Selling to UK schools: a practical guide

The academic year runs September to July; the financial year for academies ends on 31 August and for maintained schools on 31 March. Budgets are typically set in the spring term for the year ahead.

That gives you two real windows: January to March, when next year's spend is decided, and late June to July, when underspend needs using and September implementations are planned. September itself is the worst month to cold-approach a school.

The headteacher sets direction but rarely handles the transaction. The School Business Manager or Finance Director usually owns the purchase. For anything curriculum-related, a subject lead or deputy head will be the sponsor. For admissions, marketing or intake services, it is often the admissions lead or a business development manager — a role that has grown quickly as rolls fall.

If the school is in a trust, check whether the decision has been centralised before you engage the school at all.

Public procurement thresholds apply. Below roughly £12,000 a school can usually buy directly; above that they will want quotes; larger contracts go through a framework such as those offered by CCS, ESPO, YPO or a regional buying hub. Being listed on a framework the school already uses removes most of the friction.

Expect to be asked for safeguarding assurances, a DBS position for anyone on site, data protection terms under UK GDPR, and insurance certificates. Having these ready in one pack shortens the cycle noticeably.

School inboxes are heavily filtered and heavily spammed. What works: a specific subject line naming the school, one clear sentence on the problem, evidence from a comparable school in the same region or trust, and a single small ask. What fails: attachments, tracking-heavy templates, "quick call?" and anything sent to office@ expecting it to be forwarded to the head.

Use a trigger. A new head, a recent Ofsted inspection, a trust transfer, a falling or rising roll, or a published vacancy all give you a legitimate reason to be writing this week rather than any other.

Staff at schools are individuals, and a named work email is personal data. Business-to-business marketing under legitimate interest is lawful, but you must be relevant, identify yourself, and honour opt-outs immediately. One complaint to a trust's data protection officer can close every school in that trust to you at once.