Statutory guidance

School organisation: local-authority-maintained schools

Statutory guidance for proposers and decision-makers about opening, closing or making organisation changes to local-authority-maintained schools.

• From: Department for Education
• Published: 28 January 2014
• Last updated: 3 September 2026
  Show all updates

  1. 3 September 2026

     Updated to reflect that ‘Opening and closing maintained schools before 1 September 2026’ is relevant only to opening proposals published under sections 10 and 11 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 prior to 1 September 2026.

  2. 18 May 2026

     Updated with new guidance that will come into force on 1 September 2026.

  3. 11 August 2025

     Updated 'Making significant changes (‘prescribed alterations’) to maintained schools' to clarify Diocesan Board of Education involvement in the prescribed alterations process. The legislation remains the same.

  4. 3 March 2025

     Updated 'Making significant changes (‘prescribed alterations’) to maintained schools'.

  5. 2 October 2024

     Updated guidance to reflect Ofsted's removal of single word judgements.

  6. 30 January 2023

     We have reviewed this guidance and removed out-of-date information. The legislation remains the same.

  7. 5 November 2019

     Updated 'Opening and closing maintained schools' document.

  8. 15 November 2018

     Removed 'Deciding prescribed alteration and establishment and discontinuance proposals'.

  9. 15 November 2018

     Removed 2016 document 'Opening and closing local-authority-maintained schools'. Has been replaced with document from November 2018.

  10. 15 November 2018

      Replaced file 'Making significant changes to maintained schools' with 'Opening and closing maintained schools'.

  11. 25 October 2018

      Attached new version of 'Making significant changes ('prescribed alterations') to maintained schools' to update the guidance from 2016.

  12. 8 April 2016

      We have comprehensively reviewed and updated all 3 documents. The changes include corrections to discrepancies in the guidance on making ‘prescribed alterations’ to local-authority-maintained schools.

  13. 11 February 2016

      Updated page to explain that we are currently reviewing our guidance to local-authority-maintained schools. We will update it shortly.

  14. 28 January 2014

      First published.

Applies to England

Documents

Closing maintained schools

PDF, 487 KB, 30 pages

Making significant changes (‘prescribed alterations’) to maintained schools

PDF, 699 KB, 64 pages

Opening and closing maintained schools before 1 September 2026

PDF, 689 KB, 53 pages

Details

From 1 September 2026, the guidance on ‘closing maintained schools’ should be followed.

‘Opening and closing maintained schools before 1 September 2026’ is relevant only where proposals to open schools were published under sections 10 and 11 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 prior to 1 September 2026.

These documents are for:

• local authorities
• governing bodies
• dioceses or other relevant religious authorities

They describe opening, closing or making school organisation changes to local-authority-maintained schools.

They set out how you can make those changes and the areas where you must follow a statutory process.

This guidance is based on:

• The School Organisation (Prescribed Alterations to Maintained Schools) (England) Regulations 2013 as amended by the 2026 regulations
• The School Organisation (Establishment and Discontinuance of Schools) Regulations 2013 as amended by the 2026 regulations
• Education and Inspections Act 2006
• Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026

Statutory guidance sets out what schools and local authorities must do to comply with the law. You should follow the guidance unless you have a very good reason not to.

Trustees of the school, the diocese or relevant diocesan board, or any other relevant faith body, parents or carers and those affected by a proposal may also find this information useful.