Department for Education

Through the department’s engagement with the sector, we have heard a clear and consistent message from teachers that the current system is not working and driving unnecessary and bureaucratic processes.

The department’s proposed reforms aim to create a more inclusive, responsive, and sustainable system that ensures all children and young people receive the support they need to thrive in education.

To drive inclusive practice across the workforce, we are investing £200 million of new funding to ensure that all teachers, educators, teaching assistants, support staff and leaders across early years, schools and post-16 settings can be trained to support pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.

We value the hard work of teachers and educators up and down the country and we have specifically designed our new continuing professional development courses to be flexible to work around their schedules. We know that best practice already exists across the system and the new training package will help take that further.

New National Inclusion Standards will also set out evidence-informed tools, strategies and approaches, which help educators to identify and support children and young people with additional needs.

We are also drawing on user-centred research with schools, settings, families and professionals, to design the Individual Support Plans, so that they serve to reduce workload for teachers and educators by bringing information together in one place and cutting down on duplicated recording.

The current system for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is failing too many children and families. Improving the life chances of children and young people with SEND is the first priority for these reforms, including for adopted children and for those who have experienced early-life trauma. Every child deserves a high-quality, inclusive education, and families should not have to battle the system for this.

During the 12-week consultation period on the proposals: ‘SEND reform, putting children and young people first’, we hosted over 200 engagement events, meetings and roundtables, including ‘deep dives’ conversation and discussions on the interaction between children’s social care reforms and recommendations from the Law Commission’s report into disabled children’s social care. The government will provide a full response to this report in the autumn.

The SEND reform consultation has now closed, and we are carefully reviewing and taking into account all responses submitted to the consultation. We will publish a response to the consultation in due course and bring forward legislation at the earliest opportunity as set out in the King’s Speech.

The attached table provides the total value of loans issued, by nationality of recipient, for the 2020/21 to 2024/25 academic years.

Eligibility for student finance is not based on nationality, but on immigration status and residency, ensuring that access to support reflects an individual’s established connection to the UK, rather than their nationality in isolation. To be eligible, a student must ordinarily be a resident in England and be settled or have a recognised connection with the UK. Students must also have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands (Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and/or the British Overseas Territories) for the three years prior to the first day of the first academic year of their course. Some individuals are exempt from these requirements. For example, those with Refugee Status do not have to meet the standard settlement and residency criteria.

The nationality of all borrowers is checked and validated during the application process. Records listed as ‘unknown’ (in a very small number of mainly postgraduate borrower records) reflect legacy data quality issues in this field, which are being addressed by the Student Loans Company (SLC) and the department. 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 attached table provides repayment rates for loans due for repayment for the 2020/21 to 2024/25 financial years. The repayment rate was calculated as the percentage of borrowers whose loan has passed its Statutory Repayment Due Date (SRDD, normally the April after the end of the course) and have made a payment in the financial year out of all borrowers whose loan has passed its SRDD. Although borrowers become liable for repayment from the SRDD, repayments are only due where earnings exceed the relevant threshold. Borrowers who remain below this threshold, or experience fluctuating incomes, are not required to make repayments on a continuous basis. Additionally, periods of further study, unemployment, or other life events may reduce earnings below the threshold, resulting in no repayments being collected despite being past the SRDD.

Eligibility for student finance is not based on nationality, but on immigration status and residency, ensuring that access to support reflects an individual’s established connection to the UK, rather than their nationality in isolation. To be eligible, a student must be ordinarily resident in England and be settled or have a recognised connection with the UK. Students must also have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands (Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and/or the British Overseas Territories) for the three years prior to the first day of the first academic year of their course. Some individuals are exempt from these requirements. For example, those with Refugee Status do not have to meet the standard settlement and residency criteria.

The nationality of all borrowers is checked and validated during the application process. Records listed as ‘unknown’ (in a very small number of mainly postgraduate borrower records) reflect legacy data quality issues in this field, which are being addressed by the Student Loans Company (SLC) and the department. 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 attached table provides the number of non-UK nationals who received a first loan for the 2020/21 to 2024/25 academic years, by loan type and nationality.

Eligibility for student finance is not based on nationality, but on immigration status and residency, ensuring that access to support reflects an individual’s established connection to the UK, rather than their nationality in isolation. To be eligible, a student must ordinarily be a resident in England and be settled or have a recognised connection with the UK. Students must also have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands (Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and/or the British Overseas Territories) for the three years prior to the first day of the first academic year of their course. Some individuals are exempt from these requirements. For example, those with Refugee Status do not have to meet the standard settlement and residency criteria.

The nationality of all borrowers is checked and validated during the application process. Records listed as ‘unknown’ (in a very small number of mainly postgraduate borrower records) reflect legacy data quality issues in this field, which are being addressed by the Student Loans Company (SLC) and the department. 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.

Plan 2 student loans were first made available to undergraduate students in 2012. These loans did not enter repayment until 2016, at which point the £21,000 repayment threshold was applied to Plan 2 loans.

Since this government has been in power, we have increased the repayment threshold for Plan 2 loans to £28,470 in April 2025, its first increase since 2021, and we increased it again on 6 April this year to £29,385.

The data for the 2020/21 to 2024/25 academic years has previously been published in the attached file.

The department and the Student Loans Company (SLC) have recently strengthened the quality and consistency of their data and now hold robust information on current borrowers’ UK national status and nationality. However, due to GDPR requirements, records are not retained indefinitely. Borrowers whose loans were fully repaid or written off more than six years ago are removed from SLC systems.

As a result, the department does not hold a complete dataset with robust and consistent nationality information over this 20-year time-period. Figures on the number of borrowers by academic year and nationality across the full time series will therefore not fully reflect historical trends in nationality of borrowers.

The department remains committed to creating a secure future for the higher education (HE) sector. The Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper sets out our commitment to placing the sector on a more sustainable footing, supporting providers to drive efficiency, strengthening financial resilience, and adopting more effective operating models. We increased tuition fee caps in line with inflation in 2025/26 and are doing the same in 2026/27 and 2027/28.

HE providers are independent from government and are responsible for managing their finances. We encourage providers to work with their staff to develop sustainable business models that retain talent and expertise and provide stability for the workforce and the institution.

The department continues to work closely with the Office for Students to understand the sector’s changing financial landscape.

The International Education Strategy has confirmed our continued commitment to welcome international students who meet the requirements to study in the UK.

The department remains committed to creating a secure future for the higher education (HE) sector. The Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper sets out our commitment to placing the sector on a more sustainable footing, supporting providers to drive efficiency, strengthening financial resilience, and adopting more effective operating models. We increased tuition fee caps in line with inflation in 2025/26 and are doing the same in 2026/27 and 2027/28.

HE providers are independent from government and are responsible for managing their finances. We encourage providers to work with their staff to develop sustainable business models that retain talent and expertise and provide stability for the workforce and the institution.

The department continues to work closely with the Office for Students to understand the sector’s changing financial landscape.

The International Education Strategy has confirmed our continued commitment to welcome international students who meet the requirements to study in the UK.

The department collects a wide range of information on technology use in schools through the biennial Technology in Schools Survey, which provides information on the availability and use of devices by pupils in primary and secondary schools. This does not include specific information about use of devices during lessons or for homework activities.

The government recognises that we must get the balance right when it comes to technology use. The department’s expert advisory group on screen time is assessing a range of evidence and responses to the department’s call for evidence, which will inform guidance and policy on the use of technology in schools.

The department recognises that the delay in delivering exam results is unacceptable and has created additional work, uncertainty and frustration for schools at an already busy time of year. Pupils, parents and staff rightly expect the system to work effectively. Pearson are fully responsible and have apologised for their failure to deliver the key stage 2 results on time and for the impact this has had on schools, pupils and parents.

The former Secretary of State for Education listened to feedback from schools about the original revised deadline of 24 July for applications for marking and clerical reviews of pupils' scripts, in which schools made clear the practical difficulties this would create where summer holidays had already commenced, or would shortly begin after results were returned. In response, the former Secretary of State for Education approved an extension to the review application deadline until 7 September 2026. This will provide schools with more time to consider results, and submit any review requests, where appropriate, during term time.

The government recognises that we must get the balance right when it comes to technology use for teaching and learning. The department’s expert advisory group on screen time is assessing a range of evidence and responses to the department’s call for evidence, which will inform guidance and policy on the use of technology in schools.

I can confirm that responses have been submitted to the hon. Member for Harborough, Oadby and Wigston to the questions referenced.

The department is working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England on reforms to the special educational needs and disabilities system, including strengthening joint workforce planning and local commissioning arrangements between education, health and care partners.

As part of this work, the department is delivering the Experts at Hand offer, which will provide schools and settings with access to expert advice and guidance to support the identification and meeting of a range of special educational needs, including dyslexia. The offer is intended to strengthen early identification and promote effective and inclusive practice across education settings.

The department will be seeking views from unions and employer representatives on whether it is beneficial to provide updated guidance for schools on trade union facility time, or whether it is adequately covered by other sources of guidance.

Information on the number of pupils with special educational needs support and the number with education, health and care (EHC) plans is published in the statistical release here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england/2025-26.

Information on individual schools, including administrative district and ward is available in the supporting files.

Information on the number of EHC plans maintained by local authorities is published here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans/2026.

This publication covers all EHC plans for children and young people aged 0 to 25. It includes those in early years, further education, and who are educated other than in school. Information from this publication is not available for levels below local authority.

This is a matter for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver. I have asked him to write to the hon. Member for Fylde directly and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

The quality of teaching is the single most important in-school factor for improving pupil outcomes, and it is particularly important for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). High-quality teachers exist everywhere across the system, including in single-form primaries.

To ensure that all teachers, teaching assistants, support staff and leaders across early years, schools and post-16 settings can be trained to support pupils with SEND, we are investing £200 million of new funding to upskill staff and promote inclusive practice. In addition, we are investing £1.8 billion for local area partnerships to develop and deliver an Experts at Hand offer to mainstream settings, including small and single-form entry primary schools. They will have access to specialist education and health professionals who will work alongside staff to build capacity, support earlier intervention and strengthen inclusive practise.

The department is also providing £1.6 billion of additional funding to mainstream settings through an Inclusive Mainstream Fund, to help settings identify commonly occurring needs and take meaningful steps to improve everyday support. We have published guidance to support schools to develop their initial inclusion strategies, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inclusive-mainstream-fund-support-for-school-leaders/developing-an-inclusion-strategy-using-the-inclusive-mainstream-fund.

We are also proposing to introduce new National Inclusion Standards to set out what ordinarily-available provision should be in every setting across the 0 to 25 system, as well as the evidence-based tools, strategies and approaches for educators to draw on to identify and support children and young people with SEND.

We recognise that Armed Forces life may present particular challenges for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families, particularly because of the need to move regularly. As part of our consultation on reforms of the SEND system, I attended a roundtable hosted by the Armed Forces Community All-Party Parliamentary Group, to hear first-hand from armed forces families their powerful testimony about these challenges.

Our proposed SEND reforms aim to end the postcode lottery and improve quality of support for Service children with SEND, for example, through new National Inclusion Standards, a nationally consistent set of Specialist Provision Packages and digital Individual Support and education, health and care plans that support transitions between settings. Updating the SEND Code of Practice will be essential to ensure children’s needs are met early and flexibly.

We are carefully reviewing and taking into account all responses submitted to the consultation, alongside feedback from over 200 engagement events we held over 12 weeks. We will set out our response in due course.

Local authorities are required, in line with the Armed Forces Covenant 'due regard' duty, to consider the needs of Service personnel, veterans and their families in planning and delivering aspects of education provision. Some local authorities have proactively decided to deliver this through appointing a lead officer for children from Armed Forces families.

We recognise that Armed Forces life may present particular challenges for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families, particularly because of the need to move regularly. As part of our consultation on reforms of the SEND system, I attended a roundtable hosted by the Armed Forces Community All-Party Parliamentary Group, to hear first-hand from armed forces families their powerful testimony about these challenges.

Our proposed SEND reforms aim to end the postcode lottery and improve quality of support for Service children with SEND, for example, through new National Inclusion Standards, a nationally consistent set of Specialist Provision Packages and digital Individual Support and education, health and care plans that support transitions between settings. Updating the SEND Code of Practice will be essential to ensure children’s needs are met early and flexibly.

We are carefully reviewing and taking into account all responses submitted to the consultation, alongside feedback from over 200 engagement events we held over 12 weeks. We will set out our response in due course.

Local authorities are required, in line with the Armed Forces Covenant 'due regard' duty, to consider the needs of Service personnel, veterans and their families in planning and delivering aspects of education provision. Some local authorities have proactively decided to deliver this through appointing a lead officer for children from Armed Forces families.

We recognise that Armed Forces life may present particular challenges for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families, particularly because of the need to move regularly. As part of our consultation on reforms of the SEND system, I attended a roundtable hosted by the Armed Forces Community All-Party Parliamentary Group, to hear first-hand from armed forces families their powerful testimony about these challenges.

Our proposed SEND reforms aim to end the postcode lottery and improve quality of support for Service children with SEND, for example, through new National Inclusion Standards, a nationally consistent set of Specialist Provision Packages and digital Individual Support and education, health and care plans that support transitions between settings. Updating the SEND Code of Practice will be essential to ensure children’s needs are met early and flexibly.

We are carefully reviewing and taking into account all responses submitted to the consultation, alongside feedback from over 200 engagement events we held over 12 weeks. We will set out our response in due course.

Local authorities are required, in line with the Armed Forces Covenant 'due regard' duty, to consider the needs of Service personnel, veterans and their families in planning and delivering aspects of education provision. Some local authorities have proactively decided to deliver this through appointing a lead officer for children from Armed Forces families.

Mainstream school funding is increasing by 2.6% per pupil in the 2026/27 financial year compared to 2025/26. On top of this increase, mainstream schools will be receiving an additional £522 million to support them with overall costs, including the costs of staff pay awards.

Furthermore, to reverse the trend of late intervention and escalation in special educational needs and disabilities, the department is providing an additional £4 billion over this year and the next two years. This includes:

• The Inclusive Mainstream Fund, providing £1.6 billion for schools, colleges and early years settings to prepare and deliver improved inclusive practice, with over £500 million per year allocated to helping settings strengthen their inclusive offer.
• Providing £1.8 billion over the three years for local authorities to work in partnership with integrated care boards to develop and deliver a new ‘Experts at Hand’ offer, granting mainstream settings increased access to expert advice and support from educational and health professionals.
• Investing £200 million of new funding in a new training package to ensure that every teacher, educator, teaching assistant, and leaders across early years, schools and post-16 is trained and confident in supporting pupils with special educational needs.

Pearson Education Limited has apologised for failing to return the 2026 key stage 2 SATs results on time, and for the impact on schools, pupils and parents. Schools rightly expect results to be delivered on time, and the department recognises the frustration this delay has caused to schools across England. A thorough review will be conducted into how such a serious failing could have occurred.

The department is seeking a meeting with Kent County Council officers to understand more about its Communities of Schools model.

The department welcomes Become's report ‘Gone Too Far’ and its focus on getting the voices of those with care experience heard.

While some out-of-area placements are necessary to meet a child's individual needs or keep them safe, we know that living far from support networks can affect stability and wellbeing, disrupting relationships with family, friends and trusted professionals, undermining educational continuity and making it harder for children to maintain important community connections.

For some children, this can increase vulnerability to exploitation, sexual abuse and other forms of harm.

Moving a child away from their home area is a significant decision and must be approved by the Director of Children's Services, only when the move is in the child's best interests. Local authorities have ongoing duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of looked-after children, including through regular social worker oversight and a statutory requirement to notify the authority in which a child is placed.

The aim of the government's Enduring Relationships Strategy is for all children in care to have the support and stability they need to form and maintain healthy relationships throughout their lives.

Through the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, we are strengthening information sharing and multi-agency child protection arrangements and improving the response to child sexual exploitation and other extra-familial harms. We are also investing £560 million to expand children's homes and foster care capacity and developing regional care cooperatives to help more children, including girls at risk of exploitation and abuse, access safe, high-quality care closer to home.

The department welcomes Become's report ‘Gone Too Far’ and its focus on getting the voices of those with care experience heard.

While some out-of-area placements are necessary to meet a child's individual needs or keep them safe, we know that living far from support networks can affect stability and wellbeing, disrupting relationships with family, friends and trusted professionals, undermining educational continuity and making it harder for children to maintain important community connections.

For some children, this can increase vulnerability to exploitation, sexual abuse and other forms of harm.

Moving a child away from their home area is a significant decision and must be approved by the Director of Children's Services, only when the move is in the child's best interests. Local authorities have ongoing duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of looked-after children, including through regular social worker oversight and a statutory requirement to notify the authority in which a child is placed.

The aim of the government's Enduring Relationships Strategy is for all children in care to have the support and stability they need to form and maintain healthy relationships throughout their lives.

Through the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, we are strengthening information sharing and multi-agency child protection arrangements and improving the response to child sexual exploitation and other extra-familial harms. We are also investing £560 million to expand children's homes and foster care capacity and developing regional care cooperatives to help more children, including girls at risk of exploitation and abuse, access safe, high-quality care closer to home.

The department welcomes Become's report ‘Gone Too Far’ and its focus on getting the voices of those with care experience heard.

While some out-of-area placements are necessary to meet a child's individual needs or keep them safe, we know that living far from support networks can affect stability and wellbeing, disrupting relationships with family, friends and trusted professionals, undermining educational continuity and making it harder for children to maintain important community connections.

For some children, this can increase vulnerability to exploitation, sexual abuse and other forms of harm.

Moving a child away from their home area is a significant decision and must be approved by the Director of Children's Services, only when the move is in the child's best interests. Local authorities have ongoing duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of looked-after children, including through regular social worker oversight and a statutory requirement to notify the authority in which a child is placed.

The aim of the government's Enduring Relationships Strategy is for all children in care to have the support and stability they need to form and maintain healthy relationships throughout their lives.

Through the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, we are strengthening information sharing and multi-agency child protection arrangements and improving the response to child sexual exploitation and other extra-familial harms. We are also investing £560 million to expand children's homes and foster care capacity and developing regional care cooperatives to help more children, including girls at risk of exploitation and abuse, access safe, high-quality care closer to home.

The department welcomes Become's report ‘Gone Too Far’ and its focus on getting the voices of those with care experience heard.

While some out-of-area placements are necessary to meet a child's individual needs or keep them safe, we know that living far from support networks can affect stability and wellbeing, disrupting relationships with family, friends and trusted professionals, undermining educational continuity and making it harder for children to maintain important community connections.

For some children, this can increase vulnerability to exploitation, sexual abuse and other forms of harm.

Moving a child away from their home area is a significant decision and must be approved by the Director of Children's Services, only when the move is in the child's best interests. Local authorities have ongoing duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of looked-after children, including through regular social worker oversight and a statutory requirement to notify the authority in which a child is placed.

The aim of the government's Enduring Relationships Strategy is for all children in care to have the support and stability they need to form and maintain healthy relationships throughout their lives.

Through the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, we are strengthening information sharing and multi-agency child protection arrangements and improving the response to child sexual exploitation and other extra-familial harms. We are also investing £560 million to expand children's homes and foster care capacity and developing regional care cooperatives to help more children, including girls at risk of exploitation and abuse, access safe, high-quality care closer to home.

The department welcomes Become's report ‘Gone Too Far’ and its focus on getting the voices of those with care experience heard.

While some out-of-area placements are necessary to meet a child's individual needs or keep them safe, we know that living far from support networks can affect stability and wellbeing, disrupting relationships with family, friends and trusted professionals, undermining educational continuity and making it harder for children to maintain important community connections.

For some children, this can increase vulnerability to exploitation, sexual abuse and other forms of harm.

Moving a child away from their home area is a significant decision and must be approved by the Director of Children's Services, only when the move is in the child's best interests. Local authorities have ongoing duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of looked-after children, including through regular social worker oversight and a statutory requirement to notify the authority in which a child is placed.

The aim of the government's Enduring Relationships Strategy is for all children in care to have the support and stability they need to form and maintain healthy relationships throughout their lives.

Through the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, we are strengthening information sharing and multi-agency child protection arrangements and improving the response to child sexual exploitation and other extra-familial harms. We are also investing £560 million to expand children's homes and foster care capacity and developing regional care cooperatives to help more children, including girls at risk of exploitation and abuse, access safe, high-quality care closer to home.

The department welcomes Become's report ‘Gone Too Far’ and its focus on getting the voices of those with care experience heard.

While some out-of-area placements are necessary to meet a child's individual needs or keep them safe, we know that living far from support networks can affect stability and wellbeing, disrupting relationships with family, friends and trusted professionals, undermining educational continuity and making it harder for children to maintain important community connections.

For some children, this can increase vulnerability to exploitation, sexual abuse and other forms of harm.

Moving a child away from their home area is a significant decision and must be approved by the Director of Children's Services, only when the move is in the child's best interests. Local authorities have ongoing duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of looked-after children, including through regular social worker oversight and a statutory requirement to notify the authority in which a child is placed.

The aim of the government's Enduring Relationships Strategy is for all children in care to have the support and stability they need to form and maintain healthy relationships throughout their lives.

Through the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, we are strengthening information sharing and multi-agency child protection arrangements and improving the response to child sexual exploitation and other extra-familial harms. We are also investing £560 million to expand children's homes and foster care capacity and developing regional care cooperatives to help more children, including girls at risk of exploitation and abuse, access safe, high-quality care closer to home.

The department does not collect data on the number of diversity, equity and inclusion roles in state-funded schools, or the costs associated with such role. While the school workforce census collects data on broad staff categories, it does not capture information on specific functions or responsibilities undertaken by individual employees.

The department works closely with the Department of Health and Social Care, including on regular policy and evidence exchanges on the implications of screen-based devices and education technology for pupils. This includes drawing on medical and child development expertise, and wider evidence on children’s health, wellbeing and learning.

The department established expert arrangements to inform its work on screen use, including an expert group co-chaired by the Children’s Commissioner for England and Professor Russell Viner to support evidence-based guidance for children and families.

The department has also launched a Call for Evidence on screen use for children aged 5 to 18 and exploring how to support schools and families to make informed, evidence-based decisions about technology use.

Schools are expected to use technology in a safe, proportionate and purposeful way, alongside statutory safeguarding duties, filtering and monitoring requirements, and statutory guidance that schools should be mobile phone-free environments by default.

The government has launched work to develop practical, evidence-based guidance on screen use for parents of young people aged 5 to 18, to be published this autumn.

The guidance will cover screen use across different aspects of young people's lives, including at home and in schools. It is being informed by a recent Call for Evidence and an independent expert group chaired by Professor Russell Viner and Dame Rachel de Souza, the Children’s Commissioner. The expert group’s membership includes a broad range of academics and sector expertise, including Dr Jeanelle de Gruchy, the Deputy Chief Medical Officer.

The department supports schools to make evidence-informed decisions about technology and trends in technology use in schools and colleges through the Technology in Schools Survey.

To consider the effectiveness of these technologies the department has a series of programmes underway, including the £24 million EdTech Testbed programme, which will generate stronger evidence on the impact of educational technology in real-world school and college settings. A pilot EdTech Evidence Board has also been established and uses independent expert panels to review evidence of the quality and impact of EdTech tools. Finally, artificial intelligence benchmarks are being developed as an independent way to assess the effective development of generative AI tools for education.

The department also works with the Education Endowment Foundation to support independent evaluations of EdTech use. Decisions about one-to-one devices and specific applications remain for schools and trusts, based on their pupils’ needs, infrastructure and teaching priorities.

Within the framework of the National Curriculum, schools make their own choices about which specific books or other resources they use. Headteachers have autonomy to decide how best to spend the core schools funding that is allocated to them by the department. We encourage schools to promote reading for pleasure and trust the judgements of schools and teachers in their choice of books.

It is for individual schools to decide how best to provide and maintain a library service for their pupils.

​The government’s reading framework also offers non-statutory guidance for teachers and school leaders, including on how to organise their school library, book corner or book stock to make reading accessible and attractive to readers.

This government has committed £12.5 million to provide a library in every primary school in England by the end of this Parliament, alongside £5 million for secondary schools to purchase books and reading material to support reading for pleasure.

All schools and multi-academy trusts are responsible for selecting technology that meets their own educational needs, context and supports them in meeting statutory responsibilities.

Those choices should be informed, evidence-based decisions. To support schools, our EdTech Evidence Board programme set out a framework of advice and questions schools can ask EdTech suppliers to support evidence-based decisions. We are also in the process of setting up EdTech Testbed Programme to assess and generate evidence on the effectiveness and impact of technology, including artificial intelligence (AI), in real education settings. Lastly, we are developing AI benchmarks as a way to test the effective product development of AI tools.

The department does not currently recommend, endorse or encourage any specific educational technology products for use in schools.

The department recognises the growing use of education technology in schools and the importance of understanding its impact on pupil outcomes. Through the Technology in Schools Survey, we track the types of devices made available to pupils and the extent to which these are used in lessons. The department is currently launching programmes such as the National EdTech Testbed programme to build the evidence base on the impact of technology. We announced in January 2026 that the Testbed Programme has expanded, and we have now partnered with the Education Endowment Foundation to deliver the £24 million multi-year programme which will build an evidence pipeline, evaluating the impact of education technology and artificial intelligence in schools and colleges, and how it can be used effectively to support teachers, improve inclusion and strengthen educational outcomes. The department will continue to support schools to make evidence-informed decisions about the use of technology.

Decisions about the use of digital devices in classrooms are for schools to make. However, the government’s guidance for younger children advises limiting screen time and prioritising sleep, play, physical activity and interaction with adults. The government is considering the evidence base, following a Call for Evidence, on screen use for children aged 5 to 18 and how to support schools and families to make informed, evidence-based decisions about technology use.

​​Dance forms part of the PE curriculum, which is a compulsory foundation subject at all four key stages, and GCSE dance or equivalent technical award at key stage 4.

​In response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review, the government committed to reviewing how dance is reflected within the PE curriculum to provide greater specificity and support more consistent, high-quality teaching. Alongside this, the new National Centre for Arts and Music Education and PE and School Sport Partnerships Network will help schools access high-quality dance opportunities by connecting them with specialist expertise, resources and support. Together, this will strengthen teacher confidence and competence in delivering dance, helping more pupils benefit from high-quality provision.

A student’s total loan balance will depend on the number and type of loans taken, the type and length of study, the repayment plan, and how long it has been since entering repayment, as interest accrues over time alongside any income‑contingent or voluntary repayments.

The average amounts paid to borrowers for 1) tuition fee loans, 2) maintenance loans and 3) combined loans since 2013/14 are attached in Annex 1.

The average loan balances by repayment cohort are attached in Annex 2. The amount owed by borrowers in each financial year depends on the year they entered repayment for their loans. These data are not split by loan type, however, in 2024/25, around 89% of students took out both maintenance and tuition fee loans.

A student’s total loan balance will depend on the number and type of loans taken, the type and length of study, the repayment plan, and how long it has been since entering repayment, as interest accrues over time alongside any income‑contingent or voluntary repayments.

The average amounts paid to borrowers for 1) tuition fee loans, 2) maintenance loans and 3) combined loans since 2013/14 are attached in Annex 1.

The average loan balances by repayment cohort are attached in Annex 2. The amount owed by borrowers in each financial year depends on the year they entered repayment for their loans. These data are not split by loan type, however, in 2024/25, around 89% of students took out both maintenance and tuition fee loans.

The PE national curriculum makes specific reference to swimming and water safety, stating that all primary pupils must learn to swim competently and confidently over a distance of at least 25 metres, use a range of strokes effectively, and perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations. It is for schools to ensure that pupils are taught the nation curriculum. Data suggests that 73% of children can swim 25 metres before they leave primary school.

Our reforms to the PE curriculum will ensure there is a clear emphasis on swimming and water safety, and our new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network will bring the expertise of national governing bodies including Swim England directly into schools.

In addition, we have made changes to statutory requirements for relationships, sex and health education in both primary and secondary to ensure all pupils are taught about the water safety code, supporting them to be safe in different types of water. This requirement comes into force from September.

Oak National Academy offers swimming and water safety units as part of its PE curriculum, developed in partnership with Swim England for all age groups. We also work closely with sector organisations like Swim England and the Royal Life Saving Society UK, supporting all schools to provide swimming and water safety lessons through teacher training and resources.

The PE national curriculum makes specific reference to swimming and water safety, stating that all primary pupils must learn to swim competently and confidently over a distance of at least 25 metres, use a range of strokes effectively, and perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations. It is for schools to ensure that pupils are taught the nation curriculum. Data suggests that 73% of children can swim 25 metres before they leave primary school.

Our reforms to the PE curriculum will ensure there is a clear emphasis on swimming and water safety, and our new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network will bring the expertise of national governing bodies including Swim England directly into schools.

In addition, we have made changes to statutory requirements for relationships, sex and health education in both primary and secondary to ensure all pupils are taught about the water safety code, supporting them to be safe in different types of water. This requirement comes into force from September.

Oak National Academy offers swimming and water safety units as part of its PE curriculum, developed in partnership with Swim England for all age groups. We also work closely with sector organisations like Swim England and the Royal Life Saving Society UK, supporting all schools to provide swimming and water safety lessons through teacher training and resources.

The department will strengthen media literacy education and skills for young people to critically engage with and assess information from a range of sources in the national curriculum, following the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review’s final report. This will help pupils learn how to spot misinformation and disinformation, including AI-generated content, and to develop critical thinking skills.

The department is engaging with sector experts to determine how to reflect this in the updated curriculum and training requirements for teachers. Following public consultation from September, the new curriculum will be taught from September 2028.

Updated relationships, sex and health education guidance, to be implemented from September 2026, includes strengthened content on staying safe online and online wellbeing. Secondary pupils will learn how advertising and information is targeted at them and how to be a discerning consumer of information online, understanding the prevalence of misinformation and disinformation online, including conspiracy theories.