Department for Education

On 16 September 2025, the Law Commission published its final report on disabled children’s social care.’ The department is now considering and assessing the 40 recommendations made in the report. In line with the protocol agreed between the Lord Chancellor and the Law Commission, the department will provide an initial response to these recommendations in March 2026, having engaged the relevant stakeholders. A full response to the recommendations as well as a proposed way forward will be provided in September 2026.

The Education Estates Strategy outlines the challenge of mitigating climate‑related risks across the entire education estate. This is supported by the department’s research and analysis into overheating, flooding and water scarcity, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/impact-of-uk-climate-change-risk-on-the-delivery-of-education/summary-of-findings-in-relation-to-3-climate-risks-overheating-flooding-and-water-scarcity.

The department will continue to increase resilience to overheating and flooding through the Renewal and Retrofit Programme, which will be expanded to all regions in England from 2027.

19 schools in Essex are already receiving grants for sustainable drainage systems to mitigate risk of flood, and another 10 schemes are under assessment for flood protection measures.

The National Year of Reading 2026 aims to make lasting change to the reading habits of the nation to address the decline in reading for pleasure, unlocking one of the most powerful tools for equity and opportunity, a love of reading that lasts a lifetime. The campaign aims for lasting impact by engaging new audiences, making reading relevant, transforming practice, and building infrastructure. For example, we are providing £5 million of funding for secondary schools to purchase books to encourage reading for pleasure.

The National Year of Reading is grounded in both existing evidence and new research, conducted by an external research agency. This is a critical component of the campaign, to ensure it is impactful and meaningful, both during the year and beyond.

There will be an independent external evaluation of the National Year of Reading, to be published in 2027. The evaluation will examine how the campaign influences reading behaviours, connects with audiences and shapes attitudes towards reading, particularly among the campaign’s priority audiences of teenage boys, early years children and families from disadvantaged communities. It will also assess the wider impact on the literacy sector and the foundations for long-term change.

We are revising the School Food Standards and engaging with stakeholders to ensure they support our work to create the healthiest generation of children in history.

Further details on timelines for the publication and the implementation of these revisions will be available in due course.

The department has processed 1232 material changes between 1 January 2023 and 1 January 2025. The department does not record data below this level in terms of types of school or type of material change.

Ministers and officials from the department regularly meet key sector stakeholders, parents, carers and others to discuss the needs of adoptive and kinship families.

In addition, our current consultation on adoption support and the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund invites all those with an interest to respond directly to the proposals made, and to submit evidence on adoption and kinship support. Details of the consultation are available here: https://consult.education.gov.uk/adoption-and-special-guardianship-support-fund-team/adoption-support-that-works-for-all/. Ministers and officials will hold a range of discussions with third parties as part of this consultation.

Private school fees and finances are a matter for private schools, as private businesses. Schools decide for themselves how to manage their finances including, for example the additional cost of VAT, the impact of the national minimum wage and in relation to any pay award they may choose to make.

Private school fees and finances are a matter for private schools, as private businesses. Schools decide for themselves how to manage their finances including, for example the additional cost of VAT, the impact of the national minimum wage and in relation to any pay award they may choose to make.

Private school fees and finances are a matter for private schools, as private businesses. Schools decide for themselves how to manage their finances including, for example the additional cost of VAT, the impact of the national minimum wage and in relation to any pay award they may choose to make.

Professionals working with adopted children should receive appropriate trauma-informed training. The department has funded Adoption England with £8.8 million this year to develop national approaches for adoption services, helping ensure consistently high‑quality support across the country. Adoption England is also strengthening trauma‑informed practice across its workforce and with key partners, including schools. In addition, we have recently consulted on new social work standards that include recognising and responding to trauma, which will underpin an enhanced early‑career support offer.

On 10 February, we announced that the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund will continue up to 2028, with £55 million in 2026/27, enabling children to continue to benefit from access to specialist trauma and attachment‑focused therapies. In addition, our new ‘Adoption Support that Works for All’ consultation provides a positive opportunity for families and professionals to help shape the long‑term future of adoption support.

Professionals working with adopted children should receive appropriate trauma-informed training. The department has funded Adoption England with £8.8 million this year to develop national approaches for adoption services, helping ensure consistently high‑quality support across the country. Adoption England is also strengthening trauma‑informed practice across its workforce and with key partners, including schools. In addition, we have recently consulted on new social work standards that include recognising and responding to trauma, which will underpin an enhanced early‑career support offer.

On 10 February, we announced that the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund will continue up to 2028, with £55 million in 2026/27, enabling children to continue to benefit from access to specialist trauma and attachment‑focused therapies. In addition, our new ‘Adoption Support that Works for All’ consultation provides a positive opportunity for families and professionals to help shape the long‑term future of adoption support.

Independent evaluation shows that the Connect the Classroom programme has improved digital infrastructure in participating schools, including better network reliability and speed, quicker log‑ins, fewer classroom disruptions and improved pupil engagement. In 2026/27, the Connect the Classroom programme will support schools on the Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence programme, and our evaluation will continue to focus on those key indicators. Further selection criteria for future years will be published in the summer.

The department will also provide targeted support for digital connectivity to ensure that, where commercial fibre plans have not progressed, schools and the communities they serve are not left behind.

Education is a significant part of the cross-government strategy to keep women and girls safe, focusing on prevention by instilling early the values and skills needed to protect young people, disrupt dangerous attitudes, and stop harmful behaviours escalating.

We have already overhauled the relationships, sex, and health education (RSHE) curriculum, with a new focus on developing skills for healthy relationships from the beginning of primary school, and equipping children with the tools to tackle harmful influences.

We have also committed £11 million to fund three pilot programmes to support teachers to implement the new RSHE curriculum, provide healthy relationships training, and advise on how to tackle harmful behaviours.

Departmental officials are also developing a series of resources on extreme misogyny with Connect Futures to support schools and colleges on whole school approaches, teaching materials, and assembly plans which will be available soon.

The profit cap provisions in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill would apply in England to any non-local authority providers of children’s homes or fostering services, and subject to changing secondary legislation, supported accommodation. The government does not contract directly to companies to provide these services within scope of the profit cap provisions. Local authorities commission these contracts directly.

This government is committed to safeguarding children and protecting them from harm across all extracurricular activities.

These activities often take place within out-of-school settings, however, some are run directly by schools and, if so, the schools’ existing child protection and safeguarding arrangements will apply, as set out in ‘Keeping children safe in education’.

Where extracurricular activities do take place in out-of-school settings, we believe that the majority of providers sufficiently deliver safe and enriching education and activities. However, to ensure that this is the case for all, the department launched a call for evidence on 29 May 2025 to better understand current practice and invite views on possible approaches to further strengthen safeguarding.

We are currently analysing responses and given the significance of the issue, this analysis is being supported by independent external analysts.

The department intends to supplement the call for evidence with further engagement, including through focus groups with parents and smaller providers, and sector roundtables with safeguarding experts, national governing bodies and other community representatives, prior to issuing a full response.

This government is committed to safeguarding children and protecting them from harm across all extracurricular activities.

These activities often take place within out-of-school settings, however, some are run directly by schools and, if so, the schools’ existing child protection and safeguarding arrangements will apply, as set out in ‘Keeping children safe in education’.

Where extracurricular activities do take place in out-of-school settings, we believe that the majority of providers sufficiently deliver safe and enriching education and activities. However, to ensure that this is the case for all, the department launched a call for evidence on 29 May 2025 to better understand current practice and invite views on possible approaches to further strengthen safeguarding.

We are currently analysing responses and given the significance of the issue, this analysis is being supported by independent external analysts.

The department intends to supplement the call for evidence with further engagement, including through focus groups with parents and smaller providers, and sector roundtables with safeguarding experts, national governing bodies and other community representatives, prior to issuing a full response.

This government is committed to safeguarding children and protecting them from harm across all extracurricular activities.

These activities often take place within out-of-school settings, however, some are run directly by schools and, if so, the schools’ existing child protection and safeguarding arrangements will apply, as set out in ‘Keeping children safe in education’.

Where extracurricular activities do take place in out-of-school settings, we believe that the majority of providers sufficiently deliver safe and enriching education and activities. However, to ensure that this is the case for all, the department launched a call for evidence on 29 May 2025 to better understand current practice and invite views on possible approaches to further strengthen safeguarding.

We are currently analysing responses and given the significance of the issue, this analysis is being supported by independent external analysts.

The department intends to supplement the call for evidence with further engagement, including through focus groups with parents and smaller providers, and sector roundtables with safeguarding experts, national governing bodies and other community representatives, prior to issuing a full response.

This government is committed to safeguarding children and protecting them from harm across all extracurricular activities.

These activities often take place within out-of-school settings, however, some are run directly by schools and, if so, the schools’ existing child protection and safeguarding arrangements will apply, as set out in ‘Keeping children safe in education’.

Where extracurricular activities do take place in out-of-school settings, we believe that the majority of providers sufficiently deliver safe and enriching education and activities. However, to ensure that this is the case for all, the department launched a call for evidence on 29 May 2025 to better understand current practice and invite views on possible approaches to further strengthen safeguarding.

We are currently analysing responses and given the significance of the issue, this analysis is being supported by independent external analysts.

The department intends to supplement the call for evidence with further engagement, including through focus groups with parents and smaller providers, and sector roundtables with safeguarding experts, national governing bodies and other community representatives, prior to issuing a full response.

The National Year of Reading is a UK-wide campaign designed to tackle the steep decline in reading enjoyment amongst children, young people and adults, and to engage new audiences in reading. It aims to make lasting change to the nation’s reading habits and is for everyone, including adults, children, families and communities, reflecting that the decline in reading enjoyment affects all sectors of society. However, there will be a targeted focus on certain priority groups: boys aged 10 to16, parents from disadvantaged communities, and early years children.

‘Go All In’ is a fully inclusive campaign, encouraging people to read about whatever interests them, through any genre and all mediums of reading, from physical books, to comics, to e-readers. The campaign includes support from a diverse range of authors, celebrities and content creators representing a range of different ages, backgrounds and cultures from communities across the UK. The campaign will reach communities across the UK through schools, libraries, businesses and local partners. Libraries, as free to access community hubs, will play a central role in supporting participation and helping people of all ages and from all sectors of society to develop a lasting love of reading.

The National Year of Reading is a UK-wide campaign designed to tackle the steep decline in reading enjoyment amongst children, young people and adults, and to engage new audiences in reading. It aims to make lasting change to the nation’s reading habits and is for everyone, including adults, children, families and communities, reflecting that the decline in reading enjoyment affects all sectors of society. However, there will be a targeted focus on certain priority groups: boys aged 10 to16, parents from disadvantaged communities, and early years children.

‘Go All In’ is a fully inclusive campaign, encouraging people to read about whatever interests them, through any genre and all mediums of reading, from physical books, to comics, to e-readers. The campaign includes support from a diverse range of authors, celebrities and content creators representing a range of different ages, backgrounds and cultures from communities across the UK. The campaign will reach communities across the UK through schools, libraries, businesses and local partners. Libraries, as free to access community hubs, will play a central role in supporting participation and helping people of all ages and from all sectors of society to develop a lasting love of reading.

The department will enable all responsible bodies to proactively and effectively manage their estates by setting out clear standards and expectations alongside guidance, tools and data to support them.

We have already set out clear expectations in the School Estate Management Standards, including a ‘fully effective’ standard for estate management that every responsible body for schools should aim to meet.

From Autumn 2026, we will ask responsible bodies to make an annual return via Manage Your Education Estate to confirm they are meeting the standards. For those who are not meeting the standards, we will put in place an estate management capability support plan. This will be an informal agreement with the responsible body setting out actions and support to bring estate management up to the expected standard within 12 months.

The timelines are in the strategy, and the key milestones have been set out in annex A. The department reports on overall delivery through the annual report and accounts.

The department will enable all responsible bodies to proactively and effectively manage their estates by setting out clear standards and expectations alongside guidance, tools and data to support them.

We have already set out clear expectations in the School Estate Management Standards, including a ‘fully effective’ standard for estate management that every responsible body for schools should aim to meet.

From Autumn 2026, we will ask responsible bodies to make an annual return via Manage Your Education Estate to confirm they are meeting the standards. For those who are not meeting the standards, we will put in place an estate management capability support plan. This will be an informal agreement with the responsible body setting out actions and support to bring estate management up to the expected standard within 12 months.

The timelines are in the strategy, and the key milestones have been set out in annex A. The department reports on overall delivery through the annual report and accounts.

His Majesty’s Treasury published a tax information and impact note on applying VAT to independent school fees.

The department has announced allocations for at least £3 billion in high needs capital between 2026/27 and 2029/30 to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or those requiring alternative provision. This funding is expected to fund a transformative expansion of inclusion bases, as well as adaptations to improve the accessibility and inclusivity of mainstream settings. It can also be used to create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs. Wider proposals for SEND reform have been announced in the Schools White Paper, published on 23 February.

His Majesty’s Treasury published a tax information and impact note on applying VAT to independent school fees.

The department has announced allocations for at least £3 billion in high needs capital between 2026/27 and 2029/30 to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or those requiring alternative provision. This funding is expected to fund a transformative expansion of inclusion bases, as well as adaptations to improve the accessibility and inclusivity of mainstream settings. It can also be used to create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs. Wider proposals for SEND reform have been announced in the Schools White Paper, published on 23 February.

His Majesty’s Treasury published a tax information and impact note on applying VAT to independent school fees.

The department has announced allocations for at least £3 billion in high needs capital between 2026/27 and 2029/30 to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or those requiring alternative provision. This funding is expected to fund a transformative expansion of inclusion bases, as well as adaptations to improve the accessibility and inclusivity of mainstream settings. It can also be used to create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs. Wider proposals for SEND reform have been announced in the Schools White Paper, published on 23 February.

His Majesty’s Treasury published a tax information and impact note on applying VAT to independent school fees.

The department has announced allocations for at least £3 billion in high needs capital between 2026/27 and 2029/30 to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or those requiring alternative provision. This funding is expected to fund a transformative expansion of inclusion bases, as well as adaptations to improve the accessibility and inclusivity of mainstream settings. It can also be used to create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs. Wider proposals for SEND reform have been announced in the Schools White Paper, published on 23 February.

The safety of our youngest children is our utmost priority, and we continually monitor and review safeguarding requirements for early years settings to make sure children are kept safe.

In September 2025 the department implemented changes to the early year’s foundation stage statutory framework to strengthen safeguarding requirements across early years settings, including enhanced expectations on safer recruitment, child absences, safer eating, safeguarding training and whistleblowing. We also introduced a new safeguarding training annex setting out what safeguarding training must cover. To support the sector, we are developing a safeguarding training package in collaboration with the NSPCC aligned to the new criteria, which will be free to access online.

The department is appointing an expert panel to inform the development of guidance for the early years sector on digital devices and CCTV within safeguarding. This guidance will consider whether CCTV should be mandated and will set out best practice, technical advice and clear expectations.

In additional from April, we are funding Ofsted to improve inspection quality and consistency through stronger quality assurance and targeted inspector training. We are also funding Ofsted to inspect all new early years providers within 18 months of opening and to move towards inspecting all providers at least once every four years, compared to the current six year window.

As announced in the ‘Best Start in Life’ publication, the department is working collaboratively with Ofsted to introduce reporting on nursery chain groups to address issues spanning across groups of providers. The publication can be found here: https://beststartinlife.gov.uk/.

Plan 2 loans were designed and implemented by previous governments.

Interest rates are applied at the Retail Price Index (RPI) only, then variable up to an upper limit of RPI +3% depending on earnings.This maintains the real value of repayments over a long loan term. As an additional borrower protection, interest rates on post-2012 loans are automatically capped by the prevailing market rate for comparable unsecured personal loans, ensuring borrowers are protected if market conditions change.

Interest rates do not impact monthly repayments made by student loan borrowers. Repayments are made at a constant rate of 9% above the earnings threshold, and this rate strikes a balance between affordability for graduates and fairness to taxpayers. For example, someone earning £30,000 will repay around £4 per month in the 2026/27 financial year under the repayment threshold of £29,385.

Those earning below the earnings threshold do not make repayments. Any outstanding loan, including interest built up, is cancelled at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants.

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

The government is committed to safeguarding children across all education settings, including out-of-school settings such as private tutoring.

Last year, the government launched a call for evidence on safeguarding in out-of-school settings, aiming to better understand current sector safeguarding practices and invited views on approaches for further strengthening safeguarding, including regulation.

The department is currently analysing responses, with support from independent external analysts, given the significance of the issue.

The department also intends to undertake further engagement, including focus groups with parents and small providers and sector roundtables with safeguarding experts and sector representatives, before issuing a full response in due course.​

The department supports local authorities, academy trusts and other bodies responsible for keeping school buildings safe and operational by providing condition funding, guidance and advice.

The Education Estates Strategy sets out our 10-year plan to deliver a decade of renewal to transform schools and colleges, supported by £38 billion investment in education capital to 2029/30 and unprecedented long-term funding, with £3 billion per year by 2034/35 into capital maintenance in addition to almost £20 billion in the School Rebuilding Programme. There are over 500 schools already in the programme, including 6 in Surrey.

The department collects consistent data on the condition of the school and college estate, which helps inform capital policy and programmes. The full data from the Condition Data Collection (CDC1) programme from 2017 to 2019 is presented at regional level in the House of Commons library here: https://depositedpapers.parliament.uk/depositedpaper/2285521/files.

A summary of the data can be accessed in the CDC1 key findings report here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/condition-data-collection-2-cdc2-programme. The successor programme, Condition Data Collection 2 (CDC2), will provide an update on the condition of the government funded school buildings.

We expect that over 100,000 people could benefit from outbound mobility and partnership opportunities from UK participation in 2027. Depending on the Erasmus+ action for which they apply, UK beneficiaries of Erasmus+ funding in the 2027 call year will be able to use their funding for projects lasting between 3 and 36 months.

This government recognises that independent students, including care leavers, care experienced students and estranged students, may require additional support to access higher education (HE), including access to student accommodation.

As universities and landlords are autonomous, the department has no remit to intervene in the provision of student residential accommodation. Nevertheless, the forthcoming Statement of Expectations for the HE sector will urge HE providers to plan strategically for the supply of sufficient suitable accommodation for their students and include guidance on how providers can support the needs of vulnerable students.

The department is committed to ensuring that schools can benefit and use artificial intelligence (AI) safely and effectively. We are supporting staff to stay up to date with developments through clear guidance, as well as online support materials to help staff use AI confidently, safely and responsibly. Developed with sector experts, these materials set out what all staff should know about using AI safely with potential use cases and an additional toolkit for leaders to help address the risks and opportunities of AI across their whole setting.

The department has accepted all the relevant recommendations of the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, and will refresh the computing curriculum to build digital confidence from an early age, and to include essential content on AI. Work is now underway to develop the new curriculum, and the department will conduct a public consultation on the draft programmes of study in summer 2026.

The department is investing in the infrastructure and evidence schools need to adopt technology well and make informed choices. This includes setting digital and technology standards and programmes such as the EdTech Testbed Programme and EdTech Evidence Board.

In late January, the department, in partnership with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology also announced plans to work with industry on the development of AI tutoring tools. Central to these plans is that any generative AI tutoring tools are co-created with teachers, are aligned to the curriculum and meet safety standards. As this work progresses, all tools developed will be rigorously tested and evaluated for safety, quality and effectiveness before they are made available for use in schools, ensuring they genuinely support learning and protect pupils.

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

The government began a phased expansion of funded childcare in 2024, introducing 15 hours of funded childcare for eligible working parents of two-year-olds in April 2024 and extending this entitlement to children aged from nine months to three years in September 2024. This expansion grew further in September 2025, when eligible working parents of children from nine months to school age were given access to 30 hours of government-funded childcare per week, saving families using their full entitlement up to £7,500 per eligible child per year. As a result, the department expects to provide over £9.5 billion in 2026/27 for the early years entitlements, more than doubling annual public investment in the sector compared with 2023/24.

The School-based Nursery Programme is a £400 million capital investment to deliver on the department’s commitment to create tens of thousands of places in school-based nurseries, helping more families access funded childcare and giving children the best start in life. We awarded £37 million of capital funding to 300 schools to create up to 6,000 nursery places, helping parents access affordable, quality childcare where it is needed.

Schools were invited to bid for up to £150,000 capital funding from a £45 million pot, with an increased focus on supporting families from disadvantaged areas to access early years provision. We will announce successful projects for this phase in the spring.

Registration with the Office for Students (OfS) is voluntary and open to providers that meet the statutory definition of an English higher education provider. This includes those delivering higher‑level courses within the scope of the OfS regulatory framework.

Operational decisions concerning engagement with potential applicants regarding registration, including discussions with commercial pilot training providers, are matters for the OfS as an independent regulator.

I stand with Members across this House in expressing my sorrow at the killing of Khaleed Oladipo near De Montfort University on 4 February 2026, and I pay tribute to the members of the public and emergency services who fought to save him.

Student safety is of utmost importance. As autonomous institutions, universities are responsible for setting their own policies and security arrangements to ensure the safety of students and staff on campus, maintaining robust welfare and risk‑management procedures to protect their students, even though they do not operate under a statutory safeguarding duty.

In the wake of Mr Oladipo’s death, De Montford University continues to work proactively with staff and students to offer support and reassurance. Enhanced police patrols remain in place. Universities also provide a range of practical support to help keep students safe and supported while on campus.

In August 2025, the Office for Students strengthened its regulatory oversight through a new registration condition for all English universities that sets out clear requirements for preventing and responding to harassment of all kinds on campus.

The department’s financial wellbeing offer for its workforce includes access to a variety of advances including rental deposits and season ticket loans and budgeting advice. We have no current plans to introduce payroll deductions for Credit Union membership. Decisions for Arm’s Length Bodies are up to each organisation.

The National Year of Reading is a UK-wide campaign to address long-term declines in reading enjoyment through engaging new audiences, reshaping public attitudes and building the systems needed to embed lasting, meaningful change during 2026 and beyond.

​It includes a major physical and online marketing campaign, as well as exciting events, webinars, resources, and activities in communities, libraries, schools and early years settings throughout the year.

The department is raising awareness of the National Year of Reading in schools through a range of methods, such as via departmental communication channels, the National Year of Reading mailing list and social media, communications from the National Literacy Trust and promotion via the English Hubs network.

For libraries, The Reading Agency are providing public libraries with resources, toolkits and print and digital materials to activate the National Year of Reading.

Schools, alternative provision settings and all interested parties are encouraged to sign up to www.goallin.org.uk to receive regular updates on the National Year of Reading.

The National Year of Reading is a UK-wide campaign to address long-term declines in reading enjoyment through engaging new audiences, reshaping public attitudes and building the systems needed to embed lasting, meaningful change during 2026 and beyond.

​It includes a major physical and online marketing campaign, as well as exciting events, webinars, resources, and activities in communities, libraries, schools and early years settings throughout the year.

The department is raising awareness of the National Year of Reading in schools through a range of methods, such as via departmental communication channels, the National Year of Reading mailing list and social media, communications from the National Literacy Trust and promotion via the English Hubs network.

For libraries, The Reading Agency are providing public libraries with resources, toolkits and print and digital materials to activate the National Year of Reading.

Schools, alternative provision settings and all interested parties are encouraged to sign up to www.goallin.org.uk to receive regular updates on the National Year of Reading.

The National Year of Reading is a UK-wide campaign to address the steep decline in reading enjoyment amongst children, young people and adults. It is a department initiative, in collaboration with our delivery partner, the National Literacy Trust, who are leading the delivery of the campaign.

The National Year of Reading is operating as a collective impact campaign, allowing multiple partners from a range of sectors to participate, including schools, libraries, publishers, booksellers, media companies, retailers, and charities. It supports the Civil Society Covenant’s aims to build effective partnerships across the breadth of civil society and government, working together to tackle the deep-seated challenges of our time.

Tackling the long-term decline in reading for pleasure requires cross-sector support across the UK, as encompassed by the Go All In campaign which encourages everyone to get involved. The year includes a major physical and online marketing campaign, as well as exciting events, webinars, resources, and activities in communities, libraries, schools and early years settings across the UK throughout the year.

The National Year of Reading is a UK-wide campaign to address the steep decline in reading enjoyment amongst children, young people and adults. It is a department initiative, in collaboration with our delivery partner, the National Literacy Trust, who are leading the delivery of the campaign.

The National Year of Reading is operating as a collective impact campaign, allowing multiple partners from a range of sectors to participate, including schools, libraries, publishers, booksellers, media companies, retailers, and charities. It supports the Civil Society Covenant’s aims to build effective partnerships across the breadth of civil society and government, working together to tackle the deep-seated challenges of our time.

Tackling the long-term decline in reading for pleasure requires cross-sector support across the UK, as encompassed by the Go All In campaign which encourages everyone to get involved. The year includes a major physical and online marketing campaign, as well as exciting events, webinars, resources, and activities in communities, libraries, schools and early years settings across the UK throughout the year.

The Education Estates Strategy sets out plans for an education estate that supports opportunity for all, backed by a 10-year plan to deliver a decade of renewal to transform schools and colleges.

The department is investing almost £3 billion per year by 2034/35 in capital maintenance for schools and colleges, rising from £2.4 billion in 2025/26. We are investing almost £20 billion in the School Rebuilding Programme through to 2034/35, delivering projects at over 500 schools across England within the existing programme, with a nomination round now open to select a further 250 schools by early 2027.

The department is also investing £1 billion to improve and renew the estate including launching a new £710 million Renewal and Retrofit Programme to 2029/30 and £325 million for digital connectivity in schools, including Connect the Classroom. We are investing at least £3.7 billion in high needs capital funding between 2025/26 and 2029/30 to create 60,000 specialist places, including supporting a transformative expansion of inclusion bases.

Future annual capital funding allocations for responsible bodies and the details of schools prioritised for individual programmes will be set out in due course.

There is a full privacy statement included on the Education Record. This sets out what information the department collects, what they do with it and how it is shared. It also includes how analytics data are used and that personal data is only shared with education providers.

Some pupils, including pupils who have speech and language needs, may face additional challenges that can impact their behaviour and attendance.

Specialist support, such as from speech and language therapists, can play an important role in breaking down communication barriers so that those pupils can engage fully in education.

Our ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance requires schools, trusts and local authorities to take a support first approach to absence and work with families to remove individual barriers to attendance.

All schools are legally required to have a behaviour policy that is lawful, proportionate and reasonable, and comply with the school’s duties under the Equality Act 2010 and the Education and Inspections Act 2006. Any special educational needs or disability a pupil may have, including speech and language needs, must be considered when applying their behaviour policy.

Schools are expected to consider reasonable adjustments on a case-by-case basis, informed by the pupil’s individual needs, to ensure they can access education on an equal basis to their peers.