“Your website has the potential to raise key concerns for inspectors or set you up brilliantly for success.”

“KEY ACTION for 2022/23: The expectation of your website is that it effectively demonstrates the quality of education in your school. Use the triangulation of website content, student & parent voice and evidence in school as the basis for everything.”

Last updated for April 17, 2023

The very latest strategies for highly effective school website compliance are focused on how you effectively use your website to get ahead of an inspection by evidencing how you do what you say you do.

Are you demonstrating the quality of education in your school through your school website?

That is now what the very best schools are doing and it isn’t as hard as you might think. Think about what you say you do in a particular area of school life. Then listen to parents, students and teachers to get their opinion. Then provide evidence on your school website of this in action. Repeat this process for everything you do. As a result they don’t worry about inspections.

Our in-house experts have access to DfE contacts, Multi Academy Trust Director’s and hundreds of schools using the School Website Requirements Software. The hard truth? Inspectors are looking for much more than just a completed checklist.

So, before we get to the detailed checklist that outlines and explains all the required content for your school or college website here’s our top 5 tips to take your website beyond the statutory requirements for 2022/23.

Wow! That’s quite a statement. Well, it’s direct from the horses mouth as it is a mantra that inspectors follow. Your school website sets the tone for your inspection and is your greatest opportunity to avoid unnecessary questions and headaches.

If, by and large, you had a clear rigour and precisness to your approach to everything you do any small issues will not be a concern. If that’s not the case, then inspectors will keep pulling on any thread they find.

This is a requirement that we always include. The thing is, it’s still an issue on lots of websites. We all know, very well, the frustration of struggling to find information on a website. Ofsted Inspectors are no different.

One inspector told us that if he cannot find what he is looking for in 10 minutes he will give up. Think about how long 10 minutes is to spend looking around a website for a specific item. That’s a LONG time!

What’s the top tip here? Be sure you know where your statutory content is and make it very easy to find.

Read our Definitive guide to School Website Structure.

Safeguarding is Ofsted’s number one priority. Rightly so. When inspectors visit your website for they come to school they are looking for an immediate, clear picture of how you approach safeguarding and whether or not you treat it as your highest concern.

If you so much as have an out-of-date safeguarding policy on your website – that’s an instant leadership and management issue.

If you know you have an inspection looming and you want to make the best possible changes quickly. Get this sorted – today!

Read more here

All too often, we see examples of school websites that have out of date content and a variety of statutory content added in all manner of formats.

It is so important it is to figure out a process and a schedule for checking your website. What’s more, if you set reminders when you need to update specific policies and content, you will be able to rest assured that all is in hand.

You will find things so much easier if you do. If you don’t know where to start, consider The School Website Compliance Software that is available as a standalone package or as part of any school website from Schudio.

Changes to the statutory requirements can crop up at any time of year. Furthermore, it’s not unheard of these days for a requirement to be added but not appear on the list of ‘what schools must publish online’; take safeguarding for example.

It’s really important to have a plan in place to ensure you stay fully aware of the latest requirements all year round. Using this guide is the best place to start.

Our experts stay current all year round and provide ongoing support and advice – your next best step is to join us for our School Website Compliance Workshop.

The sections below contain all the latest requirements so you’ll have everything that is expected of your school website fully covered before Ofsted arrive. If you need any help or advice, as you work your way through this school website checklist, let us know.

You can schedule a free call anytime!

This checklist for Schools and Colleges details all content to be included on your website as indicated by the Department for Education. This checklist is best used in conjunction with The School Website Compliance Software or any Schudio School Website Design Package.

• Name of your school or college
• Postal address of your school or college
• Telephone number of your school or college
• Name of the member of staff who deals with queries from parents and other members of the public
• Name of the headteacher or principal (only for Academies but we advise all schools action)
• Name and address of the chair of the governing body (if you have one)
• Name and details of your SEN co-ordinator (SENCO) if you’re a mainstream school

Academies or free school, should also publish details about the owner

• If the school’s owner is an individual, you should publish the proprietor’s 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 it’s office

Maintained Schools (Governor Determined Admissions)

• If the school’s governing body decides your admissions, you must publish your school’s admission arrangements each year and keep them
  • how you’ll consider applications for each relevant age group at your school
  • What parents should do if they want to apply for their child to attend your school up for the whole school year. You must explain:
  • Your arrangements for selecting the pupils who apply
  • Your ‘over-subscription criteria’ (how you offer places if there are more applicants than places)

You must also publish a timetable for organising and hearing admission appeals for your school by 28th February each year. This must:

• Include a deadline for lodging appeals which allows those making an appeal at least 20 school days from the date of notification that their application was unsuccessful to prepare and lodge their written appeal
• Include reasonable deadlines for those making an appeal to submit additional evidence, for admission authorities to submit their evidence and for 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

Community schools and voluntary-controlled schools If the local authority manages your admissions process, refer parents to the local authority to find out about your school’s admission and appeal arrangements. 
Academies & Free Schools

• Admissions arrangements of all mainstream academies and free schools must comply with the ‘School admissions code’ and the ‘School admissions appeals code’.
• Academy trusts must publish the admissions arrangements for their schools on their website and keep them there for the whole of the offer year (the school year in which offers for places are made).
• If you’re a 16 to 19 academy, FE college or sixth-form college, we recommend that you publish details of your admission arrangements.You should publish this information a year before the beginning of the academic year to which arrangements apply, to help parents and students make an informed choice, and we recommend that the arrangements do not change during the year. You should include details of:
  • Open days your college or academy is planning
  • The process for applying for a place at your college or academy
  • Whether your college or academy gives priority to applications from pupils enrolled at particular schools

NOTE: The School admissions code and the School admissions appeal code do not apply to 16 to 19 academies, FE colleges and sixth-form colleges.

• Publish a copy of your school’s or college’s most recent OFSTED report
• Publish a link to the webpage where users can find your school’s most recent OFSTED report

Performance Tables Published in December

• You must publish the following details from your school’s most recent key stage 2 performance measures as published by the Secretary of State (for most schools, the performance measures published for the 2018 to 2019 academic year):
  • Progress scores in reading, writing and maths
  • Percentage of pupils who achieved at least the expected standard in reading, writing and maths
  • Percentage of pupils who achieved at a higher standard in reading, writing and maths
  • Average ‘scaled scores’ in reading and maths

Performance Tables Published in January

• You must publish the following details from your school’s most recent key stage 4 performance measures as published by the Secretary of State (for most schools, the performance measures published for the 2018 to 2019 academic year):
  • Your school’s Progress 8 score
  • Your school’s attainment 8 score
  • Attainment in English and maths – percentage of pupils achieving a grade 5 or above in GCSE English and maths
  • English Baccalaureate (EBacc) average point score (APS) – in 2018, the EBacc attainment measure changed to an average point score, showing pupils’ point scores across the 5 pillars of the EBacc
  • Pupil destinations – percentage of students staying in education or employment after key stage 4

We suggest that schools also publish the percentage of pupils that enter the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) staying in education or going into employment after key stage 4 (pupil destinations).

Performance Tables Published in January & March [Previously Required, Now Recommended]

• If your school operates a sixth form, you must publish the following details from your school’s 16 to 18 performance tables page most recent key stage 5 (16 to 18) performance measures 16 to 18 accountability headline measures guidance as published by the Secretary of State (for most schools, the performance measures published for the 2018 to 2019 academic year).:
  • The progress your students have made compared with students across the country.
    (Shown separately for A levels, academic, applied general and tech level qualifications)
  • The average grade that students in your college get at KS5.
    (Shown separately for A levels, academic, applied general and tech level qualifications)
  • The progress students in your college have made in English and maths
  • Retention (this is the proportion of students who get to the end of the main programme of study that they enrolled on at your institution)
    (Shown separately for A levels, academic, applied general and tech level qualifications)
  • Destinations (this is the percentage of students who continue in education or training, or move on to employment at the end of 16 to 19 study)

NOTE: Progress performance measures
If your school operates a sixth form, you do not need to display progress measures (level 3 value added), or an English and mathematics progress measure, for 16 to 18 students on your website. These measures will not be published for the 2021 to 2022 academic year.

You must include a link to the school and college performance tables and your school’s performance tables page.

• The content of the curriculum your school follows in each academic year for every subject, including for mandatory subjects such as Religious Education even if it’s taught as part of another subject or subjects or is called something else
• How parents or other members of the public can find out more about the curriculum your school is following

Phase of education specific requirements

• The names of any phonics or reading schemes you are using in Key Stage 1
• A list of the courses available to pupils at key stage 4, including GCSEs
• The 16 to 19 qualifications you offer
• How you meet the 16 to 19 study programme requirements (if you have a sixth-form or offer education at 16 to 19)

Additional Academy and Free School specific requirements:

• Your approach to the curriculum

Maintained Schools

• Publish details of your school’s behaviour policy.
  This must comply with section 89 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006.

Academies and Free Schools

• If you are an academy or free school, you should publish details of your school’s behaviour policy, including its anti-bullying strategy.

For the current academic year, you must include:

• How much pupil premium funding you received for this academic year.
• Details of the main barriers to educational achievement that the disadvantaged children in your school face.
• How you will spend your pupil premium funding to address these barriers and the reasons for the approach you’ve chosen.
• How you will measure the impact of the pupil premium.
• The date of the next pupil premium strategy review.

For the previous academic year:

• How you spent your pupil premium funding.
• The effect that the pupil premium had on pupils.

NOTE: Progress performance measures
If your school operates a sixth form, you do not need to display progress measures (level 3 value added), or an English and mathematics progress measure, for 16 to 18 students on your website. These measures will not be published for the 2021 to 2022 academic year.

• How much PE and sport premium funding you received for this academic year.
• A full breakdown of how you’ve spent or will spend the funding this year.
• The impact of the premium on pupils’ PE and sport participation and attainment.
• How you will make sure these improvements are sustainable.
• Details of how many pupils within your year 6 cohort are meeting the national curriculum requirement to swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres, use a range of strokes effectively and perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations.

Special Education Needs (SEN) Report – The report must contain:

• The ‘SEN Information’ specified in schedule 1 to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014. (Statutory guidance on this is contained in section 6.79 to 6.82 of the Special educational needs and disability code of practice: 0 to 25 years)
  • The arrangements for the admission of disabled pupils.
  • 11.1.2The steps you have taken to prevent disabled pupils from being treated less favourably than other pupils.
  • The facilities you provide to help disabled pupils to access the school.

• Information as to the plan prepared by the governing body or proprietor under paragraph 3 of schedule 10 to the Equality Act 2010 for:
  • Increasing the extent to which disabled pupils can participate in the school’s curriculum.
  • Improving the physical environment of the school for the purpose of increasing the extent to which disabled pupils are able to take advantage of education and benefits, facilities and services provided or offered by the school.
  • Improving the delivery to disabled pupils of information which is readily accessible to pupils who are not disabled.

Fairfield Primary School include all compliance information in a format that works on every device. They also include warm, welcome info from the SENCo and resources for parents on various conditions. This is a great example of how to go beyond the minimum requirements and understand the needs of the parents. Live site: https://fairfieldprimary.co.uk/key-information/send

• Details of the structure and responsibilities of the governing body and its committees

For each governor who has served at any point over the past 12 months:

• • The full names of the Chair of the governing body and Chair of each committee information about each governor, including their full name, date of appointment, term of office, date they stepped down (where applicable) and who appointed them (in accordance with the governing body’s instrument of government).
  • Relevant business and financial interests including:
    • Governance roles in other educational institutions.
    • Any material interests arising from relationships between governors or relationships between governors and school staff (including spouses, partners and close relatives)
  • Their attendance record at governing body and committee meetings over the last academic year.
  • Governing bodies should also publish this information for associate members, making clear whether they have voting rights on any of the committees to which they have been appointed.
  • Publish Governing Board Diversity Data.

• The structure and remit of the members, board of trustees, its committees and local governing bodies, and the full names of the chair of each

For each member who has served at any point over the past 12 months:

• • Their full names, date of appointment, date they stepped down (where applicable), and relevant business and pecuniary interests including governance roles in other educational institutions.

For each trustee who has served at any point over the past 12 months:

• • Their attendance records at board and committee meetings over the last academic year

For each local governor who has served at any point over the past 12 months::

• • Their full names, date of appointment, term of office, date they stepped down (where applicable), who appointed them, and relevant business and pecuniary interests including governance roles in other educational institutions

For all local board members:

• • Publish Governing Board Diversity Data

• The governing body’s structure and responsibilities
  • Details of any committees.
  • The names of all governors, including the chair.

You may wish to simply publish your governors’ handbook, which should include all this information.

• The activities or cases for which your school will charge pupils’ parents
• The circumstances where your school will make an exception on a payment you would normally expect to receive under your charging policy

• Publish a statement of their ethos and values

• If a parent requests a paper copy of the information on your school’s or college’s website, you must provide this free of charge.

This means you have to:

• Publish details of how your school is complying with the public sector equality duty – you should update this every year.
• Publish your school’s equality objectives – you should update this at least once every 4 years.

You need to include details of how your school is:

• Eliminating discrimination (see the Equalities Act 2010).
• Improving equality of opportunity for people with protected characteristics.
• Consulting and involving those affected by inequality in the decisions your school or college takes to promote equality and eliminate discrimination (affected people could include parents, pupils, staff and members of the local community).
• Under the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017 organisations are required to publish information on its website about the gender pay gap in their organisation. [note: this requirement is only for organisations with over 250 employees].

Maintained Schools

• You must publish details of your school’s complaints procedure, which must comply with Section 29 of the Education Act 2002.

Academies and Colleges

• All academies and colleges should publish their complaints policy online.
• If you’re an academy, free school, FE or sixth-form college, you should also publish your whistleblowing policy online.

Maintained Schools, Academies and Free Schools

• Publish any arrangements for handling complaints from parents of children with special educational needs (SEN) about the support the school provides.

Academies & Free Schools (See ‘Academies financial handbook’ for more

• Annual report
• Annual audited accounts
• Memorandum of association
• Articles of association
• Names of charity trustees and members
• Funding agreement

FE & Sixth Form Colleges

• Colleges should publish their instruments and articles of government on their website.
• They should also publish their annual members’ report and audited financial statement every year.

• 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. In a way that enables pupils, parents, teachers and employers to access and understand it.
• 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.

Provider Access Policy Statement

• Schools should review their arrangements for provider access and must set out those arrangements in a policy statement. The school may revise the policy statement from time to time and we recommend that this is done annually. The policy statement must be published and should be made available on the school website.The purpose of the statement is to set out opportunities for providers to visit and to explain how requests from providers will be handled. The policy statement must include:
  • Any procedural requirements in relation to requests for access e.g. the main point of contact at the school to whom requests should be directed.
  • Grounds for granting and refusing requests for access e.g. details of timetabled careers lessons, assemblies or careers events which providers may attend; and should include the safeguarding policy.
  • Details of premises or facilities to be provided to a person who is given access e.g. rooms and resources to be made available in support of a provider visit.

• How many school employees (if any) have a gross annual salary of £100,000 or more in increments of £10,000 – we recommend using a table to display this.
• a link to the webpage which is dedicated to your school on the schools financial benchmarking service – follow the prompts to find your school’s specific page.

Pre-inspection planning will be informed by analysis of information on the school’s website including the presence and suitability of the safeguarding guidance

• Include suitable safeguarding guidance on your school website. The child protection policy should describe procedures which are in accordance with government guidance and refer to locally agreed multi-agency safeguarding arrangements put in place by the three safeguarding partners.

Individual schools and colleges should ensure they have an effective child protection policy

• This should be updated annually (as a minimum), and be available publicly either via the school or college website or by other means.

• clearly state whether an item is optional or required.
• make clear if the item will only be worn at certain times of the year (for example, if it’s summer or winter uniform).
• make clear whether a generic item will be accepted or if a branded item is required.
• make clear whether an item can only be purchased from a specific retailer or if it can be purchased more widely, including from second-hand retailers.

• Publish opening and closing times.
• Publish total time this amounts to in a typical week (for example 32.5 hours)
• Show the compulsory times school is open (This time runs from the official start of the school day (morning registration) to the official end of the compulsory school day. It includes breaks, but not optional before or after school activities.