Equality information and objectives: what to publish on your school website
Your website needs yearly equality information, plus specific, measurable equality objectives that you renew at least every four years.
Check this on my websiteWho 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 it's due
Every year
Counted from your last update.
What's needed
Publish equality information showing how your school meets the public sector equality duty on the statutory information page on your website every year, with specific, measurable equality objectives renewed at least every four years.
In this requirement
- 1Annual equality information2 parts
- Academy: Must: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.
- Maintained: Must: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.
- 2Equality objectives2 parts
- Academy: Must: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.
- Maintained: Must: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.
Section 1 of 2
Annual equality information
Each year the school must publish information showing how it meets the public sector equality duty, including information about employees and about people affected by its policies and practices who share a protected characteristic.
- Academies: Must: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.
- Maintained schools: Must: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.
What it must contain
2 parts- Gives equality information about employees who share a protected characteristicMust: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.
- Lists every other person affected by its policies and practicesMust: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.
What the official sources say
Set out in 3 official sources:
What maintained schools must publish online
Schools must publish: – details of how they comply with the public sector equality duty , updating this every year
Must: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.§ Public sector equality duty > What schools must publish
What academies must publish online
Academies and FE colleges must publish: – details of how they comply with the public sector equality duty , updating this every year
Must: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.§ Public sector equality duty > What academies and FE colleges must publish
Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017 (SI 2017/353)
1 Each public authority listed in Schedule 2 to these Regulations must publish information to demonstrate its compliance with the duty imposed by section 149(1) of the Act.
Must: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.§ SI 2017/353 reg 4(1)
2 The public authority must publish the information required by paragraph (1)— a not later than 30th March 2018; and b subsequently at intervals of not greater than one year beginning with the date of last publication.
Must: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.§ SI 2017/353 reg 4(2)
Show 1 more from this source
3 The information a public authority publishes in compliance with paragraph (1) must include, in particular, information relating to persons who share a relevant protected characteristic who are— a its employees; b other persons affected by its policies and practices.
Must: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.§ SI 2017/353 reg 4(3)
Section 2 of 2
Equality objectives
At least every four years the school must publish one or more specific objectives it is aiming to achieve for groups of pupils or staff, and later publications should show progress towards the objectives.
- Academies: Must: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.
- Maintained schools: Must: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.
What it must contain
2 parts- Says each equality objective is specific and measurableMust: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.
- Says what progress has been made towards the equality objectivesShould: Recommended in official guidance, such as the DfE's. Not a legal requirement in itself.
What the official sources say
Set out in 3 official sources:
What maintained schools must publish online
– their equality objectives, updating these at least every 4 years
Must: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.§ Public sector equality duty > What schools must publish
Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017 (SI 2017/353)
1 Each public authority listed in Schedule 2 to these Regulations must prepare and publish one or more objectives it thinks it should achieve to do any of the things mentioned in paragraphs (a) to (c) of section 149(1) of the Act.
Must: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.§ SI 2017/353 reg 5(1)
2 The objectives must be published— a not later than 30th March 2018 (subject to regulation 9(2)); and b subsequently at intervals of not greater than four years beginning with the date of last publication.
Must: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.§ SI 2017/353 reg 5(2)
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3 An objective published by a public authority in compliance with paragraph (1) must be specific and measurable.
Must: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.§ SI 2017/353 reg 5(3)
Equality Act 2010: advice for schools (PDF)
5.29 Publication of information in future years should include evidence of the steps being taken and progress made towards meeting the equality objectives that the school has already set itself.
Should: Recommended in official guidance, such as the DfE's. Not a legal requirement in itself.§ DfE Equality Act 2010 advice for schools (May 2014), para 5.29
Objectives are not intended to be burdensome or a ‘tick box’ exercise, but they do need to be specific and measurable. They should be used as a tool to help improve the school experience of a range of different pupils. A school should set as many objectives as it believes are appropriate to its size and circumstances; the objectives should fit the school’s needs and should be achievable.
Expected: Inspectors expect to see it, though it isn't a legal requirement.§ DfE Equality Act 2010 advice for schools (May 2014), para 5.26
Show 1 more from this source
5.11 The specific duties require schools: (a) to publish information to demonstrate how they are complying with the Public Sector Equality Duty, and (b) to prepare and publish equality objectives. By 6 April 2012 schools were obliged to publish their initial information and first set of objectives demonstrating how it complies with the general duty. School have to update the published information at least annually and to publish objectives at least once every four years.
Must: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.§ DfE Equality Act 2010 advice for schools (May 2014), para 5.11
Questions schools ask
Do schools have to publish equality information and objectives?
Annual equality information: Academies and maintained schools must. Equality objectives: Academies and maintained schools must.
What does our equality information need to include?
Equality information about employees who share a protected characteristic; Lists every other person affected by its policies and practices; Says each equality objective is specific and measurable; Says what progress has been made towards the equality objectives.
How often do we need to update our equality objectives?
Every year. Counted from your last update.
Where does the requirement for the equality information and objectives come from?
It is set out in What maintained schools must publish online, What academies must publish online, Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017 (SI 2017/353) and Equality Act 2010: advice for schools (PDF).
Recent changes to the official guidance
Updates to the official sources that affect this requirement, newest first.
12 November 2020 · What maintained schools must publish online
The DfE updated the equality objectives section.
We last checked these sources on 21 September 2026.
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Official wording that does not apply to schools (2)
4 Paragraph (3)(a) does not apply to a public authority with fewer than 150 employees.
2 Where a public authority has, within the period of four years ending with 30th March 2018, published equality objectives in compliance with regulation 3(1) of the 2011 Regulations— a regulation 5(2)(a) does not apply; and b regulation 5(2)(b) is to be read as if— i the word “subsequently” were omitted, and ii the “date of last publication” referred to the date of last publication under regulation 3 of the 2011 Regulations.
Official sources last checked 21 September 2026 · register version 1.0.4