Statutory Policies for Schools: Governor Checklist for 2026

Statutory policies for schools depend on school type, legislation, statutory guidance and funding arrangements. The DfE’s former Statutory policies for schools and academy trusts list is withdrawn. Use current governance guides and topic guidance to check each requirement, then record its owner, approval authority, review cycle and publication evidence.

Download the free printable statutory policies checklist (PDF)

Policy and document inventory for England

Checked 5 October 2026. This guide covers England’s maintained schools and academies. It includes policies, plans, procedures and live records: not every duty requires a separate policy. The table covers the full working inventory of categories in the former DfE list, with attendance and uniform added for current planning. It is not a claim that one list exhausts every school’s statutory duties.

Use the guide to the safeguarding governor’s review and reporting role when allocating scrutiny and follow-up, while keeping operational safeguarding work with the appropriate staff.

For the working register behind this checklist, see how Edvance connects policy owners, review dates and approval evidence.

Use the current maintained schools governance guide, section 7 and “Guidance and other resources”, and academy trust governance guide, sections 6–7 and “Guidance and other resources”, as the starting points for current topic requirements. The old list is linked for identification, not as current authority.

In the table, check current source means there is no universal review interval asserted here. Put a local review date in the register after checking current legislation, guidance, the employer, local authority or trust arrangements. Delegation check means establish the authorised decision-maker under the applicable rules; it does not mean the headteacher can approve every policy.

Policy	Maintained	Academy	Review frequency	Who approves
Admission arrangements	Admissions authority duties	Trust admissions duties	Determine annually; consultation has separate rules	Relevant admissions authority
Charging and remissions	Applicable	Applicable	Check current source and local cycle	Authorised board/trust route; delegation check
Data protection arrangements and privacy notices	Applicable	Applicable	Keep accurate; review on change	Relevant controller; delegation check
Children’s biometric information arrangements	Where biometric processing occurs	Where biometric processing occurs	Review when processing or consent arrangements change	Responsible school/trust authority
Admission and attendance registers	Applicable	Applicable	Live records	School leaders under applicable register rules
Information published on the website	Applicable publication requirements	Applicable publication requirements	Keep current; topic dates vary	School/trust accountable authority
Complaints procedure	Required	Required	Check current source and local cycle	Governing body/trust arrangements
Staff capability procedure	Applicable employment duties	Applicable employment duties	Check current source and employer arrangements	Employer/authorised governing authority
Early career teacher induction arrangements	Where induction is provided	Where induction is provided	Check current induction guidance	School/employer arrangements and appropriate body roles
Staff discipline, conduct and grievance procedures	Applicable	Applicable	Check employer rules; review on change	Employer; delegation check
Single central recruitment and vetting record	Required	Required	Live record	School/trust arrangements; board oversight
Allegations and concerns about staff procedures	Required safeguarding arrangements	Required safeguarding arrangements	Align with current KCSIE and review on change	Governing body/proprietor arrangements
Teachers’ pay policy	Applicable statutory pay framework	Check contracts, trust and funding arrangements	Check current pay document; annual planning check	Employer/authorised pay committee
Accessibility plan	Required	Required	Implement and review under Equality Act duties	Responsible body; delegation check
Child protection policy and procedures	Required	Required	At least annually under KCSIE; update as needed	Governing body/proprietor
Education for children unable to attend due to health needs	Applicable school duties	Applicable school duties	Check current health-needs guidance and local arrangements	Governing body/trust route with relevant authority roles
Early years foundation stage arrangements	If relevant provision	If relevant provision	Topic-specific statutory framework requirements	Provider/authorised school or trust route
SEND policy and SEN information report	Applicable	Applicable	Update published information annually and on relevant change	Governing body/proprietor; delegation check
Supporting pupils with medical conditions policy	Required	Required	Review regularly and for relevant changes	Governing body/proprietor arrangements
Relationships education/RSE policy	Phase-specific requirements	Phase-specific requirements	Check current guidance; keep appropriate to context	Governing body/trust arrangements
Behaviour policy, including anti-bullying measures	Required	Required	Check current guidance; regular local review	Headteacher arrangements; trust rules where relevant
Written statement of behaviour principles	Required maintained framework	No equivalent maintained-only statement duty	Review under applicable framework	Governing body
Suspension and permanent exclusion arrangements	Applicable	Applicable	Check current statutory guidance and any changes	Headteacher decision duties and board review duties remain distinct
Health and safety policy	Applicable employer duties	Applicable employer duties	Review when necessary; no universal two-year rule asserted	Employer
First-aid arrangements	Applicable	Applicable	Review needs and arrangements regularly	Employer/authorised school or trust route
Premises management documents	Applicable	Applicable	Document-specific checks and inspection schedules	Employer/landowner/responsible authority as applicable
Equality information and objectives	Applicable public-sector duties	Applicable public-sector duties	Information at least annually; objectives at least every four years	Governing body/trust responsible authority
Governors’ allowances scheme	Where an allowance scheme is adopted	Check applicable trust arrangements	Check scheme and applicable rules	Governing body or authorised trust route
Instrument of government / trust governing documents	Instrument applies	Articles and other governing documents apply	Review when constitution changes; formal procedures apply	Governing body/local authority roles or trust/member route
Register of business and pecuniary interests	Applicable	Applicable	Keep current; trust annual update and change rules	Board/trust oversight; individuals supply disclosures
Careers programme and provider access statement	Relevant phases	Relevant phases	Check current careers guidance and publication changes	Governing body/trust oversight and school leader implementation
Attendance policy	Required by current statutory attendance guidance	Required by current statutory attendance guidance	Review and update as necessary	School/trust arrangements with governor oversight
School uniform policy	Where a uniform is used	Where a uniform is used	Appropriate intervals; review relevant changes	Governing board/trust arrangements

How to verify the table against current primary sources

The table is a planning inventory. For each applicable row, open the current source and record the specific duty in the school’s register. Do not copy a review date from a neighbouring row or assume “annual” always means a statutory requirement. Requirements can differ by phase, employer, admissions authority and the trust’s governing documents.

The maintained guide’s section 7 maps the principal areas: education (§7.2), funding and charging (§7.3), health and safety (§7.4), information management (§7.7), safeguarding and medical conditions (§7.8), behaviour (§7.9), admissions (§7.10), attendance (§7.11), complaints (§7.13), premises (§7.17), uniform (§7.19), staffing (§7.20) and whistleblowing (§7.21).

The academy guide provides the equivalent trust context: admissions (§7.1), attendance (§7.2), complaints (§7.3), education and SEND (§7.4), finance and charging (§7.5), health and safety (§7.6), information (§7.9), safeguarding and medical conditions (§7.10), behaviour (§7.11), premises (§7.15), uniform (§7.17), staffing (§7.18) and whistleblowing (§7.19). Trusts should also check their funding agreement and the current Academy Trust Handbook.

For safeguarding, consult Keeping Children Safe in Education, Part Two. It addresses the child protection policy, annual review, staff behaviour arrangements, reporting concerns and recruitment records. The child protection policy and related arrangements should work together; several documents may be needed, but avoid unnecessary duplication.

For admissions, use the School Admissions Code, particularly the arrangements, consultation and determination provisions. Determining arrangements annually does not mean consulting on them annually in every case. Establish which body is the admissions authority before assigning approval to governors.

For publication, check what maintained schools must publish online and what academies and trusts must publish online. The SEND information report and equality duties have their own publication cycles. A register should distinguish the approved document from the evidence that its current version is publicly available.

For attendance, use Working together to improve school attendance, the school attendance policy section. For uniform, use the cost of school uniforms guidance, the policy-review section. For behaviour, use Behaviour in schools alongside the applicable governance guide.

Who approves: distinguish accountability and delegation

The governing board or trust holds accountability, but not every policy needs the full board’s approval. Identify the applicable legal or guidance requirement first, then use the scheme of delegation, committee terms and employer arrangements. Some responsibilities lie with the headteacher, an admissions authority or the employer.

A useful register has separate fields for the drafting owner, reviewer, recommendation route and decision-maker. That avoids a policy being marked “governor approved” when it was only received for information. Keep the minute or other authorised decision record attached to the correct version and date.

Where a trust approves a central policy, check how local implementation and publication are handled. A local committee may monitor and report without having authority to amend or approve the trust policy. Ask what local adaptation is permitted and how any exception is authorised.

Use the policy approval evidence guide for a practical record of decisions. Review the delegation arrangements if the approval route is unclear, rather than making up a route to clear an overdue item.

What governors should check at a meeting

Ask whether the inventory fits the school type and current activities, whether each policy has an owner and whether its review cycle has an identified basis. Establish which approvals are due and what information the decision-maker needs. Separate policies needing revision from policies awaiting publication of an already-approved version.

Check the register against live website links. Open the published file, compare its version and confirm it is accessible. A tick indicating “uploaded” does not establish that the public link works or that the approved file is the one served.

When an overdue item is found, assess the practical risk and source requirement, assign an owner and schedule the appropriate decision. Record any interim action. A late review is a matter to address; it is not a basis for predicting an inspection outcome without evidence.

Use the school policy review checklist for the operational calendar, and the school policy workflow guide for ownership and follow-through. This page remains the inventory and governor-oversight target.

Free checklist and continuing oversight

The statutory policies checklist supports a practical review of ownership, approval, publication and evidence. It is a working aid, rather than a substitute for current topic guidance or an assurance that every legal duty has been met.

Agree a manageable reporting cycle. A short exception report can identify overdue reviews, decisions required, publication gaps and significant changes in official guidance. Keep enough detail for governors to understand the issue and decide the response without requiring them to administer every document.

Record decisions and return to outstanding actions at the agreed meeting. Policy oversight works when the current requirement, approved version and actual practice agree, and when the board can explain how it knows that they agree.

Frequently asked questions

How often should school policies be reviewed?

Each policy should follow the cycle set by current legislation, DfE guidance, the trust or local authority where relevant, and the governing board's approved schedule. The policy register should show the last approval date, next review date, owner, and publication status.

Who is responsible for approving school policies?

Responsibility depends on the policy and scheme of delegation, but many policies require governing board or trust approval after preparation by the headteacher or designated owner. The approval decision, version, and date should be recorded in the minutes.

What should a school do when a policy is out of date?

The school should assess the possible gap, confirm the current official requirement, assign an owner, and schedule review and approval according to risk and urgency. Any interim control or communication should also be recorded.

What policy evidence should a school keep for inspection readiness?

The school should keep the current approved version, approval date, relevant minute, next review date, owner, version history, and publication record where applicable. These records show the full policy lifecycle rather than just the existence of a document.