Department for Education

We have set out plans to address local authorities’ high needs-related dedicated schools grant deficits up to the end of 2025/26, providing grants to cover 90% of each council’s deficit. Grants will be paid once councils have produced and received approval for a strong plan to drive sustained and energetic action in accordance with the department’s new system set out in the Schools White Paper, which will begin to improve outcomes for children and bring costs under control through effective early intervention stopping needs from escalating.

For deficits that arise in 2026/27 and 2027/28, local authorities can expect that we will continue to take a proportionate approach to such support, though it will not be unlimited. We will set out more details about our approach in due course.

The department has made significant increases to the average funding per student since the 2024/25 academic year, an expected per student increase of 10.5%. We expect that the average per student funding in 2026/27 will stand at £6,874, compared to £6,219 in the 2024/25 academic year.

In the 2026/27 academic year, we are also introducing a high value courses premium (HVCP) for construction. This is additional funding to encourage and support an increase in skilled construction workers. We will continue to fund the demographic increase in 16 to 19-year-olds, providing significant investment to ensure there are valuable and high-quality post-16 places for every student that wants one, supporting our economy and enabling young people to be able to progress and thrive.

The Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper set out reforms to the skills system to ensure skills provision is aligned to the needs of the Industrial Strategy and supports people to train in sectors which support growth and meet priority skills needs.

The government has launched an engineering skills package which will provide £182 million over three years to support engineering skills in England, working with Skills England to determine how this can increase the pipeline of skills such as those needed for lift engineers.

We are also launching Technical Excellence Colleges to address shortages in engineering, which is critical to the skills needed in priority sectors.

Skills England supports occupational standards specialising in the installation, maintenance and repair of lifts, escalators and related systems. It also has a range of generic standards at different levels covering technologies and occupations that are relevant to employers working on those systems. It will continue to work with employers to ensure that content is relevant and up to date.

The OBR has updated its forecast following publication of the proposed reforms showing a more effective and sustainable system. In 2028/29, we will be spending £7 billion more on the special educational needs and disabilities system, including funding new reform programmes so we intervene earlier and improve life chances.

The OBR has updated its forecast following publication of the proposed reforms showing a more effective and sustainable system. In 2028/29, we will be spending £7 billion more on the special educational needs and disabilities system, including funding new reform programmes so we intervene earlier and improve life chances.

The OBR has updated its forecast following publication of the proposed reforms showing a more effective and sustainable system. In 2028/29, we will be spending £7 billion more on the special educational needs and disabilities system, including funding new reform programmes so we intervene earlier and improve life chances.

To deliver these reforms, the department is putting more money into the education system, with £7 billion more being spent on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) support compared to 2025/26. The department’s budgets will increase above previously planned funding at Autumn Budget 2025 by £3.5 billion in 2028/29 to support investment in the SEND system. In every year of this parliament, core funding for schools and SEND is expected to increase, subject to future Spending Reviews. As we invest in the system, we will update the SEND Code of Practice and legal requirements for support to be provided in all mainstream education settings from early years to post-16, thereby strengthening the law to make sure children and young people receive the help and support they need.

It is our ambition that all families have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.

Local authorities have a statutory duty to secure free early education and childcare for eligible children in their area. Eligible children are entitled to 570 or 1,140 hours of free early education and childcare over the calendar year from when they become eligible.

Providers should set out how many free hours parents are getting per day and per week, to ensure parents understand what free hours they are receiving over the calendar year from when their child first becomes eligible.

Providers can also charge parents for any additional, private paid hours according to their usual terms and conditions provided taking up private paid hours is not a condition of accessing a free place.

In 2026/27, we are expecting to provide over £9.5 billion for the early years entitlements, investing over £1 billion more this year compared to 2025/26 to deliver a full year of the expanded entitlements and an increase to entitlements funding rates.

Local authorities have the primary responsibility for supporting care leavers and must publish their ‘local offer’ for care leavers, setting out their legal entitlements, plus any further discretionary support they provide. All care leavers are entitled to support from a Personal Adviser (PA), whose role is to help care leavers access support from mainstream services, such as housing, healthcare, benefits, and to provide practical and emotional support to help them prepare for the challenges of adulthood. PAs work with the young person to develop a pathway plan which should include their career aspirations and ambitions, providing access to high quality information, advice and guidance to inform their plans for continuing education, training or employment.

The department is going further through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, placing a new duty on local authorities to provide Staying Close support to care leavers up to the age of 25 where their welfare requires it. The bill also requires local authorities to publish information on their arrangements for supporting care leavers’ transition to adulthood, and seeks to change housing legislation so that care leavers cannot be found intentionally homeless.

To support education staff, the department provides a range of guidance and practical resources on promoting and supporting pupils’ mental health and wellbeing. For example, a resource hub for mental health leads, and a targeted support guide and hub to help choose evidence-based targeted support for pupils.

The government has also committed to provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school by expanding mental health support teams, so every child and young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate.

Beyond this, schools have the flexibility to decide what pastoral support and training they provide to best meet the individual needs of their pupils.

The government takes the issue of any child going missing, either from home or from local authority care, extremely seriously. An unaccompanied child is entitled to the same support as any other looked after child, regardless of their immigration status.

We expect local authorities and their safeguarding partners to work together to reduce the chances of children going missing, to respond effectively when they do, and understand why. We have provided clear guidance about responsibilities towards all children who go missing. This includes the appropriate response from the relevant police force and expectations for the settings where children live, to ensure children have access to the services they need.

Measures from the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill and Crime and Policing Bill, reforms being delivered through the Families First Partnership Programme (supported by £2.4 billion), updates to the ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ statutory guidance and oversight from the Keeping Children Safe ministerial board will ensure that we better respond when children go missing and intervene earlier to tackle the problems children and their families face.

Foster carers do not foster for financial reward, but need adequate support to ensure that they, and the children in their care, can achieve and thrive.

The department has set the National Minimum Allowance to cover the cost of looking after a child. The amount depends on the age and location of the child, but ranges from £176 to £309 per week, and increases annually along with tax relief and in line with inflation to reflect the cost of living.

The department recognises that wider support, such as fees and expenses, remain inconsistent. To better understand this variation and the impact this has on recruitment and retention, we have committed to an in-depth study of fostering finances. Alongside this, we will work closely with local authorities to understand and promote the full range of incentives they offer to carers, such as council tax discounts or exemptions and reduced rate local authority parking.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

The department has provided a number of guidance documents that are relevant to local authorities and other responsible bodies on the safe and effective use of digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) in schools.

The department’s ‘Generative AI in education’ policy paper is clear that any use of generative AI by staff, students, and pupils should be carefully considered and assessed, evaluating the benefits and risks of use in its education setting.

The ‘Generative AI: Product Safety Standards’, updated in January 2026, set clear expectations for child-centred design and safety. The department provides support materials for using AI in education settings which contain advice on safe and effective use, alongside guidance relating to connectivity standards, cyber security, filtering and monitoring, and device management. The support materials are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/using-ai-in-education-settings-support-materials.

Ending the tax breaks previously enjoyed by private schools raises essential revenue that will be invested in our public services, such as the £1.7 billion increase to core school funding in 2026/27, meaning an increased total of £67 billion, compared to £65.3 billion in 2025/26.

We are consulting on proposed updates to the School Food Standards in England to ensure that all food served at school, including breakfasts and lunches, better reflect current nutritional guidance and support children’s health, wellbeing and learning. The consultation will run for 9 weeks, closing on 12 June 2026 and full details can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/school-food-standards-updating-the-legislative-framework.

We want to give schools and caterers time to plan for these changes. Following the consultation, we will announce the new School Food Standards in September this year, before they are enforced from September 2027.

We propose that the new standards take full effect for primary schools from September 2027. Most changes for secondary schools will also begin in September 2027. However, there are some requirements that we propose to phase in for secondary schools, including adding pulses to menu options, limiting cheese-based main dishes, restricting sweetened baked products and desserts, and introducing the healthier drinks list. These would start from September 2028.

The Education Estates Strategy outlines plans for an education estate that supports opportunity for all, backed by a 10‑year programme to renew and transform schools and colleges. This decade of national renewal is supported by unprecedented long‑term funding and £38 billion in overall education capital from 2025/26 to 2029/30.

The government has committed to capital investment through to 2034/35 to improve the condition of schools and colleges across England, investing almost £3 billion per year by 2034/35 in capital maintenance and renewal. This is in addition to continued investment in the School Rebuilding Programme, expanding across a further 250 schools to be selected.

The Condition Data Collection 1 programme from 2017 to 2019 showed significant variation in the condition of the estate across the country. Updated information provided by schools on the condition of their estate is being collected through the department’s 5-year Condition Data Collection 2, which will complete in 2026.

The government is supporting all families, including parents who have been released from prison through Best Start Family Hubs (BSFHs) and Healthy Babies, backed by over £900 million investment over the next three years, to deliver a more connected, prevention-led system that improves outcomes for babies, children and their families.

The recently published ‘Best Start Family Hubs’ guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/best-start-family-hubs-and-healthy-babies-guidance-for-local-authorities.

This guidance sets out expectations for local authorities to provide inclusive, accessible and joined up support for families facing disadvantage or disruption. This includes promoting strong parent child relationships, supporting positive co-parenting, and addressing children’s social and emotional development, through advice and support for all families, with proactive outreach to disadvantaged groups.

Best Start Family Hubs act as a single, local front door to support, including evidence-based parenting programmes and support for parents. Local authorities are expected to take a proactive and inclusive outreach approach, working with voluntary and community sector partners where appropriate, to engage seldom‑heard and disadvantaged families and reduce barriers to access.

The 'Working together to improve school attendance' statutory guidance supports the attendance of all children and requires schools and wider services to take a ‘support first’ approach to understand the nature of the individual barriers facing a child’s attendance and put in place appropriate support.

Schools are supported with real-time data and practical toolkits to diagnose drivers of absence, including bespoke attendance targets. Our attendance mentoring programme provides one-to-one support for persistently absent children, both in Somerset and more widely. The national regional improvement for standards and excellence attendance and behaviour hubs support over 3,500 schools with practical advice for improving attendance practice.

Attendance is also supported by wider investment, including rolling out free breakfast clubs in all primary schools and expanding access to specialist mental health professionals in every school.

Civil servants in the department must submit an application to retire (leave the Civil Service) before Civil Service Pensions can provide an accurate retirement quote. This allows the scheme administrator to confirm figures based on the member’s final circumstances at the point of exit.

The department does not hold information on the number of school days missed due to poor roads and inadequate road safety measures.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

The department is clear that safety is the top priority when making decisions around artificial intelligence (AI) in education, and any use of AI by pupils should be carefully considered and assessed, evaluating the benefits and risks.

The department’s ‘Generative AI: Product Safety Standards’ updated in January 2026, set out the expectations that AI products should meet to be considered safe for use in education, including safeguarding requirements during set-up of any AI services.

The department continues to encourage industry to ensure their products are compliant with the standards and is considering consulting on a certification scheme for generative AI products in education.

The department has developed ‘Data protection in schools’ guidance which provides sector specific guidance for schools on compliance with data protection legislation and lawful basis for processing personal data. This includes AI, and signposts to tools, policy and standards. If a school relies on consent as the lawful basis to process personal data, guidance states that they must make sure that consent is properly given. This includes getting permission from parents or carers when required.

The Schools white paper makes clear our commitment to ensure every child can achieve and thrive by getting the most from the school day.

This is why we are rolling out free breakfast clubs in every state-funded school with primary-aged pupils in England, so that all children, regardless of background, can have the best start in life and begin the school day ready to learn. Since April 2025, we have funded 750 schools to offer a free breakfast club as early adopters, delivering 8.5 million meals so far. Following the success of the early adopters, we have rolled out clubs in an additional 500 schools opening their doors this week. Backed by an investment of £80 million, we will fund breakfast clubs in around 2,000 schools between April 2026 and March 2027, benefitting around half a million more children.

Following the launch of the national wraparound childcare programme in September 2024, over 105,000 places were made available by November 2025, supporting more families to access the childcare they need. The department does not hold delivery data broken down to constituency level.

The government takes the issue of any child going missing, from home or care, extremely seriously and has provided clear guidance about responsibilities for all children who go missing. When a child is found, they must be offered an independent Return Home Interview and local authorities, police and voluntary services should also work together to understand why the child went missing and what support they may need, including with their mental health, in the future to prevent them from going missing again.

The department has announced a £7 million funding boost to early support hubs across England providing drop-in mental health support for young people aged 11 to 25. Alongside this, we are investing an extra £688 million in mental health services this year and are recruiting 8,500 additional mental health workers across children’s and adult services.

Measures from the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill and Crime and Policing Bill, reforms being delivered through the Families First Partnership Programme, supported by £2.4 billion, updates to the Working Together to Safeguard Children statutory guidance, and oversight from the Keeping Children Safe ministerial board will ensure that we better respond when children go missing and intervene earlier to tackle the underlying drivers.

Measures in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill aim to put an end to misconceptions about legal barriers to sharing information, through introducing an Information Sharing Duty and making provision for a Single Unique Identifier to improve information sharing between agencies.

The government takes the issue of any child going missing, from home or care, extremely seriously and has provided clear guidance about responsibilities for all children who go missing. When a child is found, they must be offered an independent Return Home Interview and local authorities, police and voluntary services should also work together to understand why the child went missing and what support they may need, including with their mental health, in the future to prevent them from going missing again.

The department has announced a £7 million funding boost to early support hubs across England providing drop-in mental health support for young people aged 11 to 25. Alongside this, we are investing an extra £688 million in mental health services this year and are recruiting 8,500 additional mental health workers across children’s and adult services.

Measures from the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill and Crime and Policing Bill, reforms being delivered through the Families First Partnership Programme, supported by £2.4 billion, updates to the Working Together to Safeguard Children statutory guidance, and oversight from the Keeping Children Safe ministerial board will ensure that we better respond when children go missing and intervene earlier to tackle the underlying drivers.

Measures in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill aim to put an end to misconceptions about legal barriers to sharing information, through introducing an Information Sharing Duty and making provision for a Single Unique Identifier to improve information sharing between agencies.

The government takes the issue of any child going missing, from home or care, extremely seriously and has provided clear guidance about responsibilities for all children who go missing. When a child is found, they must be offered an independent Return Home Interview and local authorities, police and voluntary services should also work together to understand why the child went missing and what support they may need, including with their mental health, in the future to prevent them from going missing again.

The department has announced a £7 million funding boost to early support hubs across England providing drop-in mental health support for young people aged 11 to 25. Alongside this, we are investing an extra £688 million in mental health services this year and are recruiting 8,500 additional mental health workers across children’s and adult services.

Measures from the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill and Crime and Policing Bill, reforms being delivered through the Families First Partnership Programme, supported by £2.4 billion, updates to the Working Together to Safeguard Children statutory guidance, and oversight from the Keeping Children Safe ministerial board will ensure that we better respond when children go missing and intervene earlier to tackle the underlying drivers.

Measures in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill aim to put an end to misconceptions about legal barriers to sharing information, through introducing an Information Sharing Duty and making provision for a Single Unique Identifier to improve information sharing between agencies.

It is important that government childcare entitlements are accessible and affordable for families. Government funding is intended to deliver 15 or 30 hours a week of free, high-quality, flexible childcare. The 15 or 30 hours must be able to be accessed free of charge to parents. There must not be any mandatory charges for parents in relation to the entitlement hours. The statutory guidance makes clear that government funding for the entitlements does not cover consumables like meals, nappies or sun cream or additional activities, such as trips. Providers are able to offer and ask parents to pay for these things, provided they are not mandatory or a condition of accessing an entitlements place.

We advise parents to discuss with their childcare provider in the first instance if they have any queries around their childcare costs. They should then contact their local council if they remain concerned with how they are receiving their entitlement offer or if they need help finding an entitlements place.

The government’s consultation on special educational needs and disabilities reform, ‘Putting Children and Young People First’, sets out the proposal to introduce Specialist Provision Packages, which would provide comprehensive, evidence-based support for children and young people with the most complex needs. This is subject to consultation.

The packages will be developed and reviewed by experts, tested with parents and supported through continued multi-agency working. Legislation to introduce the new packages, and the independent expert panel that will oversee them, will be brought forward at the earliest opportunity, with guidance to follow so settings can plan and prepare ahead of proposed implementation from September 2029.

The government’s consultation on special educational needs and disabilities reform, ‘Putting Children and Young People First’, sets out the proposal to introduce Specialist Provision Packages, which would provide comprehensive, evidence-based support for children and young people with the most complex needs. This is subject to consultation.

The packages will be developed and reviewed by experts, tested with parents and supported through continued multi-agency working. Legislation to introduce the new packages, and the independent expert panel that will oversee them, will be brought forward at the earliest opportunity, with guidance to follow so settings can plan and prepare ahead of proposed implementation from September 2029.

The department holds information on pupils’ special educational needs and their attainment by 14 types of primary need. Dyslexia is usually included in the wider category of primary need ‘specific learning difficulty’. In 2025, 33% of pupils with ‘specific learning difficulty’ recorded as their primary need met the expected standard in the phonics screening check in year 1. The English Hubs programme is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading, with a focus on supporting children making the slowest progress. ‘Reading Ambition for All’, developed with input from the British Dyslexia Association, is a continuous professional development programme to support schools help struggling readers, delivered by our 34 English Hubs, reaching more than 600 schools this academic year.

The department is currently considering our approach to identifying possible areas for Mission Coastal and will announce further details in due course. Our ambition is that both Mission North East and Mission Coastal will transform outcomes in areas where disadvantage is entrenched and drive change nationwide.

The department is currently considering our approach to identifying possible areas for Mission Coastal and will announce further details in due course. Our ambition is that both Mission North East and Mission Coastal will transform outcomes in areas where disadvantage is entrenched and drive change nationwide.

The department is committed to ensuring the exams system is equitable for all students, and that students with disabilities, including dyslexia, can access exams and assessments without disadvantage.

Ofqual, the independent regulator of exams and assessments in England, has a statutory duty to ensure that assessments are a fair representation of a student’s knowledge and requires awarding organisations to put processes in place to ensure that all students can access assessments appropriately.

The Equality Act 2010 also requires awarding organisations to make reasonable adjustments where assessment arrangements could place a student, who is disabled within the meaning of the Act, at a substantial disadvantage in comparison to someone who is not disabled.

These adjustments can include, but are not limited to, extra time to complete assessments or assistance via a reader or a scribe, depending on the individual needs of the student.

The department’s ‘Home-to-school travel’ statutory guidance makes clear that discretionary travel need not be limited to children of compulsory school age. The guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-to-school-travel-and-transport-guidance.

Decisions about which languages to offer at GCSE in England are taken by four independent awarding organisations: AQA, OCR, Pearson Edexcel and WJEC. These organisations have the freedom to create a Cornish GCSE based on subject content set by the department. This decision would be informed by several factors, including the level of demand from schools, and the proportion of the UK population who speak the language.

As part of our reforms, to clarify and simplify terminology, we will collectively describe provision such as special educational needs (SEN) units, resourced provision and pupil support units as inclusion bases, underpinned by two models:

1. Support bases: commissioned and funded by individual settings and academy trusts.
2. Specialist bases: commissioned and funded by the local authority.

There are many examples of inclusion bases in mainstream settings that offer high quality teaching, bespoke learning environments and flexible access to specialist education or health support, helping children thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. These will continue to play an important role.

As a core component of our £3.7 billion high needs capital settlement we will invest in a transformational expansion of inclusion bases, so they become a core part of every local education offer. They will deliver high quality teaching and support to more children who benefit from provision that bridges the gap between mainstream and specialist.

The department has announced plans for special educational needs and disabilities reform, with further information available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/every-child-achieving-and-thriving.

An inclusive education system for all children and young people requires a strong universal offer. We will introduce new National Inclusion Standards to guide schools on what effective, inclusive universal provision and evidence-based targeted provision looks like.

For those whose needs cannot be met through the universal offer alone, there will be additional layers of support (targeted, targeted plus and specialist). A duty will be placed on settings to produce an Individual Support Plan for any pupil receiving targeted or specialist support, developed together with parents and young people to ensure every professional understands their needs and how best to support them.

We have announced £1.6 billion for an Inclusive Mainstream Fund to support schools, colleges and early years settings to embed inclusive practice over the next three years. We will provide educators with a new landmark training package on inclusion, with an investment of over £200 million over three years. We have also announced a new £1.8 billion investment over three years to deliver expertise to all settings from Educational Psychologists, Speech and Language Therapists and Occupational Therapists. We are consulting on our plans for reform and encourage the sharing of views through the ongoing consultation at: https://consult.education.gov.uk/send-strategy-division/send-reform-putting-children-and-young-people-firs/.

Attached is a table that provides data about students in receipt of student loans by nationality, for the 2020/21 – 2024/25 academic years.

This dataset reports the number of UK Nationals, and provides a breakdown of nationalities for non-UK Nationals. Previous similar parliamentary questions used nationality as self‑reported by applicants on their Student Finance application form. Under that approach, UK Nationals could record an additional nationality alongside proof of their UK national status, which led to inconsistent reporting for borrowers who held UK National status.

The department and the Student Loans Company (SLC) have strengthened the quality and consistency of their data and now hold robust information on a borrower’s UK national status and nationality. This has reduced the number of ‘unknown’ records previously reported to less than 0.07% in the last year of this dataset. This is a live management information dataset which is not static, and data can be updated over time as SLC update their records and re-categorise data.

The government is a strong supporter of the mutual sector, including credit unions. The department is not the employer of any school staff, and it would therefore be inappropriate to encourage or recommend membership to specific financial products or institutions.

The government is delivering on its manifesto commitment by legislating to introduce Ofsted inspection of academy trusts to help drive better outcomes for children and provide greater confidence for parents. Robust financial oversight is crucial to achieving a strong school system and trust inspections will look at whether trusts are using their resources efficiently and strategically to support high quality education. This will provide families clear and independent assurance about the strength of the trust responsible for their child’s academy.

We know there is excellent practice across the sector, with schools and trusts proactively finding ways to secure better value from their resources. The department’s Maximising Value for Pupils programme helps schools seize opportunities to maximise value in four key areas: commercial spend, assets, including reserves, workforce deployment, and developing capabilities, including digital and technology.

Where an academy trust is facing financial difficulties, the department offers practical advice and guidance covering financial management, educational performance, and governance. Where failings in financial management or governance are identified, the department can take robust action to drive the required improvement, for example through issuing a Financial Notice to Improve. We may also commission a School Resource Management Adviser to provide additional specialist advice where required.

There are 46 key stage 4 (KS4) Technical Awards, which pupils can take alongside GCSEs. These qualifications cover broad sector areas such as health and social care, building and construction, and support the development of knowledge and practical skills. In 2024/25, 45% of students in state-funded schools took at least one Technical Award.

The Curriculum and Assessment Review emphasised maintaining stability to allow these qualifications to embed fully in the system and did not recommend introducing structured vocational pathways at ages 11 to 14, and we have no current plans to pilot such models. For pupils in KS4, we will review the current suite of Technical Awards from 2027 with a focus on their impact and progression to post-16 pathways.

This is because the Review concluded that in comparison to other jurisdictions, we have a reasonably broad and balanced curriculum to age 16, which offers all children an entitlement to a core set of knowledge. The department is maintaining the existing architecture of key stages, national assessments and qualifications, which international comparisons suggest have had a positive impact on attainment. New measures at key stage 3, including better sequenced content, a year 8 statutory reading test and improved use of diagnostic assessment, are designed to support engagement and progress without narrowing the curriculum prematurely. To prepare learners for a changing world, we are developing an oracy framework and embedding financial, media and digital literacy and climate and sustainability education into the relevant subjects.

The Review concluded that structured vocational pathways are most effective post‑16. The department is therefore reforming the 16 to 19 system through A levels, T Levels and new V Levels, alongside redesigned Level 2 pathways, ensuring clear, high quality routes into technical fields and helping address skills shortages, including in construction and the wider technical trades.

There are 46 key stage 4 (KS4) Technical Awards, which pupils can take alongside GCSEs. These qualifications cover broad sector areas such as health and social care, building and construction, and support the development of knowledge and practical skills. In 2024/25, 45% of students in state-funded schools took at least one Technical Award.

The Curriculum and Assessment Review emphasised maintaining stability to allow these qualifications to embed fully in the system and did not recommend introducing structured vocational pathways at ages 11 to 14, and we have no current plans to pilot such models. For pupils in KS4, we will review the current suite of Technical Awards from 2027 with a focus on their impact and progression to post-16 pathways.

This is because the Review concluded that in comparison to other jurisdictions, we have a reasonably broad and balanced curriculum to age 16, which offers all children an entitlement to a core set of knowledge. The department is maintaining the existing architecture of key stages, national assessments and qualifications, which international comparisons suggest have had a positive impact on attainment. New measures at key stage 3, including better sequenced content, a year 8 statutory reading test and improved use of diagnostic assessment, are designed to support engagement and progress without narrowing the curriculum prematurely. To prepare learners for a changing world, we are developing an oracy framework and embedding financial, media and digital literacy and climate and sustainability education into the relevant subjects.

The Review concluded that structured vocational pathways are most effective post‑16. The department is therefore reforming the 16 to 19 system through A levels, T Levels and new V Levels, alongside redesigned Level 2 pathways, ensuring clear, high quality routes into technical fields and helping address skills shortages, including in construction and the wider technical trades.

The government’s ambition is for every child and young person to receive a rich and broad, inclusive and innovative education, and that the curriculum reflects our modern society and diverse communities, including disabled people. We will ensure disability is taught in the curriculum, so that all children and young people have a positive and informed understanding of disability.

The history curriculum provides a broad and flexible framework that allows schools to select which topics to teach across the key stages, and this can include history relating to disabled people. We are in the process of refreshing the history curriculum to support the teaching of the inherent diversity within history. We will consult on the curriculum from early summer, and we will fully implement the new full national curriculum for first teaching from September 2028.

Our special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reform proposals, including the new Individual Support Plans and the Inclusive Mainstream Fund, aim to improve help and support for children and young people with SEND up to age 25. The consultation document explains the changes we plan to make and asks for comments from everyone with an interest.

Our proposals were informed by our national conversation on SEND, through a series of online conversations and regional events. For the post-16 sector this also included two roundtables, a series of follow-up discussions with key stakeholders on emerging themes and visits to colleges by departmental officials and Ministers.

During the consultation period, we are engaging with the post-16 sector in several ways, including a series of webinar events, facilitated by post-16 membership organisations, which are aimed directly at providers, and including representatives of the post-16 sector in key working groups such as the SEND development group. These seek to provide clarity on key proposals and offer an opportunity for open discussion so that providers feel able to make informed written responses to the consultation.