Keeping an Irish School Website Current After Policy Updates
Approving a policy does not update the school website. A principal may hold the correct document while families still download an earlier version, follow an old contact route or read last year's admissions dates. Publication needs its own completion step: identify what changes, supply the approved material and verify the public result.
This guide is for Irish school leaders, administrators and Boards of Management (BOMs). Use the Irish website publication checklist to identify topics and the school website audit guide for a wider review. The workflow here concerns changes between audits and supports readiness without promising legal compliance.
Recognise the triggers for a re-check
Add a website question whenever a policy, notice or public-facing process changes: which pages and documents depend on this decision? A revised policy may appear in the policy library, a topic page and a downloadable parent pack. Updating one copy can leave the others contradicting it.
Use these triggers to start a targeted review:
- A policy is approved, revised or given a new effective date.
- A safeguarding or anti-bullying review produces an applicable publication action.
- A new statutory notice or admissions cycle changes information families need.
- A Department circular or current official guidance prompts a local change.
- A principal, chairperson or public contact route changes.
- A website form, service provider or accessibility issue affects a public journey.
These are prompts to assess the impact, not a claim that every change requires a new public document. Record “no website action” when that is the considered outcome, with a short reason and the person who confirmed it. This prevents a genuine decision from looking like an overlooked task.
Give each stage a named owner
The principal can coordinate the workflow while the policy lead confirms content and the school secretary or provider handles publication. The BOM should receive the oversight and decisions appropriate to its role. Agree the allocation within the school's governance arrangements rather than assuming every technical update needs a new board decision.
For an ETB school, establish who provides the authorised central document and who verifies the school-specific page. In a voluntary secondary school, confirm the relevant patron or trust approval route. A central update should trigger a check of local links, summaries and contacts, even when the school does not host the source file.
An external web provider needs clear instructions and a school contact who can resolve questions. The provider should not decide policy wording, interpret a circular for the school or choose between conflicting drafts. Name a deputy for absence and an escalation route for urgent access or publication problems.
Set publication timing before handover
Separate the approval date, effective date, publication deadline and next review date. These describe different events. Plan enough time for the website update and a live check before the applicable deadline; an email requesting publication is not evidence that families could access the information.
For admissions, check the Department's current admissions guidance, including the annual notice timetable. Label the intake year clearly and compare the notice, application route and policy links. Do not automatically remove information relevant to an admissions process still under way when preparing the following year's material.
For other updates, use the applicable requirement and the school's approved arrangements to set timing. A suggested internal turnaround is a working target, not a universal Department rule. If a correction is delayed, escalate it and agree an accurate interim response through the responsible leader rather than publishing an unapproved draft.
Turn circulars into specific publication decisions
When a Department update arrives, assign someone to read the current official source and establish whether it applies to the school. Record the circular identifier, source link, relevant date and the local action. References to DES guidance in older records should lead reviewers to the current Department source, not an old attachment circulating by email.
Ask whether the change affects a published policy, notice, form, contact explanation or implementation date. Seek patron, ETB or specialist clarification where needed. If the answer is uncertain, keep an open action with a named owner; avoid labelling the website current simply because the circular has been filed.
Link the publication task to the underlying policy review record. That connection lets the coordinator distinguish an update awaiting approval from an approved change awaiting upload. It also helps the BOM see where a decision or additional support is needed.
Give the publisher one complete instruction
Supply the authorised source, approval reference, effective date, public title and target URLs. Identify every related page or download needing attention and explain what should happen to the previous version. Include the person who will check the result and the agreed publication timing.
For example, a revised complaints procedure may affect both the policy download and the contact page. Specify both changes and resolve any disagreement about the contact route before handover. Avoid several similarly named attachments with no indication of which one was approved.
For a changed form or service, ask the school's data protection contact to review whether the privacy information needs updating. The DPC's Data Protection Toolkit for Schools is a useful reference for that discussion. Do not ask the publisher to invent processing purposes or retention periods to fill missing wording.
Verify the live website before closing
Open the public page without an editor login, follow the usual navigation and download the file. Compare it with the authorised version, including dates and school details. Check the surrounding text and search for duplicate copies. Test important journeys on a phone as well as a desktop where practical.
Check whether the update introduced a barrier, such as an image-only document replacing readable text. Where an accessibility statement applies, consider whether the change affects its accuracy. Use the National Disability Authority's statement guidance and seek appropriate advice on scope or technical assessment. A successful upload alone does not establish accessibility.
Keep a concise record of the approved version, affected URLs, publication date, reviewer and result. Save supporting evidence where useful, without unnecessary personal data. Preserve historical records under the school's retention arrangements; managing the current public version should not erase the internal evidence of earlier decisions.
Use a cadence that catches missed changes
Combine event-triggered checks with a short termly review of open actions and a fuller annual website audit. Add a targeted check before the admissions cycle. These are suggested working rhythms; current requirements and the impact of a change may call for earlier attention.
At the termly review, ask whether any approved policies are still awaiting publication, whether a provider request remains unresolved and whether contacts or forms have changed. Give overdue actions a clear escalation. Do not wait for the annual audit to correct a known time-sensitive problem.
Report a short readiness summary through the school's normal governance process: changes completed, live checks outstanding and decisions required. Close the loop only when the public result has been verified or the remaining possible gap is explicitly recorded. That routine makes website publication a dependable part of policy management throughout the year.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should trigger a school website re-check?
Review the impact of policy approvals, new notices, admissions changes, Department updates, contact changes and changes to forms or services. Record which public pages depend on the change and who will check them.
Can the external website provider approve policy changes?
The provider can publish authorised content, but the school should retain the appropriate content and approval decisions. Give the provider one approved source, target pages, timing and a named school contact.
Is there one deadline for publishing every policy update?
No single timetable should be assumed. Check the applicable requirement, approval decision and effective date, then allow time for publication and verification. Internal turnaround targets are working arrangements.
How often should the school review outstanding website actions?
A short termly check and a fuller annual audit are useful working rhythms, alongside checks before admissions and after relevant changes. Address known time-sensitive issues sooner through the school process.