Modern slavery statement: what to publish on your trust website
If your trust's turnover is £36 million or more, this yearly statement on slavery and human trafficking may apply, as it isn't settled whether it covers academy trusts.
Check this on my websiteWho it applies to
- Published on
- Every school and trust website
- School type
- Academies
- School stage
- All stages, from early years to sixth form
- Only applies to
- Organisations with turnover of £36,000,000 or more
- Does not apply to
- No school types are excluded
When it's due
By 31 January each year
Alongside the annual accounts for the year to 31 August.
What's needed
Publish a modern slavery statement for each financial year, approved by the board and signed by a director, and link to it prominently from the homepage footer of your trust's website.
What it must contain
9 parts- Links prominently to the slavery and human trafficking statementMust: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.
- States the steps taken during the financial year to prevent slavery and traffickingMust: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.
- Says the statement is approved by the board and signed by a directorMust: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.
- Describes the organisation's structure, business and supply chainsGood practice: Recommended as good practice. Not required.
- Lists the organisation's policies on slavery and human traffickingGood practice: Recommended as good practice. Not required.
- Describes its due diligence on slavery and trafficking in its supply chainsGood practice: Recommended as good practice. Not required.
- Says where the risk of slavery and trafficking lies in its business and supply chainsGood practice: Recommended as good practice. Not required.
- Says how effective its steps against slavery and trafficking have beenGood practice: Recommended as good practice. Not required.
- Describes the training on slavery and trafficking available to staffGood practice: Recommended as good practice. Not required.
What the official sources say
Set out in 1 official source:
Modern Slavery Act 2015 s54 (transparency in supply chains)
b include a link to the slavery and human trafficking statement in a prominent place on that website's homepage.
Must: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.§ s. 54(7)(b)
A commercial organisation within subsection (2) must prepare a slavery and human trafficking statement for each financial year of the organisation.
Must: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.§ s. 54(1)
Show 4 more from this source
If the organisation has a website, it must— a publish the slavery and human trafficking statement on that website, and
Must: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.§ s. 54(7)(a)
An organisation's slavery and human trafficking statement may include information about— a the organisation's structure, its business and its supply chains; b its policies in relation to slavery and human trafficking; c its due diligence processes in relation to slavery and human trafficking in its business and supply chains; d the parts of its business and supply chains where there is a risk of slavery and human trafficking taking place, and the steps it has taken to assess and manage that risk; e its effectiveness in ensuring that slavery and human trafficking is not taking place in its business or supply chains, measured against such performance indicators as it considers appropriate; f the training about slavery and human trafficking available to its staff.
Good practice: Recommended as good practice. Not required.§ s. 54(5)(a)-(f)
A slavery and human trafficking statement for a financial year is— a a statement of the steps the organisation has taken during the financial year to ensure that slavery and human trafficking is not taking place— i in any of its supply chains, and ii in any part of its own business, or b a statement that the organisation has taken no such steps.
Must: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.§ s. 54(4)(a)-(b)
A slavery and human trafficking statement— a if the organisation is a body corporate other than a limited liability partnership, must be approved by the board of directors (or equivalent management body) and signed by a director (or equivalent);
Must: Required by law, statutory guidance or the academy's funding agreement.§ s. 54(6)(a)
Questions schools ask
Do academy trusts have to publish a modern slavery statement?
Academies and maintained schools must. It only applies to organisations with turnover of £36,000,000 or more.
What does a modern slavery statement need to include?
Links prominently to the slavery and human trafficking statement; States the steps taken during the financial year to prevent slavery and trafficking; Says the statement is approved by the board and signed by a director; Describes the organisation's structure, business and supply chains; Lists the organisation's policies on slavery and human trafficking; Describes its due diligence on slavery and trafficking in its supply chains; and 3 more parts listed above.
When is the modern slavery statement due?
By 31 January each year. Alongside the annual accounts for the year to 31 August.
Where does the requirement for the modern slavery statement come from?
It is set out in Modern Slavery Act 2015 s54 (transparency in supply chains).
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