Guidance

What academies and further education colleges must or should publish online

Information that academies – including any educational setting with academy arrangements – and further education (FE) colleges must or should publish on their website.

• From: Department for Education
• Published: 30 June 2016
• Last updated: 24 October 2024 — See all updates

Applies to England

There is separate guidance on what schools maintained by a local authority must or should publish online.

Who and what this guidance is for

This guidance is for

• academies
• academy trusts
• further education (FE) colleges

The references to FE colleges apply to:

• FE college corporations
• sixth-form college corporations
• designated institutions established or designated under the Further and Higher Education Act 1992

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 academy and FE college must publish specific information on its website to comply with either its:

• funding agreement, or
• accountability agreement

There are additional requirements about what to publish that are set out in:

• the Equality Act 2010
• the Children and Families Act 2014
• related regulations

Academies and colleges should provide a paper copy of this information free of charge, if a parent or carer requests it.

Admission arrangements

What academy trusts must publish

Academy trusts must publish their admission arrangements to comply with the:

• school admissions code
• school admission appeals code

The school admissions and appeals codes do not apply to special academies, alternative provision settings or stand-alone 16 to 19 institutions.

September admissions – normal point of entry

By 15 March each year, the trust 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 trust considers applications for places in each relevant age group (that is, the age group in which children are normally admitted to its schools) 
• how many children the trust 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 one of the trust’s schools 
• how the trust allocates places if there are more applicants than places available 

Where applicable, the trust must also explain how:

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

In-year admissions

By 31 August each year, the trust 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 trust manages those applications, it must provide:

• an application form
• supplementary information, if necessary

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

Admission appeals

By 28 February each year, the trust 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 16 to 19 academies and FE colleges should publish

16 to 19 academies and FE colleges should publish their admission arrangements.

The school admissions and appeals codes do not apply to these settings.

By the September of the academic year before the one in which they will apply, 16 to 19 academies and FE colleges should publish their arrangements. Parents, carers and young people will use these to make an informed choice, so they should remain unchanged during that year.

The admission arrangements should include details of:

• the open days planned
• how to apply for a place
• whether the 16 to 19 academy or FE college gives priority to applications from pupils enrolled at particular schools

Annual reports and accounts

What academy trusts must publish

Academy trusts must publish their audited annual report and accounts on their website by 31 January each year. Guidance is available in the academy trust handbook.

What FE colleges must publish

By 31 January each year, FE colleges must publish their annual report and audited financial statements in an easily accessible location on their website and retain them there for 2 years.

Behaviour policy

What academies should publish

Academies should publish their behaviour policy, including their anti-bullying strategy. Guidance on developing and publishing a behaviour policy is available.

What FE colleges should publish

FE colleges should publish their behaviour policy, including their anti-bullying strategy.

Careers programme information

What secondary academies and 16 to 19 academies must publish

Secondary academies and 16 to 19 academies 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.

What secondary academies, 16 to 19 academies and FE colleges should publish

Secondary academies, 16 to 19 academies and FE colleges should publish information about how they deliver careers guidance to years 7 to 13, as appropriate to their setting and required by their funding or accountability agreement.

For the current academic year, this should include:

• the name and contact details of their careers lead
• a summary of the careers programme, including details of how young people, parents, carers, teachers and employers can access information about it
• how the academy or college measures and assesses the programme’s impact on young people
• the date by which it will review this information

Statutory guidance on providing careers guidance is available.

Charging and remissions policies

What academies should publish 

Academies should publish their:

• charging policy, giving details of activities for which they will charge parents and carers
• remissions policy, giving details of the 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. Academies are required by their funding agreement to comply.

Complaints policy

What academy schools and trusts must make available

All academies and trusts (with the exception of 16-19 academies) must have a complaints procedure that meets the requirements in the standard at the Education (Independent School Standards (England) Regulations 2014 Schedule 1, Part 7. The complaints procedure must be available to parents and carers of children attending an academy.

What academy schools must publish

Academy schools must publish the details of any arrangements for handling complaints from parents and carers about the support they provide for pupils with special educational needs (SEN). They must do this as part of their SEN information report.

What academy trusts and FE colleges must publish

Academy trusts must publish details of their whistleblowing procedure.

FE colleges must publish their whistleblowing policy and regularly review it.

Contact details

What academies and FE colleges should publish

Academies and FE colleges should publish:

• their postal address
• their telephone number
• the name of the member of staff who deals with queries from parents and carers, and the public
• the name of their headteacher or principal
• the name and contact details of the chair of their governing body, if applicable
• the contact details of their academy trust and a link to its website, if applicable

What mainstream academy schools must publish

Mainstream academy schools must also publish in their SEN information report the name and contact details of their special educational needs co-ordinator.

Curriculum

What all academies must publish 

Academies must publish their policy on relationships education or relationships and sex education. They should consult parents and carers when developing and reviewing it. It must meet pupils’, parents’ and carers’ needs, and reflect the community the academy serves.

What all academies should publish 

All academies should publish:

• the content of the curriculum in each academic year for every subject, including mandatory subjects such as religious education (RE) – this applies even if it is taught as part of another subject or known by another name
• information to make parents and carers aware they have the right to withdraw their child from all or part of RE 
• how parents, carers or other members of the public can find out more about the curriculum

Alongside the content of their music curriculum, all academies are expected to publish information about their music development plan. A template is available to support with this.

Where applicable, they should also publish a list of the:

• key stage 1 phonics or reading schemes they use
• key stage 4 courses, including GCSEs, available
• 16 to 19 qualifications they offer

Academies must prepare an accessibility plan that sets out how, over time, they will increase the extent to which disabled pupils participate in the curriculum.

What academies with 16 to 19 provision should publish

Academies with 16 to 19 provision should also publish information on how their curriculum meets the 16 to 19 study programme requirements.

Ethos and values

What academies and FE colleges should publish

Academies and FE colleges should publish a statement setting out their ethos and values.

Executive pay

What academy trusts must publish

Academy trusts must publish the number of employees whose salary and related benefits exceeded £100,000 during the previous academic year ended 31 August. They must present this information in:

• an easily accessible form
• £10,000 bandings

The requirements to publish financial information are set out in the academy trust handbook.

What FE colleges must publish

FE colleges must publish in their annual accounts the salaries of higher-paid staff, in line with the college accounts direction.

FE intervention

What FE colleges in intervention must publish

FE colleges in intervention must:

• publish the FE Commissioner’s summary intervention report on their website, within 14 days of the report being issued
• keep it on the website until the notice to improve is lifted

This requirement is set out in college oversight: support and intervention. It provides public accountability for the college and transparency relating to the work of the FE Commissioner.

Governance information

What FE colleges and 16 to 19 academies must publish

FE colleges must publish:

• their submitted annual accountability statement (part 2) within 3 months of the start of the academic year –that is, by 1 December
• regular reviews of how well the education or training provided by the college meets local needs, in particular those related to employment
• a statement in their annual report on the development of governors and governance professionals

They should publish a summary of the outcomes of their external governance review and the associated action plan (at least every 3 years, with updates following the annual governance self-assessment).

What academy trusts must publish

Academy trusts must publish the following in an easily accessible format on their website:

• a memorandum of association
• their articles of association
• the names of trust members and academy trustees
• the relevant business and financial interests of members, trustees, local governors and accounting officers
• their funding agreement
• any supplemental funding agreement
• up-to-date details of governance arrangements

Further guidance is available in the academy trust handbook.

What academy trusts should publish

DfE encourages academy trusts to publish easily accessible data about the diversity of:

• their board
• any associated committees

There is no prescriptive way to collect this data, but trusts may choose to follow a similar approach to that they use to publish the diversity data of pupils.

Board or committee members can opt out of sharing their information, such as protected characteristics, including after the data has been published.

Trusts must ensure that individuals cannot be identified, which may be a particular issue when board or committee member levels are low. Guidance on the Equality Act 2010 and data protection in schools is available.

What FE colleges should publish

FE colleges should publish the following:

• their governing body’s structure and responsibilities
• details of any committees
• the names of the chair and governors
• information on governor recruitment, such as selection procedures and the work of any search committee

They may wish simply to publish their governors’ handbook, which should include all of this information.

They should also publish their instrument and articles of government.

DfE encourages FE colleges to make an energy and carbon reporting disclosure equivalent to that set out in the Companies (Directors’ Report) and Limited Liability Partnerships (Energy and Carbon Report) Regulations 2018. Guidance is available in the college accounts direction.

Ofsted reports

What academies should publish

Academies should publish either a:

• copy of their most recent Ofsted report, or
• link to the report on the Ofsted website

Pay gap reporting

What academy trusts, academies and FE colleges with 250 or more employees must publish

Academy trusts, academies and FE colleges with 250 or more employees must, in line with the Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2017:

• report their gender pay gap information to the government via the gender pay gap service
• publish this information in a prominent place on their website within one year of their ‘snapshot date’, which, for most public authority employers, will be 31 March

Statutory guidance on the gender pay gap information employers must report is available.

What academy trusts, academies and FE colleges with 250 or more employees may wish to publish

Most public authority employers, including academy trusts, academies and FE colleges, do not need to publish a written statement on their public-facing website.

However, academy trusts, academies and FE colleges with 250 or more employees may wish to publish:

• a supporting narrative to explain their gender pay gap
• an action plan that sets out how they plan to address it

What academy trusts, academies and FE colleges with fewer than 250 employees should publish

Academy trusts, academies and FE colleges with fewer than 250 employees:

• are not required to comply with the regulations, but
• should give serious consideration to the business benefits of doing so

Guidance on who counts as an employee is available.

For academy trusts, academies and FE colleges interested in looking at their ethnicity pay gap, guidance for employers on voluntary ethnicity pay reporting is also available.

PE and sport premium

What academies with primary-aged pupils must publish

Academies that receive PE and sport premium funding must publish, by 31 July each year:

• the amount of premium funding received
• a full breakdown of how it has been or will be spent
• the impact seen by the school on pupils’ participation and attainment in PE and sport
• how this improvement will be sustained

By 31 July each year, the academy must also publish the percentage of pupils in year 6 who have met the national curriculum requirement to:

• swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres
• use a range of strokes effectively – for example, front crawl, backstroke and breaststroke
• perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations

Further guidance is available in the conditions of grant document.

If a school downloads a copy of its digital form return and uses this as its published report, it must ensure the form is converted to HTML format. This is to meet accessibility requirements.

Public sector equality duty

What academies and FE colleges must publish

Academies and FE colleges must publish:

• details of how they comply with the public sector equality duty, updating this every year
• their equality objectives, updating these at least every 4 years

The Equality Act 2010: advice for schools provides guidance on how an academy school can show it has complied, as required by the Equality Act 2010 and the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017.

What FE colleges should publish

FE colleges should publish:

• an annual equality, diversity and inclusion review, including data on protected characteristics at these levels:
  • board
  • executive leadership
  • staff
  • student
• the actions taken to address disparities

Pupil premium

What academies must publish

Academies that receive pupil premium funding must publish a strategy statement on their school website by 31 December each year.

It must explain:

• how the academy is spending its pupil premium funding
• the education outcomes which disadvantaged pupils are achieving

Academies must publish their statement in the DfE template provided on the pupil premium guidance page.

DfE recommends that academies plan their pupil premium spending over 3 years. If they do so, they must still update their statement annually to reflect:

• their spending activity for the current academic year
• the impact of pupil premium in the previous academic year

Remote education

What academies should publish

Academies should publish information about their remote education provision.  

School opening hours  

What academies should publish

Academies should publish the:

• official start time of the compulsory school day
• official end time of the compulsory school day
• total time this amounts to in a typical week, including breaks but not after-school activities

School uniform

What academies should publish

Academies whose pupils are required to wear a uniform should publish an easily understandable policy on their website, in line with statutory guidance on the cost of school uniforms.

It should include information about:

• optional or required items
• items that will be worn only at certain times of year (for example, winter or summer uniform)
• items that must be branded or can be generic
• whether items can be bought only from a specific retailer or more widely
• where second-hand uniform can be purchased

Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)

What academy schools must publish

Academy schools must publish an SEN information report. It should be updated annually and any changes to the information occurring during the year should be updated as soon as possible.

To comply with section 69 of the Children and Families Act 2014, the report must contain:

• the SEN information specified in Schedule 1 to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014 – statutory guidance is available in paragraphs 6.79 to 6.82 of the SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 years
• additional information about the:
  • arrangements for the admission of disabled pupils
  • steps the school has taken to prevent disabled pupils being treated less favourably than other pupils
  • facilities it provides to help disabled pupils access the school
  • accessibility plan it has prepared under paragraph 3 of Schedule 10 to the Equality Act 2010 to:
    • increase the extent to which disabled pupils can participate in the curriculum
    • improve the physical environment to increase the extent to which disabled pupils can take advantage of the educational benefits, facilities or services provided or offered
    • improve the way disabled pupils can access information that is easily accessible to pupils who are not disabled

Test, exam and assessment results  

What all academies should publish

All academies should publish a link to the compare school and college performance service and to their own performance measures page on it.  

Key stage 2

Academies with key stage 2 pupils should publish their most recent key stage 2 performance measures, as published by the Secretary of State, comprising:

• the percentage of their pupils who achieved the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (combined)
• the percentage of their pupils who achieved a higher standard in reading, writing and maths (combined)
• their pupils’ average scaled score in:
  • reading
  • maths

It will not be possible to calculate key stage 1 to key stage 2 progress measures for the 2023 to 2024 or 2024 to 2025 academic years. There is no key stage 1 baseline available to calculate primary progress measures for these years because of Covid-19 disruption.

For the 2023 to 2024 academic year, academies do not have to publish progress scores in reading, writing or maths, as the Secretary of State is not publishing these.

Key stage 4

Academies with key stage 4 pupils should publish their most recent key stage 4 performance measures, as published by the Secretary of State, comprising:

• their Progress 8 score
• the percentage of their pupils achieving a grade 5 or above in GCSE English and GCSE maths
• their Attainment 8 score
• the percentage of their pupils staying in education or going into employment after key stage 4
• the percentage of their pupils who were entered for the English Baccalaureate (EBacc)
• their EBacc average point score (APS)

Key stage 5 (16 to 18)

Academies and FE colleges with students aged 16 to 18 should publish their most recent 16 to 18 performance measures, as published by the Secretary of State, comprising their students’ headline:

• progress (value added) measures
• attainment measures
• retention measures
• destination measures

They do not have to publish value added measures for the 2022 to 2023 academic year, as the Secretary of State is not publishing these.

They do not have to publish English and maths progress measures for the 2022 to 2023 or 2023 to 2024 academic years, as the Secretary of State is not publishing these.

Published 30 June 2016
Last updated 24 October 2024 + show all updates

1. 24 October 2024

   We have updated the ‘test, exam and assessment results’ section. Some of the information which academies and FE colleges should publish has changed in that section. We have added a section on the information that FE colleges in intervention must publish. We have updated information for academies in the ‘behaviour policy’ section. We have also made changes to the ‘pupil premium’, ‘PE and sport premium’, ‘complaints policy’ and ‘governance information’ sections.

2. 19 July 2024

   Updated 'Governance information' section.

3. 15 May 2024

   Reformatted the guidance to improve usability. Added a new section on 'Pay gap reporting', updated the 'Test, exam and assessment results' and included information about publishing a music development plan in the 'Curriculum' section.

4. 17 April 2023

   A section has been added on collecting and publishing trust board diversity data.

5. 15 December 2022

   We have updated example wording which schools can use to show that the most recent key stage 2 performance measures are for the 2018 to 2019 academic year.

6. 5 September 2022

   Page updated to show what academies, free schools and colleges must or should publish in the 2022 to 2023 academic year. Includes new sections on ‘School uniforms’ and ‘School opening hours’, and changes elsewhere.

7. 12 February 2021

   Added a section on remote education - linked to the guidance on remote education provision expectations and the optional template to help schools publish information.

8. 12 November 2020

   Added new sections on 'Coronavirus (COVID-19) catch-up premium' and 'Executive pay'. Updated sections on 'Admission arrangements', 'Ofsted reports', 'Exam and assessment results', 'Curriculum', 'Pupil premium', 'Year 7 literacy and numeracy catch-up premium', 'Coronavirus (COVID-19) catch-up premium', 'PE and sport premium for primary schools', 'Equality objectives' and 'Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)'.

9. 25 October 2018

   Added additional clarification in line with regulations to the SEN section.

10. 24 May 2018

    Updated policy for content on academy websites.

11. 16 June 2017

    Updated guidance for the current academic year.

12. 30 June 2016

    First published.