School Website Compliance

School website compliance starts with knowing which information belongs in public view, who owns it and whether the published version is current. A policy may have been approved by governors while an older copy remains online; a trust may hold the right information centrally while the school provides no clear route to it. This collection helps headteachers, school business managers, governance professionals and governors connect publication checks with the records and decisions behind them.

The guides cover primary, secondary and all-through schools, with DfE publication guidance for England as their starting point. Begin with the guidance for the school’s legal status: maintained schools and academies have separate lists, and trusts need to consider their own publication responsibilities. Then check the age range, funding and provision that affect individual items. Schools elsewhere in the UK should use their own national guidance rather than treating the DfE lists as UK-wide requirements. Distinguish information that must be published from information the DfE recommends publishing, and record the source used for each decision.

Use the school website compliance checklist to organise the content review: governance and contacts, finance and funding, safeguarding, curriculum, SEND, admissions and policies. Its phase-specific notes help reviewers identify relevant items without treating a primary-only list as sufficient for a secondary or all-through school. The audit guide then explains how to run the work: agree ownership, test public pages and downloads, capture dated evidence, assign corrections and report findings to the governing board. Together they connect what to check with how to complete and evidence the review.

A useful publication record links each item to its live URL, approved source, owner, date checked and next review point. Separate a missing document from a broken link or an outdated version so the next action is clear. For example, after a policy approval, ask the owner to update the public copy and have a reviewer reopen the link before closing the task. Keep unresolved items visible with an owner and due date; a completed checklist alone does not show whether corrections reached the live website.

Bring the findings into routine governance and inspection preparation. Governors need a concise account of the scope checked, material gaps, overdue actions and evidence that fixes were verified. The wider board governance resources help connect that report to meeting papers and recorded follow-up, while the inspection readiness resources help organise the supporting evidence. A termly check and a fuller annual review can provide a practical rhythm, with additional checks when policies, contacts or official guidance change; choose a schedule that reflects the school’s circumstances.

• How to Audit Your School Website for Statutory Compliance

  Follow a practical termly or annual audit process for statutory school website content, evidence records, ownership and governing board reporting.

• Keeping Your School Website Compliant After Policy Updates

  Connect policy approval to website publication with named owners, planned timing, version checks and evidence that the live information matches the approved change.

• School Website Compliance Checklist: DfE Requirements Explained

  Review DfE website publication guidance for maintained schools and academies in England, with primary and secondary notes, evidence checks and audit actions.

Connect website checks to wider governance

• Board Governance

  Connect website findings to governor meeting papers, decisions and follow-up actions.

• Inspection Readiness

  Keep dated website review evidence with the records that explain the school’s wider readiness.