School website provider aims to go global
MORE than 2,000 schools and colleges across the country have signed up for websites and services provided by a Yorkshire company started six years ago in a bedroom of the founder’s parent’s home.
And its founder now has plans to expand WebAnywhere, which has grown turnover to £1.1m, into the global market with trials of its flagship product being taken up in the United States, and the first sales have been made in Australia, Germany and South Africa.
WebAnywhere, based at Keighley’s Aire Valley Business Centre and run by its founder Sean Gilligan, aims to become the leading provider of websites for the education sector, and offers schools web design and multimedia technology, along with comprehensive training.
Mr Gilligan said: “We are absolutely delighted that our services are benefiting so many schools and students and we are dedicated to continue providing a first class and personal service for every educational provider we work with.
“WebAnywhere has grown tremendously since entering the educational sector, and we are now in a strong position to support all of a school’s website and ICT requirements.”
Mr Gilligan said a major factor in WebAnywhere’s expansion had been its ‘School Jotter’ concept, which offers schools innovative website design, a content management system which allows fast updates to websites, and a hosting service.
The School Jotter programme, which has been sold to more than 2,000 schools, allows websites to be easily updated and edited from anywhere with an internet connection, providing flexibility for staff to make urgent changes without being in school and providing an interactive learning platform for pupils.
A wide range of customisable templates and colour schemes are available with the School Jotter, as are a number of optional add-ons, for example plug-ins to handle spelling tests, quizzes and podcasts.
As well as school websites, WebAnywhere can provide a range of other products and services for the educational sector, including virtual tours and online pupil registration systems.
The company employs more than 40 staff.
