DfE Website Compliance: What Your School Website Must Include

Every school in England with a website has a legal obligation to publish certain information — and failing to do so can result in criticism from Ofsted, intervention from the DfE, and a loss of trust from parents and carers.

The problem is that the requirements are spread across multiple pieces of DfE guidance, updated periodically, and easy to lose track of — especially when there are a hundred other things on your plate.

This post brings it all together in one place. Whether you're a headteacher, a school business manager, or responsible for managing your school's website, consider this your starting checklist.

Why Compliance Matters

It's not just about ticking boxes. A well-structured, fully compliant school website does three important things: it meets your legal obligations, it builds trust with parents and carers, and it demonstrates to Ofsted that your school is transparent and well-organised.

Inspectors are increasingly likely to check your website before — and during — an inspection. A site that's missing key information, or where information is buried and hard to find, can reflect poorly on your school's leadership and management judgement.

What Maintained Schools Must Publish

The DfE's statutory guidance sets out a clear list of what must appear on your website. Here's a summary of the key areas:

Contact information and school details Your school's name, postal address, telephone number, and a contact email address should be clearly visible. You should also include the type of school, age range of pupils, the name of the headteacher, and — where applicable — the name and address of your academy trust.

Curriculum information Schools must publish the content of the curriculum followed for each subject at each key stage, along with the approach to the curriculum and how parents can find out more. A brief overview for each subject with a contact name for further enquiries is usually sufficient.

Admissions arrangements Your admissions policy and arrangements must be published — including oversubscription criteria. If you're not your own admissions authority, you should link to the relevant local authority information.

Pupil Premium You are required to publish your Pupil Premium strategy, including the amount of funding received, how you intend to spend it, and the impact of previous spending. This must be reviewed annually.

PE and Sport Premium (primary schools) Primary schools must publish the amount of PE and Sport Premium funding received, how it is being spent, and the impact on pupils' PE, sport, and physical activity. Evidence of how the school is working towards the Chief Medical Officer's guidelines on physical activity should also be included.

SEND Information Report Your Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) information report must be published and updated annually. It should include information about your SEND policy, the support available, and a link to the local authority's local offer.

Governors and governance You must publish the names of all members of the governing body, their roles, their relevant business and financial interests (register of interests), and attendance at governing body meetings during the current and previous academic year.

Ofsted and performance data A link to your school's most recent Ofsted report must be included, along with a link to your school's performance data on the DfE's Compare School Performance service.

Equality objectives Schools must publish information about their compliance with the Public Sector Equality Duty and their equality objectives, reviewed at least every four years.

Policies and procedures A range of statutory policies must be published on your website, including — but not limited to — your behaviour policy, safeguarding and child protection policy, complaints procedure, and charging and remissions policy.

Common Mistakes Schools Make

The most frequent issues I come across when reviewing school websites are not missing information entirely, but information that is out of date, buried several clicks deep, or presented in a way that's difficult for parents to understand.

Governors' meeting attendance records from three years ago, Pupil Premium strategies that haven't been refreshed since the previous academic year, or SEND reports that link to a broken document — these are the kinds of things that can catch a school out.

Keep It Current

DfE requirements are updated from time to time, so it's worth bookmarking the official guidance pages and reviewing your website at least once per academic year — ideally at the start of each autumn term when new funding figures and policy updates are in place.

Does Your School Website Meet the Standard?

At Marto Designs, I specialise in building school websites that are not only fully DfE compliant, but genuinely easy for parents, carers, and visitors to use. I work with schools and multi-academy trusts across the North East, and I understand exactly what inspectors are looking for.

If you'd like to discuss a new school website — or a review of your existing one — I'd love to hear from you.

Get in touch for a free quote →

Please note: DfE requirements are subject to change. Always refer to the latest statutory guidance on GOV.UK to ensure your school's website remains fully compliant.