Department for Education

The department publishes figures from the school census on pupil absence in England. The latest data covers the academic year 2024/25 and is available on GOV.UK.

Published data for the percentage of pupils classified as persistent absentees (defined as missing 10% or more of possible sessions) since the 2018/19 academic year is shown below.

Source: School Census

Full-year absence statistics for 2019/20 were not published due to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

High needs funding for children and young people with complex special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is continuing at an increased level of over £12 billion in the 2026/27 financial year, following an increase of 11% in 2025/26.

To reverse the trend of late intervention and escalation of needs, the department is providing £4 billion over the next three years, including:

• The Inclusive Mainstream Fund, providing £1.6 billion for schools, colleges and early years settings to prepare and deliver improved inclusive practice.
• £1.8 billion for local authorities to work in partnership with integrated care boards to develop and deliver a new ‘Experts at Hand’ offer, providing a new route to expert advice and support for mainstream settings from education and health professionals.

Furthermore, in 2026/27, local authorities with a SEND deficit will be eligible for a High Needs Stability Grant covering 90% of their dedicated schools grant deficit accrued up to 2025/26.

The department routinely reviews data relating to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF). The average amount of funding per recipient increased from £2,336 in 2017/18 to £3,090 in 2024/25, reflecting changes in demand and the cost of therapeutic support over time. In 2025/26, the average amount approved per recipient was £2,537.

The decision to set the Fair Access Limit at £3,000 from April 2025 was taken to ensure that the available budget could support the maximum number of eligible children whilst remaining within the budget. The department has previously assessed that £3,000 could fund an average of approximately 19 to 20 hours of therapy, based on median therapeutic costs and associated expenses. During 2025/26, the average approved therapy cost was £2,537, below the Fair Access Limit.

The department is currently considering responses to its consultation on the future of Adoption Support. Evidence from the operation of the fund during 2025/26 will contribute to the department’s consideration of future adoption support arrangements.

The department routinely reviews data relating to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF). The average amount of funding per recipient increased from £2,336 in 2017/18 to £3,090 in 2024/25, reflecting changes in demand and the cost of therapeutic support over time. In 2025/26, the average amount approved per recipient was £2,537.

The decision to set the Fair Access Limit at £3,000 from April 2025 was taken to ensure that the available budget could support the maximum number of eligible children whilst remaining within the budget. The department has previously assessed that £3,000 could fund an average of approximately 19 to 20 hours of therapy, based on median therapeutic costs and associated expenses. During 2025/26, the average approved therapy cost was £2,537, below the Fair Access Limit.

The department is currently considering responses to its consultation on the future of Adoption Support. Evidence from the operation of the fund during 2025/26 will contribute to the department’s consideration of future adoption support arrangements.

The department routinely reviews data relating to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF). The average amount of funding per recipient increased from £2,336 in 2017/18 to £3,090 in 2024/25, reflecting changes in demand and the cost of therapeutic support over time. In 2025/26, the average amount approved per recipient was £2,537.

The decision to set the Fair Access Limit at £3,000 from April 2025 was taken to ensure that the available budget could support the maximum number of eligible children whilst remaining within the budget. The department has previously assessed that £3,000 could fund an average of approximately 19 to 20 hours of therapy, based on median therapeutic costs and associated expenses. During 2025/26, the average approved therapy cost was £2,537, below the Fair Access Limit.

The department is currently considering responses to its consultation on the future of Adoption Support. Evidence from the operation of the fund during 2025/26 will contribute to the department’s consideration of future adoption support arrangements.

We recognise the cultural and economic value of media, journalism and publishing courses. However, given the fiscal constraints, our approach is to continue to prioritise funding for subjects with the highest delivery costs (and hence Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) funding) and where there is stronger evidence of current and future skills shortages.

Media, journalism and publishing were subjects that previously attracted lower rates of funding than the science and technology subjects in price groups A & B, with SPG funding representing only a relatively small proportion of their overall funding when fees are taken into account. For 2024/25, the SPG funding rate for these courses was £130.54 per student full time equivalent. This was just over 1% of the total funding for these courses including tuition fees (that are supported by subsidised student loans).

Media, journalism and publishing courses will, like other subjects, benefit from future inflationary increases to tuition fees.

The government is clear that inspection and regulation should not discourage providers from caring for children with high levels of need where this can be done safely.

Regulation 44 provides independent scrutiny of children’s homes to help ensure children are effectively safeguarded and their wellbeing is promoted. Reports are shared with Ofsted, who use them to develop lines of enquiry for inspection and regulatory activity and take urgent action if children are at risk.

In 2025, Ofsted amended its inspection framework to support placement stability for vulnerable children and is now consulting on how inspection can better support providers to care for the children who have the most complex lives.

The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 establishes a new statutory framework to authorise the deprivation of liberty of children in provision other than a secure children’s home. This will facilitate different types of community-based placements to achieve better stability and improve long term outcomes for children requiring a higher level of support.

The department has recently announced £18.5 million for our Home Again programme which will improve the lives of children with complex needs by helping services work together more effectively, providing earlier intervention, reducing crisis situations and supporting children in the most appropriate settings.

The department does not hold data on the subjects offered by schools and colleges.

School and college data on the number of entries in each subject is published in the ‘Qualification and subject data’ found on the Compare school and college performance website, available on GOV.UK.

This includes schools and colleges which had entries in GCSE, A level and Level 3 film and media qualifications, their institution type and local authority.

The number of schools and colleges with entries in film and media subjects by region and institution type are provided in the tables below.

Number of schools and colleges with entries in GCSE film and media subjects:

Number of schools and colleges with entries in A level film and media subjects:

Number of schools and colleges with entries in all Level 3 qualifications in film and media subjects:

GCSE figures relate to entries in ‘Film Studies’ and ‘Media/Film/TV Studies’ GCSEs by pupils at the end of key stage 4. A level figures relate to entries in ‘Film Studies’ and ‘Media/Film/TV Studies’ A levels by students at the end of 16 to 19 study.

Level 3 qualifications include entries in ‘Film Studies’ and ‘Media/Film/TV Studies’ A levels, AS levels, and other Level 3 academic qualifications, and ‘Multimedia’ and “Film/Video/Television Production” Applied General and Tech Level qualifications by students at the end of 16 to 19 study. Each school and college are counted once only, regardless of whether they offer multiple courses.

Teaching began on the ‘Media, Broadcast and Production’ T Level pathway in September 2024. Provider level data will be published for the first time in spring 2027.

The decline in pupil numbers is not out of line with expectations given the removal of the VAT exemption, population decline and historical trends in private schools. There are no plans to make any related policy changes.

Applications approved in 2025/26 remained broadly consistent with the previous year, with 20,000 approvals compared to 20,085 in 2024/25. No applications were refused because the overall fund budget had been exhausted. It continues to monitor application levels, spending trends and outcomes for children and families as part of the routine management of the fund.

The department recognises the cultural and economic value of performing and creative arts courses. However, given the fiscal constraints, our approach is to prioritise funding for subjects with the highest delivery costs and where there is stronger evidence of current and future skills shortages.

Creative arts subjects already attract lower rates of funding than the science and technology subjects in price groups A and B, with Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) funding representing only a relatively small proportion of their overall funding when fees are taken into account. For 2025/26, the SPG funding rate for performing and creative arts courses was £130.54 per student full time equivalent. This is just over 1% of the total funding for these courses including tuition fees that are supported by subsidised student loans.

Performing and creative arts courses will, like other subjects, benefit from future inflationary increases to tuition fees.

White disadvantaged boys face a distinct and persistent set of challenges within the current system, including some of the lowest attainment at GCSE. Their average attainment has worsened since the pandemic, in line with declines seen across several other groups, although their outcomes remain among the lowest.

The government recognises that, especially for disadvantaged children, engagement and attainment at school is driven by high-quality teaching, a strong and inclusive school environment, and additional targeted support. The ‘Every child achieving and thriving’ White Paper sets out a coordinated programme of reform to raise standards, with a strong focus on disadvantaged pupils and white working-class children.

The independent inquiry into white working-class educational outcomes identified barriers to engagement and attainment, and the challenges associated with key transitions throughout the education system. Following its publication, we will continue to engage as the inquiry enters its second phase.

Our approach is comprehensive: rebuilding early family support, developing a new model for targeting disadvantage funding so it better reflects need, strengthening teaching quality and ensuring high-quality curricula are embedded across the system.

We are also launching two place-based missions, Mission North East and Mission Coastal, to drive sustained improvement in areas where outcomes remain stubbornly low, including for white working-class boys. These missions will bring together schools, families and local partners at place level to tackle entrenched disadvantage and raise attainment.

In parallel, the department is progressing reforms to the special educational needs and disabilities system to ensure earlier identification of need and more consistent, tailored support. These reforms will support inclusion and ensure that children with special educational needs, who are disproportionately represented among disadvantaged cohorts, receive the support required to achieve and thrive.

White disadvantaged boys face a distinct and persistent set of challenges within the current system, including some of the lowest attainment at GCSE. Their average attainment has worsened since the pandemic, in line with declines seen across several other groups, although their outcomes remain among the lowest.

The government recognises that, especially for disadvantaged children, engagement and attainment at school is driven by high-quality teaching, a strong and inclusive school environment, and additional targeted support. The ‘Every child achieving and thriving’ White Paper sets out a coordinated programme of reform to raise standards, with a strong focus on disadvantaged pupils and white working-class children.

The independent inquiry into white working-class educational outcomes identified barriers to engagement and attainment, and the challenges associated with key transitions throughout the education system. Following its publication, we will continue to engage as the inquiry enters its second phase.

Our approach is comprehensive: rebuilding early family support, developing a new model for targeting disadvantage funding so it better reflects need, strengthening teaching quality and ensuring high-quality curricula are embedded across the system.

We are also launching two place-based missions, Mission North East and Mission Coastal, to drive sustained improvement in areas where outcomes remain stubbornly low, including for white working-class boys. These missions will bring together schools, families and local partners at place level to tackle entrenched disadvantage and raise attainment.

In parallel, the department is progressing reforms to the special educational needs and disabilities system to ensure earlier identification of need and more consistent, tailored support. These reforms will support inclusion and ensure that children with special educational needs, who are disproportionately represented among disadvantaged cohorts, receive the support required to achieve and thrive.

The department is investing around £1.8 billion over the next three years for local area partnerships, including local authorities and integrated care boards, to develop a new ‘Experts at Hand’ offer. The funding will support local areas to recruit more educational psychologists, speech and language therapists (SaLTs), occupational therapists and specialist teachers, so they can bring this vital support directly into mainstream settings and improve access to early intervention.

To support delivery of Experts at Hand, we are investing over £40 million in the specialist workforce. This includes £26 million to train at least 200 educational psychologists per year from 2026 and 2027, followed by further investment to train more from 2028, subject to future spending reviews. Upon graduating, trainees will be required remain in local authority employment for a minimum of three years.

The remaining £15 million will be invested to establish new speech and language therapist advanced practitioners in every Integrated Care Board geographical area, to get more SaLTs working in educational settings.

The department wants to protect parents' rights to express a preference for a setting, whilst ensuring that local authorities make placement decisions that consider the preference and needs of other children and young people in the area. In the government's proposal, if parents do not agree with a local authority's decision about the setting, they will be able to appeal to the Tribunal. The Tribunal would be able to consider whether the local authority's decision is reasonable. If they found against the local authority, they could order the local authority to reconsider. In the proposals, the Tribunal will not name the placement for the child or young person.

We are carefully reviewing responses to the ‘Special educational needs and disabilities reform: putting children and young people first’ consultation, including those about placement decisions, and considering how placement decisions will work in practice. Our aim is to ensure that families have robust independent escalation routes and to allow local authorities to make decisions in a more holistic way.

We will publish final proposals in due course.

We know that the physical environment of education settings can have a significant positive impact on the wellbeing and engagement of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). This is why we have published dedicated guidance on inclusive education estates, to support local authorities, responsible bodies and mainstream settings in identifying the most affordable, high-impact adaptations for their context, based on pupils’ needs and the opportunities within the estate.

This is non-statutory guidance, but reflects the government's commitment to improving the inclusivity and accessibility of the education estates and is supported by £3.7 billion in high needs capital funding between 2025/26 and 2029/30. Alongside expanding access to inclusion bases and special schools, local areas can use this funding to improve the accessibility and inclusivity of mainstream settings for pupils with SEND.

The department regularly engages with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to ensure children and young people, including those who are neurodivergent, can access the support they need.

We are working with the NHS to expand access to specialist support and are providing £1.8 billion over the next three years for local area partnerships, including local authorities and integrated care boards, to develop an Experts at Hand offer in every area. This will give settings access to advice, training and expertise from professionals such as speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, educational psychologists and specialist teachers, helping staff identify needs earlier and respond effectively so children receive support without unnecessary delays.

Alongside this, Mental Health Support Teams will be expanded to every school and college in England by 2029 supported by £13 million pilot to enhance staff training for neurodivergent and social/emotional needs.

We continue to work closely with DHSC on the forthcoming mental health strategy, due later this year.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The nationality of all borrowers is checked and validated during the application process. Records listed as ‘unknown’ (in a very small number of mainly postgraduate borrower records) reflect legacy data quality issues in this field, which are being addressed by the Student Loans Company (SLC) and the department. This is a live management information dataset which is not static, and data can be updated over time as SLC update their records and re-categorise data.

The attached table provides repayment rates for loans due for repayment for the 2020/21 to 2024/25 financial years. The repayment rate was calculated as the percentage of borrowers whose loan has passed its Statutory Repayment Due Date (SRDD, normally the April after the end of the course) and have made a payment in the financial year out of all borrowers whose loan has passed its SRDD. Although borrowers become liable for repayment from the SRDD, repayments are only due where earnings exceed the relevant threshold. Borrowers who remain below this threshold, or experience fluctuating incomes, are not required to make repayments on a continuous basis. Additionally, periods of further study, unemployment, or other life events may reduce earnings below the threshold, resulting in no repayments being collected despite being past the SRDD.

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

The nationality of all borrowers is checked and validated during the application process. Records listed as ‘unknown’ (in a very small number of mainly postgraduate borrower records) reflect legacy data quality issues in this field, which are being addressed by the Student Loans Company (SLC) and the department. This is a live management information dataset which is not static, and data can be updated over time as SLC update their records and re-categorise data.

The attached table provides the number of non-UK nationals who received a first loan for the 2020/21 to 2024/25 academic years, by loan type and nationality.

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

The nationality of all borrowers is checked and validated during the application process. Records listed as ‘unknown’ (in a very small number of mainly postgraduate borrower records) reflect legacy data quality issues in this field, which are being addressed by the Student Loans Company (SLC) and the department. This is a live management information dataset which is not static, and data can be updated over time as SLC update their records and re-categorise data.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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