Department for Education

This government is committed to improving mental health support for children and young people and the department engages regularly with education sector bodies and school leaders. We are expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) to provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school and are accelerating rollout to achieve full national coverage by 2029.

The department also provides guidance and resources on promoting and supporting pupils’ mental health and wellbeing, developed by working with schools to ensure their needs are met. Resources include a hub for mental health leads, the Targeted Support guidance and Hub and a non-statutory guidance to support schools to take a holistic, preventative approach to mental health and wellbeing, available at:

1. https://www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/resources-senior-mental-health/
2. https://www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/whole-school-or-college-resources/targeted-support/
3. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/promoting-children-and-young-peoples-emotional-health-and-wellbeing

Additionally, we are developing a new mental health strategy for England, to be published later this year. This involved a call for evidence on prevention and support, including from education and training settings, on how to maximise existing policies, such as MHSTs and community-based mental health services.

The department is working closely with employers, providers, awarding organisations and higher education institutions to design high-quality technical and vocational qualifications that reflect workforce needs. These new qualifications will be based on occupational standards, developed by Skills England and co-created by employers, helping to define the content that students need to become competent in their chosen sector.

New V Levels and Foundation Certificates will be aligned with these occupational standards creating clear progression pathways into further study or work-based training, including apprenticeships.

T Levels and Occupational Certificates will be directly aligned to occupational standards and will support greater specialisation. They will enable students to develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours required for skilled employment in their chosen sector, and in the case of T Levels, progression to higher education.

Employers and sector experts are helping to shape nationally set qualification content through ongoing engagement as part of our subject stakeholder groups and responding to our content consultations.

Careers adviser qualifications and continuing professional development (CPD) include content on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). This helps advisers understand dyslexia and other forms of neurodiversity, identify barriers to learning and progression, work effectively with special educational needs coordinators and other professionals, and provide tailored careers guidance.

To further strengthen support for young people with SEND, the department has commissioned Transform Your Training to develop a series of CPD modules for careers advisers, including a module focused specifically on supporting young people with SEND.

The department is committed to ensuring that artificial intelligence (AI) is not used to undermine high academic standards in higher education (HE). That is why, as set out in the Post-16 education and skills white paper, the department is supporting the Office for Students to assess the impact of AI. Including how students are using it in assessments, to ensure the integrity of higher education assessments and qualifications is not compromised.

Universities are independent and autonomous bodies responsible for decisions such as admissions, diversity of provision, course content, teaching and assessment. As such, they are responsible for designing and implementing their own policies and approaches to the use of AI.

In addition, the Office for Students, under Condition B4 of its regulatory framework, requires qualifications to remain credible reflections of students' knowledge and skills and can take regulatory action where providers fail to meet those requirements.

As part of the government’s work to reduce child poverty and ease cost pressures on families, the department has put in place a major package to support families with back-to-school costs.

Over 3 million children from families receiving Universal Credit will now benefit from free school meals, marking a major contribution to the government’s work to lift over a half a million children out of poverty, the biggest reduction in a single Parliament since records began.

This is alongside 1400 more free breakfast clubs opening across the country, saving families up to £654 per child per year on childcare costs, and new limits on expensive branded school uniforms, which could save some families up to £50 per child on the back-to-school shop.

Families benefiting from free school meals, free breakfast clubs and cheaper uniforms could save up to £1,200 a year, while eligible working parents using government-funded childcare could save up to £8,000 a year.

Hartford Infant and Preschool, Hartford Junior School and Upwood Primary Academy are currently on the free breakfast clubs programme in the Huntingdon constituency. The full list of schools on the programme is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/breakfast-clubs-early-adopters-schools-in-the-scheme.

The government is committed to delivering a free breakfast club in every state-funded school with primary-aged pupils in England. Following the passage of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, all state-funded schools with primary-age pupils will be required to offer a club once the statutory duty comes into force.

New groups of schools will be onboarded in stages throughout 2027/28 to ensure appropriate support is in place. The department recognises the strong interest from schools and families in the free breakfast clubs programme and further details will be confirmed in due course.

Hartford Infant and Preschool, Hartford Junior School and Upwood Primary Academy are currently on the free breakfast clubs programme in the Huntingdon constituency. The full list of schools on the programme is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/breakfast-clubs-early-adopters-schools-in-the-scheme.

The government is committed to delivering a free breakfast club in every state-funded school with primary-aged pupils in England. Following the passage of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, all state-funded schools with primary-age pupils will be required to offer a club once the statutory duty comes into force.

New groups of schools will be onboarded in stages throughout 2027/28 to ensure appropriate support is in place. The department recognises the strong interest from schools and families in the free breakfast clubs programme and further details will be confirmed in due course.

During the passage of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act, the government committed to review The Children (Performance and Activities) (England) Regulations 2014 and will do so in the future. These regulations currently cover public performances and paid sporting and modelling. The review will include careful consideration of which activities should fall in scope and how best to ensure that children can continue to access positive opportunities, while also safeguarding their safety, wellbeing and best interests.

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

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

We have proposed the introduction of National Inclusion Standards, which will support education settings to identify and respond to needs earlier and more consistently, drawing on a broad range of evidence and professional expertise, so that all children and young people can receive the support they need to achieve and thrive.

The National Inclusion Standards will be underpinned by a £200 million training package to ensure that all teachers, educators, teaching assistants, support staff and leaders across early years, schools and post-16 settings can be trained to support pupils with SEND, and a new investment of £3.7 billion to drive more inclusive school estates and create additional specialist places.

We will continue to engage closely with young people, parents and professionals as we develop our reforms and how they will work in practice. The department also engages with the devolved governments at ministerial and official level on a range of areas covering education, skills and family policies and will continue to do so.

The government has pledged to recruit 6,500 additional teachers across state-funded secondary and special schools, further education (FE) colleges and school-based FE providers during this Parliament. Progress against this pledge is measured using published workforce statistics and uses the 2023/24 academic year as the baseline. The pledge does not include primary schools, where the pupil population has been declining.

The latest published data, show that there were 3,008 more full-time equivalent (FTE) teachers in state-funded secondary and special schools in 2025/26 than in 2023/24, and 1,646 more FTE teachers in FE colleges and school-based FE providers in 2024/25 than in 2023/24.

Taken together, this represents an increase of 4,654 FTE teachers compared with the 2023/24 baseline, equivalent to 71.6% of the government's 6,500 additional teachers pledge.

The 2025/26 FE workforce figures are due to be published in December. Progress figures are published annually through the School Workforce in England and further education workforce official statistics, which is available on GOV.UK.

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

School-aged pupils should learn foundational knowledge that underpins artificial intelligence (AI) literacy and numeracy through computing and mathematics curricula. Work is underway on a new curriculum and assessment system that is ambitious for every child, rich in knowledge and strong on skills. The new curriculum will be subject to consultation.

The department also funds direct support to teachers. Our 40 Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence maths hubs deliver free, local support to teachers from over half of primary and secondary schools in England every year, covering from reception up to GCSE in post-16 institutions. To support the teaching of AI, the National Centre for Computing Education, funded by the department, delivers a range of free and flexible online courses to equip teachers with the knowledge to embed age-appropriate teaching of AI into computing lessons.

In addition, post-16 institutions are required to support students aged 16 to 19 who have not yet achieved a GCSE mathematics grade 4 to make progress towards Level 2.

The department supports Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contracts through the funding arrangements agreed when contracts were signed. This includes revenue support grant funding (RSG) paid to local authorities over the contract term. RSG funding forms part of the overall affordability package for these projects, alongside contributions from local authorities and schools.

Further support is provided through the schools national funding formula PFI factor, and Slough will receive £1.1 million in the 2026/27 financial year through the PFI factor.

The department works with local authorities to assess affordability, determine appropriate levels of support and review PFI factor funding.

Today’s media landscape is unrecognisable compared to even a decade ago, and the way the public receives information and communicates has changed drastically in this time.

The government has a duty to engage with the public where they are, using channels and voices they trust to ensure all citizens can access government services, information and support, meeting audiences where they are.

The department’s campaigns support the delivery of our priorities by recruiting people into vital education workforces and helping the public make informed choices and access relevant services and opportunities. This includes supporting teacher, further education and early years recruitment, promoting skills and training routes, and helping families access early years and childcare support.

Content creators form one part of integrated campaigns that use a range of communications channels, including paid media, partnerships, public relations activity, GOV.UK content and departmental channels.

The total spend is £794,341 since July 2024. Note that this cost includes agency and wider fees.

Content creators are paid fairly for their services, time and expertise in content creation. There work reaches people directly on the channels they use daily. Without targeted campaigns, millions of citizens would miss out on services, rights, and support to which they are entitled

The guidelines for influencer and content creator marketing were created by the Government Communication Service and first published internally in November 2023.

When used effectively, technology can play a key role in helping children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to achieve and thrive in mainstream education. Many teachers and educators already use digital tools to remove barriers to learning, build confidence and independence, and support inclusion.

The department is helping schools and colleges make informed decisions about adopting technology, including AI-enabled tools. For example, we have published guidance on ‘Generative AI: product safety standards’ for edtech developers and suppliers, setting out the standards these products should meet for use in education. Schools and colleges may also use this guidance to assess whether AI-enabled technologies are appropriate and safe for use in their settings. The guidance is accessible at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/generative-ai-product-safety-standards/generative-ai-product-safety-standards.

In addition, the department is investing £24 million over four years in the Education Endowment Foundation EdTech Testbed Programme to build a robust evidence base on the impact of innovative technology in schools and colleges, including their potential to improve inclusion and outcomes for learners with SEND.

Over £600 million has been confirmed for the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme over the three financial years from 2026/27. HAF funding is now provided through the Children, Families and Youth Grant, ringfenced to protect programme spend. Local authority allocations, which continue to be calculated using free school meal (FSM) data, have been confirmed for the 3-year settlement, providing local authorities with greater certainty and supporting planning and investment.

HAF remains a targeted programme to support children facing the greatest disadvantage. Local authorities have flexibility to use a proportion of their allocation to support other children who may benefit from the programme in line with local needs and priorities.

From September 2026, FSM eligibility expanded to include all households in receipt of Universal Credit, creating two categories of FSM: targeted and expanded. HAF eligibility remains aligned with the targeted FSM threshold. The department is monitoring implementation of these changes and will continue to gather relevant data. No definitive constituency level estimates currently exist due to unavailability of the necessary data. We will continue to work with local authorities to monitor HAF participation, engage eligible families and support delivery. The government has also committed to a full evaluation of FSM expansion, which will consider its impact and uptake.

Over £600 million has been confirmed for the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme over the three financial years from 2026/27. HAF funding is now provided through the Children, Families and Youth Grant, ringfenced to protect programme spend. Local authority allocations, which continue to be calculated using free school meal (FSM) data, have been confirmed for the 3-year settlement, providing local authorities with greater certainty and supporting planning and investment.

HAF remains a targeted programme to support children facing the greatest disadvantage. Local authorities have flexibility to use a proportion of their allocation to support other children who may benefit from the programme in line with local needs and priorities.

From September 2026, FSM eligibility expanded to include all households in receipt of Universal Credit, creating two categories of FSM: targeted and expanded. HAF eligibility remains aligned with the targeted FSM threshold. The department is monitoring implementation of these changes and will continue to gather relevant data. No definitive constituency level estimates currently exist due to unavailability of the necessary data. We will continue to work with local authorities to monitor HAF participation, engage eligible families and support delivery. The government has also committed to a full evaluation of FSM expansion, which will consider its impact and uptake.

Over £600 million has been confirmed for the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme over the three financial years from 2026/27. HAF funding is now provided through the Children, Families and Youth Grant, ringfenced to protect programme spend. Local authority allocations, which continue to be calculated using free school meal (FSM) data, have been confirmed for the 3-year settlement, providing local authorities with greater certainty and supporting planning and investment.

HAF remains a targeted programme to support children facing the greatest disadvantage. Local authorities have flexibility to use a proportion of their allocation to support other children who may benefit from the programme in line with local needs and priorities.

From September 2026, FSM eligibility expanded to include all households in receipt of Universal Credit, creating two categories of FSM: targeted and expanded. HAF eligibility remains aligned with the targeted FSM threshold. The department is monitoring implementation of these changes and will continue to gather relevant data. No definitive constituency level estimates currently exist due to unavailability of the necessary data. We will continue to work with local authorities to monitor HAF participation, engage eligible families and support delivery. The government has also committed to a full evaluation of FSM expansion, which will consider its impact and uptake.

This is a matter for His Majesty's Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver. Ofsted holds the information requested. I have asked him to write to the hon. Member for Birmingham Perry Barr and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

The Adzuna report provides one indicator of conditions in the market for advertised graduate roles. The department considers that evidence from a range of sources should be used to establish the full picture of graduate outcomes and the wider labour market.

Updated research from the Institute of Fiscal Studies and the 2026 Longitudinal Education Outcomes data shows that higher education continues to offer good value for money for most students, with graduates expected to be on average around £100,000 better off over their lifetime than someone who does not go to university. It also shows that rates of individuals in sustained employment, further study, or both remain consistently higher amongst graduates than amongst those with no higher level qualification, across all combinations of subject area, gender and prior GCSE attainment.

The government wants to make sure that children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) can receive the support they need to achieve and thrive in their local school, but we know that there will always be a vital role for special schools and specialist post-16 provision for children with the most complex needs.

Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide sufficient school places, including for pupils with SEND.

The department is supporting local authorities by investing at least £3.7 billion in high needs capital funding between 2025/26 and 2029/30, to support local authorities to provide places for children and young people with SEND or those requiring alternative provision.  We expect that local authorities will prioritise investing this funding in specialist bases in mainstream schools to achieve a more inclusive system overall, but there will still be some areas where new special school places are needed.

The government has consulted on new Early Years Register fee arrangements through the early years funding consultation, published on 6 July 2026 and which closed on 14 September 2026. The consultation sets out proposed reforms to the early years entitlements funding system, including proposals intended to simplify funding arrangements, improve access for families on low incomes, improve support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and make funding more efficient and transparent.

As part of the consultation, we are proposing to reduce or remove individual annual Ofsted fees, which could simplify the system and reduce direct cost pressures on providers, supporting provider sustainability.

All interested parties, including local authorities, early years providers, parents and carers, were encouraged to take part and share their views before the 14 September closing date.

The government is taking forward a range of measures to prevent young people from becoming not in education employment or training (NEET), including improving identification, tracking and data sharing.

The department’s Risk of NEET Indicator tool brings together a range of indicators associated with an increased risk of becoming NEET. These include special educational needs and disabilities, attendance in alternative provision, mental health needs, care experience, Children in Need status, youth offending, caring responsibilities, parenthood or pregnancy, refugee / asylum-seeker status, substance misuse, exclusion from school or poor attendance, and eligibility for free school meals.

The tool is intended to support local authorities and their partners in the early identification of young people who may require additional support to participate and remain engaged in education, employment or training.

The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), part of Jisc, is responsible for collecting and publishing data on the UK higher education sector. The information is shared with the department and includes data on student accommodation through the HESA student record.

The publication date for the 2025/26 HESA student record has not yet been confirmed. However, based on previous publication cycles, it is expected to be published around January 2027.

The department monitors the private school sector and publishes data on schools opening and closing through the ‘Get Information about Schools’ service. Between 1 July 2024 and 31 August 2026, 146 private schools closed, of which 114 were mainstream independent schools. This remains within historic norms, as on average, around 75 private schools, including independent special schools, have closed each year over the past 20 years.

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

Every school should actively promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance for those of different faiths and beliefs. Promotion of these values plays an important role in preparing children and young people for life in a modern and diverse Britain.

Citizenship education equips young people to understand their place in the wider world and provides an important platform for discussions about global events and how they affect them and their communities. Religious education can also help pupils develop an understanding of different faiths and beliefs. Schools should promote critical thinking, logical reasoning and empathy, building children’s resilience to all forms of hatred, including antisemitism and anti-Muslim hostility.

The department has funded £7 million to tackle antisemitism in schools, colleges and universities, including £1 million for an innovation fund supporting projects that improve media literacy, tackle misinformation and promote tolerant debate. We also provide guidance and resources through the department’s Educate Against Hate website.

The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places sits with local authorities. The department provides capital funding through the Basic Need grant to support local authorities to provide school places, based on their own pupil forecasts and school capacity data.

Worcestershire County Council was allocated a total of just over £16.5 million across the 2023/24, 2024/25 and 2025/26 financial years to support it to provide new mainstream primary and secondary school places. It was not allocated funding in 2026/27 and 2027/28 because its pupil forecasts and school capacity data, gathered in Summer 2024, indicated there was no need to fund further places by September 2028.

This is in addition to housing developer contributions that Worcestershire can, and does, secure to create new places where demand is driven by new housing.

The department is at an early stage of developing the new technical education pathways. Our ambition is to give every young person access to high-quality technical education pathways from age 14 and support progression into further study, training and skilled employment. The department will work with the Mayoral Strategic Authorities, local leaders, and schools and education leaders to design locally tailored, vocationally focussed pathways for each region and to begin rolling them out from September 2028. As policy develops, we will continue working with key partners to consider the evidence needed to support the implementation of the pathways.

The department is maintaining funding for PE and school sport at £1 billion over three years as we move to providing support through a new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network (SSPN).

In the context of moving to the new approach, we have listened to schools and confirmed £150 million PE and Sport Premium for the 2026/27 academic year to support this transition. Transition funding allocations will be published in autumn 2026, in line with standard practice.

The procurement process is ongoing and expected to conclude by the end of 2026, in order for the Partnership Network to start delivering support from April 2027. Funding allocations within the new PE and SSPN will be informed by baseline and ongoing needs assessments undertaken by the National Delivery Partner (NDP), but the approach will focus on ensuring support reaches those most in need.

All state-funded schools will be able to access support through the Network’s universal offer, including professional development and training opportunities. Schools will also be able to request additional support through the School-Requested Intervention pathway and apply for additional funding through School Led Intervention grant opportunities delivered through the Network, subject to the relevant eligibility criteria and application processes.

Following completion of the procurement, the successful NDP will be responsible for developing and proposing the criteria for support delivered through the network. The department will review and approve the proposed criteria before implementation.

The department is maintaining funding for PE and school sport at £1 billion over three years as we move to providing support through a new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network (SSPN).

In the context of moving to the new approach, we have listened to schools and confirmed £150 million PE and Sport Premium for the 2026/27 academic year to support this transition. Transition funding allocations will be published in autumn 2026, in line with standard practice.

The procurement process is ongoing and expected to conclude by the end of 2026, in order for the Partnership Network to start delivering support from April 2027. Funding allocations within the new PE and SSPN will be informed by baseline and ongoing needs assessments undertaken by the National Delivery Partner (NDP), but the approach will focus on ensuring support reaches those most in need.

All state-funded schools will be able to access support through the Network’s universal offer, including professional development and training opportunities. Schools will also be able to request additional support through the School-Requested Intervention pathway and apply for additional funding through School Led Intervention grant opportunities delivered through the Network, subject to the relevant eligibility criteria and application processes.

Following completion of the procurement, the successful NDP will be responsible for developing and proposing the criteria for support delivered through the network. The department will review and approve the proposed criteria before implementation.

Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) is the department’s school improvement programme. It provides universal support for all schools and targeted support for those facing the greatest challenges.

All Mansfield schools can access universal support, which connects leaders with effective practice, expert advice and opportunities to learn from other schools. This includes English and maths hubs, attendance and behaviour hubs, Reception-year networks, professional development and regional conferences. Further programmes will help schools strengthen literacy, key stage 2 and key stage 3 education, and support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, with details announced shortly.

In Mansfield, three schools are receiving targeted RISE support through RISE advisers, improvement partners and funding to secure sustainable improvement and pupils outcomes. Further details of RISE support in the East Midlands can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rise-east-midlands/rise-east-midlands.

The Department for Education occupies premises owned, leased, and managed by the Government Property Agency (GPA) who are responsible for building assets, including the installation and use of rooftop solar panels.

The department is engaging with GPA through its Net Zero Programme to track progress in this area and understands GPA intends to undertake feasibility studies and energy audits at a number of sites during this financial year to assess opportunities for rooftop solar panel installation.

Funding support for public bodies to install solar panels has been available through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme with a total of over £3 billion made available up 2028. Great British Energy (GBE) also supports public sector decarbonisation and the GBE Solar programme is investing £255 million to fund around 250 schools, around 260 NHS sites, and around 15 military sites to install solar panels across the country.

The June 2025 press release announced the department’s investment of over £1.6 million in an assistive technology lending library pilot through the ‘SEND and alternative provision change programme’. The press release referenced that the number of children with education, health and care plans (EHCPs) had increased by 11% to 638,700, referring to the data from the 2024 to 2025 academic year.

For the same period, the number of EHCPs specifically for children under the age of 8 at the start of the academic year increased by 14%, rising to 124,148.

The government is committed to ensuring that children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities receive appropriate support at the earliest opportunity, and that local authorities and education settings have the expertise and resources needed to meet their needs effectively. As part of this work, the pilot enabled up to 3,800 mainstream settings across 30 local authorities to borrow and trial assistive technology before making purchasing decisions.

The department's fire safety guidance is set out in Building Bulletin 100, which is available on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-bulletin-100-design-for-fire-safety-in-schools.

All new school buildings must comply with building regulations and be signed off by a registered building inspector. Where automatic fire suppression systems (sprinklers) are considered necessary to protect pupils and staff, they must be installed.

The department's fire safety guidance is set out in Building Bulletin 100, which is available on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-bulletin-100-design-for-fire-safety-in-schools.

All new school buildings must comply with building regulations and be signed off by a registered building inspector. Where automatic fire suppression systems (sprinklers) are considered necessary to protect pupils and staff, they must be installed.

The department's fire safety guidance is set out in Building Bulletin 100, which is available on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-bulletin-100-design-for-fire-safety-in-schools.

All new school buildings must comply with building regulations and be signed off by a registered building inspector. Where automatic fire suppression systems (sprinklers) are considered necessary to protect pupils and staff, they must be installed.

The department's fire safety guidance is set out in Building Bulletin 100, which is available on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-bulletin-100-design-for-fire-safety-in-schools.

All new school buildings must comply with building regulations and be signed off by a registered building inspector. Where automatic fire suppression systems (sprinklers) are considered necessary to protect pupils and staff, they must be installed.

The new Renewal and Retrofit Programme was launched to improve the condition of school and college buildings and increase resilience to climate change so buildings can last for decades to come and are net zero ready. The programme will initially focus in 2026/27 on replacing the worst-condition, life-expired temporary buildings alongside installation of energy generation and efficiency measures. There was no application process, and projects are currently being selected.

As the programme expands from 2027, it will support a broader range of renewal projects, such as those addressing significant issues with roofs, heating and electrical systems, while also considering measures to improve resilience to flooding and overheating. The programme will take a whole-site approach, assessing individual school needs and delivering a range of interventions that improve building condition and increase resilience to climate change.

The department will set out further details on how schools and colleges join the programme when it is expanded from 2027 in due course.

The new Renewal and Retrofit Programme was launched to improve the condition of school and college buildings and increase resilience to climate change so buildings can last for decades to come and are net zero ready. The programme will initially focus in 2026/27 on replacing the worst-condition, life-expired temporary buildings alongside installation of energy generation and efficiency measures. There was no application process, and projects are currently being selected.

As the programme expands from 2027, it will support a broader range of renewal projects, such as those addressing significant issues with roofs, heating and electrical systems, while also considering measures to improve resilience to flooding and overheating. The programme will take a whole-site approach, assessing individual school needs and delivering a range of interventions that improve building condition and increase resilience to climate change.

The department will set out further details on how schools and colleges join the programme when it is expanded from 2027 in due course.

Registered providers of children’s homes must meet the Care Standards Act 2000 and associated regulations, available at:

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/14/contents.

This legislation requires providers to have an up-to-date statement of purpose, setting out how a children’s home operates. It is illegal to run or manage a children’s home or service that has not been registered with Ofsted. Mandatory registration with Ofsted ensures that appropriate oversight and checks are in place. Unregistered settings may pose a significant risk to vulnerable children as there is no assurance about the safety of children, staff or the environment.

On 1 April 2026, Ofsted updated the Social Care Common Inspection Framework to promote high-quality inspections that focus on the impact of services on the lives and relationships of children and families. Ofsted is currently consulting on further reforms, with implementation from 2027. The department is working closely with Ofsted as it updates inspection frameworks, grounded in our shared ambition to support the sector to improve services and outcomes for children and families.

Young people aged under 18 may, in certain circumstances, be accommodated in services registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Whether registration with CQC is appropriate depends on the facts of the individual case, the nature of the service being provided and the relevant statutory and regulatory frameworks. Guidance is available to providers and local authorities on the respective regulatory responsibilities of Ofsted and CQC, including the joint Ofsted and CQC guidance ‘Children's homes and health care: registration with Ofsted or CQC’, which sets out the circumstances in which services should be registered with Ofsted, CQC, or both regulators.

The CQC does not have a published provision directly equivalent to Ofsted's special circumstances policy. The department is working with the Department for Health and Social Care, Ofsted, and the CQC to explore how regulation can support and improve transitions into adult services. As part of this work, the department keeps policy and regulatory arrangements in this area under review, including issues relating to young people transitioning into adult services.

The department takes periods of hot weather and heatwaves seriously and has published a climate risk assessment on GOV.UK: 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 publishes non-statutory guidance on ventilation, thermal comfort and indoor air quality in schools in Building Bulletin 101, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-bulletin-101-ventilation-for-school-buildings. There are no plans to update this guidance.

The department has recently launched a new construction framework and updated design standards, setting out requirements for all new and refurbished school buildings delivered by the department in England, which are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/design-standards-employers-requirements. These standards are separate to Building Bulletin 101. They cover overheating risk assessments which account for rising temperatures associated with climate change, as well as external shading, cross ventilation and the use of cooling through ground source heat pumps.

The government is committed to improving standards across the foster care sector and is taking steps to improve the recruitment and retention of foster carers, which is critical to improving outcomes for children.

The department’s action plan to renew fostering, backed by £88 million over the next two years, sets out the urgent steps we are taking to reverse the decline in foster carers and reform the system. 14 regional hubs are moving towards end-to-end recruitment from September, backed by £12 million in transformation funding. Our Room Makers programme will provide up to £25 million to add additional capacity to existing loving foster homes. We have launched a £12.4 million innovation programme, and enhanced digital tools and a communications campaign will launch in the autumn.

The government is currently consulting on revised national fostering standards to ensure children and foster families receive consistently high-quality support. Alongside this, the department continues to support and invest in the rollout of the Mockingbird model, while drawing on programme data and feedback from fostering services and carers to assess its impact on children, placement stability and carer support.

We recognise the benefits Mockingbird can offer in building peer support, stability and resilience for fostering families and will continue to promote effective practice across the sector.

The government is committed to improving standards across the foster care sector and is taking steps to improve the recruitment and retention of foster carers, which is critical to improving outcomes for children.

The department’s action plan to renew fostering, backed by £88 million over the next two years, sets out the urgent steps we are taking to reverse the decline in foster carers and reform the system. 14 regional hubs are moving towards end-to-end recruitment from September, backed by £12 million in transformation funding. Our Room Makers programme will provide up to £25 million to add additional capacity to existing loving foster homes. We have launched a £12.4 million innovation programme, and enhanced digital tools and a communications campaign will launch in the autumn.

The government is currently consulting on revised national fostering standards to ensure children and foster families receive consistently high-quality support. Alongside this, the department continues to support and invest in the rollout of the Mockingbird model, while drawing on programme data and feedback from fostering services and carers to assess its impact on children, placement stability and carer support.

We recognise the benefits Mockingbird can offer in building peer support, stability and resilience for fostering families and will continue to promote effective practice across the sector.

The government is committed to improving standards across the foster care sector and is taking steps to improve the recruitment and retention of foster carers, which is critical to improving outcomes for children.

The department’s action plan to renew fostering, backed by £88 million over the next two years, sets out the urgent steps we are taking to reverse the decline in foster carers and reform the system. 14 regional hubs are moving towards end-to-end recruitment from September, backed by £12 million in transformation funding. Our Room Makers programme will provide up to £25 million to add additional capacity to existing loving foster homes. We have launched a £12.4 million innovation programme, and enhanced digital tools and a communications campaign will launch in the autumn.

The government is currently consulting on revised national fostering standards to ensure children and foster families receive consistently high-quality support. Alongside this, the department continues to support and invest in the rollout of the Mockingbird model, while drawing on programme data and feedback from fostering services and carers to assess its impact on children, placement stability and carer support.

We recognise the benefits Mockingbird can offer in building peer support, stability and resilience for fostering families and will continue to promote effective practice across the sector.