DfE
The latest news and analysis on the Department for Education and the secretary of state for education, including new policy, legislation and appointments
Yesterday
3rd Nov 2026
Danger of edtech 鈥榃ild West鈥� for schools, warns minister
Government is worried about edtech platforms using 鈥榞amification鈥� to increase screen time, says education minister, and it is looking at a code of practice for products
SEND reform bill unlikely to be published until new year
Government adviser suggests bill will be published early in 2027 and also says the DfE is considering how it can create a curriculum 鈥榯hat young people can succeed in鈥�
Nearly all of teacher pay rise set to be wiped out by inflation
糖心Vlog analysis of new OBR inflation forecasts suggests the two-year pay deal will deliver almost no real-terms increase, as school leaders warn rising costs are undermining budgets
Early years can break the cycle of poor numeracy, DfE told
Lords urge the government to focus on numeracy in the early years, invest in recruitment and make sure teachers are trained to identify dyscalculia
Moving sets during school year 鈥榬arely鈥� leads to better attainment
Secondary school students who switch to a different set mid-year don鈥檛 tend to post better scores, research from the National Institute of Teaching suggests
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Monday
2nd Nov 2026
Antisemitism in schools definition faces legal challenge
Adopting the IHRA鈥檚 definition of antisemitism will lead to 鈥榮weeping restrictions on free speech鈥�, says Good Law Project charity
What if schools didn鈥檛 have to wait for a SEND diagnosis?
Too often schools are stuck waiting for a diagnosis before they can help pupils with clear additional needs, say these academics, who argue that shifting to a 鈥榥eeds-led鈥� system would benefit everyone
Thursday
29th Oct 2026
Government spends 拢5.8bn on SEND deficits
DfE confirms that 129 councils have received cash grant payments to clear 90 per cent of their deficits amid warnings that overspend will continue
Powell rejects claim that she 鈥榰ndermined鈥� Ofsted boss
Education secretary puts her confidence in Sir Martyn Oliver on record in letter responding to Tory criticism, and also confirms she is working with Ofsted on inspection framework reforms
Exclusive
School meal uptake falls in trial of tightened food standards
Some pupils skipped lunch altogether when the food standards were trialled, according to DfE research that reveals the challenges of implementing stricter rules on school meals