The problem is rarely a single dramatic omission. More often, policies reach their review dates, staff details change, reports remain labelled for the previous academic year or a document is replaced without checking whether the new version is accessible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The solution is to treat website compliance as a calendar of recurring responsibilities, not as an annual website audit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The dates below apply to schools and academy trusts in England. Requirements differ according to school type, phase, admissions responsibility and funding received, so each setting should maintain its own tailored checklist. You can download Greenhouse\u2019s free statutory and Ofsted school website requirements checklist<\/a> to help identify the requirements that apply to your school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The beginning of the academic year is the natural point to check information that refers to the \u201ccurrent academic year\u201d or may have changed over the summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Review:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not everything on this list carries a fixed September deadline. However, leaving last year\u2019s information visible creates avoidable risk and a poor experience for parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Secondary schools must publish specified information about their careers provision for the current academic year, including the careers lead\u2019s contact details, a programme summary, its impact-assessment arrangements and a review date. Maintained schools are subject to an explicit publishing requirement; the DfE describes much of the equivalent academy information as information academies \u201cshould\u201d publish, alongside the statutory provider-access statement. DfE guidance for maintained schools<\/a> and DfE guidance for academies<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Academy trusts and foundation or voluntary-aided maintained schools responsible for their own admissions must publish details of how they will manage in-year applications by 31 August each year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where the school or trust manages applications, the website must provide the application form and any necessary supplementary information. Where the local authority manages them, the website should direct parents to the relevant local-authority scheme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Community and voluntary-controlled schools should instead publish the appropriate local-authority link.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is an easy deadline to overlook because it falls during the summer holiday. Assign ownership before the end of term and schedule the website update in advance. DfE maintained-school admissions requirements<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Some information does not have a universal calendar deadline but must be reviewed annually or updated when circumstances change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Schools and academy schools must publish an SEN information report. The DfE says it should be updated annually, with changes made as soon as possible during the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do not simply change the date on the existing document. Confirm that the report still accurately describes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n DfE SEND publication requirements<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Schools and academies must publish information demonstrating compliance with the public sector equality duty and update it every year. Equality objectives must be updated at least every four years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These are separate responsibilities. An up-to-date set of equality objectives does not remove the need to refresh the school\u2019s annual equality information. DfE public-sector equality duty requirements<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Membership, roles, attendance records and relevant interests can all change during the year. Governance information should therefore be checked whenever a governor or trustee joins, leaves or changes role\u2014not held over until the next general website review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For a multi-academy trust, this is best managed centrally, with a clearly identified source of truth rather than separate spreadsheets and web pages maintained by different people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Schools and academies receiving pupil premium must publish their strategy statement by 31 December each year using the DfE template.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even where spending is planned over three years, the published statement must still be updated annually to show current-year activity and the impact of the previous year\u2019s spending. DfE pupil-premium publication requirements<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n A sensible process is to agree the content internally during the first half of the autumn term, leaving time for approval, accessibility checks and publication before the Christmas break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Academy trusts must publish their audited annual report and accounts by 31 January each year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The document should be placed somewhere genuinely easy to find. Publishing a file technically satisfies little if parents, staff and other stakeholders cannot locate it through the website\u2019s navigation or search. DfE academy publication requirements<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Academy trusts and maintained schools that act as their own admission authority should schedule two further deadlines:<\/p>\n\n\n\nBefore pupils return: complete a September reset<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
31 August: check in-year admissions information<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Autumn term: review annual and changing information<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
SEND information report<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
Equality information<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Governance information<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
31 December: publish the pupil premium strategy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
31 January: academy trust accounts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
28 February and 15 March: admissions and appeals<\/h2>\n\n\n\n