Preparing school enquiries and content corrections

Identify the organisation and the required outcome

Separate a question about a school’s own equipment or order from a question about guidance on this site. The organisation that supplied a product, manages an account or provides technical support needs the relevant operational enquiry. A Schools Direct content correction concerns the wording or usefulness of a resource page.

Before contacting anyone, write one sentence describing the outcome needed. Examples include confirming a replacement part, correcting an inaccurate measurement or explaining a missing step in a planning guide. This makes it easier to choose the right contact route and avoids sending the same unfocused request to several unrelated organisations.

Prepare enough evidence to make the issue reviewable

For a content correction, include the page title and internal path, the section concerned and the specific statement you believe needs attention. Explain the proposed correction and identify the authoritative document or direct observation supporting it. Distinguish a factual error from a suggestion that would make an example more useful.

For an equipment enquiry, record the exact model, the task being attempted and the observed behaviour. A concise description such as a tray failing to sit on its identified runners is more useful than saying that the storage does not work. Follow the school’s procedures for sharing images or records, excluding unnecessary personal information.

Use a verified route and keep a clear record

Use the responsible organisation’s current published contact method or an existing verified service record. Do not send passwords, payment credentials or sensitive pupil information in an ordinary enquiry. Where a school issue requires urgent action, follow its established operational or safeguarding procedure rather than relying on a general content message.

Keep a copy of the enquiry and note who owns the follow-up. If new information emerges, add it to the same record so the recipient can understand what changed. For a correction suggestion, preserve the exact wording under discussion; this helps distinguish an updated page from the version originally reviewed.