News and guidance

Scotland’s First Minister, John Swinney, announced his Programme for Government 2026 to 2031 on 1 September. There were no major surprises for education, although there was a certain amount of ambition. For example, he said that he wants to ensure every child with additional support needs receives specialist support. Given that a record high of 43% of pupils have an additional support need, this might be seen as an unrealistic ambition. However, School Leaders Scotland (SLS) has been lobbying government on this issue, so it is reassuring to see that there is a desire at Holyrood to improve the situation.

Although the poverty-related attainment gap narrowed very slightly this year (by about 1%), the First Minister pledged a further £200 million to help reduce this further. SLS is clear that schools cannot reduce the poverty-related attainment gap on their own; schools need support from a wide variety of services and a change in societal attitudes. More than £1 billion has been invested into the Pupil Equity Fund (PEF) since its introduction in 2017.
Schools appreciate the funding provided, but, in many cases, it has become seen as essential spend, covering core services and gaps, rather than additional funding targeted at those most in need.

The First Minister also said that he would further empower headteachers, which we welcome.
It was the First Minister himself who first put forward a drive on empowerment of headteachers when he was Cabinet Secretary for education in 2016.

Ten years later, little has come to fruition, with the proposed legislation to enshrine the Headteachers’ Charter in law having been dropped. We hope that this renewed commitment will lead to meaningful change.
A further promise is reform of the school curriculum. Scotland is about to launch the Curriculum Improvement Cycle (CIC), a ten-year process to ensure that the curriculum is overhauled and remains relevant. This will also include a reform of qualifications.

A key concern now, which SLS is highlighting, is the need for the new qualifications to be fully integrated with the new curriculum, avoiding making the mistakes that happened with Curriculum for Excellence (CfE).

SLS continues to engage with politicians of all parties, including the Cabinet Secretary. During our September meetings, we highlighted, among other issues, the need for support for school leader wellbeing, the need for action on additional support needs, and the pace and challenge of curriculum reform.
We continue to nudge the system forward at every opportunity.

David Barnett
General Secretary, School Leaders Scotland

This is a pivotal moment for education in Wales.
Our industrial dispute began in July because school leaders could no longer stay silent while schools were expected to do more with less, particularly when supporting children with additional learning needs (ALN).

When significant consequential funding came to Wales as a result of investment in SEND in England, but was not passed on to Welsh schools, our members said, “enough is enough”.
I’m pleased to say we have now made real progress.

The Minister has listened and agreed to principles that would deliver significant additional investment in ALN, move us towards a fairer and more sustainable approach to school funding, and ensure future teacher pay awards are fully funded. I genuinely welcome that. But we are not over the line yet.

As a minority government, the Minister needs the support of the Senedd to deliver this agreement. Now we need politicians across Wales to come together and make it happen. School leaders are balancing budgets, protecting jobs and trying to meet increasingly complex needs. There comes a point when there is nothing left to cut without children paying the price.

Children do not get another chance at their education when finances improve. They need the right support now.
That is why I have asked every ASCL Cymru member to speak up. Contact their elected representatives. Tell them what is happening in their school. Tell them what this investment would mean for their children and young people. And ask them to support this agreement.

The Minister has listened.
A way forward has been found. Now the Senedd must get it over the line.

And let me be absolutely clear, if it does not, we will move immediately to an indicative ballot of our members. Enough is enough. Our children deserve better.

Claire Armitstead
Director of ASCL Cymru

As the 2026/27 academic year commences, school budgets weigh heavily on leaders’ minds. In January, the Department of Finance (DoF) in Northern Ireland launched a consultation on a three-year budget. The Department of Education (DE) rejected it, as did other government departments, and as autumn comes upon us, an Executive Budget for 2026/27 has yet to be agreed.

In response to the Department of Finance’s three-year budget, and with an estimated deficit in this financial year of £800 million against a £3.4 billion allocation, the DE launched a consultation on a five-year budget strategy of its own, which ASCL Northern Ireland fed into. A total of 59% of respondents agreed that the budget allocation proposed by the Department of Finance was insufficient.

In the consultation, five separate workstreams were identified, including home-to-school transport, school meals delivery, special educational needs (SEN), the schools’ estate, and the model of financial management for schools.
Working groups have since been established, with representation from both the DE and the Education Authority.

While this suggests progress is being made for the longer term, this does not address the current financial pressures that are affecting our schools. A recent media report highlighted that total value of school deficits had increased from £102.6 million in 2024/25 to £173.1 million in 2025/26 with estimates suggesting 70% of schools were affected.

This places school leaders in an invidious position.
While schools received their initial allocations for 26/27 in the summer term, all indications are that more tough choices will have to be made around timetabling, class sizes, resources, and schools’ curricular and extra-curricular offering, affecting staff and pupils.

With industrial action having begun on 28 September, following a ballot of the membership of Northern Ireland’s five main teaching unions about workload, it looks like a very difficult year ahead for our school leaders.

Michael McAuley
ASCL Northern Ireland Director

Are you retiring from a school or college leadership role? ASCL Associate membership allows you to remain part of a trusted professional community while embracing the next chapter.

As an Associate, you continue to receive ASCL publications, including our online Leader magazine, email briefings, and access to a wide range of website resources. Membership also brings new opportunities through the exclusive Associates News magazine, social activities, the ASCL Associates Committee, volunteering roles, and the chance to chair our popular planning for retirement events.

ASCL Associate membership is a great way for you to stay connected and enjoy fresh opportunities – find out more at www.ascl.org.uk/associates

Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest information and tell us of any change in job title, school/college address, home address, and email. You can change your personal information online by simply logging in to your account (www.ascl.org.uk/MyASCL). Ensuring that we have your most up-to-date details will enable us to help you quicker should you need to contact us for support. It will also enable us to ensure that you receive all your member benefits.

The government’s proposed ‘data spine’, a national infrastructure to link pupil records, attendance, attainment, pastoral and health data across every school in England is an ambitious proposal in the Schools White Paper. We now know that the scheme is being rolled into the DfE’s forthcoming management information system (MIS) framework, with academy trusts required to align contracts by September 2027. School leaders should be clear about what this means for them now, before any framework launches.

As data controllers, schools carry legal responsibility for every data-sharing arrangement they enter into.
Transparency, lawfulness, fairness, data minimisation and security are legal obligations under UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Where data sharing presents a high risk to individuals, schools will also be required to carry out a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) before any sharing takes place. The question of who ultimately builds, hosts and accesses the spine is one the DfE has not yet answered, but that does not remove schools’ own obligations in the interim.
Now is the time to ensure that your data protection framework is robust and well resourced, your records of processing are accurate, and your data-sharing agreements are fit for purpose.

Schools and colleges are already seeing record levels of subject access requests, complaints and formal escalations from staff, parents and students. Trust, once lost, is extraordinarily difficult to rebuild. ASCL is engaged with the DfE on these issues, and it is important that the profession continues to make clear that governance and accountability must be established before data begins to flow.

By 31 December 2026, all mainstream schools will need to ensure they have published an inclusion strategy. The strategy is a condition of receiving funding through the Inclusive Mainstream Fund (IMF), part of the government’s commitment to making mainstream schools more inclusive. The focus on inclusion is not just about SEND; it covers inclusive practice for all children. A compliant inclusion strategy needs to set out the barriers to learning that pupils face, what the school is doing to address them, and the costs involved. Reference should be made to each of the seven principles of inclusion: 

1. Ambitious leadership and governance that genuinely embeds inclusion 
2. Evidence-based support, with a focus on early intervention
3. High-quality, adaptive teaching with a curriculum that works for all learners 
4. Enriching provision beyond the classroom that every child can access 
5. A safe, respectful culture where all pupils feel they belong and want to attend 
6. Strong partnerships with families and wider services 
7. Inclusive environments with ongoing improvements to accessibility 

Ofsted’s new inspection framework also makes inclusion a standalone graded evaluation area and inspectors will be looking for a published inclusion strategy on each school’s website as part of that process.

August results days are always of interest to the media, as well as to schools and families.

This year’s hot topic has been mandatory GCSE maths, and English resits for those not obtaining a grade 4 standard pass. ASCL’s campaigning in this area dates to the launch of the forgotten third inquiry (www.ascl.org.uk/ForgottenThird) in 2018, and the issue really does seem to be gaining momentum with both policymakers and the press.

Claire Green, ASCL’s Post-16 and Skills Specialist, was invited on to BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour (https://vimeo.com/1216071635) to share her expertise on the impact that this demoralising cycle of resits can have.

This topic formed a central pillar of ASCL’s press release on level 2 results day (www.ascl.org.uk/Level2Results2026), resulting in the headline: “‘Relentless’ GCSE resit cycle ‘simply not working’, school and college leaders say” appearing on the BBC News website (tinyurl.com/3a9dmkea), as well as coverage in several national newspapers.

General Secretary Pepe Di’Iasio followed this up with a blog for TES (https:// tinyurl.com/a3w4x5v5) where he declared that the ‘insanity’ of the GCSE resits policy had been revealed once again. He called for a rethink of the way in which we assess English and maths to provide assurance to employers and build confidence in young people.

The start of a new academic year brings fresh priorities and fresh data. The challenge isn’t collecting information; it’s turning information into meaningful action that supports better decisions across the school.

Start with the questions.

Before creating reports, agree what leaders, governors and middle leaders actually need to know. Focusing on the right questions reduces unnecessary reporting and keeps everyone aligned.

Create one version of the truth. 

Bringing attendance, assessment and behaviour together helps avoid duplication and ensures that staff are working from consistent, reliable information.

Review little and often.

Regular, manageable reviews help identify trends early, allowing timely interventions before small issues become bigger challenges.

At SMID, schools and trusts work with the team to develop practical tools that reduce workload and improve decision making.
Many new features are created directly from customer suggestions, helping schools solve everyday challenges rather than adding to them.

ASCL members are welcome to arrange a no-obligation demonstration or discussion and receive a free trial of the SMID platform.

• Find out more at smidreport.com call 01302 239060 or email info@smidreport.com

England’s attendance crisis is now driving school-specific accountability. With the 2025/26 absence rate (see tinyurl.com/mrtyuasp) at 6.93%, against a pre-pandemic baseline of 4.73%, the government has moved from national aspiration to individual school targets, set against tightened statutory guidance and a restructured Ofsted inspection framework that came into effect from September 2026.

Every mainstream state school will receive an individual Attendance Baseline Improvement Expectation (ABIE), calculated using AI and benchmarked against comparable schools. These are minimum expectations, not aspirational targets. There are no immediate penalties for shortfall, but consistent underperformance will be escalated by the DfE, and attendance now sits within a dedicated Ofsted inspection judgement.
Challenging context will not be a freestanding defence, and inspectors will require evidence of active intervention, and will specifically examine provision for SEND pupils, those with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), and young carers. Where whole-school figures mask poorer outcomes for these groups, leaders should expect targeted questioning.

The core statutory duties are unchanged. Under the Education Act 1996 (ss. 434 and 436A), schools must maintain accurate registers, taken simultaneously across both daily sessions. This is a legal requirement, not guidance. The July 2026 updated statutory guidance, Working Together to Improve School Attendance (tinyurl.com/58u6xmjb), reinforces this alongside tighter expectations on authorisation and documentation. The 2024 fixed penalty notice framework also remains in force. Schools trigger notices via referral to the local authority, and the threshold (ten sessions of unauthorised absence in a rolling ten-week period) alongside the two-tier fine structure (£80 rising to £160, with a prosecution pathway after two notices per parent per child within 12 months) must be applied consistently, with a clearly documented decision trail to withstand challenge.

For governing bodies and academy trust boards, passive receipt of a headline attendance figure will not be sufficient. Boards must demonstrate active oversight, interrogating trends by pupil group and day of the week, with that scrutiny visibly influencing intervention and recorded accordingly.

S.61 of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 came into force on 29 June, introducing a duty of co-operation between schools/academies and local authorities (LAs) in carrying out their functions with regard to place planning.

Of particular relevance to schools is the LA’s S. 14 duty to secure sufficient primary and secondary school places for children in their area, which must now be considered when schools review their admission arrangements in the autumn before the statutory consultation window opened for any proposed changes on 1 October.

Schools will need to consider their oversubscription criteria and published admission numbers (PANs) in the context of the criteria and PANs of other schools in the area, to assess the combined impact that their own criteria and any proposed changes will have on available places across the area, before consulting on and then determining their admission arrangements.

Schools should essentially ‘pre-consult’ their LA before deciding whether to consult on proposed changes, as well as carefully considering responses received from the LA and/or other schools during the consultation itself. It is important to acknowledge that the duty will apply equally to increases in PAN that do not require consultation, if the impact would be to reduce demand at other schools, leaving them undersubscribed.

Family court proceedings do not pause over the summer.
Often, child arrangement disputes that escalate during the holiday period can quickly result in urgent hearings or applications to vary existing orders, meaning court orders requiring action from schools may already be waiting when staff return, or arrive in the first weeks of term. 

• What to do when an order arrives: Read the order carefully and in full. The school may need to facilitate the terms of a new court order or alternatively provide information to the court where a case is ongoing.

  Where the school is ordered to provide information, identify precisely what is required, note the compliance, deadline and assign a named member of staff to co-ordinate the response. Escalate to senior leadership and seek legal advice, as required.

• Pay close attention to where the information must be sent. The order will either direct you to file information directly with the court by email, or to provide it to a named party’s solicitors.
  Follow those instructions exactly. If anything is unclear, check before you proceed.

• Data protection and lawful basis: Where a court order requires disclosure of information about a child, the school has a clear lawful basis for processing that data under Article 6(1)(c) of the UK GDPR – compliance with a legal obligation. Data protection law is not a barrier to compliance; it actively supports it. Disclose exactly what the order requires, no more and no less.

• Be prepared before an order arrives: Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSiE) 2026, in force from 1 September 2026, requires robust designated safeguarding lead (DSL) cover arrangements at all times to ensure that urgent correspondence, for example a court order received during a school break, is not missed.

  Agree escalation pathways and contacts at leadership or trust level now, so that if an order arrives, your school can respond compliantly, swiftly and confidently.

The Autumn Budget takes place on Wednesday 28 October, and ASCL has put in our submission to the Treasury, which you can read at www.ascl.org.uk/AutumnBudget2026

Julia Harnden and Tom Middlehurst explore the pivotal role of ASCL Council and how its strategic approach to policy provides a guiding light in uncertain times.

Few things in education stand still for long. Over the past year, school and college leaders have been asked to consider a major new schools white paper, while also navigating a significant change of government and ministerial team.
The result is an unhappy degree of uncertainty about the future direction of education policy.