FOI publication scheme: what to publish on your school website
Your website needs a freedom of information publication scheme that adopts the ICO's model scheme and lists what you publish and any charges.
Check this on my websiteWho it applies to
- Published on
- School and trust websites
- 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
Keep it up to date
There's no fixed date. Update it whenever something changes.
What's needed
Publish a freedom of information publication scheme on the statutory information page on your website that adopts the ICO model scheme and lists the classes of information you publish, how each is published and any charges.
What it must contain
7 parts- Dates when the publication scheme was last reviewedMust: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.
- States that it has adopted the ICO's model publication schemeMust: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.
- Lists the classes of information it publishes or intends to publishMust: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.
- Says how each class of information is publishedMust: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.
- States whether the published information is free or charged forMust: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.
- Publishes datasets released in response to information requestsMust: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.
- Sets out the seven commitments and seven classes of the publication schemeShould: Recommended in official guidance, such as the DfE's. Not a legal requirement in itself.
What the official sources say
Set out in 2 official sources:
Freedom of Information Act 2000 s19 (publication schemes)
1 It shall be the duty of every public authority— a to adopt and maintain a scheme which relates to the publication of information by the authority and is approved by the Commissioner (in this Act referred to as a “publication scheme”), b to publish information in accordance with its publication scheme, and c from time to time to review its publication scheme.
Must: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.§ s. 19(1)(a)-(c)
2 A publication scheme must— a specify classes of information which the public authority publishes or intends to publish, b specify the manner in which information of each class is, or is intended to be, published, and c specify whether the material is, or is intended to be, available to the public free of charge or on payment.
Must: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.§ s. 19(2)(a)-(c)
Show 2 more from this source
2A A publication scheme must, in particular, include a requirement for the public authority concerned— a to publish— i any dataset held by the authority in relation to which a person makes a request for information to the authority, and ii any up-dated version held by the authority of such a dataset, unless the authority is satisfied that it is not appropriate for the dataset to be published,
Must: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.§ s. 19(2A)(a)(i)-(ii)
4 A public authority shall publish its publication scheme in such manner as it thinks fit.
Must: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.§ s. 19(4)
ICO: Publication schemes, a guide (model publication scheme)
As well as responding to requests for information, you must publish information proactively. The Freedom of Information Act requires every public authority to have a publication scheme, approved by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), and to publish information covered by the scheme.
Must: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.§ At a glance
No. Every public authority must have a publication scheme, but the ICO has now created a model publication scheme that all public authorities must use. It is available in two versions; one is designed for those public authorities that are only covered for certain information, and the other is for all other public authorities. Any publication scheme you have that was created before 1 January 2009 is now out of date and you should replace it with the ICO model scheme.
Must: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.§ Do we need to produce our own publication scheme?
Show 1 more from this source
The model publication scheme is a short document (say two pages long) setting out your high-level commitment to proactively publish information. It is suitable for all sectors and consists of seven commitments and seven classes of information.
Should: Recommended in official guidance, such as the DfE's. Not a legal requirement in itself.§ What is the model publication scheme?
Questions schools ask
Do schools have to publish an FOI publication scheme?
Academies and maintained schools must.
What does a school publication scheme need to include?
Dates when the publication scheme was last reviewed; States that it has adopted the ICO's model publication scheme; Lists the classes of information it publishes or intends to publish; Says how each class of information is published; States whether the published information is free or charged for; Publishes datasets released in response to information requests; and 1 more part listed above.
How often do we need to review our publication scheme?
Keep it up to date. There's no fixed date. Update it whenever something changes.
Where does the requirement for the freedom of information publication scheme come from?
It is set out in Freedom of Information Act 2000 s19 (publication schemes) and ICO: Publication schemes, a guide (model publication scheme).
Recent changes to the official guidance
The official sources for this requirement don't publish dated change notes. We check them for changes ourselves.
We last checked these sources on 21 September 2026.
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Official sources last checked 21 September 2026 · register version 1.0.4