This week I report on confirmation of the inspection of multi academy trusts, new DfE guidance on the use of restrictive interventions in schools including the use of reasonable force and the impact of the Employment Rights Act on the education sector which became law on 18 December last year.

Confirmation of the inspection of multi academy trusts
This week the government confirmed plans to introduce multi academy trust inspections as early as 2027, with the necessary legal changes introduced as an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. While acknowledging significant work is needed to refine the plans, the government has set out key principles, including:

• trusts must not be disincentivised from taking on struggling schools
• there should be consistency between DfE and Ofsted expectations
• inspectors will need appropriate expertise
• inspection workload for trusts should be minimised
• Inspections will be led by Ofsted with an inspection framework informed by updated trust quality descriptors.

New guidance on restrictive interventions in schools
New DfE guidance on the use of restrictive interventions in schools, including use of reasonable force, will take effect from April 2026. The guidance includes clearer expectations on reporting and the use of force, additional clarification to help school staff use reasonable force safely and appropriately, advice on the use of seclusion, and specific support for staff working with pupils with SEND.

The DfE says the changes are designed to help schools reduce reliance on restrictive practices and ensure staff feel confident, safe and lawful when exercising their powers in limited situations.

Legal changes to employment rights
On 18 December 2025, the Employment Rights Act became law. The Act covers a range of workforce measures including changes to pay, time off work, dismissal and trade union rights. It also establishes the School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB) which will start operating later this year with a remit to negotiate pay and conditions. The changes will be implemented over a two-year period and will impact all employers. Many of the details will be confirmed through secondary legislation and government guidance.

This week I report on a consultation to establish the Child Protection Authority and the announcement of £3bn for mainstream SEND places.

Establishing the Child Protection Authority in England
The government is consulting on the Child Protection Authority (CPA), a national body to improve child protection. The CPA is envisaged as an expert, accurate and decisive body that makes the multi-agency child protection system clearer, more unified and ensure there is ongoing improvements through effective evidence-based support.

The consultation seeks views on the CPA’s proposed functions, governance, and interaction with existing bodies and will close on 5 March 2026.

£3bn for mainstream SEND places, but special free schools face uncertainty
The government has announced that £3 billion will be spent creating tens of thousands of new specialist places in mainstream schools. However, the DfE has also revealed that up to 77 special and alternative provision (AP) free schools that were in the pipeline could be replaced with funding instead given to councils to use to “more flexibly and quickly” deliver equivalent places.

Some of the £3 billion for new places will go towards creating places across the country in mainstream schools for children with SEND so that they are less likely to have to travel far for their education. Dedicated breakout areas in schools would enable children who require more intensive support to access lessons “as and when appropriate”, while remaining embedded in their local school community. The announcement comes after government figures estimated that local authorities are funding home-to-school transport for around 180,000 pupils with SEND.

This week I report on the SEND Framework consultation, the release of the DfE’s new Child Poverty Strategy, increased access to early SEND support with a practitioner in every council from April 2026 and the launch of the new Maximising Value for Pupils programme designed to help schools and trusts plan and deploy resources most effectively to ensure value for money.

SEND Framework consultation
The DfE has launched a nationwide public engagement campaign to create a reformed SEND system. Minister for School Standards, Georgia Gould, is hosting nine face to face events, run in partnership with the Council for Disabled Children, and five online events covering the department’s five principles of reform. The themes of engagement include:

• Early intervention, including earlier in children’s lives when this can have most impact.
• Local provision, so young people can learn at a school close to their home, alongside their peers, as well as the vital role of special provision for complex needs.
• Fairness, so every school has the resources and capability to meet changing needs – stopping parents fighting for support and ensuring clear legal safeguards for children and parents.
• Effective practice, grounded in evidence to ensure excellent long-term outcomes.
• Shared working that means education, health and care services working in partnership with local government, families, teachers, experts and representative bodies.
• Attendees can share their views on a range of proposals from experts – such as children having written records of support, giving families access to independent advocacy and providing a national framework for support available to children with SEN across all settings.

A development group of key stakeholders, including SEND parent groups, will meet regularly with Ministers between now and the end of January to drive reform forward, and a toolkit will be shared with schools and settings to encourage them to share information about engagement on SEND reform with their communities. You can sign up to attend a regional engagement event using this link or can sign up to attend an online event using this link.

New Child Poverty Strategy
The government has released its Child Poverty Strategy, which aims to lift an estimated 550,000 children out of poverty by 2030. Key measures include confirmation that children in households receiving Universal Credit will become eligible for free school meals from September 2026.

DfE announces increased access to early SEND support
Every council will have a dedicated practitioner to provide direct support for children with SEND according to a recent DfE announcement. Introduced from April 2026, the initiative is part of the Best Start in Life campaign, aiming to support parents with early childhood.

Launch of the Maximising Value for Pupils programme
This week the DfE launched its Maximising Value for Pupils programme which aims to help schools and trusts plan and deploy resources most effectively to ensure value for money. Support is centred around four key areas:

• Commercial spending – harnessing collective buying power and expanding support in high spend areas, with a focus on energy costs
• Assets – helping schools make the most of financial and physical assets, including a new banking comparison tool
• Workforce deployment – seeking to address high agency supply costs
• Developing capability – strengthening digital, commercial, and operational capability across school and trust teams, featuring updated benchmarking tools

As one of the first initiatives of the programme, the government has introduced a new agency supply framework, which schools will be expected to use, that will cap agency overheads and fees.

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.

This week I highlight an increase in the phonics check target for pupils reaching the expected standard and the introduction of a new Y8 reading test, as well as the launch of the DfE’s Best Start in Life campaign.

90% phonics check target and new Y8 reading test to be introduced
The Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, announced at this week’s Confederation of School Trusts annual conference that there is a new target for 90% of pupils to reach the expected standard in the Y1 phonics screening check. Up from the current target of 84%, this new target forms part of a wider plan to improve literacy standards across all age groups. This includes a new mandatory reading test for all Y8 pupils to assess fluency and comprehension which will be introduced by the end of this Parliament. Designed as a snapshot of pupils’ reading ability, the test will not require pupils to revise and performance data will be shared only with Ofsted and the government, while schools will provide individual results directly to parents.

DfE launch early years campaign
This week the government launched the Best Start in Life campaign, aimed at helping parents navigate online misinformation about early childhood development. The initiative brings together NHS and government-backed guidance and is part of a wider government effort to improve early years support and outcomes.

This week I highlight a free Governors for Schools webinar on the new Inspection Framework and what it will mean for governors and news that the DfE will be publishing guidance to help mainstream schools to set up and run SEN and pupil support units.

Free webinar – Understanding the renewed approach to education inspection: what governors and trustees need to know
Governors for Schools is offering a webinar on Thursday 16 October 2025 at 8am led by members of the Ofsted team Claire Stewart, Deputy Director, Inclusive education and Tracy Fielding, Senior His Majesty’s Inspector for Schools. The session will include:

• An overview of the changes to the Education Inspection Framework that will come into force from November 2025
• Details of what these changes mean for education settings, and those responsible for governance before, during and after inspection
• An opportunity to ask questions

Use this link to register your place on the Governors for Schools website.

‘Best practice’ guidance promised for SEN units
The government will publish “best practice” guidance to help mainstream schools set up and run SEN and pupil support units as part of their inclusion push.

The DfE has chosen the National Children’s Bureau as the lead partner for the work, with interim guidance for schools due to be published in December. The final guidance is scheduled for February.

It will form part of Government’s SEND strategy to educate more pupils with additional needs in the mainstream, rather than more expensive special school placements.

This week I report on new DfE resources to support effective governance, the Government’s pledge that every primary school in England will have a library and confirmation that the free primary school breakfast clubs programme is set to expand from April next year.

Effective governance resources
The DfE has put together an expert advisory group which has identified areas for governing bodies and academy trust boards to focus on to develop and maintain effective governance. This information was created in collaboration with the NGA, the Confederation of School Trusts, Trust Governance Professionals, the National Association of Governance Advisory Services, the Catholic Education Service, the National Society for Education, Governors for Schools and the National Black Governors Network.

Each document provides principles of good practice and practical resources that governing bodies, leaders and governance professionals (clerks) can use to support sustainable and effective governance.

Government pledges a library in every primary school in England
The Government has pledged to ensure every primary school in England has its own library, through a scheme unveiled by Rachel Reeves at the Labour Party’s annual conference in Liverpool on Monday.

The scheme will create new libraries in 1,700 primary schools that currently do not have them. Over £10 million had been committed to the scheme which would leave each of the 1,700 schools with just under £5,900. It is unclear if the schools would get additional money to staff the new libraries.

Free breakfast clubs set to expand
The DfE has announced that from April 2026, an additional 2,000 schools will join the Government’s free breakfast club programme alongside 750 schools already running the scheme. Free breakfast clubs are among several initiatives aimed at improving early years support, including the expansion of government-funded childcare and Best Start Family Hubs.