Website duties: what schools must publish
The 7 website duties items schools and academy trusts must, should or are expected to publish on their websites, with the official wording for each.
7 requirements
- Charity status statementExpectedA statement that the academy trust is an exempt charity, regulated by the DfE rather than the Charity Commission. This is expected, not required, and the registered charity statement does not apply to academy trusts.No fixed date
- Freedom of information publication schemeMustA freedom of information publication scheme, normally the ICO model scheme, listing the classes of information published, how each is published and whether it is free or charged for. Every school and trust must publish one as a public authority.No fixed date
- Fundraising information for donorsMustFundraising information wherever the school or its PTA asks the public for donations: which charity benefits and how to complain about fundraising. Any charitable institution that fundraises from the public must provide this, including PTAs and trusts.No fixed date
- Marketing claims and reviewsMustAnything on the website that markets the school, such as claims about results or facilities, must be clearly identifiable as marketing, and any reviews shown must not leave out negative ones. This duty applies to any advertiser, including schools that market places or services.No fixed date
- Modern slavery statementMustA yearly slavery and human trafficking statement, approved by the board, signed by a director and linked prominently from the homepage, which organisations with a turnover of £36 million or more must publish. Whether this applies to academy trusts is not settled.Every financial year · 1 February each year
- Pre-contract and cancellation informationMustPrices including VAT, cancellation rights and a cancellation form, shown before a buyer commits to an online purchase. It is a duty on any organisation that sells to consumers online, and is only checked for a school when an online shop is found.No fixed date
- Service provider detailsMustDetails every organisation offering services online must show: its name, legal status, geographic address, email address, and any registration and VAT numbers. Schools and trusts need them where they run an online service such as a shop or lettings booking.No fixed date
Want to know which of these your school's website has? We check every one, with the page and the words we found.
Request a free scan