Department for Education

Decisions about which subjects to offer at GCSE are typically taken by the four independent awarding organisations, AQA, OCR, Pearson Edexcel, and WJEC, rather than by central government.

In deciding which language GCSEs to offer, the awarding organisations may consider factors including likely student numbers, the availability of suitably qualified examiners and markers, and whether there is sufficient demand for a qualification to be developed, delivered and awarded securely and consistently over time.

The department is developing evidence-based screen use advice for parents and carers of children aged 5 to 18, building on existing screen time advice for families with children under five. The guidance will help parents make informed decisions based on their child’s age, needs and circumstances and will be published early next year. It will also signpost advice to help families prepare for the new social media restrictions.

The government is providing children with a safer and healthier online experience. We are raising the age for accessing social media to 16, alongside stronger protections around livestreaming, contact with unknown adults and harmful online features.

Alongside these protections, we want parents to have practical support to help their children develop healthy relationships with technology.

Across government, we are developing clear materials to help parents understand the new social media restrictions and support their children as they come into effect. Together, these measures will give families clearer information and greater confidence to help children navigate the online world safely.

We have invested £429 million in the first year of Experts at Hand to enable local authorities and integrated care boards to develop and deliver an offer that reflects local needs. Local areas will determine the specialist workforce needed to deliver their offer, taking account of existing capacity, and use this funding to support recruitment where additional expertise is required.

Alongside this locally led approach, the department is considering the workforce implications of Experts at Hand as part of wider, long‑term workforce planning, including joint work with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England on wider priorities such as the 10 Year Workforce Plan.

To help build specialist capacity needed for delivery, we are investing over £40 million in the specialist workforce. Of this funding, £26 million will go towards training at least 200 educational psychologists per year in 2026 and 2027. This will be followed by further investment to train more from 2028, subject to future spending review decisions. 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 speech and language therapists working in education settings.

The department is investing around £1.8 billion over the next three years in Experts at Hand to improve mainstream settings’ access to specialist education and health expertise, including in rural and coastal communities.

The offer is being developed locally, so that areas can make the best use of available specialist capacity and tailor support to local geography and need. This may include specialists supporting groups of settings through training and advice, with supervised trainees, assistants and support workers helping to extend capacity and reach. We are working closely with colleagues in the Department of Health and Social Care to ensure that there are no cold spots and that every single mainstream setting has access to essential support.

Alongside this we will continue to support nationally to build specialist capacity needed for delivery, by investing over £40 million in the specialist workforce. Of this funding, £26 million will go towards training at least 200 educational psychologists per year in 2026/27. This will be followed by further investment to train more from 2028, subject to future spending review decisions. 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 speech and language therapists working in education settings.

The government is determined to ensure that young people in Nottinghamshire can access high-quality technical education and apprenticeships leading to skilled employment.

The department is strengthening technical pathways for those aged 14 and older, introducing new V Levels and expanding T Levels at 16-19, and working with employers, schools, colleges and local leaders to ensure provision reflects skills needs.

To support 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships, we are now fully funding apprenticeships for eligible young people under 25 and have introduced a £2,000 hiring payment for non-levy paying employers, typically small to medium enterprises (SMEs), that recruit apprentices under 25. We have also introduced foundation apprenticeships to provide entry level opportunities in key sectors.

Local Skills Improvement Plans, published in July 2026, provide an employer-led assessment of local skills needs to 2029 and set out priority actions for employers, providers and partners to help address skills gaps. Nottinghamshire is covered by the East Midlands Local Skills Improvement Plan. Our approach to devolution ensures that strategic authorities will play a stronger role in shaping skills provision around future skills needs.

The department is investing almost £3 billion per year in capital maintenance by 2034/35 to improve the condition of the school and college estate, rising from £2.4 billion in 2025/26. East Sussex has been allocated almost £5.4 million for 2026/27 to invest in improving the condition of its maintained schools, including those in Lewes. Academy trusts and voluntary aided bodies also have access to capital funding.

Alongside this, the department is also investing almost £20 billion in the school rebuilding programme through to 2034/35. Over 500 schools are already in the programme, with over 80% in delivery. The department will select a further 250 schools by early 2027.

The department’s new renewal and retrofit programme, backed by over £700 million to 2029/30, will improve the condition of school and college buildings and increase resilience to climate change so that buildings last for decades to come and are net zero ready.

The department has not made a specific assessment of the potential impact of damage to higher education (HE) institutions in Gaza on partnerships between UK HE providers and Israeli universities engaged in defence-related research.

The conflict has caused catastrophic damage to Gaza's education system and nearly all university buildings are reported to have been destroyed.

The government does not routinely hold information on all research activities undertaken by individual universities or their international partners. Any publicly funded research must comply with relevant legal, ethical and security requirements.

The government is very aware of the extremely challenging environment for those in Gaza seeking to pursue higher education. That is why during the 2025/26 autumn term, the government supported more than 100 high achieving students with full scholarships from Gaza to travel to the UK to pursue their studies. Building on this, support has been extended into the 2026/27 academic year, enabling a further cohort of talented students with fully funded scholarships to take up their places at UK universities.

The government continues to support humanitarian and recovery efforts for Palestinians. The UK has announced £10 million of support for the UN Horizon Fund to enable a Palestinian-led, UN-coordinated approach to early recovery, including support for education alongside other essential services. The UK is also providing £23.3 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East to support the delivery of healthcare, education, social services, emergency food and shelter.

Personal Advisers play an important role in providing practical and emotional support to care leavers and helping them prepare for adulthood. They have legal duties to keep in touch with the young people assigned to them and to work with the young person to develop a pathway plan which sets out the support the local authority will provide.

Local authorities are responsible for ensuring their leaving care services have sufficient capacity to meet their statutory duties. The department does not currently collect national data on Personal Adviser workforce numbers, caseloads, vacancies or turnover.

The department recognises evidence that high caseloads and workforce instability can reduce the time Personal Advisers have to build sustained relationships with young people and provide effective support, including through pathway planning. We are therefore reviewing statutory guidance on leaving care services and Personal Adviser provision. This includes considering workforce capacity, caseloads, training and professional standards, and whether greater national consistency is needed.

Personal Advisers play an important role in providing practical and emotional support to care leavers and helping them prepare for adulthood. They have legal duties to keep in touch with the young people assigned to them and to work with the young person to develop a pathway plan which sets out the support the local authority will provide.

Local authorities are responsible for ensuring their leaving care services have sufficient capacity to meet their statutory duties. The department does not currently collect national data on Personal Adviser workforce numbers, caseloads, vacancies or turnover.

The department recognises evidence that high caseloads and workforce instability can reduce the time Personal Advisers have to build sustained relationships with young people and provide effective support, including through pathway planning. We are therefore reviewing statutory guidance on leaving care services and Personal Adviser provision. This includes considering workforce capacity, caseloads, training and professional standards, and whether greater national consistency is needed.

Personal Advisers play an important role in providing practical and emotional support to care leavers and helping them prepare for adulthood. They have legal duties to keep in touch with the young people assigned to them and to work with the young person to develop a pathway plan which sets out the support the local authority will provide.

Local authorities are responsible for ensuring their leaving care services have sufficient capacity to meet their statutory duties. The department does not currently collect national data on Personal Adviser workforce numbers, caseloads, vacancies or turnover.

The department recognises evidence that high caseloads and workforce instability can reduce the time Personal Advisers have to build sustained relationships with young people and provide effective support, including through pathway planning. We are therefore reviewing statutory guidance on leaving care services and Personal Adviser provision. This includes considering workforce capacity, caseloads, training and professional standards, and whether greater national consistency is needed.

The government recognises the challenges education providers face in meeting rising energy costs. We are developing a standardised Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) and associated land documentation as one of several measures to help schools access affordable energy. The PPA will be available for use by all, including community energy groups, with robust terms that protect schools and secure value for money.

Applications for consent to enter non-pilot solar PPAs are temporarily paused while this work is completed, so schools can use the approved documents once published. We recognise the delays this has caused.

Meanwhile, schools can access competitively priced energy through DfE Energy for Schools. Building on the Great British Energy Solar Partnership, we are also taking forward grant-funded solar installations through the Renewal and Retrofit Programme to support longer-term reductions in energy bills and carbon emissions.

Through the department’s Parental Imprisonment Recognition and Support Pilot Programme, delivered jointly with the Ministry of Justice, we are building the evidence base on effective community support. The pilot focuses on children’s individual circumstances and needs, with local support shaped by families with lived experience and specialist organisations. The department recognises that visiting or maintaining contact with a parent in prison will not be appropriate for every child and parental imprisonment can affect children’s wellbeing, outcomes and opportunities, regardless of whether they visit their parent in prison.

Evaluation of the programme will consider how effectively the range of children's needs are recognised and supported, including those who do not visit or have contact with their parent in prison.

The department is considering the implications of Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council’s decision to refuse planning permission for the proposed Windsor Apollo Academy. This includes considering the impact on the deliverability and timetable for the project, forecast demand for secondary school places in Walsall, and value for money.

No decision has yet been taken on the future of the project. The department continues to engage with Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council and Windsor Academy Trust while these matters are considered.

The department has now expanded free school meals (FSM) to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit and we want to make sure that every family that is entitled to support can access it. That is why the department has upgraded its eligibility checking system, worked with schools and councils to reach parents directly and provided resources and guidance to support local awareness campaigns.

The department is closely monitoring FSM take-up as the expansion rolls out to ensure this support reaches every family that can benefit from it.

The department is aware that some local authorities choose to operate local arrangements to help identify children who may be eligible for free school meals and to support take-up. The department continues to work closely with local authorities but hasn’t formally assessed the efficacy of this method.

We welcome the publication of Magic Breakfast’s Adolescents and Breakfast report and the charity’s valuable contribution to school breakfast provision. The government is committed to tackling child poverty and delivering meaningful action to support children and families. We recognise the importance of a soft start to the school day with a healthy breakfast and the positive impact this can have on attendance, concentration and readiness to learn.

Since April 2025, our free breakfast club programme has delivered 10 million meals to children across England. As of September 2026, over 2,700 schools are delivering a free breakfast club, with further schools joining in stages throughout 2027 and 2028.

We are also continuing to support breakfast provision to former National School Breakfast Programme schools with secondary-age pupils for this academic year.

The department currently has no plans to collect data on the number of coaches and minibuses owned by schools, but the Academy Trust Handbook requires academy trusts to maintain a fixed asset register.

The department collects data on the value of motor vehicles held by trusts, but not the number or type of vehicles.

Sexual misconduct has no place in higher education, and all students should feel safe during their studies. Clear policies and properly resourced arrangements to prevent and respond to incidents are core requirements in the Office for Students' Harassment and Sexual Misconduct registration condition, which commenced in August 2025. While the Office for Students sets out the regulatory framework, universities are autonomous bodies and they decide which government initiatives to participate in. The department would encourage them to promote the Respond campaign and its message of "Listen. Believe. Support" for disclosures of abuse.

Sexual misconduct has no place in higher education, and all students should feel safe during their studies. Clear policies and properly resourced arrangements to prevent and respond to incidents are core requirements in the Office for Students' Harassment and Sexual Misconduct registration condition, which commenced in August 2025. While the Office for Students sets out the regulatory framework, universities are autonomous bodies and they decide which government initiatives to participate in. The department would encourage them to promote the Respond campaign and its message of "Listen. Believe. Support" for disclosures of abuse.

Student loan deductions are calculated separately for each pay period, rather than retrospectively from annual income.

In accordance with the regulations, borrowers with earnings exceeding the relevant repayment threshold have 9% of their earnings above this threshold deducted from their salary. This is applied to each pay period, by which we mean each time an employee receives their salary. This could be every week, four weeks, a calendar month. Therefore, an individual’s pay over their pay period will dictate their level of repayment.

If annual income remains above the applicable threshold, and the PAYE deductions were correctly made, the difference between those deductions and 9% of annual income above the yearly threshold is not refundable. Borrowers who made repayments, but who go on to earn below the annual repayment threshold are eligible to have those repayments refunded.

The department provides guidance to support education settings in planning for and responding to emergencies. College corporations hold statutory and fiduciary responsibility for strategic oversight, risk management and accountability, including ensuring that appropriate arrangements are in place to manage emergencies, protect students and staff, and maintain continuity of education.

The department engages regularly with Coventry College’s leadership team and corporation, which informs its ongoing support and monitoring of the college. Through this engagement, we will continue to support the college, as appropriate, in maintaining robust arrangements and responding to any specific issues that arise.

The total level of student debt across the whole student finance loan book for England at the end of the 2028/29 financial year is forecast to be £355.5 billion or £323 billion in 2025/26 prices. These figures are published annually and are available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/student-loan-forecasts-for-england/2025-26.

For comparison, the total student loan balance for England at the end of 2025/26 was £296.6 billion, as published by the Student Loans Company, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/student-loans-in-england-2025-to-2026/student-loans-in-england-financial-year-2025-26.

The reception baseline assessment (RBA) provides a consistent starting point from which to measure pupils’ progress to the end of key stage 2. It is a short, one-off assessment administered one-to-one by a teacher, during which a pupil may use the screen for around 12 minutes. The content is slow-paced and safe, and a pupil will never be alone with the device. It includes questions where the teacher models the first response, and questions where the child provides verbal responses or uses small toy bears.

A paper-based version is available in exceptional circumstances where this is more suitable for the child. The decision to use the paper-based version is made by the school, based on the individual pupil’s needs. Schools determine the most appropriate arrangements for individual pupils while maintaining a consistent approach to the assessment wherever possible.

The government consulted on the policy design and principles for V levels between October 2025 and January 2026, and published its response in March 2026. It set out our ambition that once all V levels are introduced and in steady delivery, a student will be equally likely to progress into level 4+ study whether they take A levels or V levels. In September 2026, UCAS confirmed that V levels will attract the same UCAS tariff points as A levels at grades A* to E.

We are now progressing detailed subject content development for V Levels, working closely with higher education institutions, providers, awarding organisations and employers to support students to progress into higher education.

The department published the national subject content in July 2026 for the first V levels that will be taught from September 2026, following public consultation. Further consultations for V levels content will take place in November 2026.

Further context is available at: https://depositedpapers.parliament.uk/depositedpaper/2288333/details.

Local authorities have duties under Section 19 of the Education Act 1996 to arrange suitable education for children of compulsory school age who, because of illness, exclusion or otherwise, would not otherwise receive suitable education.

The department does not currently routinely collect data on the number of pupils who are without educational provision while awaiting an alternative placement.

As part of the 'SEND reform: education otherwise than at school' consultation, which closed in September 2026, the department sought views on the role of accredited online education providers in delivering high-quality alternative provision. This consultation is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/send-reform-education-otherwise-than-at-school.

All participants of the department’s Management Information Systems (MIS) sector working group were required to complete a ‘conflicts of interests’ declaration. No declarations received identified a contractual dispute with an MIS supplier.

The department continues to work with local authorities to strengthen their sufficiency planning for children, including reviewing whether statutory requirements are clear enough and exploring how to improve data on the availability of suitable places, such as for those needing specialist support.

In 2026/27, the government is also expecting to spend over £9.5 billion on early years entitlements, supporting more parents, especially mothers, to balance family life and work. This funding reflects a full year of eligible working parents being able to access 30 hours of childcare from nine months until their children start school, and an expected increase in funding rates.

Recent statistics show that 1.7 million eligible children were registered for government funded entitlements.

The table below sets out the department’s expenditure on contracts with Capita group companies and Serco in the 2024/25, 2025/26 and 2026/27 financial years. Figures for 2026/27 are to 3 November 2026.

The department recorded no expenditure on contracts with G4S during this period.

Local authorities are responsible for managing traffic on their roads, including around schools and colleges, as they are best placed to determine appropriate measures for their local area.

The Department for Transport and Active Travel England have published guidance to support local authorities in setting up and managing school streets, including measures to manage traffic at school drop-off and collection times. This guidance can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-streets-how-to-set-up-and-manage-a-scheme.

Local authorities must publish a sustainable modes of travel strategy which aims to provide health benefits for children and their families through active journeys and environmental improvements through reduced congestion and improved air quality. The department’s statutory guidance for local authorities can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-to-school-travel.

The government is committed to widening opportunity and tackling child poverty. Expanding free school meals to all children in households receiving Universal Credit is expected to lift around 100,000 children out of poverty by the end of this parliament and put around £500 a year back into families' pockets.

The department anticipates that over half a million additional pupils nationally will become eligible as a result of this expansion. Published departmental analysis estimates that there are around 45,000 children in households receiving Universal Credit in Nottinghamshire. These children are within the group that may benefit from the expansion of free school meals eligibility, subject to meeting the relevant eligibility requirements and being registered for free school meals.

Providing a free, nutritious meal supports children's wellbeing, attendance, readiness to learn and educational attainment, and helps ensure that children flourish and succeed regardless of their background.

The department is currently holding initial meetings with the selected pilot local authority areas, following an expression of interest process. We have ensured a good geographical spread across England and will confirm the participating local authorities publicly in the coming months. All local authorities, including those participating in the pilot programme, have expertise in children’s social care and safeguarding, and have Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise organisations in their area, with expertise on parental imprisonment. The pilot programme will run through to autumn 2028, which is the initial pilot end date. The pilot evaluation is due to be completed in winter 2028. As this is a test and learn pilot programme, findings will inform further thinking on wider roll out and potential national implementation.

The reception baseline assessment (RBA) provides a consistent starting point from which to measure pupils’ progress to the end of key stage 2. It is a short, one-off assessment administered one-to-one by a teacher, during which a pupil may use the screen for approximately 12 minutes. The content is slow-paced and safe, and a pupil will never be alone with the device. It includes questions where the teacher models the first response and questions where the child provides verbal responses or uses small toy bears.

A paper-based version is available in exceptional circumstances where this is more suitable for the child. Schools determine the most appropriate arrangements for individual pupils while maintaining a consistent approach to the assessment wherever possible.

Social media allows the government to explain policy directly to the public in clear language and in the places people already engage. The total number of departmental staff with ‘social media’ in their job title in the last three years is as follows:

2024: 2 staff

2025: 2 staff

2026: 3 staff.

The department has no current plans to introduce an A level in Chinese Ancient Civilisation. There is scope for Chinese civilisation to be covered in the A level subject content for history, depending on the awarding body specification taught.

As a key provider of state-funded schools, departmental officials and Ministers engage regularly with the Church of England and its dioceses.

There have not been specific discussions on the use of funds, endowments and charitable bequests held by parish churches to support Church of England schools.

Local authorities have duties under Section 19 of the Education Act 1996 to arrange suitable education for children of compulsory school age who, because of illness, exclusion or otherwise, would not otherwise receive suitable education.

The department does not currently routinely collect data on the number of pupils who are without educational provision while awaiting an alternative placement.

As part of the 'SEND reform: education otherwise than at school' consultation, which closed in September 2026, the department sought views on the role of accredited online education providers in delivering high-quality alternative provision. This consultation is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/send-reform-education-otherwise-than-at-school.

After careful assessment of other options, the Target Operating Model process recommended a shift to an outside provider as the best way to maintain the efficient delivery of the Student Loans Company’s Infrastructure & Operations function.

This supports the findings of the previous delivery model assessment, which stated that delivery of this service needed to become more cost-effective.

The independent Milburn Review’s interim report, ‘Young People and Work’, provides an estimate of the average lifetime cost to the state of £29,000 per year for each individual aged 18 to 24 who is not in education, employment or training (NEET). This is an estimate for the wider NEET population and is not specific to people with complex special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

However, the report states that young people with SEND are 80% more likely to be NEET. The government’s social research also indicates that having an Education Health and Care Plan during school years is the strongest single link to becoming NEET between the ages of 17 and 19.

The needs of individuals with SEND can vary greatly, but in 2015 the National Audit Office estimated that providing a young person with the skills to live in semi-independent rather than fully supported housing could reduce lifetime support costs by around £1 million, in addition to improving their quality of life.

The department will present its financial year 2027/28 capital spending plans to Parliament through the government’s Main Estimates and accompanying Estimates Memorandum, following the conclusion of departmental business planning and prioritisation processes.

The government is committed to supporting local authorities with their Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) deficits as we transition to a reformed special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system. The High Needs Stability Grant marks the largest ever government intervention on council SEND deficits, covering 90% of local authorities' DSG deficits accrued to the end of March 2026, in a package worth around £6 billion nationally.

Each local authority’s High Needs Stability Grant allocation is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/high-needs-stability-grant-2026-to-2027.

For deficits arising in 2026/27 and 2027/28, local authorities can expect that we will take an appropriate and proportionate approach, though it will not be unlimited. Future support will take into account local authorities' successful delivery of their approved local SEND reform plan, including appropriate use of investment funding to establish an Experts at Hand offer.

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 ‘SEND reform, putting children and young people first’ consultation, we hosted over 200 engagement events, meetings and roundtables, including ‘deep dive’ 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 considering all responses submitted to the consultation. We will publish a response to the consultation in due course.

Virtual School Heads promote the educational achievement of previously looked-after children, including those who left care through adoption, special guardianship or child arrangements orders. The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act extends this role to eligible children in kinship care.

Schools must appoint a designated teacher for previously looked-after children, who attract £2,690 annually in Pupil Premium Plus. We are updating statutory guidance for Virtual School Heads and designated teachers, and schools can now record children in kinship care through the school census.

The department is considering responses received from ‘Adoption Support that Works for All’, which consulted on support at key life stages and integration of social care, health and education. The department is also piloting support for children entering secondary school, and Families First Partnership multi-disciplinary teams will help families receive support from the right professionals at the right time.

The department publishes information on Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans annually in the ‘Education, Health and Care plans’ statistical publication, which includes data subdivided by local authority. The most recent publication was on 25 June 2026 and is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans/2026.

The Local Area special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reform plan for the Lancashire Local Area Partnership was approved by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, and confirmed in the Written Ministerial Statement made on 29 October 2026, available at: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2026-10-29/hcws431.

The department is strengthening careers guidance so that all young people understand the full range of academic, vocational and technical routes available.

Schools have legal duties to provide independent careers guidance and give pupils at least six opportunities to hear directly from apprenticeship and technical education providers. Statutory guidance makes clear that these encounters should form part of a progressive careers programme, with information provided before key choices at ages 14, 16 and 18.

The department funds the Careers & Enterprise Company and careers hubs to connect schools with employers and training providers. All secondary schools and colleges in Greater Lincolnshire are part of the local careers hub, ensuring that pupils across Lincolnshire benefit from this support. Through its Boosting Skills Pathway Programme, the hub works with construction employers and the Apprenticeship Ambassador Network to raise pupils’ awareness of vocational and technical qualifications, develop employability skills and connect pupils with apprenticeship opportunities.

Universities must tackle antisemitic abuse swiftly and decisively. Following the 5 May Antisemitism Summit, the government made clear that universities should publish anonymised data on antisemitic incidents and the action taken in response to improve transparency and accountability.

A recent Universities UK survey found that while some institutions publish information on incidents and outcomes, practice varies across the sector. Data protection concerns, particularly where small numbers could lead to individuals being identified, can present barriers to greater transparency.

The department is working with Universities UK, the Office for Students, the Office of the Independent Adjudicator and the Union of Jewish Students to consider the findings, share good practice and encourage greater transparency and consistency across the sector.