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.

This week I highlight new guidance published on fraud awareness and support for Governing bodies and leaders on developing sustainable and effective governance.

New guidance on fraud awareness
The DfE has published new guidance on fraud awareness to help education and training providers manage the risk of fraud, including prevention, detection and reporting. It provides general advice, suggestions for developing counter-fraud policies and approaches, and information on cyber fraud.

Effective governance resources
Support for maintained school governing bodies, academy trust boards, leaders and governance professionals (clerks) in developing sustainable and effective governance was published by the DfE this week. You can access the resources using this link.

This week I report on a recent report from the All Party Parliamentary Group on SEND and a free governors Governors for Schools webinar in October on Whole school wellbeing and the strategic role of governors.

Calls for reform to the SEND system
A recent report from the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on SEND describes an “adversarial, fragmented and under-resourced” system, despite increased funding over the years. Local authorities are reported to be struggling with rising demands and workforce shortages, while families navigate unclear responsibilities.

These concerns are echoed in the Education Select Committee’s latest inquiry, which reported the impacts on pupil wellbeing and attainment. In 2023/24, only 30.8% of pupils with SEND achieved expected standards in GCSE English and maths – a stark contrast with 72.3% of their peers.

Both reports call for greater collaboration between education, health and social care services as a way to increase parental trust and confidence in the system. The Government has announced upcoming reform to the SEND system, expected to be set out in the Autumn white paper.

Free Governors for Schools governance webinar Whole school wellbeing on Thursday 9 October 2025 from 8-9am
Governors for Schools are holding a Whole school wellbeing and the strategic role of governors webinar with Andy Mellor, former Headteacher and National Wellbeing Director for the Schools Advisory Service on 9 October. Andy will share insights on how you can help create and embed a meaningful culture of wellbeing that helps everyone in your school to thrive.

It will feature the usual Q&A section and a copy of the slides and a recording of the webinar will be shared with delegates via email after the session. You can use this link to register for the session via the Governors for Schools website.

This week I highlight Ofsted’s confirmation of changes to school inspection; a free Governors for Schools webinar on hot topics facing governors this term and updated statutory guidance on how LAs and schools work together to identify and support children missing education to receive a suitable education.

Ofsted confirm changes to school inspection
Ofsted is replacing single-word judgements with report cards that grade schools across six to eight areas. This includes a new inclusion category and a revised leadership and governance category in which inspectors will consider the extent to which governors/ trustees:

• are knowledgeable about their statutory duties and carry them out effectively
• support and challenge the school’s leaders effectively
• understand their role in considering and addressing leaders’ workload and wellbeing
• assure themselves that leaders have an accurate understanding of the school’s context and are prioritising the right actions for improvement
• ensure that systems for monitoring and quality assurance are fair, valid and constructive, and inform continuous improvement
• hold leaders to account for the impact of the school’s professional learning programme for staff
• hold leaders to account for the school’s support and provision for disadvantaged pupils who may face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing

Reforms will take effect from 10 November, with Ofsted initially prioritising volunteer schools before launching the new system nationally from 1 December. I have provided a full Summary of Changes for you in today’s email.

Alongside this, the DfE has published the outcome of its accountability consultation with ‘school profiles’ to be introduced that aim to provide parents with a fuller picture of school performance alongside report cards.

Free Governors for Schools governance webinar on Thursday 18 September 2025
Governors for Schools and their regular host, Steve Barker from Judicium Education, are holding their first webinar of the academic year on Thursday 18 September from 8-9am. The session will bring all those involved in school and academy governance up-to-speed on what’s happening in education and how it’s set to impact governance this term. It will feature the usual Q&A section and a copy of the slides and a recording of the webinar will be shared with delegates via email after the session. You can use this link to register for the session via the Governors for Schools website.

Update statutory guidance Children missing education
On Monday the DfE published its updated statutory guidance for local authorities and schools on how they work together to identify and support children missing education to receive a suitable education. The update aims to address inconsistencies in practice and add clarity as well as providing a summary of responsibilities and a policy and procedure checklist.

This week I report on the roll out of 30 hours of Government funded childcare a week for working parents, the publication of a policy paper from the DfE on how schools can prepare for Martyn’s Law and new non statutory Staffing and Employment guidance for schools and governors.

Half a million children to benefit from funded childcare
Working parents can now claim 30 hours of Government funded childcare a week, with more than 500,000 children expected to benefit from the scheme’s full roll-out.

As part of the wider early years package of support, parents now also have access to the Best Start in Life website, which brings together information and guidance in one place.

Martyn’s law for education settings
The DfE has published a policy paper for schools on how they can prepare for Martyn’s Law. The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, commonly known as Martyn’s Law, makes individuals working at premises and events responsible for minimising the impact of a terrorist attack.

There will be an implementation period of at least 24 months before the act comes into force, during which the Government will publish statutory guidance to further assist schools in meeting the requirements.

Staffing and employment: guidance for schools
To provide consistency in the information available to all schools in support of their
handling of staffing and employment matters, the DfE has withdrawn its statutory guidance on Managing Staff Employment in Schools. Instead, the DfE expects employers in all schools to make use of new non-statutory guidance (published yesterday) and the sources of help it identifies when carrying out staffing and employment duties.

In the final week of this academic year I highlight publication of the DfE’s new Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education Guidance that will come into force from September 2026.

New DfE guidance: Relationships, sex and health education
The DfE has published new relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education guidance aiming to support schools in addressing misogyny and incel culture, violence against women and girls, and related factors. The guidance is statutory from September 2026, though schools can begin teaching it from September 2025 if they choose.

For the first time, secondary school pupils will be taught topics such as how online content can impact a person’s understanding of sexual ethics and behaviour, staying safe in public spaces and positive concepts of femininity and masculinity.