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Who and what this guidance is for

This guidance is for maintained schools.

It gives an overview of the information:

• that must be published
• the Department for Education (DfE) recommends should be published

Why information must be published

Every maintained school must publish specific information on its website to comply with:

• theSchool Information (England) Regulations 2008, as amended by theSchool Information (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 and 2016
• other relevant legislation, including:
  • theEquality Act 2010
  • theChildren and Families Act 2014

Schools that do not have their own website must publish this information on an alternative website and provide parents and carers with a link to it.

A school should provide a paper copy of this information free of charge, if a parent or carer requests it.

Admission arrangements

What foundation and voluntary-aided schools must publish

Foundation and voluntary-aided schools must publish their admission arrangements to comply with the:

• school admissions code
• school admission appeals code

September admissions normal point of entry

By 15 March each year, the school must publish on its website the admission arrangements for children who will be starting school at the normal point of entry in September of the following year. It must retain them there for the whole of the academic year in which offers for places are made.

The admission arrangements must explain:

• how the school considers applications for places in each relevant age group (that is, the age group in which children are normally admitted)
• how many children the school 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 the school
• how the school allocates places, if there are more applicants than places available

Where applicable, schools must also explain how:

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

In-year admissions

By 31 August each year, the school must publish how it will manage in-year applications for places (that is, applications for places in the middle of a school year, or to start in the September of a year which is not the normal point of entry).

If the governing body manages those applications, the school must provide:

• an application form
• supplementary information, if necessary

If the local authority manages those applications, the school must publish a link to the in-year co-ordination scheme.

Admission appeals

By 28 February each year, the school must publish a timetable setting out how it will organise and hear admission appeals.

This timetable must:

• include a deadline that allows a parent or carer at least 20 school days from the date of notification that their application was unsuccessful to prepare and lodge a written appeal
• include reasonable deadlines for:
  • a parent or carer to submit additional evidence
  • admission authorities to submit their evidence
  • the clerk to send appeal papers to the panel and parties
• ensure that a parent or carer lodging an appeal receives 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

Further guidance is available in the school admission appeals code.

What community and voluntary-controlled schools must publish

Community and voluntary-controlled schools must publish a link to the local authoritys website for parents and carers who wish to find out about the schools admission and appeal arrangements. It is the local authority that manages both processes.

Behaviour policy

What schools must publish

Schools must publish their behaviour policy. It must comply withsection 89 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006.

Guidance on developing and publishing a behaviour policy is available.

Careers programme information

What secondary schools must publish

Secondary schools must publish information about how they deliver careers guidance to pupils in years 7 to 13.

For the current academic year, this must include:

• the name and contact details of the schools careers lead
• a summary of its careers programme, including details of how pupils, parents, carers, teachers and employers can access information about it
• how the school measures and assesses the programmes impact on pupils
• the date by which it will review this information

Secondary schools must publish a policy statement to comply with section 42B of the Education Act 1997, known as the provider access legislation.

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.

Statutory guidance on providing careers guidance is available.

Charging and remissions policies

What schools must publish

Schools must publish their:

• charging policy, giving details of activities for which they will charge parents and carers
• remissions policy, giving details of any circumstances in which they will wholly or partly waive any charge they would otherwise expect parents and carers to pay

Guidance on charging for school activities is available. Sections 449 to 462 of the Education Act 1996 set out the law on charging in schools maintained by local authorities.

Complaints policy

What schools must publish

Schools must publish their complaints policy to comply with section 29 of the Education Act 2002. The best practice guidance supports them to set up and review their complaints procedures.

They must also publish the details of any arrangements for handling complaints from parents and carersabout the support they provide for children withspecial educational needs and disability (SEND). They must do this as part of theirSENinformation report.

Contact details

What all schools must publish

Al schools must publish:

• their postal address
• their telephone number
• the name of the member of staff
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