Statutory Requirements for School Websites
New regulations from the Secretary of State for Education coming into force on the 1st of September 2012 will affect the type of information schools have to publish on their website. While these amendments to the School Information (England) Regulations 2008 applies to maintained schools in England only, it serves as a guideline for private schools as well as schools in Wales and Scotland. Academies and free schools are already required to provide these information.
To help schools meet the School Information Regulations (amendment) 2012 and to get their websites in order before the 1st of September 2012, Xelium has complied a couple of checklists, one for Primary Schools, the other for Secondary Schools. These are available to download from the links at the bottom of this article.
In summary, schools have to provide the following information on their website:
- Contact Details
- Admission Arrangements
- Link to Ofsted Report
- Most Recent Key Stage 2 Results
- Most Recent Key Stage 4 Results
- Link to School Performance Tables on www.education.gov.uk
- School Curriculum Information for Each Year Group by Subject, including Phonics/Reading Schemes and Key Stage 4 Courses/Qualifications
- Behaviour Policy
- Pupil Premium Allocation, Use and Impact on Attainment
- SEN Policy
- Charging and Remissions Policy
- School’s Ethos and Values
Regulation in question: The School Information (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 as provided by The Secretary of State for Education in exercising the powers conferred by sections 537 and 569(4) of the Education Act 1996(1), and section 92 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998(2)
Statutory Policies for Schools April 2013
A subsequent document published by the Department of Education in April 2013 titled ‘Statutory Policies for Schools’ talks about the requirements for managed schools, academies and free schools to publish school information on the website:
- Publish: to publish information required by education legislation on their website
- Live: review frequently and update the website as soon as the information is available or after a change and at least annually
- Approval: must be approved by governing body and it is free to delegate to a committee of the governing body, an individual governor or the head teacher
- Legislation: follow the statutory requirements set out in The School Information (England) (Admendment) Regulation 2012 (SI 2012/1124)
The document contains the outline for the policies and other documents that schools are legally obligated and legally required to hold. For the complete list, download the Statutory Policies for Schools document:
If you need help meeting these statutory requirements or would like a review of your school’s website please get in touch.
