The responsibility to update school websites can be one more chore piled on top of an already heaping plate. Thankfully, you do not have to repeat everything every week. No, you simply require a basic protocol that ensures key information is current for parents or carers and employees.
Not every page matters equally. There is some content that has an impact on safeguarding, attendance and day-to-day queries. The rest of the pages are nice to have and can be left a little longer.
Dividing your outputs into updating daily/weekly essentials, checking half-termly and reviewing termly or annually is a good plan. For help with Websites for schools, contact //www.fsedesign.co.uk/websites-for-schools
Daily or weekly (10–20 minutes)
Here are some of the changes that cut out phone calls and eliminate confusion:
News, communications and alerts
Diary items: trips, Inset days, closures, parents’ evenings
Homepage notices – anything that needs to be addressed should not require scrolling
If you only get to one thing in the course of your week, keep the homepage and calendar current.
Half-termly (30–60 minutes)
Just do a one-off test every half term on your phone of a “parent journey”:
Can you locate term dates and uniform details as well as contact information in less than 60 seconds?
Latest newsletters and policies clearly labelled
Do important PDFs still open, and did links work?
It is also a good time to refresh:
Pages by Class
Clubs and wraparound care details
Lunch menus and pricing
Termly (1–2 hours)
Clean and archive at the end of each term
Archive old newsletters so your parents don’t have to scroll for the newest ones
Check staff lists, role change logs and contact for the right person.
Perennial (2–3 hours ideally before September)
Generate a deeper refresh once every 12 months:
Check your core pages: About, Admissions, Curriculum, SEND and Safeguarding
Replace old photos and refresh talking points
Delete old docs and name files in chronological order (+ topic)
Make it manageable
Delegate: someone uploads, and the second does a short monthly review.
Simple: Use a checklist. Do the same steps every time.
Batch Method: Just set one slot a week so it never gets left behind.
In summary
A school website doesn’t require ongoing attention; it requires regular interaction. This way, the information is kept current and up to date, while administrators are relieved of any heavy workload that accompanies maintenance of long-term administration.
