Marketing claims and reviews
Anything 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.
Check this on my websiteWho it applies to
- Published on
- Every school and trust website
- School type
- Academies and maintained schools
- School stage
- All stages, from early years to sixth form
- Only applies to
- Any advertiser; schools only where they market places or services
- 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 promotional content that is obviously identifiable as marketing, and hold evidence on file for every factual claim made about the school on the website.
What it must contain
2 parts- Makes sure marketing communications are clearly identifiable as suchMust
- Shows consumer reviews fairly, without leaving out negative ones, if it publishes reviewsMust
What the official sources say
Set out in 1 official source:
The CAP Code (full PDF)
2.1 Marketing communications must be obviously identifiable as such.
Must§ 2.1
3.46 Marketers must not publish consumer reviews, or consumer review information, in a misleading way in marketing communications. Publishing in a misleading way includes (for example): • Failing to publish, or removing from publication, negative consumer reviews whilst publishing positive ones (or vice versa) • Giving greater prominence to positive consumer reviews over negative ones (or vice versa) • Omitting information that is relevant to the circumstances in which a consumer review has been written (including that a person has been commissioned to write the review).
Must§ 3.46
Show 2 more from this source
3.54 Marketing communications must not use the Royal Arms or Emblems in a misleading way that implies due authorisation or approval by a member of the Royal Family where none has been given.
Must§ 3.54
20.9 Marketing communications for vocational training or other instruction courses must not give a misleading impression about the potential for employment that might follow.
Must§ 20.9
Questions schools ask
Does every school have to publish the marketing claims and reviews?
The official sources we check set no requirement for academies. The official sources we check set no requirement for maintained schools. It only applies to any advertiser; schools only where they market places or services.
When does the marketing claims and reviews need to be published?
Renewal: No fixed date. The official sources set no renewal date. Keep it accurate whenever it changes.
What must the marketing claims and reviews include?
Makes sure marketing communications are clearly identifiable as such; Shows consumer reviews fairly, without leaving out negative ones, if it publishes reviews.
Where does the requirement for the marketing claims and reviews come from?
It is set out in The CAP Code (full PDF).
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.
Is this on your school's website?
We check your site the way an inspector or a parent would find it: page by page, against the official wording of each requirement. If it's there, you get the page and the words we found. If it isn't, you get every place we looked.
Check this one requirement free, or scan your whole site against every requirement.
Official sources last checked 21 September 2026 · register version 1.0.4