The verdict in three sentences
A London private or international school that requests quotes without a requirements document gets proposals from about £6,000 to £40,000, each built on different assumptions. The document that fixes this fits on three pages: audiences, templates, rules on pupil data, an accessibility target and, above all, the admissions portal, fee payment, MIS and parent app each listed on its own line. Kolonell answers it with a fixed grid of £2,300, £3,900 or £6,900, those existing tools being linked rather than rebuilt.
This guide is for heads, bursars and admissions teams in Kensington, Hampstead, Wimbledon, Richmond and Canary Wharf serving British and international families.
What goes into the requirements document?
| Section | What you write | Example for a London school |
|---|---|---|
| Goals and audiences | One goal per audience | Families choosing a school, relocating families, teaching candidates |
| Pages and templates | A closed list | Home, admissions, curriculum, school life, open days, fees, news, vacancies, contact |
| Content ownership | Writer, approver, final sign-off | Admissions drafts, the Head approves, safeguarding policies supplied by the school |
| Languages | Languages at launch | English, then French if the audience justifies it |
| Integrations | One line per tool | Link to the admissions portal, fee payment, MIS, parent app, calendar feed |
| Accessibility | A stated target | WCAG 2.2 AA, consistent with the Equality Act 2010 |
| Data | Permitted fields | Enquiry form limited to parent name, contact details, child's age and intended year of entry |
| Acceptance and timing | Criteria and date | Go-live away from open days and the admissions peak |
Three points specific to schools. Curriculum statements (British, IB, American), DfE registration and ISI or Ofsted inspection references appear only as they actually exist and link to the published reports. The fees page states clearly whether figures include VAT, which has applied to independent school fees since January 2025; the provider writes no amounts, the school supplies its own figures. Pupil photos are published only with documented parental consent.
On data, the document requires compliance with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, overseen by the ICO, plus PECR for cookies and marketing email. No open form collects health, SEN, school report, passport or custody information: those documents go through a secure admissions portal, priced on quote. This is not legal advice.
Finally, require the domain and hosting in the school's name and, if a site exists, a URL inventory with a 301 redirect map for admissions, curriculum and open day pages.
Vague or precise brief: what happens to the quotes?
| Point | Vague brief | Precise brief |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | A new modern website | 9 named templates, 40 pages migrated |
| Admissions | Handle applications online | Link to the existing portal, deep integration on quote |
| Fee payment and MIS | Not specified | Existing tools kept, simply linked |
| Pupil data | Not specified | Fields listed, documents only via secure portal |
| Accessibility | Accessible | WCAG 2.2 AA, keyboard and contrast tests at acceptance |
| Quotes received (London agencies, 2026 ballpark) | £6,000 to £40,000 | £12,000 to £22,000 |
| Ratio between highest and lowest quote | About 6.7 times | About 1.8 times |
How do you score three quotes?
| Criterion | Weight | Quote X | Quote Y | Quote Z |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Handling of pupil data | 25% | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Coverage of the requirements | 25% | 4 | 3 | 5 |
| Verified accessibility | 15% | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Timeline compatible with admissions | 10% | 4 | 3 | 5 |
| Three-year total cost | 25% | 4 | 2 | 3 |
| Weighted score out of 5 | 100% | 3.60 | 3.40 | 4.10 |
Check for quote Z: 4 x 0.25 + 5 x 0.25 + 4 x 0.15 + 5 x 0.10 + 3 x 0.25 = 1.00 + 1.25 + 0.60 + 0.50 + 0.75 = 4.10.
How does the Kolonell grid map to the checklist?
- Starter, £2,300: a small or newly founded school, core pages, a minimal enquiry form, links to existing tools.
- Growth, £3,900: most established schools, with admissions, curriculum, school life, open days, news and vacancies, plus migration of existing pages.
- Premium, £6,900: the multilingual tier, languages set in the quote, an extended structure and advanced animation.
- On quote in every case: admissions portal, fee payment, MIS integration, parent app, calendar feeds beyond a simple link.
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Every tier includes a project manager reachable in UK time, native English or French copywriting, delivery in 3 to 4 weeks once content is ready and 3 months of support. Details are on the international offer page.
Mini case study
Illustrative example: Claire, Director of Admissions at Hartwell House School, a fictional independent school in Richmond. She spends 8 hours on the requirements, then picks Growth at £3,900. She adds an independent photographer for half a day, a third-party cost of £900, photographing only pupils whose parental consent is documented. Total: £4,800, against £12,000 to £22,000 for the local quotes received with the same brief. The existing admissions portal is simply linked; Kolonell maintenance after the 3 included months is on quote. Go-live is planned for early July, away from open days.
FAQ
Is the admissions portal included in the tiers?
No, it stays a separate line on quote in all 3 tiers. The site links to your existing portal, which you keep.
Can we show fees including VAT?
Yes, provided the school supplies its own figures and states whether they include VAT at 20%. The provider writes no fee amounts.
What timeline should we plan?
Allow 3 to 4 weeks of production once content is ready, plus 2 to 4 weeks of internal collection. Aim to go live away from open days and the admissions peak.
How many fields should the enquiry form have?
Usually 5 to 6: parent name, email, phone, child's age, intended year of entry, message. Any document goes through the secure portal.
Which tier for a bilingual English and French school?
Premium at £6,900, the multilingual tier, languages set in the quote. Growth at £3,900 is enough for a single-language site.
Let's scope your project. Send your requirements and get a priced reply between £2,300 and £6,900, portal and MIS on separate lines, delivery in 3 to 4 weeks. 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.
