How to Find the Right Contact at a School

Finding a school’s email address is easy. Finding the person who is genuinely responsible for the problem your business solves is much harder.

A supplier may send a strong proposal to the headteacher and receive no reply because the decision belongs to the school business manager. It may contact an individual academy about a service controlled centrally by its multi-academy trust. It may reach an enthusiastic teacher who likes the product but has no budget or authority to progress it.

These are not always failures of the offer. Often, the supplier has simply entered the organisation through the wrong door.

Schools do not have one universal buyer. Different people may identify the need, use the product, control the budget, review compliance and approve the final contract. The appropriate contact therefore depends on:

• what you provide;
• which school problem it addresses;
• who experiences that problem;
• the cost and risk of the purchase;
• whether the decision is made locally or centrally;
• the school’s phase, size and organisational structure.

A classroom resource might be investigated by a subject leader. A cleaning contract may sit with the school business manager or premises team. A trust-wide cybersecurity service may belong with the MAT’s IT director. A pupil-facing intervention might involve the SENCO, pastoral lead, designated safeguarding lead and senior leadership team.

The goal is not to obtain the most senior email address available. It is to find a relevant person who can understand the need and help the opportunity move through the organisation.

This guide explains how to find the right contact at a school, which roles are likely to own different types of purchases and how to approach the school office when the correct person is not publicly listed.

Begin with the problem, not the job title

The wrong way to find school contacts is to begin with a list of senior titles and choose whichever sounds most influential.

The better starting point is the problem your offer addresses.

Ask:

“Who is accountable for this problem inside the school?”

That person may not be the final approver, but they are often the most useful first contact because they understand the operational need.

For example:

• An attendance problem may be owned by an attendance lead, pastoral leader or deputy headteacher.
• A curriculum-resource need may belong to a subject leader, curriculum lead or head of department.
• A premises-maintenance problem may sit with the site manager, facilities manager or school business manager.
• A safeguarding-training need may be owned by the designated safeguarding lead or senior leader responsible for staff development.
• A payroll or HR system may be controlled by the school business manager or a central MAT team.
• A cybersecurity issue is likely to involve the IT manager, network manager or trust IT director.

Do not confuse the user with the buyer.

A teacher may use the product every day but have no authority to purchase it. An IT manager may approve technical suitability without controlling the budget. A school business manager may manage the commercial process without deciding whether the product is educationally appropriate.

A useful contact map distinguishes between:

Role in the purchase	What the person contributes
User	Uses or receives the product or service
Problem owner	Is accountable for improving the relevant area
Internal champion	Investigates the offer and helps it move internally
Budget holder	Controls or oversees the relevant funding
Technical or compliance reviewer	Assesses IT, data, safeguarding, safety or procurement requirements
Approver	Authorises the purchase at the required level
Contract signatory	Has authority to enter the agreement

Several roles may be held by one person in a small school. A larger secondary school or MAT may assign each responsibility to a different specialist.

The AllSchools guide to who buys products and services in UK schools explains how these participants interact throughout the buying process.

Your first contact should normally be the person closest to the problem who also has enough influence to involve the wider buying group.

Understand the most common school decision-making roles

Job titles differ, but several roles appear repeatedly in school purchasing.

Headteacher or principal

The headteacher is likely to become involved where the purchase:

• affects the whole school;
• requires significant or recurring expenditure;
• relates to a strategic priority;
• creates reputational or safeguarding risk;
• requires major changes in staff practice;
• falls outside an existing budget;
• needs senior approval under the school’s delegated authority.

However, the headteacher is not automatically the best first contact for every product.

A message about a minor departmental resource, routine repair or specialist technical question may be more relevant to another member of staff. Headteachers receive large volumes of communication and may simply forward the message—or ignore it if the relevance is unclear.

School business manager, bursar or operations manager

School business professionals are often central to:

• budgets;
• procurement;
• supplier onboarding;
• contracts;
• insurance;
• estates;
• HR and payroll;
• operational services;
• purchase orders and invoices.

They are commonly a strong first contact for:

• cleaning and catering;
• facilities services;
• insurance and finance products;
• HR and payroll;
• school websites;
• administrative systems;
• photocopiers and managed print;
• utilities;
• general professional services.

The exact title may include business manager, business director, bursar, finance and operations manager, resources manager or chief operating officer.

Deputy and assistant headteachers

Senior leaders often hold portfolios such as:

• curriculum;
• teaching and learning;
• attendance;
• behaviour;
• pastoral care;
• staff development;
• assessment;
• inclusion;
• school improvement.

A deputy headteacher may be a better first contact than the headteacher when your offer aligns closely with one of these responsibilities.

Subject leaders and heads of department

These contacts are relevant for:

• curriculum resources;
• subject-specific software;
• laboratory or classroom equipment;
• departmental CPD;
• educational visits;
• workshops;
• assessment resources;
• subject-specific tutoring.

In primary schools, titles may include English lead, maths lead, science lead, PE lead, computing lead or curriculum coordinator. In secondary schools, you may find heads of department, faculty leaders and subject directors.

SENCO or inclusion lead

The special educational needs coordinator may be an appropriate contact for:

• SEND interventions;
• specialist assessments;
• speech and language support;
• educational psychology;
• assistive technology;
• sensory resources;
• inclusion consultancy;
• specialist staff training.

Do not assume the SENCO can approve every purchase. Funding and contractual approval may involve senior leadership, finance or a trust-level inclusion team.

Designated safeguarding lead

The DSL may be relevant where the offer involves:

• safeguarding training;
• pupil-facing services;
• mentoring;
• counselling;
• online tutoring;
• visitor or contractor safeguarding procedures;
• software that supports safeguarding records or reporting.

The DSL may act primarily as a specialist reviewer rather than the budget holder.

IT manager, network manager or computing lead

These roles may review:

• school software;
• devices and infrastructure;
• cybersecurity;
• managed IT support;
• internet and telecoms;
• technical integrations;
• user accounts;
• data storage and security.

In a smaller primary school, technical responsibility may sit with the business manager, computing lead or an external IT provider. In a MAT, it may sit with a central IT director.

Premises manager, site manager or estates lead

These contacts may own:

• building maintenance;
• grounds work;
• heating and ventilation;
• fire safety;
• security systems;
• cleaning;
• furniture installation;
• roofing;
• playgrounds;
• energy projects;
• statutory site checks.

Significant projects may still require business-manager, trust or board-level approval.

Finance manager or accounts team

Finance staff can help with:

• supplier forms;
• purchase orders;
• invoice requirements;
• payment queries;
• the correct legal customer name.

They are usually not the right first contact for a general sales pitch unless the product directly relates to finance.

Match the contact to what you sell

A practical contact strategy should begin with the product category.

Product or service	Likely first contacts	Other likely participants
Curriculum resources	Subject leader, curriculum lead, head of department	Senior leader, finance, business manager
EdTech platform	Relevant operational or curriculum lead	IT, data protection, finance, headteacher
Managed IT and cybersecurity	IT manager, network manager, trust IT director	Business manager, COO, CFO, data protection lead
SEND service	SENCO, inclusion lead	DSL, senior leadership, finance, trust inclusion lead
Staff CPD	Relevant senior leader, CPD lead, subject leader	Headteacher, business manager
Cleaning	School business manager, premises manager	Headteacher, trust estates or procurement team
Building maintenance	Premises manager, estates lead, business manager	Finance, headteacher, trust estates team
School furniture	Business manager, premises lead, relevant department	Headteacher, finance, trust procurement
Playground equipment	Business manager, premises lead, headteacher	PE lead, governors or trust estates team
Educational visits and workshops	Educational visits coordinator, subject lead, teacher	Senior leader, finance, safeguarding
Recruitment and supply staff	HR manager, business manager, headteacher	Trust HR team, finance, department leaders
Payroll or HR software	Business manager, HR manager, trust HR director	Finance, IT, COO
School website	Business manager, communications lead, headteacher	IT, office staff, trust communications team
Photography	School office, business manager, communications lead	Senior leadership, safeguarding, trust communications
Wellbeing and pastoral provision	Pastoral lead, DSL, deputy headteacher	SENCO, headteacher, finance
Legal, audit or accountancy services	Business manager, CFO, COO	Headteacher, trustees, governance professional

This table provides a starting hypothesis, not a guaranteed contact.

A MAT may centralise recruitment, IT and estates while allowing curriculum leaders to choose smaller resources locally. A maintained school may use local-authority services for payroll but appoint its own cleaning contractor. A small primary school may place most operational responsibility with one business manager.

Your ideal customer profile should help narrow the likely role. The guide to defining your ideal school customer explains how school phase, size, structure, location and buying fit affect targeting.

Check whether the decision belongs to the school or its MAT

Before searching for an individual contact, establish whether the school belongs to a multi-academy trust.

A MAT is one legal organisation responsible for several academies. It may control contracts, budgets and supplier selection centrally, delegate them to individual academies or use a mixture of both.

The trust’s scheme of delegation explains how responsibilities are distributed across the board, executive team, committees, local governing bodies and academy leaders. Current Department for Education governance guidance emphasises that an effective MAT scheme of delegation should clearly explain how authority is distributed across the trust.

For suppliers, the practical question is:

“Is this category selected by the academy, by the trust or through a shared approved-supplier arrangement?”

Categories frequently considered for central control include:

• finance;
• HR and payroll;
• insurance;
• legal services;
• major IT systems;
• cybersecurity;
• telecoms;
• energy;
• large estates contracts;
• management information systems;
• trust-wide staff training.

Categories more likely to remain local may include:

• small classroom resources;
• local workshops;
• some educational visits;
• minor local services;
• department-specific purchases;
• school-specific interventions.

There are many exceptions.

Research the trust website for central roles such as:

• chief executive officer;
• chief operating officer;
• chief financial officer;
• procurement manager;
• IT director;
• estates director;
• HR director;
• director of education;
• trust safeguarding lead;
• communications director.

If the trust has a central page for the service category, contact the relevant trust role rather than sending identical emails to every academy.

Where the position is unclear, ask one academy or the trust office:

“Could you confirm whether school website providers are selected by each academy or centrally by the trust?”

This is more useful than asking vaguely whether “purchasing is centralised”, because a MAT may centralise one category and delegate another.

Official Get Information about Schools records can be used to check whether an academy belongs to a trust and to search establishment groups in England.

AllSchools school and trust profiles can also help suppliers identify trust relationships before beginning outreach.

Use school and trust websites more carefully

A school website is usually the best first source for identifying relevant roles.

Do not look only at the Contact page.

Useful sections may include:

• staff or leadership team;
• governance;
• SEND information report;
• safeguarding;
• curriculum;
• attendance;
• pastoral support;
• school development priorities;
• finance or procurement;
• policies;
• trust information;
• news and vacancies.

These pages can reveal both names and areas of responsibility.

For example:

• The SEND page may identify the SENCO.
• The safeguarding page may name the DSL and deputies.
• The curriculum page may list subject or faculty leaders.
• The attendance policy may identify the responsible senior leader.
• The staff page may show a business manager or operations director.
• The trust website may list central IT, estates and HR leaders.

Search the website using role terms rather than only your product category.

Useful searches include:

• site:schoolwebsite.org.uk "business manager"
• site:schoolwebsite.org.uk SENCO
• site:schoolwebsite.org.uk "network manager"
• site:schoolwebsite.org.uk estates
• site:trustwebsite.org.uk procurement
• site:trustwebsite.org.uk "director of education"

Check whether the information is current.

School websites sometimes retain old staff pages, policies or meeting documents. Compare:

• the current leadership page;
• recent newsletters;
• recent policies;
• the trust website;
• official school records;
• professional profiles where appropriate.

Do not rely on one old PDF naming a staff member from several years ago.

Where a role is listed without a direct email address, use the school’s published office address and clearly mark the intended recipient:

For the attention of the School Business Manager

That is better than guessing a personal email pattern.

A school’s decision not to publish individual staff emails should be respected. The office address exists partly to route external communication appropriately.

Use the school office as a routing service, not a barrier

Suppliers sometimes treat school reception and administrative staff as obstacles to overcome.

This is a mistake.

The school office often knows exactly which person owns a particular area and whether the decision sits with the school or trust.

A useful enquiry is short and specific:

“Could you tell me who is responsible for reviewing external literacy-intervention providers?”

Or:

“Is cleaning procurement managed by the school business manager or centrally by the trust?”

Or:

“Who oversees the school’s playground maintenance and equipment projects?”

Avoid:

“Can I speak to whoever is in charge of buying?”

Schools buy hundreds of different products and services. There may be no single person “in charge of buying”.

When calling the office:

• state your name and business;
• describe the category in one sentence;
• ask a routing question;
• do not begin delivering a full sales pitch;
• accept that the office may ask you to email instead;
• record the role accurately;
• thank the staff member for their help.

A suitable telephone introduction might be:

“Hello, I’m calling from ABC School Furniture. We help schools plan and install classroom furniture. Could you tell me whether furniture projects are handled by your business manager, premises team or the trust?”

If staff provide a name, confirm the preferred contact route:

“Thank you. Is there a direct published email for that role, or should I send it through the school office for their attention?”

Do not pressure administrative staff to disclose private contact details.

The office may also tell you that:

• the school already has a supplier;
• the category is controlled by the MAT;
• the relevant person is unavailable;
• all proposals must be sent to a central address;
• the school does not accept unsolicited sales calls.

Use that information to improve your targeting rather than arguing with the process.

Use professional networks and public sources responsibly

School and trust websites are not the only sources of role information.

Other useful public sources may include:

• official school and trust records;
• LinkedIn;
• conference speaker lists;
• professional association pages;
• school newsletters;
• published procurement notices;
• trust annual reports;
• job advertisements;
• local education networks.

LinkedIn can help confirm:

• current job title;
• whether a role is school-level or trust-wide;
• the person’s area of responsibility;
• recent role changes;
• professional interests relevant to the offer.

Use this information to improve relevance, not to create false familiarity.

For example, it may be reasonable to say:

“I understand you oversee estates across the trust.”

It is less appropriate to refer to unrelated personal details or imply an existing relationship that does not exist.

Job advertisements can reveal how responsibilities are structured.

A trust recruiting a central procurement manager, IT director or estates officer may indicate that the category is managed centrally. However, the vacancy does not prove that the organisation is currently buying your product.

Procurement notices can identify:

• contract categories;
• estimated values;
• procurement timetables;
• the contracting authority;
• relevant contact routes.

Use the contact specified for the procurement rather than approaching unrelated staff about an active formal process.

Official Get Information about Schools records allow users to search schools, trusts, federations and governance information in England. These records are useful for organisational research, but they should not be used as a reason to contact individual governors or trustees with routine sales messages.

Governors and trustees are primarily strategic decision-makers. They are rarely appropriate general sales contacts, and individual board members normally cannot commit the school or trust to a purchase.

Where a contract requires board approval, the supplier should still normally work through the headteacher, executive team, business leadership or central trust team preparing the recommendation.

Decide whether to contact a named person or a role address

A named contact can make an approach feel more relevant, but a role-based address is often more durable and appropriate.

Examples include:

• office@...
• businessmanager@...
• finance@...
• estates@...
• it.support@...
• procurement@...
• hr@...
• senco@...

A role address may be better when:

• staff turnover is frequent;
• several people monitor the inbox;
• the school publishes no personal addresses;
• the request is administrative or commercial;
• the organisation wants enquiries routed centrally.

A named individual may be better when:

• their responsibility is confirmed;
• the information is current;
• the approach relates specifically to their role;
• the school has published the address for professional contact;
• there has already been an introduction or conversation.

When using the general school address, make the intended recipient obvious in the subject line:

• For the attention of the SENCO: specialist assessment support
• For the School Business Manager: cleaning contract enquiry
• For the Computing Lead: Key Stage 2 coding workshops
• For the Trust IT Director: multi-academy cybersecurity review

Do not copy the headteacher, business manager, SENCO, office and trust CEO into the same first email.

This creates several problems:

• no one knows who is expected to reply;
• the message appears indiscriminate;
• staff may assume someone else will handle it;
• the supplier may look unfamiliar with the organisation;
• multiple colleagues receive the same unwanted message.

Choose one primary contact. Add another person only where their involvement is clearly relevant and proportionate.

Write an opening message that helps the recipient route it

Even careful research will not always identify the perfect contact.

Your first email should therefore make it easy for the recipient to recognise relevance or forward it appropriately.

A useful structure is:

1. Identify the school problem or responsibility.
2. Explain what the business provides.
3. Show why the school may be relevant.
4. Ask one simple routing or next-step question.

For example:

Hi Sarah,

We help primary schools manage playground inspections, repairs and maintenance through one local service. I am contacting you because your role appears to include school operations.

Could you tell me whether playground maintenance is managed by you, the premises team or centrally by the trust?

Best regards,

This is more useful than:

We are a leading provider of innovative outdoor solutions and would love to arrange a call to discuss our full range of services.

If contacting a general office address:

Hello,

Could you please forward this to the person responsible for external SEND assessment and intervention providers?

We provide specialist speech and language support for primary schools across Kent. I have included a short overview below so the relevant colleague can decide whether it is applicable.

The email should remain short enough to forward without editing.

Include:

• the relevant role;
• one recognised problem;
• a concise offer;
• your geographic or school-type fit;
• one relevant link;
• a proportionate question.

Do not attach a large sales pack to a speculative routing email. Link to a useful school-specific page or offer to provide the appropriate information when the correct person is identified.

The guide to writing a school outreach email that gets a reply provides more detailed guidance on subject lines, structure and follow-up.

Verify the contact and track what you learn

Contact data becomes outdated quickly because school staff change roles, move schools or take on new responsibilities.

A contact should not be treated as permanently correct simply because they replied once or appeared in an old database.

Maintain records showing:

• school or trust;
• school phase and type;
• trust membership;
• contact name;
• job title;
• role in the buying process;
• published contact route;
• source;
• date verified;
• whether the decision is local or central;
• existing supplier or contract information;
• preferred follow-up date;
• relevant notes.

Distinguish between:

• confirmed contact: the school or person has confirmed responsibility;
• probable contact: public information strongly suggests responsibility;
• routing contact: the office or administrator can direct the enquiry;
• former contact: the person has moved or changed role;
• inappropriate contact: the role does not own the category.

Record the buying structure as carefully as the email address.

For example:

“Academies can identify preferred providers locally, but all contracts above the trust’s delegated limit require central procurement review.”

That information is more valuable than collecting the names of ten headteachers in the same trust.

Review and clean contact information regularly.

Signs that a record needs checking include:

• bounced email;
• automatic reply showing a different role;
• school website no longer listing the person;
• trust restructuring;
• academy conversion or transfer;
• a new headteacher or executive team;
• a reply explaining that the category has moved centrally.

Do not continue emailing an address when you know the person has left.

Also distinguish contact verification from marketing permission and lawful outreach. A publicly available professional address is not a licence to send unlimited or irrelevant messages. Your outreach should be targeted, transparent and compliant with applicable data-protection and electronic-marketing rules.

Common mistakes when finding school contacts

Always contacting the headteacher

The headteacher is not the universal buyer. Contacting the operational owner may be more effective for specialist, departmental or routine services.

Choosing the most senior person rather than the most relevant person

A MAT CEO is unlikely to review every classroom resource, local workshop or minor maintenance service.

Ignoring trust membership

Approaching several academies separately about a centrally controlled service can create duplication and damage credibility.

Assuming all MAT purchasing is centralised

Some decisions remain local. Confirm how the specific category is managed.

Sending the same message to several staff members

This makes the approach look untargeted and reduces clear ownership of the response.

Guessing personal email addresses

Use published professional contact routes. Where no individual address is available, ask the office to forward the message.

Using old policies or cached staff pages

Check the date and compare the information with current pages and other reliable sources.

Treating governors as routine buyers

Governors and trustees provide strategic oversight. They should not normally receive ordinary sales outreach.

Asking the school office for “the decision-maker”

Describe the category or problem so staff can route the enquiry accurately.

Turning a routing call into a sales pitch

The office may help identify the contact but is unlikely to welcome a long unsolicited presentation.

Failing to record what the school explains

If the school says procurement is central, update the record rather than repeating the same approach six months later.

Contacting an end user without helping them involve approvers

An enthusiastic teacher may need a concise summary, price and implementation information to bring the offer to senior leadership or finance.

Assuming a published title reveals full authority

A business manager, department head or academy principal may still operate within delegated limits and trust procedures.

Personalising with irrelevant personal information

Use role-related context. Do not refer to private interests, family information or unrelated social-media activity.

Buying a list and assuming every contact is correct

Contact lists need verification, segmentation and responsible use. A large database does not replace understanding the buyer.

A practical process for finding the right school contact

Step 1: Define the school problem

Write one sentence explaining what your offer helps the school improve.

Step 2: Identify the likely problem owner

Choose the role that is accountable for that area, not simply the most senior title.

Step 3: Check the school structure

Establish whether the school is maintained, a standalone academy or part of a MAT.

Step 4: Check whether the category is local or central

Review the trust website or ask the school or trust office directly.

Step 5: Research public role information

Use the school website, trust website, official school records and relevant professional sources.

Step 6: Verify recency

Check current staff pages, recent policies, news and trust information.

Step 7: Use the office when necessary

Ask a short, category-specific routing question.

Step 8: Choose one primary contact

Use a named professional address or clearly marked role-based route.

Step 9: Write a forwardable message

Explain the problem, offer and simple next step without requiring the recipient to interpret a long sales pitch.

Step 10: Record the buying structure

Save not only the contact but also who controls the budget, approval and contract.

A simple contact-planning record might look like this:

Field	Example
School or trust	Example Learning Trust
Offer	Managed cybersecurity service
Problem owner	Trust IT director
Budget holder	Chief operating officer
Technical reviewer	Trust infrastructure manager
Final approval	Executive team under delegated authority
Buying level	Central trust
Source	Trust leadership page and office confirmation
Date verified	19 July 2026

This approach produces smaller but much more useful contact lists.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the main decision-maker in a school?

There is no single decision-maker for every purchase. The relevant roles depend on the product, budget, risk and school structure. A purchase may involve a user, problem owner, business manager, technical reviewer, senior approver and contract signatory.

Should suppliers always contact the headteacher?

No. Contact the headteacher when the offer is strategic, whole-school or requires senior attention. For operational, technical, curriculum or specialist offers, another role may be a more relevant first contact.

Who should suppliers contact about school budgets and contracts?

The school business manager, bursar, finance manager or operations lead is often involved. In a MAT, the relevant contact may be a central finance, procurement or operations team.

Who should an EdTech supplier contact?

Begin with the person who owns the educational or operational problem. IT, data protection, finance and senior leadership may then need to review the purchase. For trust-wide systems, the central IT or relevant trust director may be the correct first contact.

Who should a SEND provider contact?

The SENCO or inclusion lead is often the most relevant first contact. Depending on the service, senior leadership, safeguarding, finance and a central trust inclusion team may also participate.

Who should a cleaning company contact?

The school business manager, premises manager or trust estates team is usually more relevant than a curriculum leader or teacher.

Who should a training provider contact?

Contact the person responsible for the subject of the training. This might be a senior leader, DSL, SENCO, curriculum lead, HR lead or trust director. General staff development may sit with a deputy headteacher or HR team.

How can I tell whether a school belongs to a MAT?

Check the school website, trust information and official Get Information about Schools record. AllSchools profiles can also help identify school and trust relationships.

Should I contact the school or the MAT?

It depends on where the category is purchased. Ask whether the specific decision is local, central or made from an approved supplier list. Do not assume all MAT decisions follow one model.

Can I ask the school office for the right contact?

Yes. Ask a concise, category-specific routing question. Do not expect office staff to listen to a full sales pitch or disclose private contact information.

Should I contact several people at once?

Usually not. Choose one relevant primary contact. Add another person only where their involvement is clearly necessary. Sending the same message to numerous staff can look indiscriminate.

Should suppliers contact governors or trustees?

Not for routine sales outreach. Governors and trustees generally provide strategic oversight rather than managing ordinary supplier selection. Work through school or trust leadership preparing the purchasing recommendation.

Is it acceptable to use LinkedIn to find school contacts?

LinkedIn can help confirm professional roles and responsibilities. Use role-related information responsibly and avoid referencing unrelated personal details or creating false familiarity.

What should I do when no direct email is published?

Send the message through the school’s published office address and clearly mark it for the attention of the relevant role. Alternatively, call the office and ask for the preferred contact route.

How do I know whether a contact is current?

Compare the current school or trust website with recent policies, news, official records and other professional sources. Record when the information was last verified.

What is the best question to ask the school office?

Ask who is responsible for reviewing the specific category, such as external tutoring, IT support, premises maintenance or staff training. A specific question is easier to route than asking for “the buyer”.

What is the biggest mistake suppliers make?

The biggest mistake is treating contact finding as an email-collection exercise. The important information is not merely the address, but who owns the problem, controls the budget, reviews the supplier and approves the contract.