 to £45,000 with a local agency in 2026, against a fixed £3,900 (Growth) or £6,900 (Premium) with Kolonell, with admissions portals, fee payment and school management system links priced separately. The biggest risks are losing the admissions and fees pages that already rank on Google, and enquiry forms that collect far more about children than the school needs. Plan the switch outside the admissions peak, with a written 301 redirect map and a data protection review signed off by the school before go-live.
Which signals show that your school website redesign is due?
Most Edinburgh schools redesign because the admissions office keeps answering the same questions by phone. Typical signals:
- The open morning page still shows last year's dates, because only one person knows how to edit it.
- Fees, bursaries and the application process sit in a PDF prospectus that is hard to read on a phone.
- The enquiry form asks for date of birth, previous school reports or medical details before anyone has spoken to the family.
- Families relocating to Edinburgh, including international families, cannot find boarding or entry information in two clicks.
- Contrast, headings and image descriptions have never been checked against WCAG 2.2 AA.
If three or more apply, a redesign usually costs less than another year of workarounds.
What does a redesign cost in Edinburgh in 2026?
The figures below are a 2026 ballpark based on typical agency quotes and public rate pages in the Edinburgh and wider Scottish market. They are not a survey.
| Option | Typical scope | 2026 ballpark | Usually billed separately |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freelance designer in Edinburgh | Theme-based site, 10 to 20 pages | £3,000 to £8,000 | Migration plan, accessibility checks |
| Small Edinburgh studio | Custom design, 25 to 40 pages | £10,000 to £20,000 | Admissions portal, photography |
| Established education specialist agency | Discovery workshops, 40+ pages, content strategy | £20,000 to £45,000 | Portal, integrations, monthly retainer |
| Kolonell Starter | Compact site, for example a nursery or single-campus microsite | £2,300 | Anything outside the agreed scope, on quote |
| Kolonell Growth | Full school site: admissions, curriculum, news, open days | £3,900 | Admissions portal, fee payment, MIS link |
| Kolonell Premium | Larger site, advanced SEO migration, the multilingual tier, languages set in the quote | £6,900 | Custom integrations, on quote |
Every Kolonell tier includes a project manager reachable in UK hours, native English copywriting, delivery in 3 to 4 weeks and 3 months of support. You can compare the tiers on the international offer page.
How long does a school redesign take, phase by phase?
The timeline depends on content more than design: governors, the head and admissions must approve wording on fees, curricula and policies.
| Phase | Kolonell | Typical local agency |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery, URL inventory, analytics review | Week 1 | 2 to 4 weeks |
| Content: admissions, fees, curriculum, policies | Supplied by the school before the build starts | 4 to 8 weeks |
| Design and build | Weeks 1 to 3 | 6 to 10 weeks |
| Data protection and accessibility review | Week 3 | 1 to 2 weeks |
| 301 redirects, testing, go-live | Week 4 | 1 to 2 weeks |
| Support after launch | 3 months included | Retainer, often £150 to £600 a month (market assumption) |
Count 3 to 4 weeks with Kolonell once content is ready, and 3 to 6 months with most local agencies. Choose a go-live window outside your admissions peak: for many schools that means avoiding the open day season and the weeks around offers, but check your own calendar.
What are the main risks, and how do you reduce them?
| Risk | What goes wrong | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|
| Loss of search traffic | Pages such as fees or entry requirements drop out of Google | Full URL inventory, 301 redirect map, sitemap submitted in Search Console, 404 monitoring for 8 weeks |
| Content migration | Outdated safeguarding, complaints or fees policies are copied across | One owner per page, written sign-off before launch |
| Children's data | Open forms collect health details, reports or photos | Collect the minimum: parent name, contact, year group of interest, intended start date |
| Integrations | Links to the parent portal, MIS or fee payment break | Inventory of every external link; existing tools embedded or linked, on quote |
| Downtime | DNS switch during a busy week | Low-traffic slot, rollback plan, staff told in advance |
| Marketing claims | Results, rankings or curricula the school does not hold | Every page reviewed: curricula only as the school actually offers them, no invented results |
| Accessibility | Parents with disabilities cannot complete the enquiry | WCAG 2.2 AA target, keyboard and screen reader tests |
On the legal side, independent schools in Scotland are registered with the Scottish Government and inspected by Education Scotland, and the website should reflect the school's real status without overstatement. Personal data falls under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, supervised by the ICO; cookies and marketing emails also fall under PECR. The Equality Act 2010 is the reason to treat accessibility as a requirement. This is not legal advice: the school's data protection lead should approve forms and the privacy notice.
What stays on quote, and what should you ask before signing?
A fixed-grid site covers the public website. These items stay on quote: admissions or application portal, online fee payment, school management system integration, parent portal, bursary application workflow, and any language beyond what the Premium quote sets. Questions worth asking any provider:
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- Who writes and tests the 301 redirect map, and for how many URLs?
- Where are enquiry form submissions stored, and for how long?
- How do you test accessibility, and against which standard?
- Who owns the domain, hosting account and CMS logins after launch?
- What does support cost after the included period? With Kolonell, maintenance after the 3 included months is on quote.
When is a local Edinburgh agency the better choice?
Choose a local agency if you need on-site filming of pupils with consent managed in person, regular workshops with governors, a formal tender with site visits, or a deep integration with a school management system a local partner already supports. A remote studio works best when the scope is clear, content is ready and the school wants a fixed price.
Mini case study
*Illustrative example, fictional school.* Fiona, bursar at Calder Hill School, an independent day school in Edinburgh, compares two options over three years.
- Local studio: £18,000 build plus a £300 monthly retainer (market assumption) for 33 months: 18,000 + 9,900 = £27,900.
- Kolonell Growth: £3,900 build plus a local photographer at £1,200 (third-party cost) = £5,100, then maintenance after the 3 included months on quote, and the admissions portal link quoted separately.
The £12,900 gap on the build alone covers an independent accessibility audit and a separate integration quote. Fiona schedules go-live for a quiet week after offers have gone out.
FAQ
How much does a school website redesign cost in Edinburgh in 2026?
Expect £10,000 to £45,000 with a local studio or specialist agency. Kolonell's fixed grid is £2,300, £3,900 or £6,900, with portals and payments on quote.
How long does the redesign take?
Kolonell delivers in 3 to 4 weeks once content is ready. The content phase itself often takes 4 to 8 weeks inside a school, so start approvals early.
Will we lose our Google rankings?
Not if every old URL is mapped to a new one with a 301 redirect and the sitemap is submitted in Search Console. Monitor 404 errors for at least 8 weeks after launch.
What should our enquiry form ask?
Keep it to around 4 or 5 fields: parent name, email, phone, year group of interest and intended start date. Health, reports and photos belong in the secure admissions process.
Can you connect our admissions portal or fee payment?
Yes, on quote. The existing tool is embedded or linked rather than rebuilt inside the £3,900 Growth site.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your page count, admissions calendar and the tools you already use, and we will return a fixed budget and a go-live date outside your admissions peak. See the international offer or request a free quote: detailed reply within 48 hours.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
