The Department for Education (DfE) has announced measures aimed at reinforcing protections for freedom of speech and academic freedom in higher education, including the introduction of a new complaints scheme to be administered by the Office for Students (OfS). Regulations are expected in June 2026 to establish the scheme, which is due to take effect at the start of the next academic year. It will enable university staff, external speakers and other non-student parties to raise concerns where providers are alleged to have failed in their duty to secure lawful free speech. The OfS will be empowered to investigate complaints and recommend corrective steps, including requiring institutions to reconsider decisions, revise procedures or award compensation.

The Department for Education (DfE) has announced a plan to improve school standards, focusing on stronger accountability, increased intervention in underperforming schools, and faster school improvement. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson emphasised breaking the link between background and success, ensuring excellent teachers, high-quality curricula, and a core offer of excellence for every parent.

The Department for Education (DfE) has announced a package of measures to support students and stabilise the university sector. Key highlights of the package include that tuition fees will rise in line with inflation starting from the 2025-2026 academic year, students will also receive an increase in maintenance loans to keep pace with inflation, and there will be new steps to boost access for disadvantaged learners. The announcement follows the update to the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE), which aims to expand access to flexible education and training for adults throughout their working lives.

The Department for Education (DfE) has announced an initiative to modernise the UK education system through technology. In a keynote address presented on 22 January 2025 by the Rt Hon Bridget Phillipson MP, the DfE confirmed that it is focusing on harnessing AI and digital tools to transform teaching practices and improve educational outcomes. Key measures include an AI product safety framework developed in collaboration with major tech firms, enhanced training for teachers on AI integration, and mandatory assistive technology training for new teachers supporting special educational needs and disability (SEND) pupils. The DfE is also launching a new service to guide schools in tech investments and piloting an EdTech Evidence Board to evaluate AI products' effectiveness in classrooms. These initiatives aim to address recruitment challenges, reduce administrative burdens, and ensure equitable access to digital resources across the education sector.

The Department for Education (DfE) has announced plans to enable all Year 11 pupils in England to access their General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) exam results via the new Education Record app from summer 2026. The app aims to modernise exam record-keeping, support smoother post-16 enrolment, and reduce administrative burdens for schools and colleges. It will also allow employers to access pupils’ education histories without relying on paper certificates. This plan forms part of the government’s wider Plan for Change.

The Department for Education (DfE) has announced reforms under its Plan for Change to tighten controls on university franchising arrangements. From 2028/29, franchiser providers with 300 or more students will be subject to mandatory Office for Students (OfS) regulation and be required to meet the same standards as universities or lose access to student loan funding. The measures respond to rapid growth and inconsistent oversight that have enabled poor-quality provision, financial exploitation and fraudulent practices, costing taxpayers £2m in 2022/23. Providers could face fines or suspension where the OfS identifies concerns, with the reforms targeting courses showing signs of exploitation, such as admitting students with very poor english language skills, low attendance or those using places solely to access public money. Regulations to strengthen oversight are scheduled to be laid before Parliament in Spring 2026.

The Department for Education (DfE) has announced the reintroduction of maintenance grants for students from low-income households in England. Abolished in 2016, the grants will return in a targeted, means-tested format and will support students studying priority courses at Levels 4–6 under the lifelong learning entitlement, including technical qualifications and degrees. Funding will be provided through a new levy on international student fees (international student levy will apply to England only). The decision follows a 20% real-terms decline in the value of maintenance loans and is intended to help reduce financial barriers to higher education. The grants are expected to be reinstated by the end of the current Parliament. Further details will be released in the Autumn Budget, alongside broader reforms outlined in the forthcoming post-16 education and skills white paper.

The Department for Education (DfE) has announced the launch of a review into the deaths of vulnerable care leavers, led by author and broadcaster Ashley John-Baptiste and social worker Clare Chamberlain. The review, which will be published later in 2026, was prompted from data published in May 2025, which recorded 91 notifications of care leaver deaths in 2024–25, predominantly individuals aged 16 to 21. The review will focus on young people’s experiences and will consider who and what mattered to them but also identifying additional support measures that could have been implemented. The review forms part of a wider initiative to strengthen support for care leavers. This initiative includes the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which introduces new duties for local authorities in providing 'Staying Close' support until age 25 and enforces corporate parenting responsibilities on public sector bodies. The independent experts will begin work immediately, with findings and recommendations to be embedded into the government’s forthcoming Enduring Relationships Programme. Since December 2023, local authorities have been expected to report care leaver deaths through the Serious Incident Notification system.

The Department for Education (DfE) has announced bursaries and scholarships of up to £31,000 for aspiring teachers in subjects including chemistry, mathematics, physics, and computing. The package offers up to £31,000 for further education trainees in key shortage STEM subjects, £15,000 for SEND-specialist trainees, and £10,000 for those training to teach English. In addition, schools will receive up to £29,000 to cover apprentice training costs in mathematics, chemistry, physics, and computing, with £20,000 available for modern foreign languages.

The Department for Education (DfE) has announced the launch of Skills England, a new body which will aim to boost the nation’s skills over the next decade. Skills England aims to bring together central and local government, businesses, training providers and unions to meet the skills needs across all regions and provide strategic oversight of the post-16 skills system aligned to the government’s Industrial Strategy. The new body will be established in phases over the next 9 to 12 months. Richard Pennycook CBE, former chief executive of the Co-operative Group and lead non-executive director at the DfE, has been appointed as the interim Chair.

The Department for Education (DfE) has announced updated timelines for the permanent removal of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) from all schools and colleges in England, ahead of the next general election. RAAC has been identified in 237 institutions, all of which continue to provide full-time, face-to-face education. Of these, 123 schools and colleges are set to be rebuilt under the School Rebuilding Programme. A further 108 are receiving government grants to support RAAC removal works via their responsible body. The DfE reported that RAAC has been permanently removed from 62 schools and colleges, with more than 42,000 pupils now learning in RAAC-free classrooms. The government has also committed £38bn in education capital investment over the next five years.

The Department for Education (DfE) has published a policy paper outlining intended changes to undergraduate tuition fees for 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 academic years, alongside reforms to undergraduate and postgraduate loans and grants for living costs. The changes will apply to new students beginning courses from 2026-2027 and continuing students already in the system. The government intends to lay implementing regulations in early 2026, subject to Parliamentary procedure, with the lifelong learning entitlement taking effect from January 2027.