Autumn 2026 Update

EFFECTIVE GOVERNANCE               Autumn 2026

The start of a new academic year and the term when many of the white paper changes will hit schools in addition to the usual cycle of updates, let’s see what’s changed.

Department for Education (DfE) has changed since last term, with a new Education Secretary Lucy Powell, see our article ‘Change at the DfE’ for details of her team and their responsibilities.

Safeguarding: Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) was updated for September 2026, so schools will need a new Safeguarding Policy. The one from Devon Local Authority is now available.  KCSIE changes include:

• The requirement for boards to review filtering and monitoring systems annually and ensure that a written record of these checks is maintained
• Guidance for schools supporting children questioning their gender with greater clarification on rules relating to toilets, changing rooms and school sport along with general principles for schools to follow including with regard to involving parents
• Robust cover arrangements for when the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is away
• A policy on prohibiting pupils’ use of mobile phones during the school day, statutory from 1 September 2026
• New requirement confirms that all incidents involving sharing of nude or semi-nude images require a safeguarding response, consensual or non-consensual
• Any person volunteering in a school for more than 3 days in a 30 day period or overnight is now automatically included within regulated activity regardless of whether they are supervised and will be subject to an enhanced DBS check.

Note that ‘Information sharing to safeguard children and young people’ has now also been added to the schools list of statutory guidance.

Benedicts Law has now come into effect. The law was developed to improve allergy safety in schools, following the death of five-year-old Benedict Blythe, who died from anaphylaxis in 2021. Schools will need to develop a clear allergy policy, ensure staff are trained, provide access to emergency medication and improve communication and record keeping. The DfE has published resources including a model allergy safety policy and an Individual Healthcare Plan template.

Exclusions guidance has been revised from July 2026, the guidance, introduces significant changes for all schools and becomes statutory for academies and PRUs, creating a more consistent national framework. The guidance introduces a new category of safeguarding separation, making clear that temporary removal from school premises for safeguarding reasons is not a disciplinary exclusion and must be managed through separate procedures. Additional changes include new requirements around off-site direction, which now apply to academies and PRUs, strengthened expectations for pupil voice in decisions about managed moves and off-site placements and enhanced protections for looked after children and pupils. Governors will also have greater responsibilities for monitoring exclusion, pupil movement and safeguarding data. Schools are encouraged to review their behaviour, exclusion and managed move policies ahead of implementation to ensure full compliance from September 2026.

Enrichment Framework measures for schools to increase children’s opportunities to develop new skills and interests have been published.  The enrichment framework guidance is not statutory, but from September 2026 Ofsted will consider a school’s enrichment offer as part of how it assesses personal development. There are eight new benchmarks against which schools will be able to evaluate their provision and make improvements. The enrichment activities should cover each of the five categories: arts, sport, nature, civic life and life skills. Schools will be able to use a self-assessment and action planning tool to help them assess their offer against the new benchmarks.

Schools are expected to have a “structured enrichment offer” which is backed by senior leadership and governors and understood by staff. Schools should also have a plan for implementation and monitoring, including clear roles and responsibilities.

Boards to consider: How can your board evidence that every child is encouraged to achieve and that enrichment activities are available to all children? 

Education Estates Strategy is a ten year strategy to replace the school condition improvement fund (CIF) by 2028. ‘Managing your education estate database’ has been launched and a decision making framework will be developed for schools and councils to better utilise their surplus land and buildings during demographic change. Every secondary school in England will be expected to have an inclusion base, either a support base or a specialistic base funded and commissioned by councils. From autumn 2026, Responsible Bodies will be required to make a light touch annual return via ‘Manage Your Education Estate’ to confirm they are meeting the School Estate Management Standards. The strategy also references Sustainability leadership and climate action plans in education guidance.  It requires that a nominated sustainability lead and climate action plan should be in place. Need some help with this area?  Have a look at the DAG Busy Governance Guide to Environment Sustainability for help.

RHSE from September 2026 schools will require an up-to-date written policy in place for relationships education or (where applicable) RSE. Whilst the board’s role is to ensure that there is an appropriate written policy, informed by and communicated to parents, they should also ensure that their school/trust is complying with statutory obligations and that the necessary content is being taught. Updated from 2019, new statutory guidance aims to ensure pupils are prepared for adult life and schools are supporting their moral, social, mental and physical development.

School uniform guidance has been updated on the cost of school uniforms.  From September 2026, all schools must limit the number of compulsory branded items of uniform and PE kit to three or fewer; secondary and middle schools are allowed a tie as a fourth. Schools and their governing boards must have regard to this statutory guidance and read it alongside the non-statutory guidance on school uniform. The purpose of the statutory guidance is to ensure the cost of school uniforms is reasonable and provides the best value for money.

Digital Guidance on how schools and colleges can use the right digital infrastructure and technology has been updated to cover changes to the wireless network core standard and the Department for Education’s generative AI product safety standards. All schools and colleges should be working towards meeting 6 core standards by 2030.

Boards to consider: Does our board ensure governors/trustees stay up to date? How does it do this and how can it demonstrate that it is happening?

Admissions is a job for this term for schools and academies that are their own admissions authority. If this is your school then your board will need to engage with the timetable of publishing policies and setting a board meeting in February 2027 to confirm the policy.  Not sure if you are your own admissions authority, then see the DAG Busy Governance Guide to Admissions. A consultation on the admissions code will take place later this year.

Still very much on the agenda for schools…

SEND Reform: Again, changes and targets will roll out in stages following consultation with the sector, headlines include:

• All schools to receive additional funds to support targeted and small group interventions for children with additional needs in addition to existing core SEND funding
• Schools will be able draw on a multi-agency support offer overseen by local authorities, bringing together specialists from speech and language, educational psychology and occupational health
• All schools expected to be part of a local SEND partnership group within three years
• An evidence-based digital library to guide schools on meeting the needs of children by 2028
• Schools will be required to publish an inclusion strategy to explain how resources are deployed to benefit children with SEND to replace the current SEN Information Reports
• Education, health and care plans (EHCPs) to be reserved for only the most complex cases
• Individual Support Plans (ISPs) for all children with additional needs developed by schools and created in collaboration with parents.

All existing duties and rights of pupils with SEND remain in place until new legislation begins. This academic year the national SEND training programme will begin for all staff, Best Start Family Hubs will be rolled out nationally and draft Specialist Provision Packages will be published.

SEND DCC Funding: The government has confirmed that it will “resolve 90%” of the amount of deficits accrued by local authorities on High Needs until the end of March. With nearly £200m of debt owed by Devon County Council due to be written off under this arrangement.

Boards to consider: Does our school have a well-trained SENCo, with sufficient hours to effectively carry out the role? How do you know?  Does your SEND governor regularly meet with the SEND team and report back to the board? Have you seen the DAG Busy Governance Guide to SEND?

The curriculum and assessment review leading to a national curriculum rewrite likely to be published in Spring 2027, with the new curriculum being taught September 2028.

RISE, Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) teams are in place. The aim is to break the link between young people’s backgrounds and their future success. Over 60 RISE  advisers (educational experts with direct experience of improving schools) work at 2 levels:

• Universal support to help all schools improve
• Targeted interventions for eligible schools.

For school improvement targeted interventions,  RISE  advisers engage with the eligible school and its responsible body to agree an improvement plan. Improvement is expected over 12 to 24 months and is monitored by regular Ofsted inspections. The four priorities for the South West are improving English and maths attainment, the quality of reception education, attendance and inclusion. Rise advisers have been appointed in Devon with local schools now part of the scheme see the regional guidance for the South West for information about what is on offer.

School Food, will be on the agenda this year for changes that come into effect September 2027. Updated food standards and the need for a governor or trustee with responsibility for school food in line with what schools should do now:

• Review the proposed changes to the school food standards
• Discuss the changes with their catering provider
• Review existing menus, contracts and procurement arrangements to identify any changes
• Plan to appoint a lead governor for school food from September 2027
• Prepare to publish school food policy and menus on their website from September 2027

Further information:

Standards for school food in England

School food standards: practical guide and resources for schools

School food standards: checklist for headteachers

School food standards: guide for governors

School food standards: allergy guide

School food standards 2027: resources for primary schools

School food standards 2027: resources for secondary schools

All about the money…

Teacher pay: The government’s response to the school teachers’ review body (STRB) report for 2026 will see teachers’ pay increase by 6.5% over 2 years, after the Education Secretary accepted the STRB’s pay recommendations in full. Teachers’ pay will increase by 3.5% from September 2026, with some staff on the unqualified pay scale receiving larger rises to lift the bottom of the scale by 5%. There will be a further 3% pay rise from September 2027 for all teachers. Schools had been expected to fund around a third of teacher and support staff awards from existing budgets however, it looks like schools will be able to keep the money from the reduction in support staff pension contributions and use this to offset the part of the pay award they had been expected to cover from existing budgets.

Maximising value for pupils: A suite of guidance for schools on how to maximise value. The programme supports schools and trusts to allocate resources effectively across 4 pillars, with current initiatives, plans and tools to secure better deals, optimise budgets and reinvest savings.

• Commercial – Achieving better value when buying
• Assets – Maximising school and trust resources: managing financial and physical assets
• Workforce Support – Strategic workforce planning for schools and trusts
• Developing capability, including digital and commercial – Improve your schools and trust’s digital and financial planning.

The Breakfast Clubs: Supported by £80 million investment, in the financial year 2026 to 2027 a further 2,000 new schools will join the 750 schools already delivering free breakfast clubs. The DfE reports that schools that offer free breakfast clubs report improvements in behaviour, attendance, and academic attainment.

Nurseries: £45 million allocated for new or expanded nurseries. Phase three of the programme aimed at local authorities to develop multi-year funding proposals for a “locally led model” from 2027 to 2030. See also ‘Getting children ready for reception’ a strong practice document supporting schools and early years settings (including PVI providers and childminders) to strengthen their approach to transition into reception.

Libraries: Funding of £5 million for secondary schools to buy new books, roughly £1,400 per school, in addition to the pledge of £10 million to provide every primary school in England with a library by 2029.

Pupil Premium rates have been updated, £1,500 for pupils in reception to year 6 (up £35), £1,100 for pupils in year 7 to year 11 (up £25) and £2,690 for any pupil identified in the October school census or the alternative provision census as having left local authority care (up £60). Service Children Premium is different and schools and academies will receive £360 for eligible pupils (up £10). The updated guidance for school leaders on using pupil premium includes some updated information and links to relevant resources. The existing FSM scheme has been expanded with families receiving Universal Credit able to access free school meals from this school year. Devon is operating auto enrolment for FSMs to maximise the benefit to children and schools.

Inclusion: The inclusion mainstream fund (IMF) will provide over £500 million per financial year over the next 3 years to equip schools, colleges and early years settings with upfront funding to help them to become inclusive by design. Inclusive activity should be funded by the school’s core funding allocations, including their notional special SEN budget calculated and communicated by their local authority, as well as the IMF. By December 2026, schools will be required to publish inclusion strategies setting out how they will deliver an inclusive whole-school approach. Boards will need to scrutinise and approve these strategies, including leaders’ plans for using the fund and ensuring school estates support the government’s vision for a more inclusive education system.

Changes to Music Education Grant funding for 2026-27: Devon Music Education Hub works in partnership with schools across Devon, Plymouth and Torbay to deliver the National Plan for Music Education. From 2026/27, the flat-rate £300 Music Education Grant (MEG) available to schools in Devon and Torbay will be replaced by a targeted project-based funding model. This shift will enable clearer outcomes, stronger accountability and better use of limited resources in a challenging financial climate.

Changes to PE and Sport Premium: A new partnership network will replace the grant currently provided to schools. The DfE has said the new scheme will run from spring 2027, bringing targeted support to primary and secondary schools based on their needs. However, the new arrangement will attract around 22 per cent less annual funding than the current scheme.

Schools will also be able to access a universal offer, which will include online training. Rather than money flowing directly to schools as it does now, a national delivery partner will deliver this support. There will also be £200 million in capital funding for school sports facilities and a one-off £100 million for schools to help them during the transition to the new system. There is concern that at a time when budgets are under huge pressure, schools will lose a well-established funding stream and will therefore need assurances that these networks will reach every part of the country and that all the funding will get to the frontline and not be spent on new layers of bureaucracy.

The deadline for submitting the existing PE and sport premium grant funding assurance form is 5pm on Wednesday 30 September 2026.

 Grants for schools are listed on the Devon County Council website page ‘Grants for schools’  and remember general grants are available from your local district council, many provide weekly email updates, see their websites for further information.

Boards to consider: Does our school have well trained finance governors/trustees and does the board provide full accountability for the funding it receives as evidenced by up to date statements on the school website?

Support for your Board:

Effective Governance Resources. The DfE’s support for maintained school governing bodies, academy trust boards, leaders, governance professionals and clerks.

• Working with governance professionals (clerks)
• Governing strategically in your school or academy trust
• Producing effective board reports for strong governance
• Creating an effective and agile governance structure
• Recruiting governors and academy trustees.

The Academy Trust Handbook, is effective from 1 October 2026. Key changes include:

• New executive pay restrictions and DfE approval needed for some decisions
• A requirement to publish details of how trust funds are distributed between schools
• Renewed focus on trustees’ financial skills and experience
• Permission required for alternative pension schemes
• Chief financial officers in larger trusts to hold a professional accountancy qualification
• The CEO pay cap confirmed
• Rules tightened around Energy for Schools Service, supply teachers and recruitment
• Clear trust wide approach to inclusion.

The governance guide for academy trusts has also been updated to reflect changes to the handbook above along with other recent guidance. Also see the academies planning calendar.

Maintained schools governance guide is non statutory guidance on the strategic leadership and governance of local-authority-maintained schools. The guidance is a reference document for those involved in local-authority maintained school governance and brings together essential information from a range of sources on the governing body’s roles and legal responsibilities.

Boards to consider: Do we have an understanding of continuity of responsibilities within the board to ensure governance is effective going into the next academic year?

AI: The DfE launched a package of measures to transform how schools use AI. AI guidance sets out how schools can safely and effectively use AI, also providing information on how Ofsted view the use of AI in classrooms.

According to the National Education Union’s recent report on AI in Education, 76% of teachers are already using AI, up from 53% last year. The question is no longer whether AI is being used, but whether it is being used well. Around 49% of schools do not yet have an AI policy in place, let alone a clearly defined role responsible for overseeing its use. If AI is already embedded in day-to-day practice, who is ensuring it is being used safely, consistently and in line with school priorities?

Boards to consider: How do we ensure that we stay up to date and aware of what is happening within the education sector including AI both locally and nationally?

Training for free…

Food: Online training on the school food guidance for governors with free training from NGA.

Prevent in education, training designed by DfE for school governors to understand their responsibilities. Free online training: Wed 16 September.

Governors For Schools have a range of free eLearning modules, the selection available:

• Introduction to school governance,
• Becoming a trustee
• The English School System
• SEND
• Reducing exclusions
• School improvement
• Wellbeing culture
• Anti-bullying
• Recruiting a headteacher
• Working with your governance professional.

Clerking Handbook.  A free clerking handbook guide from the National Association of Governance Advisory services (NAGAS).  Advice, examples and resources to support this key role for academies and maintained schools, recommended by the DfE, download at www.nagas.org.uk

Boards to consider: Is your board trained and up to date, and how do prove it?

Finally, a bit about what DAG can do to support your governance… In addition to over 150 articles each year and bespoke resources all free to DAG members, we support members coming together online to discuss the latest issues affecting governance in our community networks.

DAG Community Network for governors and trustees and a separate one for clerks and governance professionals provide support each term to come together in a free interactive session for academy and maintained boards. Each forum has a theme and is facilitated by DAG board members or associate members with considerable governance experience, dates for this term will be available soon, contact [email protected] for details.