This week I highlight publication of a new enrichment framework covering five categories – arts, sport, nature, civic life and life skills, updated Ofsted Inspection toolkits which will be used from September, the government’s proposed social media ban for under 16s and the launch of a consultation on a proposed new GCSE in natural history.

New enrichment framework for schools
A new enrichment framework for schools was published this week by the DfE. Covering each of the five categories: arts, sport, nature, civic life and life skills there are eight new benchmarks against which schools will be able to evaluate their provision and make improvements as follows:

• A strategically aligned enrichment offer
• A broad and well-rounded enrichment offer
• A well-communicated enrichment offer that celebrates participation and achievement
• An enrichment offer shaped by the school or college community
• An accessible and engaging enrichment offer
• An enrichment offer that works in partnership
• An outcomes-focused enrichment offer
• A continually improving enrichment offer

Schools will also be able to use a self-assessment and action planning tool to help them assess their offer against the eight benchmarks. Whilst this is non statutory guidance Ofsted has said it will look at a school’s enrichment as part of how it assesses personal development from September.

Ofsted September 2026 Inspection Toolkit Updates
Ofsted has published updated inspection materials ahead of the September 2026 inspection cycle. This includes a new statistical tool for grouping similar schools to help inspectors form a more rounded view of the school’s performance over time; additional information about learning walks, including who can accompany inspectors; a new concept of ‘leaders who have an inclusion role’ beyond the SENCo and governance incorporated into whether leaders take an ‘effective, whole-school approach’ to safeguarding. The early years updates include additional detail on safeguarding, safer sleep and children’s welfare. You can access the DfE’s blog explaining the changes using this link.

Social media to be banned for under 16s
The government is proposing landmark changes for under 16s, aimed at protecting them online. The measures suggested include:

• A ban on platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X
• Blocks on livestreaming and stranger communication with children
• A minimum age of 18 for AI ‘romantic companion’ chatbots

Overnight curfews and breaks in infinite scrolling are also being considered. The proposals are expected to come into force in Spring 2027.

Proposed new GCSE in natural history
The DfE has worked with experts and stakeholders to develop proposed subject content for a new GCSE in natural history which is now open for consultation. The new qualification will see pupils’ study 3 core areas: habitats and wildlife in the UK, human influence on the natural world, and will include the study of climate change, biodiversity loss and conservation. It will develop pupils’ skills of observation, description, recording and analysis, through 20 hours of sustained and structured field study.

This week I highlight publication of Experts at Hand guidance in advance of the new Experts at Hands service which will begin in September to support pupils with SEND locally; publication of new attendance support for schools including videos from attendance and behaviour hubs, information on how primary and early years settings can apply to enter into Early Education Partnerships; the launch of a call for evidence to inform the development of parental guidance on screen use for children and young people and confirmation that a one off two dose MenB vaccine will be offered to Year 13 students this summer.

DfE publishes Experts at Hand guidance
The DfE has published new guidance on the upcoming Experts at Hand service. As part of the SEND reforms set out in the schools white paper, the service will begin in September 2026 and aims to embed specialists such as educational psychologists and occupational therapists alongside school staff to better support pupils with SEND locally.

The published guidance sets out how the offer should be delivered by local authorities, as well as information for school leaders on accessing available support for their pupils. The DfE has also produced a blog to accompany the guidance.

DfE Attendance support published for schools
On Tuesday the government announced a new package of attendance support for schools that includes practical suggestions and templates to support schools in improving their communication around attendance with parents, as well as videos from attendance and behaviour hub schools who share their approaches.

DfE’s Early Education Partnerships
Applications are open for primary schools and early years settings to enter into Early Education Partnerships. With grants of up to £50k available, the three year programme aims to strengthen school readiness and transition into reception, especially for those with SEND and from disadvantaged backgrounds. DfE webinars will be held this month ahead of the closure of the application window on 17 July.

Use of screen time for 5-16 year olds
This week the government launched a three week call for evidence to inform the development of new parental guidance resources on screen use for children and young people aged 5-16. It will also inform future policy thinking on the use of screens in schools.

One off MenB vaccination programme this summer for Y13 students
It’s been announced that a two dose MenB vaccine will be offered to young people ahead of the autumn as part of a one-off vaccination programme in England. The programme will help to protect those at highest immediate risk while the government monitors and assesses new evidence to determine whether there has been a change in the way MenB affects people and whether any further vaccine rollout response is required. Those eligible in Year 13 will be contacted directly through the NHS app, text, email, or letter depending on records held by the health service.

This week I report on updated statutory guidance on suspensions and permanent exclusions which will come into force on 26 July.

Updated statutory exclusions guidance
The DfE has updated statutory guidance on suspensions and permanent exclusions to come into force on 26 July 2026. Updates include clarifications on existing practice as well as:

• removals for safeguarding reasons
• a crackdown on off-rolling
• applying off-site direction and managed move laws to academies and PRUs
• how governing boards should use suspensions and exclusions data to hold leaders to account

We will pick this up as a briefing in our next Governing body meetings.

This week I highlight the replacement of PE and sport premium funding with a new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network, the Education Secretary’s call for global leaders to join an International Alliance to deliver opportunity for all children with SEND and publication of updated DfE support materials for schools about using AI effectively and safely.

Replacement of PE and sport premium funding
It has been announced that the PE and sport premium will be replaced by a new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network, as part of plans to redirect £1 billion of spending. The Network will be fully operational from spring 2027 and will provide both universal and targeted support to schools, with a national delivery partner working alongside national governing bodies.

Targeted support could include expert coaches, top-up swimming lessons and extracurricular opportunities, while the universal offer will include online training for all schools. The model will be tailored to local needs, such as providing cricket equipment and links with local clubs where demand exists, or pool access and specialist teaching where data shows low swimming attainment.

New international alliance to support children with SEND
On Monday, at the Education World Forum, the Education Secretary called on global leaders to join an International Alliance to deliver opportunity for all children with SEND.

Using AI in education: support for schools
On Tuesday the DfE updated its free support materials for schools about using AI effectively and safely. The materials were developed by the Chiltern Learning Trust and Chartered College of Teaching.

This week I report on confirmation in the King’s speech of the plans for SEND reforms and findings from the fourth wave 2025 survey on the working lives of teachers and leaders.

King’s Speech confirms plan for SEND reform
Legislation to overhaul SEND provision will be introduced in government’s Education for All Bill as outlined in this week’s King’s speech. The bill will require schools to produce an individual support plan for every child and young person with SEND and reform the role of the SEND tribunal. The government has also pledged that children with SEND will get the support they need in a school near home, as part of its bid to make mainstream schools more inclusive.

Research suggests improvements in teacher wellbeing
The DfE has published findings from the fourth wave of the working lives of teachers and leaders 2025 survey. The findings were largely positive, with teachers and leaders reporting the lowest average weekly working hours since the research began (46.9 and 55.5, respectively). There was also an increase in the proportion of respondents (26%) who agreed that their workload was acceptable. More teachers and leaders now had flexible working arrangements (51%) and were satisfied with the salary they received (38%). All wellbeing measures had also improved.

This week I highlight the launch of a new DfE Cyber Security Hub and confirmation that exam boards will continue to publish formula and equation sheets.

New Cyber Security Hub
Yesterday the government launched a new advice service for schools on how to deal with cyber-attacks amid concerns education was disproportionately targeted and had weaker defences than other sectors.

The DfE’s Cyber Security Hub is an online service which aims to provide schools with clear, practical guidance to help improve their IT security. It includes resources and support for schools, guidance on how to create a cyber support plan along with a template, and information for schools in response to specific cyber-attacks.

Exam support to remain
Following a recent consultation, exam boards will continue to publish formula and equation sheets in advance of GCSE mathematics, physics and combined science exams, with copies also provided within exam papers. The decision will allow greater emphasis on understanding and applying knowledge, rather than simply memorising content.

This week I report on new details published by the DfE on the Inclusion Strategy all schools will have to produce by the end of this calendar year; new DfE screen time guidance for young children and Public First research on parents views on attendance, SEND and behaviour.

New information on the requirement for schools to produce an Inclusion Strategy
On Wednesday the DfE published new details on the Inclusion Strategy that all schools will have to produce by 31 December 2026, with £400 million per year in inclusive mainstream funding to help develop and implement them. The funding will provide the average secondary school with around £48k per year and the average primary school with around £14k per year. This will help schools implement new expectations for inclusion, which involves developing an inclusion strategy and creating inclusion bases for pupils with additional needs.

New DfE screen time guidance
DfE guidance published this week aims to give parents clear, evidence-backed advice on screen time for children under five. It recommends:

• For under-twos, screen time should be avoided except for shared activities.
• For children aged two to five, it should be limited to around one hour a day and avoided at mealtimes and before bed.

Research on parents views on attendance, SEND and behaviour published
The second research report from the Public First run Parent Voice Project, shines a light on parents’ views on various key policy topics including attendance, SEND provision and behaviour. Based on a survey of more than 6,000 parents of children aged four to 19 in England, across both state and private schools key findings included:

• Parents don’t see attendance as a major challenge – attendance might be a key focus of national policy discussions, but polling showed parents don’t generally see it as a pressing issue. Just 8% selected poor attendance rates as one of the top challenges affecting children, far behind issues like underfunding, behaviour, problematic mobile phone and social media use and mental ill health.
• High rates of term-time holidays – 37% of parents reported taking their child out of school at least once in the last year for a holiday or family event. This was most prevalent among parents of young children, with 44% of four-year-olds reporting doing so, compared to 29% of parents of 16 year olds. Rising holiday costs coupled with “relatively modest” fines were among reasons given by parents, while others framed time away from school as educational.
• Missing school normalised in some areas – the report also revealed wide regional variation in views about attendance enforcement. Nearly 60% of parents polled in the north east believed they should be able to take children out of school whenever they wanted, compared to 37% in London.
• Positive views on behaviour – though parents ranked poor behaviour as one of the top school issues affecting children, this did not translate into dissatisfaction with behaviour at their child’s school.
• Parents doubt teachers over SEND – although 50% of parents said it was important for children with SEND to be educated in mainstream schools, only 52% believed teachers were currently well equipped to deal with SEND.
• Less satisfaction among parents of children with SEND – parents of children with SEND but no EHCP had the lowest levels of satisfaction with their child’s education, the report found.
• Regional differences in navigating the SEND process – 54% of parents of children with SEND said they found the assessment process difficult or very difficult. But just 40% of parents of children with SEND in London found the process difficult, compared to 62% of parents in the south east.

This week I highlight new data from the DfE on the number of complaints to Ofsted about schools last financial year as well as new research highlighting teachers’ concerns that children don’t receive enough support for their reading at home and that screen time is a major challenge in encouraging children to read.

Rise in parental complaints to Ofsted
Data released by the DfE indicates complaints to Ofsted about schools rose by 5% in the 2024-25 financial year, reaching 16,700 cases, the equivalent of more than 45 complaints per day. Despite this, fewer complaints met the criteria for investigation, with only 9% deemed to be qualifying, down from 12% the previous year, meaning 91% were classed as non-qualifying. Noting a growing trend of families bypassing schools entirely, Ofsted emphasised the need for parents to first exhaust their school’s complaints procedure before going to them.

Research highlights concern over children’s reading skills
The latest research commissioned by education technology company Renaissance indicates over 80% of teachers are worried that children do not receive enough support for their reading at home, and around 90% fear that screen time is a major challenge in encouraging children to read. The research comes amid the DfE’s initiative, The National Year of Reading 2026, which aims to encourage children and young people to read for pleasure. Government guidance on screen time for children aged under five is due to be published soon.