Department for Education

Following the final report of the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, the government is focused on delivering the reforms set out in its response to the Review, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/curriculum-and-assessment-review-final-report-government-response.

These reforms will strengthen the knowledge and skills that young people need to thrive in a rapidly changing digital world.

This includes replacing GCSE computer science with a broader computing GCSE to strengthen digital literacy within computing. Together with new statutory media literacy content in citizenship, introduced from primary onwards, our reforms will cover artificial intelligence, data science and technological bias, supported by digital skills embedded in other subjects, where relevant.

The department believes that the best way to equip young people with the digital literacy and media literacy they need is through a strong curriculum that reaches all pupils, rather than through an optional standalone qualification.

Despite over a decade of investment via the PE and sport premium, less than half of all children meet the Chief Medical Officer’s recommended 60 active minutes a day. Inequalities persist, particularly for girls and pupils from disadvantaged and black and minority ethnic backgrounds.

On 21 May 2026, the government announced a new approach to PE and school sport funding. The decision on the future of the premium was taken in the context of wider decisions on budgets and the spending review, which enabled us to confirm investment over £1 billion for PE and School Sport over the next three years. This will fund a new approach combining both a universal offer to all primary and secondary schools, plus targeted support for those schools and pupils who will benefit from it the most. New partnership networks will strengthen links between schools and local clubs, to deliver high-quality PE for every child and remove barriers to participation for less active children. Provision will be informed by baseline and ongoing needs assessments led by a national delivery partner.

To support schools with the transition to this new approach, the government has committed to a £150 million transitional premium payment for the 2026/27 academic year. In response to longstanding calls from schools, we are also investing almost £200 million in capital funding to go towards improving school sporting facilities.

Despite over a decade of investment via the PE and sport premium, less than half of all children meet the Chief Medical Officer’s recommended 60 active minutes a day. Inequalities persist, particularly for girls and pupils from disadvantaged and black and minority ethnic backgrounds.

On 21 May 2026, the government announced a new approach to PE and school sport funding. The decision on the future of the premium was taken in the context of wider decisions on budgets and the spending review, which enabled us to confirm investment over £1 billion for PE and School Sport over the next three years. This will fund a new approach combining both a universal offer to all primary and secondary schools, plus targeted support for those schools and pupils who will benefit from it the most. New partnership networks will strengthen links between schools and local clubs, to deliver high-quality PE for every child and remove barriers to participation for less active children. Provision will be informed by baseline and ongoing needs assessments led by a national delivery partner.

To support schools with the transition to this new approach, the government has committed to a £150 million transitional premium payment for the 2026/27 academic year. In response to longstanding calls from schools, we are also investing almost £200 million in capital funding to go towards improving school sporting facilities.

Despite over a decade of investment via the PE and sport premium, less than half of all children meet the Chief Medical Officer’s recommended 60 active minutes a day. Inequalities persist, particularly for girls and pupils from disadvantaged and black and minority ethnic backgrounds.

On 21 May 2026, the government announced a new approach to PE and school sport funding. The decision on the future of the premium was taken in the context of wider decisions on budgets and the spending review, which enabled us to confirm investment over £1 billion for PE and School Sport over the next three years. This will fund a new approach combining both a universal offer to all primary and secondary schools, plus targeted support for those schools and pupils who will benefit from it the most. New partnership networks will strengthen links between schools and local clubs, to deliver high-quality PE for every child and remove barriers to participation for less active children. Provision will be informed by baseline and ongoing needs assessments led by a national delivery partner.

To support schools with the transition to this new approach, the government has committed to a £150 million transitional premium payment for the 2026/27 academic year. In response to longstanding calls from schools, we are also investing almost £200 million in capital funding to go towards improving school sporting facilities.

Pupils currently receive financial education through the mathematics and citizenship curricula.

The department is committed to strengthening pupils’ foundational understanding of financial education in mathematics and citizenship, following publication of the Curriculum and Assessment Review final report in November 2025. The department will engage with sector experts and young people to determine how best to reflect this, and ensure compliance with requirements, in the updated curriculum. There will be a public consultation on updated curriculum programmes of study in 2026, seeking views on the content before they are finalised.

If my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education is satisfied that a local authority is failing to carry out its statutory special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) functions to an adequate standard, the department may intervene directly, using statutory powers and the deployment of SEND Advisers and Commissioners. The Secretary of State can, in accordance with powers under section 497A(4B) of the Education Act 1996, issue Statutory Directions to local authorities to ensure that SEND functions are performed to an adequate standard. The department also issues Improvement Notices to local authorities to require action to improve SEND services. Current Improvement Notices and Statutory Directions are published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/improvement-notices.

The Secretary of State has the power to consider complaints, for example, from parents or schools, about local authorities’ compliance with the statutory framework for educating children with SEND, including duties as set out in section 42 of the Children and Families Act 2014 and section 19 of the Education Act 1996 and relevant secondary legislation, including the Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014. If these complaints are upheld following our review, the Secretary of State can, if appropriate, issue a direction to remedy any adverse findings.

We intend to go further by ensuring clearer roles and responsibilities for all partners and more collective responsibility for the outcomes of children and young people with SEND in a local area. For example, as part of the government’s SEND reform proposals, we will update the SEND Code of Practice as well as updating the Ofsted and Care Quality Commission Area SEND inspection framework.

Since the Opportunity Mission Board ceased to be a Cabinet Committee in November 2025, the Board has not met.

Since the Opportunity Mission Board last met, the department has published a number of major strategies, including the Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life strategy and the Every Child Achieving and Thriving White Paper, which set out the government's approach to delivering these priorities.

Ministers have convened a number of meetings with ministerial colleagues from across government to oversee progress on these priorities. Delivery is now managed through a range of ministerial, official and departmental governance arrangements, rather than through a dedicated Mission Board. These include the Departmental Board, chaired by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education. Ministers also work across government through ministerial forums, including the Keeping Children Safe Ministerial Board.

The department recently published ‘Enduring relationships’, setting out an expectation that local authorities and those helping children in care are supported to develop and maintain enduring relationships with key people in their lives. Full details can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/enduring-relationships-for-care-experienced-children/enduring-relationships.

Local authorities are responsible for ensuring there are sufficient school places for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

As set out in our recent consultation on SEND reform, the government seeks to meet need at the earliest stage, avoid escalation to crisis, and enable children and young people to remain in their families and communities.

Residential provision may be the right way to meet the needs of some children and young people, but it can also remove them from their families and local support networks. We recognise there will always be a small group of children who require more intensive, round-the-clock care alongside their education or healthcare in a residential setting. However, we want to create a system where more children can access an education at home with their families.

The Specialist Provision Packages will provide comprehensive, evidence-based support for children and young people with the most complex needs. The special educational needs and disabilities consultation includes a draft outline of seven Specialist Provision Packages, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/send-reform-putting-children-and-young-people-first/specialist-provision-packages. There is now an independent expert group in place, led by education and health co-chairs, to advise on what approaches, strategies, and tools should be included in the National Inclusion Standards and Specialist Provision Packages.

Once introduced, the Packages will be reviewed regularly by the independent panel.

The proposal is that, once introduced, the Packages will be based around the provision needed to support children and young people who share a similar profile of need, but broad enough to ensure that each individual child or young person will have their specific needs met through the provision they receive from the Package. This individualisation will be captured in their education, health and care (EHC) plan.

The Packages are designed to create a consistent, high-quality offer for children and young people with the most complex needs, wherever they live, ending the postcode lottery in support. They will support local authorities to commission provision and placements more strategically, and will provide the basis for the legal guarantee of provision set out in an EHC plan. Where children and young people have low-incidence needs, we will consider more specialist packages which might be delivered through regional commissioning arrangements.

The Opportunity Mission is now led through delivery-focused forum benefiting from external and sector expertise. The Board ceased to be a Cabinet Committee in November 2025.

Delivery is now managed through a range of ministerial, official and departmental governance arrangements, rather than through a dedicated Mission Board. These include the Departmental Board, chaired by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education. Ministers also work across government through ministerial forums, including the Keeping Children Safe Ministerial Board.

Since the Opportunity Mission Board last met, the department has published a number of major strategies, including the Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life and the Every Child Achieving and Thriving White Paper which set out the government's approach to delivering these priorities.

The department takes periods of hot weather and heatwaves seriously and has published a climate risk assessment in response. We continue to support responsible bodies and schools to provide education in a safe environment.

To support them, the department has published guidance to support education settings during hot weather, available at: https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2026/06/hot-weather-and-heatwaves-guidance-for-schools-and-other-education-settings/. This advice draws on guidance from the UK Health Security Agency. In most cases, schools are the safest place for children during hot weather, as staff can actively monitor pupils, ensure regular hydration, and make adjustments to keep them cool. Children may also not be any cooler at home than in school, and recent analysis by the National Housing Federation and the Chartered Institute of Housing shows that 1.6 million children currently live in overheated homes.

We are improving infrastructure and strengthening resilience across the education estate through our Education Estates Strategy, available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-estates-strategy

This includes a new £710 million Renewal and Retrofit Programme to improve condition and climate resilience; investment of almost £3 billion per year by 2034-35 in capital maintenance to improve the condition of the school and college estate; and investment of almost £20 billion through to 2034-35 in the School Rebuilding Programme, delivering climate‑resilient buildings at over 750 schools.

Schools are not responsible for making clinical judgements. Identifying and diagnosing medical conditions is the responsibility of the NHS. Schools should make referrals into NHS services and engage with the pupil’s family if they have a concern about a child’s health.

Paediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS) and Paediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections (PANDAS) are uncommon acute-onset conditions that can cause a sudden deterioration in emotional, cognitive and functional abilities. Symptoms such as abrupt obsessive-compulsive behaviours, tics, restricted eating, severe anxiety, sensory sensitivities and slowed processing can lead to the acute onset of special educational needs, with immediate impact on learning, wellbeing, participation and attendance.

Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions, which would include PANS and PANDAS. Schools should ensure that pupils with medical conditions have full access to education, including school trips and physical education. In doing so, schools must have regard to the department’s ‘Supporting pupils with medical conditions at school’ statutory guidance which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions--3.

Under the proposed reforms, schools will be expected to identify special educational needs and disabilities through ongoing assessment of barriers to learning and participation, supported by the graduated approach, Individual Support Plans and access to multi-agency expertise.

The department is determined to strengthen the oversight and accountability of local authorities to drive up the quality of the service they provide. This is why, for example, as part of proposed special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms that we consulted on earlier this year, we proposed strengthening the education, health and care (EHC) needs assessment process, so it is clearer, simpler and reflects the voice of parents, carers and the child or young person. We also proposed strengthening transparency and accountability around Tribunal judgments by requiring local authorities to publish regular updates that summarise any judgments against them and set out how they will remedy any wider systemic issues.

The SEND consultation has now closed. We are carefully reviewing and taking into account all responses submitted to the consultation, alongside feedback from engagement events and will set out our response in due course.

As to the current system, the department expects local authorities to work closely with families in their decision-making over EHC plans, to support them to participate fully in the process and to make decisions in a timely fashion, as they are required to do by law.

All local areas are due to receive a full inspection under the current Ofsted and Care Quality Commission Area SEND inspection framework by the end of 2027. As per the SEND reform consultation, we have proposed updating the framework to align to clarified statutory roles that local authorities and integrated care boards will have in relation to children and young people with SEND.

The department publishes annual data on EHC plans and assessments, including timeliness.

Where serious concerns arise, the department may intervene directly, using statutory powers and improvement partners to support service improvement.

It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its committees, including their attendance and how often they have met, is not normally shared publicly.

The government recognises the importance of food education in supporting pupils’ health and wellbeing. Following the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, the department has committed to strengthening the status of food and nutrition within design and technology by creating a new, distinct programme of study. This will set out the key knowledge and skills pupils should be taught, supporting teachers to deliver food education more consistently across schools.

As the department develops the new programmes of study, we will consider how the whole curriculum supports clear, inclusive teaching that can be adapted by schools to meet all pupils’ individual needs.

I recently met senior officials from jurisdictions that have implemented special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms to learn lessons and share best practice. This included senior officials from Wales, who talked about their Additional Learning Needs reforms.

We will continue to work with the devolved governments as we progress the proposals set out in the SEND consultation document, as well as preparations for future legislation, to ensure that legislative impacts are fully understood and addressed. Under our proposals we will introduce clearer statutory expectations on schools to identify and meet needs as early as possible, monitor progress closely and put timely support in place.

To underpin this, we are developing the National Inclusion Standards through an independent expert panel, providing practical, evidence-informed tools for identifying and supporting diverse needs. We would also place a duty on settings to produce an Individual Support Plan for any child or young person receiving targeted, targeted plus or specialist support. The introduction of Individual Support Plans will help to ensure children and young people with SEND receive the right provision, supported by earlier identification.

Under the department’s proposals, a triple lock of transitional protections will mean no child loses effective support already in place.

Every child with a special school place in September 2029 will be able to stay in a special school until they finish education. Transition will only begin in 2029 once the new inclusive mainstream system has been built, and no child or young person with a current education, health and care (EHC) plan will transition until 2030. Children and young people who transition out of their EHC plan will have an Individual Support Plan in place ahead of their plan ceasing, developed in partnership with their families.

Over the next three years, we are investing to make our mainstream system more inclusive. For example, we are providing funding for every school to deliver a strong inclusive universal offer for every child and investing £1.8 billion in our new Experts at Hand offer, providing targeted health and expert education interventions from professionals such as speech and language therapists or educational psychologists so that more children and young people will get specialist support than they can currently. Experts at Hand will be developed by local area partnerships tailored to local needs and integrated with other local services.

The department will consider feedback from the consultation exercise carefully before making any final decisions on this policy.

I refer the hon. Member for Yeovil to the answer of 26 August to Question 17555.

The department takes periods of hot weather and heatwaves seriously and has published a climate risk assessment. We continue to support responsible bodies and schools to provide education in a safe environment.

To support them, the department has published guidance to support education settings during hot weather, available at: https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2026/06/hot-weather-and-heatwaves-guidance-for-schools-and-other-education-settings/. This advice draws on guidance from the UK Health Security Agency. In most cases, schools are the safest place for children during hot weather, as staff can actively monitor pupils, ensure regular hydration, and make adjustments to keep them cool. Children may also not be any cooler at home than in school, and recent analysis by the National Housing Federation and the Chartered Institute of Housing shows that 1.6 million children currently live in overheated homes.

We are improving infrastructure and strengthening resilience across the education estate through our Education Estates Strategy, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-estates-strategyThis includes a new £710 million Renewal and Retrofit Programme to improve condition and climate resilience; investment of almost £3 billion per year by 2034/35 in capital maintenance to improve the condition of the school and college estate; and investment of almost £20 billion through to 2034/35 in the School Rebuilding Programme, delivering climate‑resilient buildings at over 750 schools.

Responsible bodies and school leaders have a legal duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of both staff and pupils, this includes ensuring that temperatures are reasonable and that spaces are sufficiently ventilated.

​​We are improving infrastructure and strengthening resilience across the education estate through our Education Estates Strategy, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-estates-strategy.

This includes a new £710 million renewal and retrofit programme to improve condition and climate resilience. We will invest almost £3 billion per year by 2034-35 in capital maintenance to improve the condition of the school and college estate; and invest  almost £20 billion through to 2034-35 in the School Rebuilding Programme, delivering climate‑resilient buildings at over 750 schools.

​We have recently updated our design standards, covering heating, cooling and ventilation systems, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/design-standards-employers-requirements as well as overheating risk assessments and external shading. Our improve and renew guidance also addresses overheating mitigation, ventilation and heating systems and is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/improve-and-renew-developing-your-long-term-estates-plan/improve-and-renew-your-long-term-estates-plan.

Once a local authority issues an education, health and care (EHC) plan naming a setting of a type specified in section 43 of the Children and Families Act 2014 (such as a state school), that setting must admit the child or young person.

The department has consulted on proposals to strengthen the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system so all children and young people with SEND have their needs met through high-quality support. We want children and young people to be able to learn at an education setting close to their home, alongside their peers. We are carefully reviewing all responses submitted to the consultation, which closed in May, alongside feedback from over 200 engagement events we held. We will set out our response in due course. The department has also launched a consultation on 10 July seeking views on how the government can better support children and young people receiving education otherwise than at school, to ensure they receive the right support for their wellbeing and long term outcomes.

The department does not collect data on children or young people with an EHC plan who are awaiting a placement in the setting named on their plan.

The statutory guidance on the education, health and care plan system, the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Code of Practice 2015, explains expectations on local authorities for working with families. The code also reflects a range of statutory duties on local authorities about how they must communicate their decisions to families and provide them with information and support.

The department has consulted on a range of proposals to strengthen the SEND system. We are carefully reviewing all responses submitted to the consultation alongside feedback from engagement events. We will set out our response in due course.

Once a local authority issues a final education, health and care plan it is under a duty to secure the special educational provision set out in the plan. Parents of a child or a young person have the right to complain to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman if they believe the local authority is failing to secure that provision.

The department does not collect any of the data requested.

It is essential that children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the provision specified in their education, health and care plan, and that local authorities meet their statutory responsibilities, including complying with SEND Tribunal orders.

The department has never collected the data requested. However, as part of our SEND reforms, we set out proposals to improve parental confidence that local authorities will act on Tribunal judgments and to ensure that improvements are made to future decision-making. This includes publishing an annual SEND Tribunal outcomes dashboard, providing anonymised outcomes of SEND Tribunals by local authority.

We are currently considering all consultation feedback and will publish final proposals in due course.

It is essential that children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the provision specified in their education, health and care plan, and that local authorities meet their statutory responsibilities, including complying with SEND Tribunal orders.

The department has never collected the data requested. However, as part of our SEND reforms, we set out proposals to improve parental confidence that local authorities will act on Tribunal judgments and to ensure that improvements are made to future decision-making. This includes publishing an annual SEND Tribunal outcomes dashboard, providing anonymised outcomes of SEND Tribunals by local authority.

We are currently considering all consultation feedback and will publish final proposals in due course.

Responsibility for the safety and maintenance of school buildings, including ensuring the quality of drinking water, rests with the responsible body for the school. For maintained schools this is usually the local authority or governing body, and for academies it is the academy trust.

Responsible bodies are expected to comply with relevant legal requirements and take appropriate action, including testing for lead in drinking water where there is a potential risk. The School Premises (England) Regulations 2012 require schools to have suitable drinking water facilities.

The government’s position is that schools should remain open wherever it is safe, allowing as many pupils as possible to attend, rather than applying a fixed maximum temperature for closure.

There are a number of practical considerations associated with introducing a specific legal working temperature for schools. These include determining how temperature would be measured consistently across rooms within a school, as well as between schools, and recognising that any fixed threshold could have a disproportionate impact due to variations in building design and location.

Responsible bodies must make decisions based on the suitability of their buildings and mitigations for the impact of heat, ensuring the health, safety and welfare of pupils and staff. Under workplace regulations, temperatures must be reasonable, and leaders should regularly assess risks and take appropriate action during heat.

Attendance is vital for learning, wellbeing and safeguarding, and absence can disproportionately affect disadvantaged pupils and families, and during a heatwave leave children exposed to similar or worse temperatures than those in schools.

Responsible bodies and school leaders have a legal duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of both staff and pupils. Under the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations, temperatures in workplaces must be reasonable, and leaders should regularly assess any conditions that may pose a risk and take appropriate action in response to high temperatures. In addition, these regulations require that a sufficient number of thermometers are provided to enable persons at work to determine the temperature in any workplace inside a building.

We have recently updated our design standards, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/design-standards-employers-requirements. These cover overheating risk assessments which account for rising temperatures associated with climate change, building performance evaluation that incorporate temperature monitoring, as well as external shading and cross ventilation. Our improve and renew guidance also outlines measures that could be implemented to mitigate overheating and is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/improve-and-renew-developing-your-long-term-estates-plan/improve-and-renew-your-long-term-estates-plan.

The government recognises the importance of collaboration on the safe and effective use of artificial intelligence (AI) in education. In January 2026, the UK hosted an international ministerial summit on generative AI in education, bringing together education leaders from across the globe to build the global consensus on safe, effective and human-centred AI for education.

As education is a devolved matter, there are no plans to formalise UK-wide regulation for AI in education, however, the department holds regular meetings with the devolved administrations to share effective practice and policy developments, and to ensure alignment.

The department does not collect data on absence due specifically to infectious disease.

The closest available measure is absence due to illness. In 2024/25, illness accounted for 2.83% of all possible sessions in state-funded primary schools and 3.61% in state-funded secondary schools. These figures are based on school census data, available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/71a4148c-f739-4adc-9a80-08dee27f7d76.

For 2025/26 to date, illness absence has accounted for 2.81% of possible sessions in primary schools and 3.63% in secondary schools. Data for 2025/26 is based on daily attendance data and may be subject to change as registers update. Details are available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/cfdaf89b-050d-4c76-179f-08dee28a6f1d.

On 16th January, we announced a new training package, backed by £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 (SEND), including those with dyslexia.

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.

In February, we announced £500 million per financial year over the next three years through the Inclusive Mainstream Fund to support schools, colleges and early years settings with upfront funding to help them move towards becoming more inclusive by design.

We will also introduce National Inclusion Standards, which will 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, including those with dyslexia.

Effective early identification and intervention is critical to improving outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs (SEND), including those with dyslexia.

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 dyslexia and other types of SEND, the department is investing £200 million of new funding to upskill staff.

In addition, the department is 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. Settings will also be able to spend the funding to develop targeted support for those who need it, such as group interventions, without formal assessment or diagnosis.

Clear statutory duties for schools will also be introduced, including identifying and meeting needs as early as possible and ensuring that they monitor children and young people’s progress to ensure timely and effective interventions.

We are strengthening inclusivity in mainstream schools by giving teachers better tools to identify and support needs early while ensuring specialist settings meet the needs of pupils with the most complex needs.

We will support schools to respond to pupils’ learning and development needs with evidence‑informed resources, helping make mainstream education more inclusive and improving outcomes.

This aligns with our commitment to deliver a high‑quality, ambitious curriculum for every child, including those with SEND. The department has engaged with a wide variety of organisations as we consider the SEND system, and this has included engagements with representatives of the British Dyslexia Association.

The ‘Every child achieving and thriving’ White Paper establishes our plan to improve outcomes for all children across all constituencies. We recognise that poverty can have a significant impact on children's attainment and life chances, and tackling child poverty is central to the government's work to break down barriers to opportunity. When children born under this government finish secondary school, it is our ambition that the key stage 4 disadvantage gap will be halved.

The department’s approach is comprehensive and includes rebuilding early family support, improving teacher recruitment and retention so every child benefits from high-quality teaching, broadening the curriculum alongside access to high-quality enrichment, and launching two place-based missions to drive improvement in areas where outcomes remain stubbornly low.

The department wants the highest-quality leaders in our schools. However, executive remuneration must demonstrate clear value for money for pupils and parents and remain proportionate to that of individuals undertaking comparable roles in other parts of the public sector.

The evidence shows that, in some cases, executive pay has risen disproportionately compared with the pay of teachers and comparable public sector leaders. That is why the department is taking action to limit pay increases, ensuring that levels of pay and progression are fair, proportionate and aligned to wider public sector pay principles. Tighter controls will mean unjustifiable executive salaries become a thing of the past, helping level the playing field for school staff and drive every pound towards classrooms

The approach reflects a fair and proportionate expectation that higher levels of remuneration should be subject to increased scrutiny, while recognising the size of large academy trusts.

An Individual Support Plan (ISP) will be produced for any child or young person who is receiving targeted, targeted plus or specialist support in a setting, including those with an education, health and care plan (EHCP). The special educational needs and disabilities Tribunal remains an important legal backstop for the most important EHCP decisions. Under our proposed reforms, families will be able to appeal the most important decisions around needs assessment, eligibility for a specialist provision package, the type of package, the placement, the outcome of an EHCP review, and a decision to cease the EHCP.

ISPs will be developed by settings together with parents and young people, giving children and young people a clear and consistent record of their needs and the help they receive so that support is joined‑up, timely and centred on what will help them to thrive. Under our proposals, if there are concerns about provision, parents and young people would be able to raise these directly with the setting, including through the improved schools complaints process where necessary. We will seek to strengthen the school complaints system with the inclusion of an appropriate, independent SEND specialist (for example a special educational needs coordinator, multi-academy inclusion director, senior school manager) on a panel, if the complaint cannot be resolved by the school’s senior management team or head teacher.

The government consultation 'SEND reform: putting children and young people first’ has now closed. We are carefully reviewing and taking into account all responses submitted to the consultation and continuing to engage widely on our proposals.

An Individual Support Plan (ISP) will be produced for any child or young person who is receiving targeted, targeted plus or specialist support in a setting, including those with an education, health and care plan (EHCP). The special educational needs and disabilities Tribunal remains an important legal backstop for the most important EHCP decisions. Under our proposed reforms, families will be able to appeal the most important decisions around needs assessment, eligibility for a specialist provision package, the type of package, the placement, the outcome of an EHCP review, and a decision to cease the EHCP.

ISPs will be developed by settings together with parents and young people, giving children and young people a clear and consistent record of their needs and the help they receive so that support is joined‑up, timely and centred on what will help them to thrive. Under our proposals, if there are concerns about provision, parents and young people would be able to raise these directly with the setting, including through the improved schools complaints process where necessary. We will seek to strengthen the school complaints system with the inclusion of an appropriate, independent SEND specialist (for example a special educational needs coordinator, multi-academy inclusion director, senior school manager) on a panel, if the complaint cannot be resolved by the school’s senior management team or head teacher.

The government consultation 'SEND reform: putting children and young people first’ has now closed. We are carefully reviewing and taking into account all responses submitted to the consultation and continuing to engage widely on our proposals.

We are investing over £1 billion for PE and school sport over three years, including £530 million for a new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network. Detailed design and funding allocations will be confirmed through the procurement process, but the approach will focus on ensuring support reaches those most in need.

Despite sustained investment through the PE and sport premium for over a decade, less than half of children are meeting the Chief Medical Officer’s recommendation of 60 active minutes a day. In addition, persistent inequalities remain, with groups such as girls and those from disadvantaged and ethnically diverse backgrounds.

Our new approach, which is supported by the major sports governing bodies and the wider school sport sector, focuses on securing higher quality PE and school sport for all children and reducing inactivity amongst those who are currently least active.

It combines both a universal offer to all primary and secondary schools, which includes school requested intervention, plus targeted direct support for those schools and pupils who will benefit from it the most. This includes coaching, swimming provision and support to open facilities, as well as stronger links to extra‑curricular sport and local clubs. We will also provide targeted funding for schools to test and share effective practice, alongside more accessible programmes from National Governing Bodies and clearer pathways into community sport. Provision will be informed by baseline and ongoing needs assessments led by a national delivery partner.

To support schools with the transition to this new approach, the government has committed to a transitional Premium payment of £150 million for the 2026/27 academic year.

In response to longstanding calls from schools, we are also investing almost £200 million in capital funding to go towards improving school sporting facilities.

We are investing over £1 billion for PE and school sport over three years, including £530 million for a new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network. Detailed design and funding allocations will be confirmed through the procurement process, but the approach will focus on ensuring support reaches those most in need.

Despite sustained investment through the PE and sport premium for over a decade, less than half of children are meeting the Chief Medical Officer’s recommendation of 60 active minutes a day. In addition, persistent inequalities remain, with groups such as girls and those from disadvantaged and ethnically diverse backgrounds.

Our new approach, which is supported by the major sports governing bodies and the wider school sport sector, focuses on securing higher quality PE and school sport for all children and reducing inactivity amongst those who are currently least active.

It combines both a universal offer to all primary and secondary schools, which includes school requested intervention, plus targeted direct support for those schools and pupils who will benefit from it the most. This includes coaching, swimming provision and support to open facilities, as well as stronger links to extra‑curricular sport and local clubs. We will also provide targeted funding for schools to test and share effective practice, alongside more accessible programmes from National Governing Bodies and clearer pathways into community sport. Provision will be informed by baseline and ongoing needs assessments led by a national delivery partner.

To support schools with the transition to this new approach, the government has committed to a transitional Premium payment of £150 million for the 2026/27 academic year.

In response to longstanding calls from schools, we are also investing almost £200 million in capital funding to go towards improving school sporting facilities.

We are investing over £1 billion for PE and school sport over three years, including £530 million for a new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network. Detailed design and funding allocations will be confirmed through the procurement process, but the approach will focus on ensuring support reaches those most in need.

Despite sustained investment through the PE and sport premium for over a decade, less than half of children are meeting the Chief Medical Officer’s recommendation of 60 active minutes a day. In addition, persistent inequalities remain, with groups such as girls and those from disadvantaged and ethnically diverse backgrounds.

Our new approach, which is supported by the major sports governing bodies and the wider school sport sector, focuses on securing higher quality PE and school sport for all children and reducing inactivity amongst those who are currently least active.

It combines both a universal offer to all primary and secondary schools, which includes school requested intervention, plus targeted direct support for those schools and pupils who will benefit from it the most. This includes coaching, swimming provision and support to open facilities, as well as stronger links to extra‑curricular sport and local clubs. We will also provide targeted funding for schools to test and share effective practice, alongside more accessible programmes from National Governing Bodies and clearer pathways into community sport. Provision will be informed by baseline and ongoing needs assessments led by a national delivery partner.

To support schools with the transition to this new approach, the government has committed to a transitional Premium payment of £150 million for the 2026/27 academic year.

In response to longstanding calls from schools, we are also investing almost £200 million in capital funding to go towards improving school sporting facilities.

The PE and Sport Premium was £320 million per academic year in 2023/24, 2024/25 and 2025/26 across England. Hampshire allocations were approximately £8 million in each year across eligible schools.

The department is investing over £1 billion for PE and school sport over three years, including £530 million for a new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network.

Our new approach combines both a universal offer to all primary and secondary schools, which includes school requested intervention, plus targeted direct support for those schools and pupils who will benefit from it the most. This includes coaching, swimming provision and support to open facilities, as well as stronger links to extra‑curricular sport and local clubs. We will also provide targeted funding for schools to test and share effective practice, alongside more accessible programmes from National Governing Bodies and clearer pathways into community sport. Provision will be informed by baseline and ongoing needs assessments led by a national delivery partner.

The PE and Sport Premium was £320 million per academic year in 2023/24, 2024/25 and 2025/26 across England. Hampshire allocations were approximately £8 million in each year across eligible schools.

The department is investing over £1 billion for PE and school sport over three years, including £530 million for a new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network.

Our new approach combines both a universal offer to all primary and secondary schools, which includes school requested intervention, plus targeted direct support for those schools and pupils who will benefit from it the most. This includes coaching, swimming provision and support to open facilities, as well as stronger links to extra‑curricular sport and local clubs. We will also provide targeted funding for schools to test and share effective practice, alongside more accessible programmes from National Governing Bodies and clearer pathways into community sport. Provision will be informed by baseline and ongoing needs assessments led by a national delivery partner.

The department’s accountability system must promote high standards and good progress for all.

We have recently consulted on an improved version of Progress 8 that maintains a strong academic core alongside breadth and choice for every child. As part of this consultation, we sought views on a possible new progress measure to recognise the progress of children who start secondary school significantly behind their peers.

This measure would sit alongside existing measures such as Progress 8 and is intended to provide additional insight into the progress of this subset of pupils, who are more likely to have special educational needs and disabilities. This measure would also sit alongside other information designed to support inclusion.

This government recognises the importance of specialist safety equipment in meeting the needs of children and young people, including in mainstream settings. We are investing at least £3.7 billion in high needs capital funding between 2025/2026 and 2029/2030, to support local authorities to provide suitable places for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. This includes investment in the physical environment, such as purchasing specialist safety equipment to support children and young people with autism and severe learning disabilities.

Our new, dedicated inclusive education estates guidance supports the sector in improving the inclusivity and accessibility of the estate in schools, colleges, and nurseries. It recognises that well-chosen furniture and equipment can assist children and young people to regulate, focus and safely participate in learning. The guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inclusive-education-estates.

We are investing £26 million to train at least 200 educational psychologists per year from 2026 and 2027, with further investment to train more over the following three years, subject to future spending reviews. This is in addition to the £31 million already invested since 2023.

The training is open to anyone that meets the candidate specifications, including teachers. These candidate specifications, as well as application cycle dates and available support, are outlined on the Association of Educational Psychologists website at: https://www.aep.org.uk/EPFT.

The department funds the full three-year tuition fees and a first-year bursary payment, which is currently £16,266 (£16,715 in London). In years two and three, trainees are based on placements across England, with placement providers funding a bursary or salary for these years. After graduation, educational psychologists will be required to work within a local authority in England for a minimum period. This is three years for trainees who started from 2024.