School Policy Review Checklist (Ireland)

A free downloadable checklist for principals and boards of management to identify required policies, track review dates, route for approval and prepare for inspection.

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1. Mandatory Policy Inventory

Confirm your school has current versions of:

• Child Safeguarding Statement (Children First Act 2015 — annual board review required)
• Enrolment / Admissions policy (board-drafted, patron-approved, published)
• Code of Behaviour (Education (Welfare) Act 2000 / NEWB guidelines)
• Anti-Bullying policy (annual board review; aligned to Bí Cineálta DES procedures)
• School attendance strategy (Education (Welfare) Act 2000)
• Health and Safety statement (Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005)
• Data protection / GDPR policy (GDPR + Data Protection Act 2018)
• Other policies relevant to your context (complaints, SEN provision, internet acceptable use, patron-specific requirements)

2. Version and Review Date Check

For each policy, confirm:

• There is a current, finalised version in the school
• The last review/approval date is recorded
• The next review date is set
• The version references the correct, current legislation and DES circular

3. Approval Routing Checklist

• Board ratification confirmed for: Child Safeguarding Statement, Code of Behaviour, Anti-Bullying Policy, Admissions Policy, Data Protection Policy, Health and Safety Statement
• Patron approval confirmed before publication for: Admissions Policy (Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018)
• Principal-remit policies identified and reviewed on schedule (operational procedures, internal staff guidance)
• Patron-issued templates (CPSMA, Educate Together, or other) checked against the current school version and adoption date recorded

4. Routing and Follow-Through Checklist

• Board-approval policies added to the next available board meeting agenda with sufficient advance reading time
• Principal-led reviews completed and outcomes recorded
• Updated patron templates adopted and brought to the board for ratification
• Consultation completed where required (e.g. Code of Behaviour, Admissions Policy changes)

5. Record-Keeping Checklist

For every completed review, record:

• Date the review was completed
• Policy name and version approved
• Outcome (approved as is / approved with amendments / referred for further review)
• Next review date
• Date of external (patron) approval, where applicable

6. Public Publication Checklist

• Admissions policy published on the school website
• Child Safeguarding Statement displayed prominently and available to parents, Tusla and the public on request
• Anti-Bullying policy published on the website or otherwise readily accessible
• Data protection policy published
• Published versions match board-approved versions exactly

7. Inspector-Readiness Checklist

• Policies are stored in a retrievable location with clear version dates
• Each policy's governance trail (review → board approval → publication) can be produced on request
• No policy exists only as an emailed attachment without formal adoption

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This checklist is a practical readiness guide for governance self-review. It does not constitute legal advice or a guarantee of inspection outcomes — always confirm current requirements against the latest DES circulars and Tusla guidance.

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Source article: Irish School Policy Review Checklist: How to Keep Required Policies Current