There’s a lot of hysteria and scaremongering around about “Ofsted website compliance”. As an honest and ethical company we’d rather stick to the facts. So what are the facts? Is there even any such thing as Ofsted website compliance?

Well, we know that in September 2012 The School Information Regulations 2012 became law as we described in our blog post at the time statutory requirements for school websites.

And helpfully, in September 2014, the DfE published this useful summary:

https://www.gov.uk/what-maintained-schools-must-publish-online

So far so good. So where does Ofsted fit in? To find out, we consulted the Ofsted School Inspection Handbook which has been updated for September 2015.

On page 13, with regard to Inspectors’ planning & preparation we can read that planning should be informed by:

information on the school’s website, including its statement on the use of the pupil premium,{26} in primary schools the PE and sport premium, the statutory sharing with parents of curriculum information (so the lead inspector can start to assess the breadth and balance of the school’s curriculum and whether it is likely to promote preparation for and an appreciation of life in modern Britain), the special educational needs (SEN) information report, the presence and suitability of the safeguarding guidance, taking into account current government requirements, information about the promotion of equality of opportunity and other information for parents {27}

Where {27} refers to:

Information for schools about information required on a school website is available at www.gov.uk/what-maintained-schools-must-publish-online.

Does anyone recognise that link? Yes it’s the DfE summary of what maintained schools must publish online mentioned earlier.

So, as you might expect, Ofsted will be checking to ensure that your school complies with statutory requirements. But how might non compliance affect the outcome of your inspection?

Well, to answer this question we’ve been having a good read of recent Ofsted inspection reports. Here’s a few extracts:

It is not yet an outstanding school because Governors do not meet statutory requirements with respect to the school website.

The leadership and management are inadequate. The school’s website does not include all the information for parents that it should. This includes details of the school’s behaviour policy; how the school has spent additional funding from the pupil premium and the difference the use of this additional money makes to the attainment of disadvantaged pupils. There is also no published report on the school’s policy for pupils with special educational needs.

It is not yet an outstanding school because the school website does not meet statutory requirements and currently does not keep parents fully informed about the school’s work.

There is plenty of evidence to suggest that not meeting your statutory requirements will impact your Ofsted judgement. It seems clear that you cannot be an Outstanding school if you are not meeting the statutory requirements.

You may also find our Statutory website compliance checklist of interest.