Policies, forms and newsletters parents can actually find.
A school website needs one page where parents, staff and governors can search and download policies, forms, newsletters and minutes. FileDeck adds that page to a WordPress school site: upload the files, add the Document Library block, and the library gets instant search and filters. Staff-only documents can sit in the same library behind a role or a password on Pro.
All categories
All tags
| Title | Categories | Date | Size | Type | Preview | Download | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Admissions Application Form | Education | May 6, 2026 | 2 KB | Download | |||
| GCSE Exam Timetable — Summer 2026 | Education | May 28, 2026 | 2 KB | Download | |||
| Governing Board Minutes — 14 May 2026 (signed scan) | Education Meeting Minutes | May 14, 2026 | 137 KB | Download | |||
| Parent & Student Handbook 2026-27 | Education | June 30, 2026 | 2 KB | Download | |||
| PTA Meeting Minutes — June 2026 | Education | May 17, 2026 | 2 KB | Download | |||
| Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy | Education | April 25, 2026 | 2 KB | Download | |||
| School Trip Consent Form | Education | April 3, 2026 | 2 KB | Download | |||
| SEND Information Report | Education | April 14, 2026 | 2 KB | Download | |||
| Term Dates 2026-27 | Education | June 19, 2026 | 2 KB | Download | |||
| Uniform & Dress Code Policy | Education | June 8, 2026 | 2 KB | Download |
No documents found.
Fig. 1The actual plugin, filtered to sample school documents · Open the full demo · See it in your own colours →
01What it needs
What a school document library needs.
Parents look for a form the night before it is due, staff need the current policy rather than last year’s, and governors want the minutes from two terms ago. These are the things that decide whether each of them finds it without emailing the office, and how FileDeck handles each.
Found without asking the office
Instant search and filters · FreeThe library filters as parents type, matching titles, categories, tags and file names, with a category filter beside it. A year filter narrows newsletters, minutes and reports to one year without a category per year.
Only the current policy
Replace the file, keep the link · FreeWhen a policy is updated, swap the file on the existing document and its page and link carry on, so last term’s newsletter still points at the right place. On Pro, earlier files are archived in version history for staff, while parents get the current one.
Reviewed on schedule
Review cycles · ProGive the Policies category a review cycle of 3, 6, 12, 24 or 36 months. FileDeck tracks each policy’s next review date and emails a reminder when one falls due, so the review list runs from a calendar rather than from memory.
Staff-only documents stay private
Role and password restrictions · ProRestrict a category to a staff role or a password. Everyone else sees at most a locked title, which does not open, and the file moves to a protected folder, so a copied file address stops working too (nginx servers need a short config block). Restricting downloads by role.
Proof staff have read it
Acknowledgment tracking · AI planMark a policy as read and confirm for a role, and each member of staff confirms with one click. FileDeck emails a weekly reminder to whoever is outstanding and exports who confirmed which version, and when. It runs on your own site and needs no AI provider key. How acknowledgment tracking works.
Parents hear when something is new
Email digests · ProParents subscribe through a form on your site, confirm by email, and receive a daily or weekly digest of new and updated documents. Email subscriptions and digests.
Readable on a phone, in more than one language
Responsive and translated · FreeLibraries reflow for small screens. The search box, filters and buttons ship translated into nine languages, and documents translate with multilingual plugins. Translations and multilingual sites.
PDFs that need accessibility work
Accessibility screen · AI planScan the PDFs in the library and get a list of those with problems a machine can detect, such as no tags, no title or a scan with no text. It is a screening tool, not a compliance check: a PDF that passes may still need a person to review it. The PDF accessibility report.
02How it works
Live in three steps.
Add your documents
Upload files one at a time or drag in a whole folder — free. On Pro, bulk-convert your Media Library or import a CSV. External links to Drive, Dropbox or SharePoint work too.
Organise and protect
Sort documents into categories, then set access rules where you need them (Pro) — a password or role on a category, a password on a single document, and per-document visibility. Restricted entries stay listed but locked: titles visible, contents and downloads sealed. The exception is a document assigned to specific people, which is hidden from everyone else entirely.
Add the block
Drop the FileDeck block (or shortcode) onto any page and pick a layout. Your searchable, sortable library is live — no template editing.
03Document jobs
What schools publish with it.
- Policies & procedures
- Safeguarding, SEND, uniform, admissions — searchable and always the current version.
- Review dates
- Safeguarding, fire risk, SEND: each carries a review date, and the morning one passes an email says so — before an inspector asks.
- Forms
- Trip consent, admissions, free-school-meals — one click to download.
- Newsletters & term dates
- Parents find the latest without emailing the office, and older issues by year.
- Governor & PTA minutes
- Kept together, with older versions archived.
- Staff-only resources
- Behind a role or password, closed to the public.
04Questions
What schools ask about document libraries.
How do I add a document library to a school website on WordPress?
Install FileDeck from WordPress.org, create categories such as Policies, Forms, Newsletters and Governors, upload the files and add the Document Library block to a page. Parents get one page with instant search, category filters and a download button on each document, all in the free plugin. The document library guide walks through it step by step.
Is FileDeck free for schools?
The library itself is free: unlimited documents, all four layouts, instant search, filters, a year filter for newsletters and minutes, and translated library controls. Pro, from $59 a year for one site, adds staff-only categories, version history, review reminders and email digests for parents. Acknowledgment tracking and the PDF accessibility screen are on the AI plan, from $119 a year.
Can parents use it without logging in?
Yes. Public documents need no account. Only the categories you protect ask for a password or a login.
Can we hide staff-only policies?
Yes, on Pro. Restrict a category to a role or a password and it locks for everyone else: the title can still list, but it does not open or download without access. The files move to a protected folder too, so a copied file address stops working. See restricting downloads by role.
Can staff confirm they have read the safeguarding policy?
Yes, on the AI plan. Mark the policy as read and confirm for the staff role and each person confirms with one click. FileDeck emails a weekly reminder to anyone outstanding and exports who confirmed which version, and when, as a CSV. See acknowledgment tracking.
Can parents get an email when a new newsletter goes up?
Yes, on Pro. Parents subscribe through a form on your site, confirm by email, and receive a daily or weekly digest of new and updated documents. See email subscriptions and digests.
Can we keep old versions of a policy?
Yes, on Pro. Replacing a file archives the previous version, which staff can view or restore in wp-admin, while parents get the current one. The document keeps its link when you replace the file, so newsletters and emails that point at it still work.
Is FileDeck FERPA compliant?
FERPA governs how your school handles student education records, so compliance is a property of your own setup and processes, and no plugin can grant it. FileDeck is for the documents you publish to parents, staff and governors: policies, forms, newsletters, timetables and handbooks. It is not a student information system, and individual pupil records do not belong in it. Keyword search and its index run on your own server, and on Pro protected files are moved into a deny-all directory and each download is re-checked against the visitor’s permission, so a restricted file has no working public URL by default. The only features that send document content off your server are scanned-PDF OCR and the AI tier, and both stay off until you switch them on (the AI tier also needs your own provider key). The security page sets out each control and its limits in full.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. Libraries reflow for small screens, so parents can find and open documents on mobile.
Build a searchable school document library.
Free forever, no document limits, and a 30-day refund on Pro.
Or try the live demo first.