Statutory policies for maintained schools

Information for governing bodies and governance professionals (clerks) on the policies and documents they must have.

This is not intended to be a complete list of policies. Unless otherwise stated in relevant statutory or non-statutory guidance, it is up to governing bodies to decide whether and how to delegate the creation, maintenance and approval of policy documents within their school or federation.Β 

Governing bodies remain accountable for these documents and the policies and procedures contained within them.

The list includes a link to where schools can find guidance and, where available, a model policy. Governing bodies should consider seeking advice from their local authority.

Sector organisations can provide advice and, in some cases, model policies. These include from:

  • Local authority governor services

Statutory policies for governing bodies

Governing bodies of maintained schools must have policies on:

Review cycle

It is recommended that governing bodies review these policies annually. This is with the exception of the equality objectives policy which can be reviewed every 4 years.