The Department for Education (DfE) has updated its guidance for independent schools in England applying to make a material change. The estimated six-month decision period starts only once DfE has all required information and does not ordinarily include school holidays. Schools seeking a change for the start of an academic year are advised to apply by the beginning of March. New guidance also confirms that school closures do not require material-change approval, but proprietors must notify DfE promptly and provide specified closure details. DfE may remove a school from the register where it has closed or ceased operating.

The Department for Education (DfE) has updated its statutory guidance on working or volunteering in regulated activity with children to clarify that the guidance titled 'Regulated activity: removal of the supervision exemption (comes into force 1 September 2026)' also applies to childcare providers.

The Department for Education (DfE) has announced that targeted, means-tested maintenance grants will be introduced in the 2028–29 academic year. The DfE notes that eligible first- and second-year students with household residual incomes at or below the minimum means-testing threshold will receive up to £1,000 per year, tapering to £500 for those with incomes up to £5,000 above the threshold. From the third year, the maximum grant will be £750, tapering to £375 on the same basis. No grant will be available to students whose household income exceeds the threshold by more than £5,000. It also notes that students will not be required to defer the start of their studies in order to access this support and that these grants will be provided in addition to maintenance loans. The list of qualifying subjects is scheduled to be confirmed ahead of 2028–29, following further work by Skills England and alignment with the Lifelong Learning Entitlement’s modular and priority funding criteria.

The Department for Education (DfE) is seeking views on a paragraph change in the further education residential accommodation: national minimum standards to reflect the gender questioning guidance. The consultation relates to the current consultation on gender questioning children: draft schools and colleges guidance introduced on 19 December 2023. The consultation closes on 5 April 2024.

The Department for Education (DfE) has launched a consultation on proposed increases to the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted)'s fees for independent school inspections in England. The consultation proposes annual fee increases over a five-year period for standard, progress monitoring and pre-registration inspections. These fees are currently set out in the Independent Educational Provision in England (Inspection Fees and Savings Provisions) Regulations 2019, SI 2019/995. The proposals also include requiring pre-registration inspection fees to be paid in advance of inspections. The consultation closes on 20 November 2025. The DfE plans to publish its response in February 2026, with new regulations setting out revised fees expected to come into force no earlier than autumn 2026.

The Department for Education (DfE) has opened a consultation seeking views on proposals to reform the funding system for early years entitlements in England. The proposals include changes to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) funding, updates to the Early Years National Funding Formula (EYNFF) and changes to local funding rules. The reforms aim to improve access to childcare for families on low incomes, strengthen support for children with SEND and improve how funding is allocated. Most changes are proposed to take effect in the 2028–29 financial year, with transitional arrangements from 2027–28. The consultation closes on 14 September 2026.

The Department for Education (DfE) has launched a consultation seeking views on proposals to reform the adoption and kinship support system in England, including changes to the operation of the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund. The consultation calls for evidence on measures that best support children who are adopted or in kinship care and who require additional help, particularly approaches that maintain and improve mental health and wellbeing and build resilience. It also sets out eight proposals for reform, including a baseline parenting support offer, stronger peer and community networks, timely support at key life stages, clear and regularly reviewed support plans and consistent needs assessments, among other measures. Stakeholders are invited to comment on the proposals’ effectiveness, potential benefits and risks, and to suggest any alternative approaches for developing an effective adoption and kinship support system. The consultation closes on 5 May 2026, with reforms expected to be implemented in phases from 2027, and full system reform anticipated by 2028.

The Department for Education (DfE) has launched a consultation on proposed revisions to the statutory guidance ‘Keeping children safe in education’, which outlines the safeguarding duties with which schools and colleges must comply. The consultation seeks views on a series of updates intended to ensure the guidance remains current and supports education providers in understanding both their legal requirements and the DfE’s recommended approach to safeguarding and promoting children’s welfare.  The consultation closes on 22 April 2026.

The Department for Education (DfE) has launched a consultation on the statutory framework for the help, support and protection of children in England. The aim is to inform updates to key documents and policies, including Working Together to Safeguard Children, the Children's Social Care National Framework and the policies underpinning the development of multi-agency child protection team regulations. Proposed measures include better leveraging family networks, enhancing multi-agency child protection arrangements and supporting improved decision-making across safeguarding partners. The consultation will close on 4 September 2026.

The Department for Education (DfE) has launched an open consultation on draft statutory guidance for the information sharing duty introduced by the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act, which applies in England and will come into force in September 2026. The consultation seeks views from safeguarding organisations and practitioners. The draft guidance, which includes a data sharing agreement template, explains the new duty, identifies who it applies to, and supports organisations and practitioners in interpreting and applying the legislation in practice. It aims to promote consistent implementation and encourage a cultural shift in information-sharing practices across sectors. The guidance will replace the DfE’s existing information sharing guidance, although the statutory guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children will continue to apply. The consultation closes on 14 July 2026.

The Department for Education (DfE) has announced £500m in funding for English councils for 2025/2026, doubling the previous year's allocation, alongside new guidance on family support service reforms. The guidance requires councils to implement a single access point for support services and establish multi-agency safeguarding teams. These measures form part of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill implementation, which introduces requirements for a unique child identifier and a register of children not in school. The reforms aim to integrate services including health visitors, housing support teams and mental health specialists into unified access points, while introducing family help leads to coordinate support services. The funding represents a restoration of preventative services following a £900m reduction in early intervention support since 2013.

The Department for Education (DfE) has announced the establishment of the new Science Advisory Council to advise education policy makers on strategic and emerging issues. The independent panel of 12 experts, led by Professor Dame Athene Donald, will provide the DfE with scientific advice to assist with policy and operational matters on areas such supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), mental health support, online harms prevention, enabling a sustainable and secure school estate and education technology (including artificial intelligence (AI)).