School websites rarely stand still. Over time, they grow alongside the school itself. New initiatives are introduced, policies are updated, staff change, and priorities shift. Pages are added, sections expanded, documents uploaded and all with the best intentions.

What often doesn’t happen is a chance to step back and look at the website as a whole.

Instead of being reviewed strategically, many school websites evolve piece by piece. A new page here.
A quick update there. A document added “for now” that quietly becomes permanent.
Over time, this can lead to a website that technically works, but feels harder to manage than it should.

This isn’t a failure. It’s a very normal result of busy school life.

The challenge with continual add-ons is that structure slowly gets lost. Content can become duplicated, outdated information can linger, and navigation can start to reflect historic decisions rather than how people actually use the site today. Staff often compensate by knowing “where things live”, but that knowledge usually sits with one or two people, creating unnecessary pressure and risk.

For parents and carers, this can mean information is harder to find, leading to emails and phone calls that could have been avoided. For staff, it can create quiet anxiety around compliance, confidence and consistency.

Taking time to review a school website as a whole doesn’t automatically mean starting again. It doesn’t have to mean a redesign or a rebuild. In many cases, it simply means creating space to ask some important questions:

What content is genuinely being used?

Where is information duplicated or outdated?

Is the structure still logical for parents and staff?

Does the website reduce workload — or quietly add to it?

This kind of holistic review often brings relief. It helps schools understand where they stand before making any decisions. It highlights quick wins, identifies priorities, and allows future changes to be intentional rather than reactive.

A review as a starting point – not an endpoint

A website review isn’t an alternative to a new website.
More often, it’s the step that makes the decision clearer.

For some schools, a review confirms that small changes will make a big difference. For others, it highlights that the current structure has been outgrown and that a new website would genuinely make things easier, reduce workload and restore confidence.

The key difference is that the decision is informed.

Rather than feeling pushed into change, schools can move forward knowing why a new website is (or isn’t) the right next step, and when it makes sense to act.

When a website is reviewed thoughtfully, it becomes what it should always be: a calm, supportive tool that works quietly in the background, not another thing competing for attention in an already busy environment.

Taking time to step back isn’t about perfection.
It’s about clarity, confidence, and making future decisions feel manageable.