Statutory requirements for school websites

Some of the documents and details that maintained schools and academies are required to have must be published on the school website

According to the School Information (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2012, if a school does not have its own website then the governing body must arrange for this information to be published somewhere else online. In either case, parents must be given the website details.

Parents must also be provided with hard copies of this information if they request it, though it may be printed off the website.

Schools are no longer required to publish a prospectus.

Policies and statements

Note: Independent schools are required to publish their child protection policy in addition to the above. Academies must publish their value for money statement within a month of submitting it to the ESFA.

Ad​missions details

Admissions policies published on the website must give clear information about admissions arrangements for all age groups that attend the school, including:

  • an explanation of the application process
  • oversubscription criteria
  • selection criteria (if applicable)

Alternatively, schools can simply explain how and where to find this information on the LA’s website.

This information must be updated every year, at least six weeks before the date when parents can express a preference for the school.

The requirement for voluntary aided and foundation schools to publish their admissions arrangements online falls under the School Admissions Code.

Annual rep​orts and accounts

Academies and free schools should publish certain financial information about your school:

  • annual report
  • annual audited accounts
  • memorandum of association
  • articles of association
  • names of charity trustees and members
  • funding agreement.

Careers programme information

Maitained schools, academies, free schools and colleges must publish:

  • the name, email address and telephone number of the school’s careers leader
  • a summary of the careers programme, including details of how pupils, parents, teachers and employers may access information about the careers programme
  • how the school measures and assesses the impact of the careers programme on pupils
  • the date of the school’s next review of the information published.

Childcare options

The information will include what childcare is on offer in primary and secondary schools, ranging from full-time nurseries to holiday and after-school provision.

Contact information

School websites must also publish the name, postal address and telephone number of the school, as well as the name of a person who can be contacted regarding enquiries.

Schols must also publish the names of name of the headteacher/principal, chair of the governing body and name and details of your SENCO if you’re a mainstream academy

If you’re an academy or free school, you should also publish details about your academy’s owner:

  • if the school’s owner is an individual, you should publish their full name and contact details (address and a telephone number)
  • if the school’s owner is a body of persons, you should publish the address and telephone number of its office.

C​urriculum

This section must be categorised by year, and include:

  • the content of the school’s curriculum for each subject
  • how to find additional information about the curriculum
  • phonics or reading schemes used for Key Stage 1
  • GSCE courses provided for Key Stage 4
  • other courses and qualifications offered for Key Stage 4.

Equa​lity objectives

Academies and free schools must:

  • publish details of how they are complying with the public sector equality duty (update this every year)
  • publish your school’s equality objectives (update this at least once every four years).

Govern​ance

Maintained schools must publish the following details about their governors:

  • details of the structure and responsibilities of the GB and its committees
  • name and category of governor
  • information about each governor's business and financial interests and any governance roles in other schools
  • a register of interests.

There is currently no statutory requirement for maintained schools to publish an annual governance statement, though the DfE suggests this would be good practice.

Schools are encouraged to collect and publish governing board members’ diversity data. Board members can opt out of sharing their information, including protected characteristics, at any given time including after publication.

All academies and MATs must publish their scheme of delegation for governance functions.

Ofsted reports

School websites must include a link to or an explanation of how to find its most recent Ofsted report.

Performance tables

School websites must provide an explanation of how to find the school performance tables on the DfE website. The following specific results must be published on the school website itself.

Key Stage 2 results for:

  • average progress scores in reading, writing and maths
  • average 'scaled scores' in reading and maths
  • % achieving expected standard or above in reading, writing or maths
  • % achieving a high level of attainment in reading, writing and maths.

Key Stage 4 results for:

  • Progress 8 score
  • Attainment 8 score
  • % of pupils who got a good pass in English and maths
  • % of pupils achieving the English Baccalaureate combination of subjects (pupils who got a GCSE grade C or above in English, maths, two sciences, a language, and history or geography)
  • % of pupils who continue in education, training or move on to employment at the end of 16-19 study.

Pupil premium

Schools must publish the following information about their pupil premium allocation for the current academic year:

  • the amount received
  • how it will be spent
  • how it was spent in the previous academic year, and how this affected the educational attainment of pupils who receive free school meals and who have been looked after continuously for at least six months.

See the DfE website for a full list of pupil premium strategy requirements. Example strategy statements are available from the Teaching Schools Council.

Remote learning provision statement

Schools are required to publish information about their remote education provision on their websites. The DfE has provided a template for this statement but the format is not mandatory, and schools are encouraged to adapt it to suit their circumstances.

School opening hours

Schools should publish on their website their opening and closing times and the total time this amounts to in a typical week.

Year 7 literacy and numeracy ​catch-up premium

If your school receives year 7 literacy and numeracy catch-up premium funding, you must publish details of how your school spends this funding and the effect this has had on the attainment of the pupils who attract it.

You must include the following:

  • the amount received
  • how it will be spent
  • how it was spent in the previous academic year, and how this affected the educational attainment of pupils who attract the funding.
Last Updated: 
18 Apr 2023