As part of the Department's ongoing commitment to reducing bureaucracy for schools, the Statutory policies for schools document, which can be downloaded from the associated resources section, outlines the policies and other documents governing bodies are legally required to hold. We will continue to review these requirements and look to simplify the legal obligations wherever possible.
Governing bodies are required to hold each of these documents, as outlined. However, the drafting of school policies can be delegated to any member of school staff. There is no requirement for all policies to be reviewed annually. The document also outlines how often each policy must be reviewed, where this is prescribed in regulations.
Academies and Free Schools have greater freedoms than maintained schools in relation to school policies and other documents. Where relevant, arrangements applying to these schools are noted against each entry.
From September 2012, subject to parliamentary procedure, maintained schools will no longer be required to have in place a:
- curriculum policy
- prospectus.
You may also be interested in statutory guidance for schools.
Your views
We would welcome any comments or feedback you may have on this document by emailing: bureaucracy.views@education.gsi.gov.uk.
