School prospectus: guidance for head teachers and governing bodies

Purpose of this guidance

This guidance is issued to support the governing bodies and head teachers of all maintained schools in Wales in producing their annual school prospectus. The prospectus is a key document through which schools publish information for parents and prospective parents about their school, its ethos, organisation and educational provision.

This is non-statutory guidance issued under section 10 of the Education Act 1996. There is no statutory duty to have regard to this guidance, but the Welsh Ministers would expect those to whom it is addressed to take it into account when considering matters to which it relates. This guidance is not and does not purport to be a comprehensive statement of the law and so should not be taken to be advice as to what the law requires. 

In this guidance:

• when we say ‘should’ we are offering advice or best practice
• when we say ‘must’ we are referring to something required by law

Legal and regulatory framework

The School Information (Wales) Regulations 2011 include the requirement to publish an annual prospectus and ensure it contains all the required information.

Purpose of the prospectus

The school prospectus plays several important roles:

• It provides transparent and accessible information for parents and prospective parents about the school’s organisation, ethos, curriculum and assessment arrangements.
• It enables informed parental preference decisions in the school admissions process.
• It supports accountability by the governing body and head teacher to parents and the wider community.
• It enhances the school’s engagement with its community by setting out how it intends to deliver education and support pupils.

Schools must ensure that their prospectus includes the following information:

• name, address and telephone number of the school
• name of the head teacher
• name of the chair of governors
• the classification of the school as:
  • community, foundation, voluntary controlled, voluntary aided, community special or foundation special school, primary, middle or secondary school
  • comprehensive, grammar or partially selective school
  • co-educational or single-sex school
  • day, boarding or both
• the language of the school as shown in their PLASC category
• any affiliation of the school with a particular religion or religious denomination
• details of the admissions policy for pupils of different ages, including those above or below compulsory school age (not applicable for special schools) and special arrangements for the admission of, and to enable access for, pupils with disabilities
• secondary schools (but not special schools) must also include details of the number of places for each relevant age group which were available at the start of the preceding year, the number of written applications or preferences expressed for such places, the number of appeals made and the number of them that were successful
• a summary of any special arrangements for the admission of disabled pupils to the school and for enabling such pupils to have access to any part of the school premises, together with particulars of any steps which have been taken to prevent disabled pupils from being treated less favourably than pupils who are not disabled
• details of any arrangements for parents to visit the school
• a statement on the ethos and values of the school
• information about the organisation of education and teaching methods, including details of the approach adopted for the school by the governing body in relation to pupils with additional learning needs (ALN)
• a summary of the adopted curriculum, as required under section 11(1)(b) of the Curriculum and Assessment (Wales) Act 2021
• a summary of the approach adopted for the school by the governing body in relation to pupils with additional learning needs and policies as it appears from the information published by the governing body under regulations 3 to 4 of the The Education (Special Educational Needs) (Information) (Wales) Regulations 1999
• a brief statement on who has been designated as the member of staff at the school as having responsibility for promoting the educational achievement of looked after children and of that person's role and a brief statement on the policies adopted for the school to support and promote the educational achievement of looked after children
• a summary of any policies adopted by the governing body of the school with respect to equal opportunities
• a summary of the charging and remissions policies determined by the governing body of the school
• information about any determination made in relation to the character of collective worship in the school
• a summary of the sporting aims of the schools and details of arrangements for pupils to participate in sport, enrichment opportunities and learning beyond the classroom
• details of the term dates and session times for the school, for the year to which pupils are being invited to apply for admission
• the arrangements made to ensure the security of pupils, staff and the school premises
• a summary of the key features of the home-school agreement
• a brief statement about the use of Welsh language in the school, to ensure that parents, guardians and prospective parents can gain a full understanding of the linguistic character of the school, including:
  • use of Welsh as a language of instruction in each age group, different subjects and if appropriate the availability of alternative instruction in English
  • details about the use of Welsh as a usual language of communication at the school outside of formal instruction
  • any restriction to the ability to choose the language of instruction
  • arrangements at the school for facilitating continuity for pupils instructed through the medium of Welsh whilst registered at the school or when transferring from primary to secondary school
  • details of any exemption from the mandatory element of Welsh, as set out in section 3(2) of the Curriculum and Assessment (Wales) Act 2021, under sections 41, 42 and 48 of that Act but not so as to identify any individual pupils affected
• the most recent Summary of Secondary School Performance (SSSP) for Key Stage 4 only
• secondary schools must include details of the number and percentage of pupils aged 15 or 16 at the start of the previous academic year who:
  • continued in full-time education, training or work based learning
  • went on to employment
  • are known to have not continued in education or gained employment or the circumstances are unknown
• details of the most recent annual attendance and absence figures for the school
• a statement of how a complaint can be made

The school prospectus must state the school year to which it relates and must contain a warning that, although it was correct at time of publishing, information contained within it could be liable to change.

In addition to the required information, schools should (but are not required to) include further items that help parents and prospective parents understand the school more fully. Such additional content might include:

• head teacher’s welcome message
• school achievements and awards
• enrichment opportunities and (or) learning beyond the classroom
• digital learning strategy and sustainability initiatives
• community partnerships and parental engagement

For all schools the prospectus must be published during the school year in which it applies.

In addition, with the exception of primary schools and special schools), it must also be published at least 6 weeks before the earlier of these 2 dates: 

• The deadline for submitting an application for admission to the school for the relevant year.
• The last date parents can express a preference for a school for that year.

Format

• Schools are encouraged to produce the prospectus in a format that is accessible and engaging, for example, digital as well as printed versions.
• Many schools publish online versions on their website and supply a printed summary supplement that contains the annually updated information (for example, performance, attendance, admissions) to attach to a static general prospectus. 
• The document should be clearly structured with headings, easy-to-read language, accessible fonts, and should avoid unnecessary jargon.
• Use of colour, charts, infographics or typographic highlights may aid readability and engagement, provided cost is controlled and equality of access is not compromised.

Distribution

• The prospectus must be available free of charge to parents and prospective parents on request.
• Schools should publicise how the prospectus can be accessed (for example, via the school website, via email, or collected from the school office).
• A link to the online version must be easily accessible and be maintained up to date.

Accessibility and equality

• The governing body must ensure that the prospectus is made available in Welsh and English.
• The governing body should also consider offering translation into other languages or formats (for example, large print, Braille, audio) if required to meet parental needs. 
• Accessibility requirements under the Equality Act 2010 and the duty to make reasonable adjustments must be met. Create accessible documents provides helpful guidance for doing so.

• The governing body has overall responsibility for the publication of the school prospectus and in ensuring its accuracy. In practice we consider the head teacher should assist the governing body in this task.
• We advise that the governing body and the head teacher should agree in writing how they will share responsibility for the publication of the prospectus and for ensuring its accuracy.
• It is advised that the head teacher should lead on drafting the content, producing the document, and ensuring timely publication and distribution.
• We advise that both the governing body and the head teacher should jointly ensure the information is accurate, up-to-date, and reflects the school’s current position. If the head teacher prepares the prospectus then it is for the governing body to check that prior to publication.
• The governing body must ensure the prospectus is reviewed annually and should update any factual information (for example, performance results, leaders, admission numbers) each year.
• If major changes occur (for instance changes to admission arrangements, age range or school status, the governing body must ensure the prospectus is updated accordingly and that parents are informed.
• The head teacher and governing body must regularly review the curriculum and update it if it no longer meets requirements. Any changes must be published before the next academic year. 
• They must also review assessment arrangements, both on-entry and ongoing, alongside the curriculum and update them if the curriculum changes or they no longer meet standards. Updates can be made at any time if needed.

Schools are encouraged to adopt the following good practice guidelines:

• Write in clear, concise and “parent-friendly” language (avoid excessive pedagogic terminology).
• Use visual aids (photos of school life, diagrams, pupil quotes) while ensuring the document remains inclusive and professional.
• Provide hyperlinks (in digital versions) to supporting documents (for example, school website, policy documents, admissions code).
• Make the prospectus downloadable and printable, and ensure the printed version remains up to date.
• Ensure the document is coherent with other school communications (website, newsletters, social media) so that the school’s values and strategy are consistent across channels.
• Gather feedback from parents and pupils about the usability of the prospectus and consider adjustments based on that feedback.
• Consider how the prospectus supports recruitment, school branding and the local community.
• Where budget permits, consider professional layout and design, but keep cost and accessibility in mind (overly complex design can hinder readability and timely updates).

Local authorities must publish a composite prospectus. A composite prospectus must be published no later than 1 October in the publication school year and not later than 6 weeks before the date up to which parents may express a preference for a school in respect of the admission school year.

A composite prospectus must be published:

• by copies being made available for distribution without charge to parents on request
  • at the offices of the local authority who are publishing it, and
  • at every school maintained by that local authority, and
• by copies being made available for reference by parents and other persons at the public libraries in that local authority's area
• by displaying a copy on the local authority's website. It must be displayed on the website until it is replaced by a composite prospectus for the following school year.

The Education (Revocation of Assessment Arrangements in the National Curriculum and Miscellaneous Amendments) (Wales) Regulations 2022 has removed the requirement on local authorities to distribute copies of the composite prospectus without charge to parents and pupils who are in the final year at the school and might transfer to other such schools.

Provision of information to the local authority by the governing body:

• To enable the local authority to comply with their obligation to publish a composite prospectus, the governing body of every maintained school to be included in a document under that regulation must, in respect of each admission school year, make available to the local authority in question the information specified in Schedule 2 to The School Information (Wales) Regulations 2011.
• That information must be made available no later than such time before the time required for publication of the document as the local authority may reasonably require.

Information to be included in the composite prospectus:

• The School Information (Wales) Regulations 2011 (schedule 2).