Department for Education

English councils warn of ‘catastrophic’ Send debts forecast to hit £10bn by 2028

by The Guardian | Oct 12, 2026 | Autism, Department for Education, Education, Local government, Politics, Public finance, School funding, Schools, Society, Special educational needs, The Guardian, UK news | 0 |

Surge in EHCP applications poses risk to public finances and may lead to deteriorating levels of supportCouncils are warning of potentially “catastrophic” debts, which are forecast to reach a record £10bn over the next 18...

Labour Send changes at risk as parents rush to secure support, say experts

by The Guardian | Oct 7, 2026 | Children, Department for Education, Disability, Education, Education policy, England, Politics, School funding, Schools, Society, Special educational needs, The Guardian, UK news | 0 |

Overhaul of special education in England could unravel, thinktank finds, because of ‘use it before you lose it’ dynamicLabour’s flagship changes to special education in England are at risk of unravelling because parents are...

Leaders attack ‘demotivating’ plan to make pupils who fail GCSEs retake maths and English

by The Guardian | Aug 20, 2026 | Department for Education, Education, Exams, GCSEs, Lucy Powell, Politics, Schools, Secondary schools, The Guardian, UK news | 0 |

Government announce plan for ‘stepping stone’ qualification as 620,000 year 11 students face retaking maths or English after failure to achieve grade 4The government’s plans to make young people continue studying maths and...

Compulsory GCSE resits in England harm teenagers’ mental wellbeing, study finds

by The Guardian | Aug 19, 2026 | Department for Education, Education, Education policy, Exams, GCSEs, Politics, Schools, Secondary schools, The Guardian, UK news | 0 |

UCL researchers warn repeated exam attempts may dent students’ confidence and raise risk of dropping outForcing teenagers who fail GCSEs into multiple resits has a negative impact on their mental health, according to research to...

‘Tiger mum’ Lucy Powell on Labour’s vocational skills drive: ‘It’s about ambition for everybody’

by The Guardian | Aug 2, 2026 | Department for Education, Education, Education policy, Labour, Lucy Powell, Politics, Schools, The Guardian, UK news | 0 |

New education secretary says it is ‘false trade-off’ by critics to suggest schools cannot pursue academic excellence alongside technical skillsLucy Powell has said she wants to be an ambitious “tiger mum” for all young people,...

Pilot scheme in England to convert empty classrooms into community hubs

by The Guardian | Jul 14, 2026 | Communities, Department for Education, Education, Education policy, England, Local government, Politics, School admissions, School funding, Schools, Society, The Guardian, UK news | 0 |

Policy to create youth clubs and health centres aims to tackle surplus of school spaces created by falling pupil numbersClassrooms left empty by falling numbers of pupils could soon be converted into youth clubs or health...

More than 300,000 pupils estimated absent after England World Cup win

by The Guardian | Jul 6, 2026 | Department for Education, Education, Education policy, England, Football, Politics, Primary schools, Schools, Secondary schools, The Guardian, World Cup | 0 |

Exclusive: Initial figures are yet to be confirmed by DfE, which said schools were ‘at the heart’ of the celebrationAbout 332,000 fewer children were in school on Monday morning than a week earlier, according to initial figures,...

VAT on private school fees not caused exodus to state sector, says Bridget Phillipson

by The Guardian | Jun 18, 2026 | Bridget Phillipson, Department for Education, Education, England, Labour, Politics, Primary schools, Private schools, School admissions, Schools, Secondary schools, The Guardian, UK news | 0 |

Education secretary cites admissions data for England, saying Labour is ‘rebalancing the system to focus on 94% of kids in state schools’Adding VAT to private school fees has failed to trigger an exodus of pupils into the state...

Labour MPs urge Starmer to set targets to boost number of male teachers in England

by The Guardian | Jun 15, 2026 | Department for Education, England, Keir Starmer, Labour, Politics, Schools, Teacher shortages, Teaching, The Guardian, UK news | 0 |

Men and Boys group of MPs addresses ‘crisis of masculinity’ and joins campaign for longer paternity leaveGovernment ministers have been urged to set targets to boost the number of male teachers in England, as backbench MPs seek...

Primary schools to lose out as Labour scraps 2012 Olympic legacy sports grant

by The Guardian | May 22, 2026 | Bridget Phillipson, Department for Education, Education, England, Politics, Primary schools, School funding, School sports, Schools, The Guardian, UK news | 0 |

Replacement scheme worth about 40% less than current funding greeted with scepticism by headteachersFunding for primary school sport in England is to be cut by Labour, including the abolition of a grant designed to cement the...

Primary schools lose out as Labour slashes sport funding

by The Guardian | May 22, 2026 | Bridget Phillipson, Department for Education, Education, England, Politics, Primary schools, School funding, School sports, Schools, The Guardian, UK news | 0 |

New scheme will be worth 40% less than current government grants and will be shared with secondariesFunding for primary school sport in England is to be slashed by Labour, including the abolition of a grant designed to cement...

Half of England’s schools unfit due to leaks, mould and faulty toilets, poll finds

by The Guardian | Apr 27, 2026 | Department for Education, Education, Education policy, Infrastructure, Politics, Schools, The Guardian, UK news | 0 |

NAHT survey says widespread disrepair forcing closure of playgrounds and classrooms, with Send facilities also hitHalf of headteachers say parts of their school are either out of use or unfit for purpose due to leaks, damp,...

Category: Department for Education