This week I highlight the major education announcements set out in the Chancellor’s Autumn budget speech, the publication of clearer, education-focused guidance from the ICO and a new inquiry being launched to explore the decline in children reading for pleasure.

Impact of the Autumn budget on the Education sector
The government will take over from local authorities in fully funding the cost of SEND provision from 2028-29. Further detail on how this impacts the projected DfE budget remains unclear. This was one of two major education announcements in the Autumn budget. Also revealed was the end of the two-child limit on benefits which will be lifted from April 2026 and is expected to reduce the number of children living in poverty by 450,000.

Education-focused ICO guidance
Recently, the Information Commissioner’s Office has added clearer, education-focused guidance to sit alongside its existing 10-Step Guide to Sharing Information to Safeguard Children. Nothing significant has changed in the law, this is simply extra reassurance and examples designed to help schools, nurseries and colleges feel more confident.

‘Generational shift’ in reading habits sparks parliamentary inquiry
A decline in the number of children reading for pleasure has prompted MPs to launch an inquiry into the causes of the trend and its consequences for children. Helen Hayes, chair of the Commons Education Select Committee, warned of a “generational shift” away from reading, which has long been considered vital to children’s learning.

This follows research by the National Literacy Trust revealing only 33% of young people aged 8 to18 read in their spare time, down from 51% in 2005 and the lowest level in 20 years. Young children’s daily reading rates have also fallen significantly, with a widening gender gap favouring girls.

The inquiry will explore links between reading habits, mental health, and screen time, and examine successful school and community initiatives to encourage reading. It will also consider how promoting reading for pleasure could boost attainment among disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.

This week I highlight the ability to now print out the Governances Guides and the further expansion of the DfE’s free breakfast clubs.

Governance Guides
This week the DfE has enabled printing of the two Governance Guides – Maintained Schools and Academy Trusts rather than only being able to view them as a digital guide.

Free breakfast clubs expanded again
From today, schools with at least 40% of pupils on free school meals can apply to offer free breakfast clubs. The government is investing a further £80 million to add 2000 more schools to the programme between April 2026 and March 2027.

From April, participating mainstream schools will receive increased funding rates of £25 a day to cover staffing and admin costs, plus £1 per child per day. This equates to an average increase of 28%.

All schools who are eligible will be contacted directly and can apply by completing an expression of interest form available via the DfE’s online services.

This week I highlight new school attendance expectations which will come into force in September next year and updated non-statutory guidance on school uniform to support schools in development and implementing their uniform policy.

New attendance expectations issued
Minister for Early Education, Olivia Bailey, has written to governors and trustees explaining the introduction of Attendance Baseline Improvement Expectations (ABIEs). The DfE will use AI to curate these school-specific expectations for each academic year based on historical data, location, pupil needs and deprivation.

Schools who consistently or significantly miss ABIEs will be signposted to further support like joining an attendance and behaviour hub. While this initiative will not come into force until September 2026, schools have received an indicative ABIE for the 2025/26 academic year in their similar schools report to help prepare.

You can sign up to a DfE webinar on Tuesday 25 November from 4-4.45pm, to find out more about ABIEs.

Further updates to school uniform guidance
Alongside recent updates to statutory guidance on the cost of school uniforms, the DfE has also renewed its non-statutory guidance that supports schools in developing and implementing their school uniform policy. New suggestions include considering:

• points of contact for families and pupils who need support with uniform
• whether to make your position on political impartiality clear in the uniform policy, including rules around badges and similar items
• how to mitigate any negative impact on pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
• how to reduce peer pressure to wear designer sportswear and avoid extra cost for parents

This week I report on the publication of the Curriculum and Assessment Review, the government’s intention to consult on Progress 8 reform and the proposal to award teachers and leaders a 6.5% pay rise over the next three years.

Curriculum and Assessment Review published
This week Professor Becky Francis’ Curriculum and Assessment review was published alongside the government’s response. Key recommendations include:

• Removing the English Baccalaureate (Ebacc).
• Introducing a core body of citizenship content at primary, and a broader mix at secondary including financial and media literacy, and environmental sustainability.
• Evidence-based guidance on how the curriculum and teaching approaches can be adapted for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
• Reducing overall exam time by at least 10%, and more where possible.

Progress 8 reform
Whilst Professor Francis’ review recommended retaining Progress 8 with no changes to its structure or subject composition, other than renaming the EBacc slot “academic breadth”, the government has announced significant reform of this performance measure.

It is proposing to restructure the subject buckets, retaining the current slots for English and maths and their double-weighting, whilst introducing two dedicated science slots and four breadth slots.

The government says it will consult on the proposals in due course and will publish its response in the summer term of 2026, so that schools can take the revisions into account when assisting students with subject choices for the start of the 2027/28 academic year.

DfE proposal for teachers pay rise
The DfE proposes to award teachers and leaders a 6.5% pay rise over the next three years, as outlined in their evidence to the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB). The STRB will review the evidence and proposals from a range of sector voices before making a formal recommendation to the Secretary of State.

The DfE has acknowledged that if a rise of this amount is agreed, many schools/trusts will need to find additional efficiencies in order to afford it. Examples of cost-cutting measures put forward by the department include reconsidering the composition and deployment of leadership teams and support staff. The DfE has also cited rising levels of executive pay and said it has begun to make progress in improving value for money in this area by including it in the financial benchmarking and insights tool.