Statutory policies and documents for schools and trusts

Download our list of the policies and documents you must have, so you're clear on any changes and can make sure you’re compliant.

Last reviewed on 1 July 2024See updates
Ref: 44517
Contents
  1. Most recent changes
  2. Maintained schools
  3. Single academy trusts, including free schools
  4. Independent schools
  5. Pupil referral units (PRUs), non-maintained special schools and non-maintained nursery schools
  6. Policies you must publish online
  7. Ofsted doesn't set the rules on school policies
  8. Get notified about changes to your requirements 

Most recent changes

In March 2024, the DfE published separate governance guides for maintained schools and academy trusts. These include statutory policy lists that have replaced the DfE's previous guidance on statutory policies.

The new lists are less exhaustive than the previous guidance, with some policies being removed or incorporated into other policies. See our summary of changes in the relevant sections below.

Maintained schools

KeyDoc: list of statutory policies (maintained schools) DOCX, 134.7 KB
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Our list for maintained schools covers:

Summary of changes New statutory policies Attendance policy This was expected to become a statutory requirement when the new version of working together to improve school attendance comes into force on 19 August 2024. However, as the necessary legislation wasn't passed through parliament before the general election, it's unlikely this will now be the case However, it's still good practice to have an attendance policy School uniform