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Statutory Website Requirements: What academies, free schools and colleges must publish online

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Academies, free schools and colleges are required by the School Information (England) Regulations (2008 and subsequent amendments 2012 and 2016) as well as Equality Act 2010 and Children and Families Act 2014 to comply to a set of Statutory Requirements of what they need to publish on their websites. We look at these in detail.

Last update: 10 Feb 2025

Statutory Requirements for Academies, Academy Trusts and FE College Websites 2024

What academies, including free schools and colleges and any educational institution with academy arrangements must or should publish online according to Statutory Requirements for Academies, Free Schools and Colleges.

Regulation: The School Information (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 came into force 1st September 2012. The Secretary of State for Education made the following Regulations in exercise of 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).

Extracted from Guidance last updated October 2024. Disclaimer: This page is for informational purposes only and does not replace original guidance on https://www.gov.uk/guidance/what-academies-free-schools-and-colleges-should-publish-online

In summary, schools now have to provide the following information on their website:

Key Information for Academy, Academy Trusts and FE College Websites

  1. Admission arrangements or where they may be found
  2. Annual reports and accounts
  3. Behaviour policy
  4. Careers programme information
  5. Charging and remissions policy
  6. Complaints policy
  7. Contact details
  8. Curriculum
  9. Ethos and Values
  10. Executive pay
  11. FE Intervention
  12. Governance information
  13. Ofsted reports
  14. Pay gap reporting
  15. PE and sport premium for primary schools
  16. Public sector equality duty
  17. Pupil premium (and recovery premium – allocation, use and impact on attainment)
  18. Remote education
  19. School opening hours
  20. School Uniform
  21. Special educational needs and disabilities SEND information
  22. Test, exam and assessment results
    • Most recent key stage 2 results
    • Most recent key stage 4 results
    • Most recent key stage 5 results

The key information is separated into must be published and should be published. We highly recommend that the school aim to provide all required key information.

Download the PDF Version of this Guide

1.     Admission Arrangements

Academy Trusts must publish the following by 15 March and must be available for the whole of the year on offer.

September admissions – normal point of entry
The admission arrangements must explain:

  • how the trust considers applications for places in each relevant age group (that is, the age group in which children are normally admitted to its schools)
  • how many children the trust intends to admit in each relevant age group (known as the published admission number, or PAN)
  • what a parent or carer needs to do if they want to apply for their child to attend one of the trust’s schools
  • how the trust allocates places if there are more applicants than places available

Where applicable, the trust must also explain how:

  • children applying to a selective school are selected for a place
  • a parent or carer of a primary-age child can request that a school delay or defer their child’s entry to reception, and the process for requesting admission outside the normal age group
  • many external applicants a school intends to admit into the sixth form

In-year admissions
The trust must publish by 31 August,

  • how it will manage in-year applications

If managed by trust, must also provide

  • an application form
  • supplementary information, if necessary

If local authority (LA) managed, trust must publish

  • link to in-year application scheme

Admission appeals must be published by 28 February

  • timetable for organising and hearing admission appeals for your schools by 28 February

This must:

  • include a deadline for appeals at least 20 school days from the date of notification of unsuccessful application
  • include reasonable deadlines for:
    • submitting additional evidence
    • admission authorities to submit their evidence
    • the clerk to send appeal papers to the panel and parties
  • ensure that those making an appeal receive at least 10 school days’ notice of their appeal hearing
  • ensure that decision letters are sent within 5 school days of the hearing wherever possible

16-19 academies and FE colleges should publish

  • details of admission arrangements a year in advance
    • include details of open days
    • how to apply for a place
    • details of priority given to pupils from particular schools (if applicable)

2.     Annual Reports and Accounts

Academy trusts must publish by 31 January

  • audited annual report and accounts

You can find more guidance about these in the Academy Trust Handbook.

FE and sixth-form colleges must publish and retain for 2 years.

  • annual members’ report
  • audited financial statement every year

3.     Behaviour Policy

Academies and FE colleges should publish

4.     Careers Programme information

Academies (secondary and 16-19) must publish

  • A policy statement to comply with ‘provider access legislation’
    Read section 42B of the Education Act 1997. This statement must set out the circumstances in which they will give providers of technical education and apprenticeships access to year 8 to 13 pupils, as applicable.

Academies and FE colleges should publish

  • the delivery of careers guidance to pupils from years 7 to 13 (11 to 18-year olds)
  • requirement set out in your funding/accountability agreement to deliver careers guidance.

For the current academic year, you should include:

  • name and contact details of careers leader’s
  • a summary of the careers programme, including details of how pupils, parents, teachers and employers can access information on the programme
  • how the academy or college measures and assesses the careers programme’s impact on pupils
  • the date of next review of the information published

Read the statutory guidance for schools and colleges on careers guidance and access for education and training providers, for more information.

5.     Charging and Remissions Policy

Academies should publish
The policies must include details of:

  • charging policy, details of activities where your school will charge pupils’ parents and carers
  • remissions policy, details of circumstances where your school will wholly or partly wave any charge you would otherwise expect parents and carers to pay

6.     Complaints Policy

Academies and Trusts must publish

Academy Trusts and FE colleges must publish

  • whistleblowing policy (FE colleges must regularly review)

7.     Contact Details

Academies and FE colleges should publish

  • School name
  • Postal address
  • Telephone number
  • Member of staff who deals with queries
  • Name of the headteacher/principal
  • Name and Contact details of Chair of the governing body (if you have one)
  • Contact details of academy trust and link to website

Mainstream academy schools must publish

  • Name and Contact details of SEN Co-ordinator (SENCO) for

8.     Curriculum

Academies must publish

  • Policy on relationships (and sex) education.

All academies should publish

  • the curriculum content for every subject for each academic year, including mandatory subject e.g. RE
  • information to make parents and carers aware they have the right to withdraw their child from all or part of RE
  • how parents, carers and public can find out more about the curriculum
  • music curriculum needs to include music development plan. See https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-music-development-plan-summary-template

Primary schools should publish

  • key stage 1 phonics or reading schemes

Secondary schools should publish

  • a list of key stage 4 courses, including GCSEs

Academies/Colleges with 16-19 provision should publish

  • the 16 to 19 qualifications offered
  • information on how curriculum meets 16-19 study programme requirements
    See https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/16-to-19-study-programmes-guide-for-providers

Academies must prepare

  • an accessibility plan that sets out over time the extent to which disabled pupils participate in the curriculum

9.     Ethos and Values

Academies and FE colleges should publish

  • a statement of their ethos and values

Download the PDF Version of this Guide

10.  Executive Pay

Academy trusts must publish

  • number of employees who have a gross annual salary and benefits of £100,000 or more during previous academic year. Information must be presented in
    • an easily accessible form
    • publish figures in £10,000 increments.

More details are included in paragraph 2.32 of the Academy Trust Handbook.
FE colleges must publish in annual accounts, salaries of higher paid staff. See https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/college-accounts-direction

11.  FE Intervention

FE colleges in intervention must publish

  • FE commissioner’s summary intervention report within 14 days of being issues
  • keep it on website until notice is lifted

12.  Governance Information (Trustees’ Information and Duties)

FE colleges and 16-19 academies must publish

  • submitted annual accountability statement by 1 December
  • regular reviews of how well education/training meets local needs, particularly relating to employment
  • a statement in annual report on development of governors and governance professionals

FE colleges and 16-19 academies should publish

  • outcomes of external governance review and associated action plan
  • instrument and articles of government
  • the governing body’s structure and responsibilities
  • details of any committees
  • the names of chair and governors
  • information on governor recruitment, selection procedures and work of any search committee

You may wish to simply publish your governors’ handbook, which should include all this information.
Academy Trusts must publish in easily accessible format

  • Memorandum of association
  • Articles of association
  • names of trust members and academy trustees
  • the relevant business and financial interests of members, trustees, local governors and accounting officers
  • their funding agreement
  • any supplemental funding agreement
  • up-to-date details of governance arrangements

Academy Trusts should publish

13.  Offed Report

Ofsted report should be published or linked to the report on Ofsted website https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/

14.  Pay gap reporting

Academy Trusts, Academies and FE Colleges with 250 or more employees must publish

  • report on gender pay gap via gender pay gap service
  • this information in a prominent place on the website within one year of ‘snapshot date’ usually 31 March

may wish to publish

  • a supporting narrative to explain gender pay gap
  • an action plan on how to address it

Academy Trusts, Academies and FE Colleges with fewer than 250 should

  • are not required to comply with regulations but,
  • should give serious consideration to the business benefits of reporting gender pay gap

For guidance on who is an employee: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/who-needs-to-report-their-gender-pay-gap#headcount
For information on ethnicity pay gap: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ethnicity-pay-reporting-guidance-for-employers

15.  PE and Sport Premium for Primary Academies

If your school receives PE and sport premium funding, you must publish:

  • the amount of premium received
  • a full breakdown of how it has been spent (or will be spent)
  • what impact the school has seen on pupils’ PE and sport participation and attainment
  • how the improvements will be sustainable in the future

Primary Schools:
You must publish by 31 July, the percentage of pupils within your year 6 cohort who met the national curriculum requirement to:

  • swim competently, confidently, and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres
  • use a range of strokes effectively (for example front crawl, backstroke, and breaststroke)
  • perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations

16.  Public Sector Equality Duty

Academies and FE colleges must publish

  • details of how your school complies with the public sector equality duty – you must update this every year
  • your school’s equality objectives – you must update this at least once every 4 years

FE colleges should publish

  • an annual equality, diversity and inclusion review, to include data on protected characteristics at levels:
    • board
    • executive leadership
    • staff
    • student
  • actions taken to address disparities

17.  Pupil Premium and Recovery Premium

If received, Academies must publish

  • Strategy statement by 31 December, explaining
    • How pupil premium funding is spent
    • Education outcomes with disadvantaged pupils are achieving
  • Must use the DfE template to produce your statement https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium
  • Recommended to plan pupil premium use over 3 years
  • update statement each year to reflect
    • spending activity for that academic year and
    • impact of pupil premium in the previous academic year.

18.  Remote Education

Academies should publish

19.  School Opening Hours

Academies should publish

  • Official start and end times of the compulsory school day
  • Total time in a typical week (eg 32.5 hours) including breaks but not after-school activities

20.  School Uniform

Academies should publish clear easy to understand policy on website in line with statutory guidance on cost of school uniforms (guidance from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms/cost-of-school-uniforms)
Should include information on

  • optional or required items
  • if item will only be worn at certain times of the year (E.g. summer or winter uniform)
  • if a generic item will be accepted or if a branded item is required
  • whether an item can only be purchased from a specific retailer or if it can be purchased more widely, including from second-hand retailers
  • where second hand uniform can be purchased

21.  SEND Information

Academy schools (but not FE colleges and 16 to 19 academies) must publish a SEN information report (updated annually and any changes updated as soon as possible).
The report must comply with section 69 of the Children and Families Act 2014, and must contain:

22.  Test, Exam and Assessment Results

All academies should publish a link to the compare performance service and to own performance measures page. https://www.gov.uk/school-performance-tables

a. Key stage 2 (end of primary school) results

Academies should publish

  • most recent KS2 performance measures as published by the Secretary of State
    • percentage of pupils achieved expected standard in reading, writing and maths (combined)
    • percentage of pupils achieved higher standard in reading, writing and maths (combined)
    • pupils’ average scaled score in
      • reading
      • maths

Find your school data here: https://www.find-school-performance-data.service.gov.uk/#SearchMats
Note: It will not be possible to calculate key stage 1 to key stage 2 progress measures for the 2023 to 2024 or 2024 to 2025 academic years. There is no key stage 1 baseline available to calculate primary progress measures for these years because of Covid-19 disruption. For the 2023 to 2024 academic year, academies do not have to publish progress scores in reading, writing or maths, as the Secretary of State is not publishing these.

b. Key stage 4 (secondary school) results

Academies should publish

  • most recent KS4 performance measures as published by the Secretary of State, comprising
    • Progress 8 score
    • percentage pupils achieving grade 5 and above in GCSE English and GCSE Maths
    • Attainment 8 score
    • percentage pupils staying in education or going into employment after KS4
    • percentage pupils entered for English Baccalaureate (EBacc)
    • their Ebacc average point score (APS)

c. Key stage 5 (16-18) information, where applicable

Academies and FE Colleges should publish
most recent 16-18 performance measures as published by Secretary of State, comprising students headline:

  • progress (value added) measures
  • attainment measures
  • retention measures
  • destination measures

Do not need to publish:

  • value added measures for the 2022 to 2023 academic year, as the Secretary of State is not publishing these
  • English and maths progress measures for the 2022 to 2023 or 2023 to 2024 academic years, as the Secretary of State is not publishing these.

Extracted and summarised from

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/what-academies-free-schools-and-colleges-should-publish-online

First Published 30 June 2016

Updated 17 April 2023

Updated 6 Feb 2025

Download the PDF Version of this Guide

Extracted and summarised from

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/what-academies-free-schools-and-colleges-should-publish-online#trustees-information-and-duties