Protecting All Vulnerable Babies Better: Government Response to Safeguarding Review

Bridget Phillipson Excerpts

Wednesday 15th July 2026 Written Statements

[The Minister for Women and Equalities (Bridget Phillipson)]

Victoria Marten’s death was tragic and the direct result of the actions of her parents, who are now serving sentences for her negligent manslaughter. Victoria’s death prompted a wider national review and in February 2026, the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel published its national review, “Protecting all vulnerable babies better”. This examined the safeguarding issues raised by the death of Victoria and a further 41 serious cases of harm and death involving babies.

At the time of publication, I committed to providing a full Government response to the panel’s eight national recommendations by summer 2026. Today, I am laying before the House, “Protecting all vulnerable babies better: a Government response” which sets out how the Government are strengthening the protection of babies where there are safeguarding concerns, and responding to issues identified by the panel.

Babies are among the most vulnerable members of our society, reliant on their caregivers, fragile, unable to talk and often unknown to many services. The panel’s review reinforced the importance of earlier identification of risk, effective information sharing, professional curiosity, and sustained multi-agency engagement with families, particularly during pregnancy and the first years of life. It also highlighted the need for greater national consistency in safeguarding practice and stronger support for families where risks are complex and cumulative.

The Government’s response brings together action across adult and children’s social care, health, policing, justice, housing and wider public services. It builds on the most significant reform to children’s social care in a generation through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 and delivers against this Government’s commitment to keep families together and children safe, to intervene earlier where children are at risk, and to strengthen child protection so that vulnerable children do not fall through the cracks.

Since the publication of the panel’s review, the appalling death of Preston Davey has been a further reminder that we can never be complacent in our efforts to protect babies. An independent local child safeguarding practice review is under way, and it would be inappropriate to pre-empt its findings. We will consider the findings carefully and incorporate any relevant lessons into the delivery of this response and wider safeguarding reforms.

The response is structured around four objectives:



Preventing babies dying by identifying and responding earlier to risk;

Reducing the number of babies entering care by preventing repeat removals and strengthening family support;

Building the evidence base on effective and promising practice; and

Facilitating consistency in national guidance on babies and pre-birth support for pregnant women in safeguarding and child protection.

The death of Victoria Marten remains a stark reminder of what is at stake. This response reflects extensive Government collaboration and demonstrates our collective commitment to learning from the panel’s review, and turning that learning into meaningful and lasting change. Delivery will be overseen through ongoing cross-Government arrangements, including the Keeping Children Safe ministerial board, to ensure accountability and sustained progress.

I will deposit a copy of “Protecting all vulnerable babies better: a Government response” in the Library of each House.

[HCWS253]

Education Otherwise than at School: Consultation

Bridget Phillipson Excerpts

Monday 13th July 2026 Written Statements

[The Minister for Women and Equalities (Bridget Phillipson)]

The Government’s consultation, “SEND reform: putting children and young people first” set out our plan to ensure that every child and young person benefits from high-quality and inclusive education. For those who need specialist support, we will ensure that they receive it promptly, and with dignity and care. Children and young people whose needs are supported through “education otherwise than at school” provision are no exception. We want them to be in a learning environment that best supports their education, wellbeing and long-term outcomes, and we launched a consultation on how to deliver this on Friday 10 July.

Through our ongoing engagement on special educational needs and disabilities, including the SEND reform national conversation, we have heard from many families about having to fight to have their child’s needs recognised and met, going long periods without suitable support, and being offered provision unsuitable for the complexity of their child’s needs. For some families, this can lead to a gradual breakdown in their child’s relationship with education—one that starts long before the child or young person is moved on to arrangements where education is delivered outside a school or further education setting. Parents often describe feeling responsible for holding together their child’s education because of a failure of adequate support, creating significant emotional and practical pressures. These children and young people have been badly let down by an unresponsive system, causing significant distress for them and their families. The increasing number of children and young people relying on EOTAS arrangements is a reflection of these wider challenges. For some, EOTAS becomes necessary not only because of the complexity of their needs, but because effective support was not available early enough or because support was not effective enough to prevent difficulties from escalating.

Our first priority is therefore to create a system that identifies and responds to needs at the earliest opportunity, so that more children and young people receive the right support before EOTAS arrangements become necessary. For most children and young people, this support should be available through mainstream and specialist settings that are welcoming, inclusive and able to meet children’s needs effectively. However, we recognise that some children and young people with the most complex needs will continue to require EOTAS arrangements at times, where their needs cannot be best met in a school or further education setting.

Where EOTAS provision is required, we want to ensure that it is consistently high quality, focused on outcomes, and supported by a broad and ambitious curriculum, and that it helps children and young people make meaningful progress. We also want to provide greater confidence and clarity to parents that decisions are being made in their child’s best interests, and that children receive the most appropriate support.

To help deliver this ambition, we have today launched a consultation on the future use of EOTAS provision as part of our wider SEND reforms. We are seeking views on how EOTAS should operate within the reformed system from 2029-30, when we anticipate new legislation coming into effect, on how children and young people currently receiving EOTAS should be supported during transition, and on how quality of provision and accountability within the system can be strengthened.

For children and young people entering the reformed SEND system, we are seeking views on a new approach that would align EOTAS with specialist provision packages for children with the most complex needs. Under this model, responsibility for overseeing EOTAS arrangements would sit closer to the child or young person through a named school or further education setting—typically a specialist or alternative provision setting. Local authorities would retain an oversight role drawing on their expertise about need and local knowledge of provision. We are also seeking views on how best to support transitions into and out of EOTAS arrangements, on how decisions around EOTAS can be challenged, on how accountability should operate, and on how quality assurance arrangements can be strengthened so that all children and young people receive high-quality provision that supports positive outcomes.

We want to ensure that children and young people already on EOTAS arrangements have stability while also having the opportunity to benefit from our wider reforms to mainstream and specialist settings. We are seeking views on whether we should take a different approach depending on the age of the child or young person. We propose that those who are secondary school age and above should be able to continue with their existing arrangements, protecting stability foremost. For the small number of children on existing EOTAS arrangements at primary age or below, we propose to reassess their needs at the end of primary phase. They would then either be supported through one of the new specialist provision packages, which could include EOTAS, or through a supported transition arrangement, overseen by an alternative provision school, with a return to a school facilitated where appropriate and achievable. There would be no time limit on such transitional arrangements.

We are also seeking views on how to support children with health needs who require alternative provision to remain engaged in education. This includes children with complex physical health conditions, undergoing medical treatments or with recovery needs that significantly affect their ability to attend school, as well as children with mental health needs which can create an emotional barrier to attendance. We are also consulting the use of accredited online education providers by schools and local



The consultation has been published at www.gov.uk/government/consultations/send-reform-education-otherwise-than-at-school and runs until Friday 18 September.

[HCWS219]

Child Protection Authority Consultation: Government Response

Bridget Phillipson Excerpts

Tuesday 7th July 2026 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Education (Bridget Phillipson)]

The Government have today published our formal response to the consultation on proposals to establish a Child Protection Authority in England. This marks an important step in strengthening how we as a country protect our children.

The child protection system

Keeping children safe underpins this Government’s ambitions for opportunity, stronger communities and improved life chances. That means the way we work, and those who work within it, must be clear in their purpose, confident in their practice and effective in what they achieve.

Yet evidence from reviews, inquiries and frontline experience shows that this is not always the case. Too often, opportunities to prevent harm are missed; and too often, when concerns are raised, action does not follow quickly or effectively enough. As a result, there remains a gap between what we know works and what is consistently put into practice.

Many dedicated people work tirelessly to protect children every day. Yet gaps remain between what we know works and what happens in practice. These gaps can leave children and young people without the protection or support that they need, when they need it most.

What we heard

We consulted on the creation of a CPA following a key recommendation from the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse. We received responses from practitioners, organisations, experts, and victims and survivors. Their insights have been central in shaping our approach.

A clear message came through: there is strong support for a national body that can bring greater clarity and direction, join up learning and turn it into action and help ensure that good practice is applied consistently.

At the same time, respondents were clear that any new body must make a positive difference to frontline work. It should build on what already works well, avoid duplication, and stay closely connected to the real experiences of children, families and professionals.

Many respondents, particularly victims and survivors, spoke powerfully about missed opportunities to act and the lasting impact this can have. Their voices underline the importance of not only learning from harm, but acting on that learning. Addressing this requires a stronger and more coherent approach at national level, alongside practical support for those working directly with children and families.

The Child Protection Authority

The CPA will provide national leadership to improve how child protection works in practice. It will bring together data, evidence, professional expertise and lived experience to spot risks earlier, support better decision making and help agencies work together more effectively.

A key role of the CPA will be to make sure that learning leads to real change. This includes making it easier for those working with children to access clear guidance and practical support, and ensuring that lessons from reviews and cases are followed through.

The CPA will provide national leadership and oversight of the child protection system. It will ensure that evidence and insight are used more effectively and that learning translates into meaningful change.

It will bring together data, evidence, practitioner expertise and the voices of children, families and survivors to strengthen how the system identifies and responds to significant harm. By doing so, it will support earlier intervention, clearer accountability and more effective multi-agency working.

The CPA will play a central role in:

identifying emerging risks and patterns of harm earlier, enabling earlier and more co-ordinated responses;

building a clearer national picture by bringing together information from different agencies;

promoting and embedding good practice so that learning is consistently applied; and

supporting the implementation of recommendations, ensuring that where improvement is needed, action follows.

It will also strengthen accountability across the system, working closely with inspectorates, regulators and Government Departments. We are exploring options to legislate, when parliamentary time allows, to equip the CPA with appropriate powers to act where serious or persistent failings leave children unprotected.

Crucially, the CPA will reflect the multi-agency nature of child protection. It will bring together expertise from all agencies that have a role in protecting children and across all settings where children could be harmed. Above all, the CPA will place the experiences and voices of children, families and survivors at the centre of its work.

Reform programme

The establishment of the CPA sits within a broader programme of reform to strengthen child protection.

Through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, we are improving how the system works in practice, including through strengthened multi-agency arrangements and improved information sharing. The Crime and Policing Act 2026 introduces a mandatory duty to report child sexual abuse, while wider cross-Government work, including action to tackle violence against women and girls and new duties of candour for public authorities, is helping to create a more transparent, accountable and effective system.

Together, these reforms reflect a determination to ensure that the system is better connected, more responsive, and more able to prevent harm as well as respond to it.

The CPA will play a critical role alongside wider reforms, supporting more joined-up working between services and helping to ensure that learning leads to better outcomes for children.

Next steps

The Government are committed to establishing the Child Protection Authority and are exploring options to legislate when parliamentary time allows. In the meantime, we will continue to develop the CPA’s functions and capabilities, building on the existing work of the child safeguarding practice review panel. I would like to thank the panel’s members and chair for their work to date.

This marks an important milestone on the journey towards establishing this new body. We will continue to work closely with partners across the system, and with children, families and survivors, as we move towards implementation.

Our goal is clear: a child protection system that is expert and decisive, better connected, more responsive, and focused on delivering meaningful change; that supports those working to protect children, learns from experience, and acts promptly where improvement is needed; and, above all, that ensures children are protected and supported to achieve and thrive.

[HCWS194]

Key Stage 2 National Curriculum Tests

Bridget Phillipson Excerpts

Monday 6th July 2026 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Education (Bridget Phillipson)]

In May, year 6 children across England sat their end of key stage 2 national curriculum tests—known as SATs. Schools were expecting the results of these tests to be returned to them on Tuesday 7 July, but I am informing the House that there will be a delay until Thursday 16 July.

Pearson Education Ltd was awarded the contract to deliver KS2 tests on behalf of the Standards and Testing Agency in April 2024, and it has responsibility for all test logistics, including delivering and collecting test papers from schools, marking and returning results to schools.

The Government were told on Wednesday 1 July that Pearson was not ready to upload results to the online portal for schools and required additional time to ensure that the system is ready for schools to access.

The Government are very clear that the delay is due to issues with Pearson’s systems and not concerns about the quality of the tests or the results. The test scripts have been marked and quality assured, and the standards maintenance process, which allows us to show comparison with previous cohorts, was completed on schedule on Thursday 2 July 2026. The Standards and Testing Agency is confident that it had sufficient representative data to undertake the standards maintenance process that underpins our ability to compare the expected standard of the tests from year to year.

Pearson has fully apologised for its failure to return results on time, and for the impact on schools, pupils and parents. The inconvenience that this delay will cause to school staff, parents and pupils is unacceptable.

We will use all the provisions in the contract to ensure that Pearson is held to account for its failures in delivery, and will also review all possible options for future delivery, alongside conducting a thorough review into how such a serious failing could have occurred.

[HCWS184]

Historical Forced Adoption

Bridget Phillipson Excerpts

Thursday 2nd July 2026 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Education (Bridget Phillipson)]

Today the Prime Minister has delivered an apology on behalf of the state for historical forced adoption practices in England. These practices, which predominantly occurred between 1949 and 1976, involved mostly young, unmarried women being coerced into having their babies taken from them.

The apology follows extensive engagement with campaign groups and individuals with lived experience.

Commitments to action and support

We know that, for many people, the consequences of these experiences have not diminished with time. An apology, while important, cannot undo the profound and lasting harm that was caused. Those affected have made it clear—powerfully and consistently—that healing and recognition require meaningful, practical support.

Today marks not an end point, but the beginning of a continuing commitment to address this legacy. The Government are determined to learn from this historic injustice and to improve access to support for those affected and their families. This includes improving access to records, strengthening specialist intermediary services, expanding trauma-informed support, and ensuring clearer routes to information and assistance.

We will continue to work closely with people with lived experience, experts and delivery partners to ensure that this acknowledgement is matched by meaningful and lasting change.

Today, the Government commit to a programme of measures worth £4 million over three years to support those affected. Initial steps will include:

Transforming access to and safeguarding of adoption records

Extending record retention

We will consult on strengthening access to historical adoption information by extending the retention period for existing pre-2005 adoption case records to at least 100 years, bringing them into line with post-2005 requirements and helping to ensure records remain available throughout the lifetime of those affected.

Making access to records simpler and more transparent

We will fund the further development of a national platform, led by CoramBAAF in partnership with the Archives and Records Association, providing a single access point to a comprehensive dataset of adoption and care records held by agencies, organisations and record offices.

Driving consistency and accountability

This will be reinforced through ministerial communications to local authorities, regional adoption agencies and voluntary adoption agencies, emphasising the importance of responding appropriately to information requests, and in line with the Government-funded and endorsed 2025 Adoption England practice guidance. This includes improving transparency around response times and reducing unnecessary redaction.

Expanding access to specialist support and reconnection services

Strengthening access to advice and information

Through FamilyConnect, we will expand the national advice line to improve access to information and services for adopted adults, their descendants, birth parents and relatives seeking information, support or reconnection. This will include advice on any funding that may be available to assist them.

We will also support the development of dedicated areas within the FamilyConnect website, providing tailored information, guidance and resources for adult adoptees, birth parents, relatives and professionals.

Funded intermediary services

We will provide funded intermediary services for historical adoption cases that took place between 1949 and 1976, in line with existing regulations, which allow prioritisation of adoptions before 12 November 1975, ensuring those with the greatest need are supported to access information, trace relatives and pursue reconnection safely and sensitively.

A national peer support offer

We will establish national virtual peer support groups for birth parents and adopted adults, improving access to ongoing, trauma-informed support regardless of where people live.

Strengthening access to trauma-informed NHS services

Improving access and clinician understanding

We will work with NHS England and those affected by historical forced adoption practices to co-produce practical tools and guidance that:

Recognise their experiences and help clinicians understand the impact of forced adoption.

Clearly set out the support that may be relevant and improve referral and triage pathways.

Support individuals to access the care most appropriate to their needs.

Improve consistency across GP services, NHS 111 and NHS talking therapies.

Recognise the implications of unknown family medical histories, including when considering health screening and referrals for genetic testing.

Better recognition within care pathways

We will improve clinician awareness and provide practical guidance to support the identification of forced adoption experiences within patient histories, helping to inform appropriate care, referrals and signposting. This will support affected individuals to access the full range of NHS services in a way that recognises and responds to their experiences.

Exploring the option of a health record marker

NHS England will explore how individuals can choose to have their experience of forced adoption appropriately recorded within their health records, where they wish to do so. This could help clinicians take that experience into account when considering:



Care and treatment decisions.



Family medical history.



Wider health and support needs.

Recognition and voice

We will commission a testimonials project to preserve and share the experiences of those affected by historical forced adoption practices, ensuring that their voices continue to be heard and that the lessons of the past are not forgotten.

We will also gather evidence on the effectiveness of the measures announced today and keep the need for further research under review.

Accountability

We will establish a reference group comprising people with lived experience of historical forced adoption practices to help review progress, and provide ongoing challenge and insight as these commitments are delivered.

Closing

We offer this apology and package of support in the hope that it brings recognition, understanding and a measure of healing to those affected.

Today, we acknowledge a profound wrong.

On behalf of the Government, we say clearly and unequivocally: what happened was wrong. It should never have happened. We are deeply sorry.

[HCWS179]

Teacher Workforce

Bridget Phillipson Excerpts

Wednesday 1st July 2026 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Education (Bridget Phillipson)]

High quality teaching is the in-school factor that has the biggest positive impact on a child’s outcomes, breaking down barriers to opportunity for every child. Recruiting, retaining and supporting expert teachers across schools and colleges is central to delivering high and rising standards for all children and young people.

Despite a challenging financial context, progress is being made. We have made a record investment in schools, with the core schools budget increasing by £1.7 billion in 2026-27, and teacher pay has increased by almost 10% since this Government took power. Compared to 2023-24, there are 3,008 more teachers in secondary and special schools, 1,646 more teachers in colleges, and the number of trainee school teachers are up 13% on last year. Retention is also stronger across schools and colleges, with leaver rates in schools now at 8.5%—the lowest since at least 2010 (outside the pandemic years). More teachers are returning to state schools than at any point in the last 10 years.

There is still further to go. That is why our 6,500 delivery plan set out a comprehensive plan for the rest of this Parliament, and our recent White Paper “Every Child Achieving and Thriving” committed to go further to support and invest in the workforce, including:

Doubling the period of full maternity pay to eight weeks, and funding similar improvements for support staff and college staff.

Giving teachers the training they need through a new and improved teacher training entitlement, to ensure that every teacher and leader can access high-quality professional development, alongside more than £200 million over three years for our SEND CPD programme.

Supporting excellence in leadership, including through a new mentoring and coaching offer for headteachers as well as wellbeing support for up to 2,500 leaders annually, and piloting a new place-based headteacher retention incentive.

Working in partnership with the profession across our sectors, including through the improving education together agreement with unions and employers, so that policy works in practice.

This Government have prioritised teacher pay. Last year, I accepted in full the School Teachers Review Body’s recommendation of a 4% pay award, delivering an increase of almost 10% over two years. Alongside this, we provided an additional £190 million to colleges and other 16 to 19 providers to help them drive forward the recruitment and retention of excellent teachers, building the skills and opportunities our economy needs.

This year, I sought the STRB’s recommendations for pay awards for the next two years, as well as their indicative recommendation for 2028-29. Today, I am announcing that I am accepting in full the independent STRB’s recommendations for the next two years. From September 2026, teachers and leaders will receive a pay award of 3.5%, followed by a further 3% increase from September 2027. I am also accepting the STRB’s recommendation to uplift the bottom of the unqualified teacher pay range in the rest of England by 5%, supporting employment-based routes into teaching, including apprenticeships.

Taken together, this means school teachers will have seen a 17% increase in pay since this Government took office, delivering a real-terms increase (based on Bank of England CPI forecasts). By September 2027, starting salaries will exceed £35,000, helping to attract talented graduates, while the average schoolteacher salary is expected to rise to over £54,400, supporting retention and experience in the classroom.

I recognise the vital role that school support staff play, and I will continue to build on work already under way, such as establishing the new School Support Staff Negotiating Body. Most support staff have already been offered a 3.3% pay increase in ’26-27 through the National Joint Council for Local Government Services process, subject to agreement, and I thank them for their continued contribution to children and young people’s education.

I am also announcing that from 1 September 2026 executive pay must not rise faster than teacher pay. And for any new appointment where the pay exceeds £174,000, trusts will need to seek Government approval before they can even advertise the role in line with HM Treasury senior pay guidance. We want the best leaders running our schools— but executive pay must represent real value for money for pupils and parents.

Supporting schools and colleges

We recognise that the costs associated with the pay awards are higher than what was proposed to the STRB. The Department is providing £700 million additional funding for schools in this financial year to support them with the cost of staff pay awards, rising to £1,115 million in 2027-28, on top of the funding already provided in their existing budgets. This additional funding will come from DFE budgets. This significant additional investment, on top of funding increases announced at the 2025 spending review (including funding for SEND reform), will see the Department fund the majority of these above-inflation pay awards across both 2026-27 and 2027-28 at a national level. Put together, this investment demonstrates even in a tight fiscal environment that this Government are prioritising education.

Recognising the vital role that colleges and other FE providers play in building the skilled pipeline of workers to power our economy, the Department is also providing around £120 million of additional funding for further education in financial year 2026-27, rising to around £365 million in 2027-28, which will come from DFE budgets. This substantial investment will help ensure that young people receive the quality education they need regardless of their setting, furthering their opportunities and supporting economic growth.

As we have stated throughout the pay process, schools will need to continue to absorb a portion of the cost of pay awards over the next two years. This is in line with asks of the whole public sector to maximise the impact of every Government pound spent. We expect schools to absorb approximately the first 1% of pay awards in both 2026-27 and 2027-28 through implementing plans to realise and sustain better value from their existing spend. This is 1% on average, based on our affordability assessment set out in the schools’ costs technical note, and makes an assumption of equal pay awards for all staff in financial year 2027-28. The remaining costs of pay awards above the first 1% will be covered through funding as announced at the 2025 spending review, as set out in the 2026 schools’ costs technical note, and through the additional funding announced today. Additional funding for 2027-28 will be rolled into the national funding formula, which we will publish in the autumn. Taken together, the new funding, existing funding and the 1% absorbed through better value from existing spending are expected to cover the overall cost of pay awards over 2026-27 and 2027-28.

Building on the work schools have done last year to contribute towards the cost of pay awards, we are supporting schools to maximise existing resources to deliver this pay award and support every child to achieve and thrive with clear expectations on pay over a longer time horizon.

For too long schools and trusts have been left to negotiate commercial contracts alone, working with suppliers with significant resources, specialist teams, and a commercial interest in maximising what they charge. Government have a role to play and through our Maximising Value for Pupils programme https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/maximising-value-for-pupils/maximising-value-for-pupils we are using the collective weight of the entire school system to push back through:

DFE Energy for Schools https://get-help-buying-for-schools.education.gov.uk/categories/energy/energy-for-schools which aggregates buying power across the sector and provides protection from market volatility and sudden price increases driven by global events. Benchmarking shows a typical primary school could save £4,900 per year on electricity and gas combined, and a typical secondary school could save £23,200.

The new supply teachers and education recruitment framework https://get-help-buying-for-schools.education.gov.uk/categories/recruitment-hr-training/supply-teachers which caps supplier margins and waives temporary-to-permanent fees after 12 weeks. Schools could save between 5% and 24% on the total cost of a supply teacher under the new framework.

Our free banking comparison tool https://banking-for-schools.education.gov.uk/site/LEUFJZNSINPDVTWF/index.html which makes it straightforward to compare options and unlock better returns without necessarily switching banks. A savings platform is also available. Bishop Hogarth Trust went from £16,000 to over £1 million a year in returns after reviewing their arrangements.

We have also started the process of establishing a national procurement framework for management information systems on behalf of every school in England to secure transparent pricing, consistent data security, and clear supplier accountability.

We expect all schools and trusts to use the new management information systems framework, agency supply framework and our new energy for schools service (or approved deals), unless schools and trusts have an alternative compliant agreement with rates which do not exceed those available through these deals. We will update the academy trust handbook by September to reflect these expectations.

As with schools, we ask colleges and other further education providers to continue to maximise value from their budgets. The comparable funding we are announcing today will help address immediate staffing pressures in the sector, but providers should continue to leverage opportunities from rising student numbers and effective commercial arrangements to ensure every pound counts in delivering high-quality outcomes for learners. Colleges will also continue to have access to a suite of support from the Further Education Commissioner to help them maximise value.

Alongside the additional funding in respect of pay and recruitment and retention in 2027-28, there will also be funding adjustments to reflect the valuation of teachers’ pensions contributions. From April 2027, schools and colleges will see the costs of their employer contributions to the teachers’ pension scheme decrease in line with the 31 March 2024 valuations published today. This change will not reduce the value of the defined-benefit teachers’ pension for current or retired teachers, and the TPS remains one of the best pension schemes available. When schools and colleges have faced increasing pension costs in recent years funding has been uplifted, so it is only right that funding is adjusted for this change. The funding will remain proportionate with contributions at a national level.

Building a modern profession

The teacher pay award is part of our comprehensive approach to building a system that enables every child to achieve and thrive, reforming education while valuing those who deliver it.

I am also committed to delivering on the ambitions of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act—ensuring every state school teacher can rely on a core pay offer, and building in additional flexibilities to enable all schools to innovate and attract and retain the top talent they need. This is part of my drive to reform working conditions which are fundamental to the quality of teachers’ and leaders’ professional experience.

I know that many teachers work significantly more than 1,265 hours. To be clear, the Department has not proposed the removal, or a specific change, to the current 1,265 directed hours limit. On the contrary, I want to build a comprehensive picture on how working hours arrangements interact with and impact on workload, which is why I remitted the STRB for their views on working hours arrangements and I continue to be committed to reducing teacher workload. I am pleased to announce changes to the school teacher pay and conditions that give schools more flexibility with inset days and clarify protections on leaders’ working time.

After careful consideration and further review of the evidence put forward by statutory consultees, I have decided not to reduce the salary safeguarding period at this current time and to retain the three year existing protection for teachers.

I am accepting the STRB’s recommendation to enable schools to offer non-consolidated payments/bonuses to teachers, so they too have the option to offer modest recognition schemes to reward their staff. This extends the flexibilities that academies have operated to maintained schools giving them the option to be innovative in their approach to rewarding staff.

Technical Annex: Further details on the STRB process and recommendations

STRB process, recommendations, and response

The 36th report of the School Teachers Review Body, responding to the remit issued on 22 July 2025, is being published today. The report will be presented to Parliament and published on gov.uk.

For 2026-27, the STRB recommended an increase of 3.5% to all teacher pay ranges and allowances and a 5% uplift to the bottom of the unqualified teacher range (rest of England). For 2027-28 the STRB recommended an increase of 3% to all teacher pay ranges and allowances. The STRB also recommended an indicative increase of 3% to all teacher pay ranges and allowances for 2028-29. This pay award applies to all teachers in maintained schools. The Government are accepting the recommendations for 2026-27 and 2027-28 in full.

Alongside the pay award, we have accepted the STRB’s recommendation to allow schools to have the option to offer modest recognition schemes to reward additional contribution beyond core duties. However, after careful consideration, we have decided to retain the existing salary safeguarding provision for teachers and leaders at this time.

The STRB also gave their views on working hours. We are implementing suggestions on inset flexibility and leaders’ working time protections and Department for Education officials will consider the full scope of the wider views and suggestions in future policy development.

The Department for Education will now consult all statutory consultees of the STRB on the Government’s response to these recommendations and on a revised school teachers’ pay and conditions document and pay order. The consultation will last for 12 weeks, and the STPCD will be published as soon as possible.

Further details on funding in 2026-27 and funding adjustments to reflect the valuation of teachers’ pension contributions

Funding for schools

We are providing schools with £700 million in additional funding in financial year 2026-27 rising to £1,115 million in 2027-28 to support them with their overall costs, including teacher and support staff pay awards. The additional funding for pre-16 schools and high needs providers will be distributed through the schools budget support grant 2026, with funding for eligible early years providers being distributed via the early years teacher pay grant 2026. Funding for 16 to 19 schools will be distributed via 16 to 19 allocations to support post-16 provision in schools and academies.

Through SBSG 26, we will provide £522 million for mainstream schools in respect of their provision for pupils aged 5 to 16; nearly £98 million for high needs providers; and nearly £14 million for centrally employed staff. Nearly £18 million will also be provided in respect of early years provision in schools provided through the EYTPG 26. We will provide around £49 million to 16 to 19 schools to support post-16 provision in schools and academies.

Further information for schools on the methodology, conditions of grant and per-pupil rates, as well as a calculator tool for the additional funding in respect of pay in 2026-27 will be published shortly. The overall design and distribution will reflect previous pay grants.

Funding for further education

The Department is making available additional funding of around £120 million in financial year 2026-27, rising to around £365 million in financial year 2027-28, to support colleges and other FE providers to address immediate staffing pressures and deliver our ambitious skills and qualifications reforms.

Taken together with the additional funding for post-16 provision in schools and academies which comes from within the overall schools funding envelope, around £170 million will be available for post-16 funding in financial year 2026-27, rising to around £535 million in 2027-28.

Funding adjustments relating to the valuation of teachers’ pension contributions

Funding for schools and colleges will be reduced to reflect the decreased cost at national level and thus be cost neutral for public sector employers as a whole. Schools and colleges will see the costs of their employer contributions to the teachers’ pension scheme decrease by £3 billion in 2027-28 following the valuation of teachers’ pension contributions. Funding for schools and colleges will decrease by the same amount.

For mainstream schools, the adjustment will be incorporated into the 2027-28 schools national funding formula which will be published in the autumn. This will incorporate the decrease into core school funding allocations from 1 April 2027 for maintained schools and 1 September 2027 for academies. A separate adjustment will be made to allocations for academies in respect of the period from 1 April to 31 August 2027. We will provide further details on how that will operate alongside details of the SBSG 26.

Equivalent funding reductions will also be made for special and alternative provision schools from 2027-28, through adjustments to local authorities’ high needs allocations within their 2027-28 dedicated schools grant. We will provide more detail on how those adjustments will be made and passed on to providers later in the year.

For colleges and post-16 schools, we will reduce payments accordingly through the teacher pensions scheme employer contribution grants. We will provide further detail on how these adjustments will be made in due course.

[HCWS171]

Equality Act 2010: Draft Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations

Bridget Phillipson Excerpts

Thursday 21st May 2026 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Education (Bridget Phillipson)]

The Equality and Human Rights Commission is the independent equality regulator and ensures compliance with the Equality Act 2010. Its code of practice on services, public functions and associations covers all nine protected characteristics and the steps the EHRC considers service providers should take into account when ascertaining how to comply with the law. We share the EHRC’s commitment to ensuring duty bearers and service users have accurate and up-to-date guidance on the Equality Act 2010 including in the light of recent court rulings.

We are grateful to the EHRC for its work on the draft code. The EHRC has rightly focused on ensuring the draft code is accessible and provides a wide range of examples for duty bearers.

The Equality Act 2006 states that before issuing a code of practice, the EHRC shall submit a draft to the Secretary of State to make a decision whether to approve it; and then if it is approved, the Secretary of State lays the draft before Parliament. Earlier in this process, as required, I consulted the Scottish and Welsh Governments.

I have approved the draft code submitted on 4 September 2025 and as updated by the EHRC in April 2026 following engagement with Government and their consideration of consultation responses and further legal analysis.

The current code was produced in 2011, and there have been significant developments since then, including the Supreme Court ruling in For Women Scotland, resulting in the EHRC wanting to update the code.

Following last year’s Supreme Court ruling, the draft code’s content on sex and gender reassignment has changed substantially from the 2011 version. The ruling made it clear that sex means biological sex for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010 and that trans people are still protected by the Act under the protected characteristic of “gender reassignment”.

A number of other changes were made as part of updating the 2011 code across all protected characteristics, including highlighting protections for disabled people, and advice on pregnancy and maternity discrimination as well as age discrimination. The draft code now before Parliament more accurately reflects the position on all protected characteristics. This includes protections for women whose menopause has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their everyday life, as well as updates to reflect legislative changes on same-sex marriage.

This Government are proud of the Equality Act 2010 and will protect and uphold it. This code is an important step in ensuring that organisations across Great Britain have clear guidance regarding its implementation, protecting people’s rights across our country.

The draft code will be laid before Parliament in both Houses for a 40-day period, in line with the Equality Act 2006. If neither House disapproves the draft within this time period, the code currently in force will be revoked by means of a negative procedure statutory instrument and the new code will be commenced by a separate statutory instrument.

I have therefore laid the “Equality Act 2010: draft code of practice for services, public functions and associations” in Parliament today, with an explanatory memorandum, in line with the Equality Act 2006.

[HCWS67]

Higher Education: Freedom of Speech

Bridget Phillipson Excerpts

Monday 20th April 2026 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Education (Bridget Phillipson)]

Academic freedom and free speech are fundamental to our world-leading universities, and this Government are committed to protecting them. In January 2025, following my review of the potential impact of the legislation, I announced the future of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023. This included my intention to seek a legislative vehicle to repeal the tort and duties on students’ unions, to amend the complaints scheme and conditions of registration, and to commence these duties on higher education providers and the Office for Students in their current form. I set out in a policy paper in June 2025 my commitment to protecting freedom of speech and academic freedom, and how I intended to achieve that through a more workable, proportionate and effective approach:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-future-of-the-higher-education-freedom-of-speech-act-2023

I have also continued to keep all uncommented provisions in the Act under review, as I committed to last year.

On 1 August 2025, I commenced key provisions from the Act that strengthened provider duties on free speech and placed a requirement on the OfS to promote free speech. The OfS has also issued extensive guidance to the sector on the new duties and continues to work with providers to offer advice and share best practice, so higher education providers themselves are more effectively protecting free speech. I am confident that the new provisions in force from August 2025, together with the OfS’s advice and guidance, have led to improvements in how seriously free speech and academic freedom are taken by the higher education sector. However, I am aware of examples of academic staff who believe that their right to lawful freedom of speech and academic freedom is still being curtailed, and who are not permitted to express their lawful views on controversial issues.

I will now act quickly to provide a suitable route of redress for staff, external speakers and non-student members to an OfS complaints scheme, and to give the OfS the powers to regulate providers where there are serious and systemic issues in relation to free speech protection. Although I still intend to make the amendments I announced last year, pending suitable legislation, I am making this statement to inform the House that I will make commencement regulations by mid-June, to bring into force the following elements of the Act:

The complaints scheme for staff, external speakers and non-student members. I will not be commencing the scheme in relation to students, who already have access to an excellent complaints scheme at the Office of the Independent Adjudicator, which can consider free speech issues as well as wider student complaints, or in relation to complaints about students’ unions. The commencement regulations will bring this provision into force on 1 September 2026 in time for the start of the new academic year, and at which point the OfS will have published its complaints scheme rules.

The mandatory OfS conditions of registration. I will be commencing the duties on the OfS to put in place initial and ongoing conditions of registration set out in section 6 of the Act from 1 April 2027. These conditions will require not only that HE providers’ governance documents and arrangements ensure compliance with their duties under the Act, but that HE providers comply with their duties under the Act. The OfS will consult on and prepare conditions and guidance, and take forward other important work on provider governance, in time for those provisions coming into force.

I will seek a suitable legislative vehicle to repeal the tort and duties on students’ unions and will keep their commencement under review in the meantime.

I want to be clear that these new protections for freedom of speech will not protect any of the abhorrent and unlawful extremist speech and harassment that we have seen at some universities, which should not be tolerated on campus. Our social action cohesion plan has already set out how we will root out extremism and tackle division:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/protecting-what-matters-towards-a-more-confident-cohesive-and-resilient-united-kingdom/protecting-what-matters-towards-a-more-confident-cohesive-and-resilient-united-kingdom

I will also keep commencement of the overseas funding measures under review. The OfS already has extensive powers to require information from providers, to investigate any breach, and to impose sanctions where breaches have occurred. The OfS has made it explicitly clear in its regulatory guidance that universities should not tolerate attempts by foreign states to suppress academic freedom. If we are to introduce new reporting requirements, we must ensure that they add value without being overly burdensome.

Our universities’ world-class reputation makes them a prime target for foreign states and hostile actors, who seek to erode that reputation by shaping or censoring what universities can offer. To tackle this enduring threat, we are investing £3 million to bolster existing support and access to expert advice on national security risk management, including a new academic interference reporting route and new guidance. We also recently worked with MI5 and cyber security services to deliver briefings to over 70 vice-chancellors on the threats of foreign interference to universities, as well as a suite of workshops with academic staff and students’ unions.

We have been clear to the sector about our expectations for providers to meet their regulatory requirements, and, where there are concerns, robust university processes and relevant national security legislation will be enforced. The commencement of the complaints scheme and the conditions of registration will also ensure that where foreign interference impacts freedom of speech or academic freedom, there are routes of redress for staff and external speakers, and the OfS has an opportunity to take action.

Commencement of these provisions will support protection for freedom of speech and academic freedom of campus for years to come, enabling staff and students to explore new and controversial ideas, test their thinking and for students to receive a higher quality education.

[HCWS1525]

Experts at Hand and Local Authority SEND Transformation Fund

Bridget Phillipson Excerpts

Wednesday 15th April 2026 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Education (Bridget Phillipson)]

As part of the Government’s long-term reforms to strengthen the special educational needs and disabilities system in England and improve life chances, the schools White Paper, “Every child achieving and thriving”, announced around £1.8 billion of funding over the next three years for local areas to develop and deliver a new experts at hand offer. We also confirmed £200 million of local transformation funding for the next three years. These measures form a central part of the Government’s wider programme to strengthen mainstream inclusion, expand specialist expertise, and ensure children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities receive timely and effective support.

Today I am confirming how funding for the 2026-27 financial year, £429 million, will be allocated to local authorities through the experts at hand and local authority SEND transformation grant.

This funding is for local areas to work in partnership, led by the local authorities working jointly with integrated care boards, to start to deliver the new experts at hand offer. This will provide mainstream education settings across early years, primary, secondary, and 16 to 19 with improved access to additional, evidence-led support, advice and guidance from health and education professionals, so that children can receive the help they need earlier and more effectively. Local areas will draw on the expertise of a broad range of professionals, including speech and language therapists and occupational therapists, as well as educational psychologists, and specialist teachers, including those based in specialist settings. It will take time to transform the system, but we anticipate that by 2029 this funding means a typical setting could benefit from additional support equivalent to 40 days per average primary school and 160 days per average secondary school per year.

The funding will also enable the establishment of speech and language therapist advanced practitioners in every integrated care board area.

Finally, the transformation element of the funding will support local authorities to design and deliver their local SEND reform plan. This includes strategic planning and data work to integrate the experts at hand offer alongside existing services, and the local area’s wider approach to SEND reform preparation, as articulated in their local plan. Funding transformation in this way will ensure that every local authority can produce high-quality plans to ensure their local area builds a more inclusive mainstream system.

Today we have published local authority level indicative allocations, which will be confirmed in May, and a methodology document setting out how these allocations have been calculated. The document introduces the purpose of the grant and our expectations for how this funding should be spent locally.

Local authorities will be required to set out their delivery model and use of funding within their local SEND reform plans. These plans will provide assurance on appropriate use of the grant and demonstrate effective partnership working across education, health and care. Future support for high needs dedicated schools grant deficits will take into account progress against approved plans, including the establishment of a strong and effective experts at hand offer.

The Department for Education will publish the detailed experts at hand guidance later in spring 2026, including minimum delivery expectations, examples of best practice, and further information to support local planning. Final funding allocations for 2026-27 will be confirmed and published in May 2026 and payment will be made at the end of June.

Full details of this announcement, including the grant methodology and indicative allocations, have been published on the Department for Education section on the gov.uk website, here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/experts-at-hand-local-authority-send-transformation-fund

[HCWS1514]

Technical Excellence Colleges

Bridget Phillipson Excerpts

Tuesday 14th April 2026 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Education (Bridget Phillipson)]

Further education colleges are the bedrock of technical education and training in England. They are critical to delivering growth across the industrial strategy sectors and can transform lives by offering young people and career-changers routes into fulfilling careers. This is why we are transforming further education colleges that demonstrate specialist excellence into technical excellence colleges. Building on the appointment of 10 construction technical excellence colleges in August of last year, today we are announcing 19 new technical excellence colleges in England. These TECs are specialists in the advanced manufacturing, clean energy, defence, and digital and technologies sectors. TECs will work with employers to ensure that the education and training on offer addresses skills gaps in key growth-driving sectors. They will also work with other skills providers aligned with their specialism to improve the quality of the provision on offer across England, ensuring that more learners are able to benefit from technical excellence at their local college.

Backed by £175 million of investment, TECs will help support the Prime Minister’s ambition of delivering two-thirds of young people engaged in higher-level learning by age 25 and access to well-paid jobs for British workers and support delivery of our ambitions for the skills system as set out in the “Post-16 Education and Skills” White Paper. Around 65,000 learners will benefit from studying at a TEC over the next four years, as TECs increase the volume and quality of specialist education and training and boost skills provision that meets local and national needs, supporting specialisms in priority city regions and clusters as set out in the industrial strategy. They will also break down barriers to opportunity, by supporting people to enter key growth-driving sectors whether at the start of their careers as apprentices, or as established workers getting new skills for better paid jobs.

TEC appointments

Today we are announcing the following TECs:

Advanced manufacturing

City of Wolverhampton College

New College Durham

Newcastle and Stafford College Group

Weston College of Further and Higher Education

Clean energy

Colchester Institute

South Bank Colleges

The City of Liverpool College

The Education Training Collective

University Centre Somerset College Group

Defence

Blackpool and the Fylde College

City College Plymouth

Lincoln College

RNN Group

Yeovil College

Digital and technologies

Birmingham Metropolitan College

Capital City College Group

Gloucestershire College

LTE Group

Milton Keynes College

[HCWS1505]