MustDepartment for Education (DfE) publishing rules

Contact details

The school's name, postal address and telephone number, the member of staff who handles queries, the headteacher and the SENCO. Maintained schools must publish most of these and academies should, but every mainstream school must name its SENCO.

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Who it applies to

Published on
The school's own website
School type
Academies and maintained schools
School stage
All stages, from early years to sixth form
Does not apply to
No school types are excluded

When is it due?

Renewal
No fixed date

The official sources set no renewal date. Keep it accurate whenever it changes.

What's needed

Publish the name of the member of staff who deals with queries from parents and the public, with their contact details, on the contact page.

In this requirement

Show obligations for
  1. 1Contact for queries
    • Academy: Should
    • Maintained: Must
    No parts listed
  2. 2Headteacher's name
    • Academy: Should
    No parts listed
  3. 3Address and telephone
    • Academy: Should
    • Maintained: Must
    2 parts
  4. 4SENCO name and contact
    • Academy: Must
    • Maintained: Must
    1 part
  5. 5Trust contact details
      3 parts

    Section 1 of 5

    Contact for queries

    The school must publish the name of the member of staff who deals with queries from parents, carers and the public.

    • Academies: Should
    • Maintained schools: Must

    What it must contain

    No parts listed

    The official sources name no separate parts for this requirement. We check that it is published and easy to find.

    What the official sources say

    Set out in 2 official sources:

    What maintained schools must or should publish online

    Updated 24 October 2024 · All items from this source

    • Al schools must 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

      Must§ Contact details > What all schools must publish

    What academies, free schools and colleges must or should publish online

    Updated 24 October 2024 · All items from this source

    • 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

      Should§ Contact details > What academies and FE colleges should publish

    Section 2 of 5

    Headteacher's name

    The school should publish the name of its headteacher or principal.

    • Academies: Should

    The register sets this section for academies only.

    What it must contain

    No parts listed

    The official sources name no separate parts for this requirement. We check that it is published and easy to find.

    What the official sources say

    Set out in 1 official source:

    What academies, free schools and colleges must or should publish online

    Updated 24 October 2024 · All items from this source

    • – the name of their headteacher or principal

      Should§ Contact details > What academies and FE colleges should publish

    Section 3 of 5

    Address and telephone

    The school's name, postal address and telephone number must be on the website: the card looks for a postcode/address and a telephone number.

    • Academies: Should
    • Maintained schools: Must

    What it must contain

    2 parts
    • Gives the school's postal addressMust
    • Gives the school's telephone numberMust

    What the official sources say

    Set out in 1 official source:

    What maintained schools must or should publish online

    Updated 24 October 2024 · All items from this source

    • – their postal address

      Must§ Contact details > What all schools must publish

    • – their telephone number

      Must§ Contact details > What all schools must publish

    Section 4 of 5

    SENCO name and contact

    Mainstream schools must name their special educational needs coordinator (SENCO) and publish contact details for the SENCO.

    • Academies: Must
    • Maintained schools: Must

    What it must contain

    1 part
    • Gives the name and contact details of the SENCOMust

    What the official sources say

    Set out in 3 official sources:

    What maintained schools must or should publish online

    Updated 24 October 2024 · All items from this source

    • Mainstream schools must also publish the name and contact details of their special educational needs co-ordinator .

      Must§ Contact details > What mainstream schools must publish

    What academies, free schools and colleges must or should publish online

    Updated 24 October 2024 · All items from this source

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

      Must§ Contact details > What mainstream academy schools must publish

    SEND code of practice

    Version January 2015 · All items from this source

    • 6.84 Governing bodies of maintained mainstream schools and the proprietors of mainstream academy schools (including free schools) must ensure that there is a qualified teacher designated as SENCO for the school.

      Must§ Chapter 6, para 6.84, page 108

    • The information required is set out in the Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014 and must include information about: • the kinds of SEN that are provided for • policies for identifying children and young people with SEN and assessing their needs, including the name and contact details of the SENCO (mainstream schools) • arrangements for consulting parents of children with SEN and involving them in their child’s education • arrangements for consulting young people with SEN and involving them in their education • arrangements for assessing and reviewing children and young people’s progress towards outcomes. This should include the opportunities available to work with parents and young people as part of this assessment and review • arrangements for supporting children and young people in moving between phases of education and in preparing for adulthood. As young people prepare for adulthood outcomes should reflect their ambitions, which could include higher education, employment, independent living and participation in society • the approach to teaching children and young people with SEN • how adaptations are made to the curriculum and the learning environment of children and young people with SEN

      Must§ Chapter 6, para 6.79, page 106 (list continues on page 107: expertise and training of staff; evaluating effectiveness; engagement in activities; emotional and social development; involving other bodies; complaints)

    Section 5 of 5

    Trust contact details

    The trust's website must give contact details: a geographic address, an email address, an address for complaints where it sells to the public, and who the data controller is and how to contact them.

      The register sets this section for maintained schools only.

      What it must contain

      3 parts
      • Gives the trust's geographic addressMust
      • Gives the trust's email addressMust
      • Gives a separate address for complaints, when it differs from the trust's main addressMust

      What the official sources say

      Set out in 4 official sources:

      UK GDPR (Regulation (EU) 2016/679 as retained), revised

      Version revised (legislation.gov.uk)

      • the identity and the contact details of the controller and, where applicable, of the controller's representative;

        Must§ Article 13(1)(a)

      • the contact details of the data protection officer, where applicable;

        Must§ Article 13(1)(b)

      Show 1 more from this source
      • The controller or the processor shall publish the contact details of the data protection officer and communicate them to the Commissioner.

        Must§ Article 37(7)

      Electronic Commerce (EC Directive) Regulations 2002 (SI 2002/2013), regulation 6

      Version revised (legislation.gov.uk)

      • c the details of the service provider, including his electronic mail address, which make it possible to contact him rapidly and communicate with him in a direct and effective manner;

        Must§ reg. 6(1)(c)

      Provision of Services Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2999), regulation 8

      Version revised (legislation.gov.uk)

      • c the geographic address at which the provider is established and details by which the provider may be contacted rapidly and communicated with directly (including, where the provider may be contacted and communicated with by electronic means, the details of how the provider may be so contacted and communicated with);

        Must§ reg. 8(1)(c)

      Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 (SI 2013/3134)

      Version revised (legislation.gov.uk)

      • e if different from the address provided in accordance with paragraph (c), the geographical address of the place of business of the trader, and, where the trader acts on behalf of another trader, the geographical address of the place of business of that other trader, where the consumer can address any complaints;

        Must§ Sch. 2 para (e)

      Questions schools ask

      Does every school have to publish the contact details?

      Contact for queries: Maintained schools must publish it. Academies should publish it. Headteacher's name: Academies should publish it. The official sources we check set no requirement for maintained schools. Address and telephone: Maintained schools must publish it. Academies should publish it. SENCO name and contact: Academies and maintained schools must publish it. Trust contact details: The official sources we check set no requirement for academies. The official sources we check set no requirement for maintained schools.

      When does the contact details need to be published?

      Renewal: No fixed date. The official sources set no renewal date. Keep it accurate whenever it changes.

      What must the contact details include?

      Gives the school's postal address; Gives the school's telephone number; Gives the name and contact details of the SENCO; Gives the trust's geographic address; Gives the trust's email address; Gives a separate address for complaints, when it differs from the trust's main address.

      Where does the requirement for the contact details come from?

      It is set out in What maintained schools must or should publish online, What academies, free schools and colleges must or should publish online, SEND code of practice and UK GDPR (Regulation (EU) 2016/679 as retained), revised and 3 other sources.

      Changes to the official sources

      The sources for this item do not publish dated change notes. Their current versions are listed above.

      We last checked these sources on 21 September 2026.

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      Official wording that does not apply to schools (2)
      Information in respect of each school mentioned in the composite prospectus 9 The name, postal address, website addresses (if they have one), and telephone number of the school. 10 The name of a person to whom enquiries should be addressed. 11 The classification of the school as— a a community, foundation, voluntary controlled or voluntary aided school, Academy, city technology college or city college for the technology of the arts; b a primary, middle or secondary school; c a co-educational or single-sex school; d a day or boarding school, or a school taking both day and boarding pupils; e in the case of a school with selection arrangements, a partially selective school or a grammar school; f in the case of a school designated as having a religious character by an order under section 69(3) of SSFA 1998, the religious denomination, or denominations, of the school; g in the case of a school with specialist status, its specialism. 12 The expected number of pupils at the school and their age range.
      The School Information (England) Regulations 2008 (as made)§ Schedule 2, Part 2, paragraphs 9-12Version as madelegislation.gov.uk ↗
      6.92 It may be appropriate for a number of smaller primary schools to share a SENCO employed to work across the individual schools, where they meet the other requirements set out in this chapter of the Code.
      SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 years (January 2015)§ Chapter 6, para 6.92, page 109Version January 2015assets.publishing.service.gov.uk ↗

      Official sources last checked 21 September 2026 · register version 1.0.4