It’s the start of the school year and the first few weeks can feel like a sprint.
For principals, admin teams, and comms staff, there’s a simple win that helps immediately: a 30-minute website reset to reduce confusion, cut down office calls, and make it easier for families to find answers.
This isn’t a rebuild. It’s a quick Term 1 tune-up you can do today.
Why the first weeks matter
In Week 1–3, families are usually searching for:
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start times and routines
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term dates and calendars
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uniforms and stationery
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pick-up/drop-off information
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newsletters and notices
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updated contact details
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enrolments and new family info
If that information isn’t easy to find online, it ends up landing in your inbox or your front office.
A great school website isn’t just a brochure — it’s a tool.
The 30-minute Term 1 checklist
1) Homepage: make the “next step” obvious
Check your homepage on a phone. Can a parent find the essentials in 10 seconds?
Update or confirm:
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latest newsletter is easy to find
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key links are visible (Contact / Enrolments / Calendar / News)
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any urgent notices are current
2) Contact details: confirm everything still works
Make sure:
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phone number and email are correct
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contact forms deliver to the right inbox
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office hours are accurate
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location/map link works
This step alone can prevent a lot of frustration.
3) The top 5 pages parents look for
These should be current and easy to access in your menu:
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Enrolments / New families
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Uniforms
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Calendar / Term dates
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Newsletters / News
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Policies (or a clear way to find them)
4) Calendar and key dates: remove surprises
Check:
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student-free days
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closures
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upcoming major events
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term dates (or link to the official source)
If your calendar is managed in Compass/Sentral/etc., that’s fine — just make it clear where parents should go. They can also be sync’ed to the website.
5) Mobile check: the real test
Most parents browse on mobile. Confirm:
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menu opens properly
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buttons are easy to tap
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important info isn’t buried
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pages load quickly
6) Broken links and outdated PDFs
Quick scan:
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newsletter links
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enrolment docs
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booklists
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PDFs and downloads
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“click here” buttons
Broken links create unnecessary work for staff.
Want a quick win?
If you’d like a second opinion, share your school website URL with our team and we’ll suggest one practical improvement you can action immediately.
Wishing all school communities a smooth start to Term 1.