Details of The School Information Regulations 2012

4th July 2012

For some schools the change will not be a problem. They already have a detailed website with Curriculum information, detailed calendars, info about staff, etc. [A good example is here].  But even schools with fabulous webmasters may find themselves running foul of the new law which add in some new, and quite specific, requirements.

The full legislation looks quite complex.  Below are the best ways we could find to give clear details without taking too much away from the legislation however we would strongly urge you to read the original to ensure you are complying with all requirements.

The list of things you must include on the website involve:

  1. Name, address, telephone of school – Easy!

  2. Information on admissions including any selection or over-subscription criteria, and information about where parents can access the Local Authority’s composite prospectus

  3. A link to the most recent OFSTED (or a copy of it is even better!)

4 & 5. The school’s most recent KS2 and/or KS4 results with the exact columns used in the School Performance Tables on the DfE Website. Below are the requirements as mentioned in the legislation with highlighting for results that many schools currently omit.

At KS2 you must include : (a) % achieving Level 4 or above in Eng & Maths, (b) % achieveing Level 5 or more in English, (c) % achieving Level 5 or more in Maths, and (d) % making ‘expected progress. 

At KS4 you must include : (a)% achieving 5 A*-C in GCSEs or Equivalents including Eng & Maths, (b) % achieving the English Bacc, and (c) % of pupils making expected progress

  1. A link to the School Performance Table on the DfE Website (clearly the DfE don’t want their hits to go down!)

  2. The content of the curriculum for each subject and a way for parents to get further information (I would expect this means a link to an exam syllabus or a contact).  Currently it does not say that schools must publish schemes of work but this has been mooted for the future.

Schools must also publish the names of any phonics or reading schemes in operation and a list of the courses running at KS4 alongisde any qualifications they lead to. The legislations asks for a separate list for “GCSEs” and “other courses”.

  1. A behaviour policy.  This might be quite new for many schools who do not have a thoroughly formulated policy, it is certainly something that many schools do not currently display on their website.

  2. The amount of money gained through the Pupil Premium allocation, how the school intends to spend it, how they have spent it in the past and the educational impact of this spending.  This is a huge requirement for schools who will need to think carefully about how they will collect and analyse the data to make well-evidenced claims about the impact of the PP.

  3. A report from the Governing Body on Special Educational Needs including admissions of SEN pupils and access facilities

  4. The school’s charging and remissions policy

  5. A statement about the school’s ethos and vision.  Most schools do this already and I expect where they don’t this will simply become a line on the front page.