We have appointed an independent panel of experts, led by education and health co-chairs, to advise on what approaches, strategies, and tools should be included in the National Inclusion Standards and Specialist Provision Packages.

The Standards will set out the provision that ordinarily should be in every setting across the 0 to 25 system. This is in addition to the evidence-based tools, strategies and approaches for educators to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

Specialist Provision Packages describe the support available for children and young people with the most complex needs. These measures are designed to create a consistent, high-quality offer, wherever they live, thereby ending the post code lottery of support.

We will develop a national cost framework for these packages, and we expect to engage with stakeholders and consult on any new funding arrangements in due course.

The department has published the ‘Every Child Achieving and Thriving’ Schools White Paper, alongside a special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) consultation, which set out our plans for reform, including those relating to funding. We have also published additional information on SEND Reform for those leading and working in mainstream schools, and a summary of what the SEND reforms mean for specialist provision, including special schools, which are available on GOV.UK.

In taking forward these plans, our aim is both to establish a fair mainstream school funding system that directs funding to where it is needed, enabling improved support for children with SEND, and to create a fair, transparent system that gives specialist schools stable, predictable funding to deliver high-quality education and integrated support for children with the most complex needs. We will consult on proposals for specific funding changes as these plans are further developed.

The government has not made any assessment of the financial sustainability of the private school sector. It is for private schools, as private businesses, to ensure their businesses remain viable.

Improving the cost and availability of childcare is a priority for this government. Families can receive support with costs through Tax-Free Childcare, Universal Credit Childcare and the Flexible Support Fund.

The government has committed over £600 million to the holiday activities and food (HAF) programme from 2026/27, providing children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds with free meals and enriching activities during school holidays. In a recent survey of 20,000 parents and carers, more that 90% said HAF helped them worry less about money during the holidays and made it easier for them to work.

The department has not assessed the cost of holiday childcare. This year, we are providing £12.9 million to support local authorities with school-age childcare. To monitor this, we are collecting termly data to provide us with a broad picture of the availability of holiday childcare.

The department is investing over £1 billion for PE and school sport over three years, including £530 million for a new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network. Detailed design and funding allocations will be confirmed through the procurement process, but the approach will focus on ensuring support reaches those most in need.

Despite sustained investment through the PE and sport premium for over a decade, less than half of children are meeting the Chief Medical Officer’s recommendation of 60 active minutes a day. In addition, persistent inequalities remain, with groups such as girls and those from disadvantaged and ethnically diverse backgrounds.

The department’s new approach, which is supported by the major sports governing bodies and the wider school sport sector, focuses on securing higher quality PE and school sport for all children and reducing inactivity amongst those who are currently least active.

It combines both a universal offer to all primary and secondary schools, which includes school requested intervention, plus targeted direct support for those schools and pupils who will benefit from it the most. This includes coaching, swimming provision and support to open facilities, as well as stronger links to extracurricular sport and local clubs. We will also provide targeted funding for schools to test and share effective practice, alongside more accessible programmes from National Governing Bodies and clearer pathways into community sport. Provision will be informed by baseline and ongoing needs assessments led by a national delivery partner.

To support schools with the transition to this new approach, the government has committed to a transitional premium payment of £150 million for the 2026/27 academic year.

In response to longstanding calls from schools, we are also investing almost £200 million in capital funding to go towards improving school sporting facilities.

The department is providing schools with £700 million in additional funding in the 2026/27 financial year to support them with overall costs, including the costs of the 3.5% schools teacher pay award and the local government services pay offer in respect of support staff in the 2026/27 financial year.

In the 2026/27 financial year, mainstream schools and special and alternative provision settings will receive additional funding through the Schools Budget Support Grant 2026, which will mirror the design and distribution of previous pay grants. Funding for eligible early years settings will be distributed through the Early Years Teacher Pay Grant 2026. Funding for 16 to 19 schools will be distributed via 16 to 19 allocations to support post-16 provision in schools and academies.

Further information for schools on the methodology, conditions of grant and rates, as well as a calculator tool has been published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-budget-support-grant-2026-sbsg-26.

Allocations will be published in October.

The Government is investing over £1 billion for Physical Education (PE) and school sports over three years, including £580 million for a new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network. This represents a collaborative approach across the Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Education, and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in providing all children, but particularly those who are least active, with the opportunity to reap the health benefits of being physically active, whilst ensuring value for money. Detailed design and funding allocations will be confirmed through the procurement process for a National Delivery Partner in due course.

The department does not collect data on whether schools have a business continuity plan, or whether such plans have been reviewed within the last 12 months.

Settings remain responsible for complying with their legal responsibilities, including health and safety requirements, and should develop plans that reflect their local circumstances.

The department publishes non-statutory guidance to support settings to plan for emergencies within their own local context which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/emergency-planning-and-response-for-education-childcare-and-childrens-social-care-settings/emergency-planning-and-response-for-education-childcare-and-childrens-social-care-settings.

The Secretary of State engages regularly with ministerial colleagues, including the Secretary of State for Education, on a range of matters. In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not routinely disclosed.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) recognises the importance of ensuring a sufficient choice of early years, school and post-16 places is available to meet the needs of existing and new communities. The Framework makes clear that local planning authorities should give great weight to the need to create, expand or alter early years, schools and post-16 facilities through the preparation of plans and decisions on applications, and work with early years, school and post-16 promoters, delivery partners and statutory bodies to identify and resolve key planning issues before applications are submitted.

Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, we consulted on a new NPPF. That consultation, which can be found on gov.uk here, included proposals relating to public service infrastructure, including secondary schools. The proposed policy on community facilities and public service infrastructure serving new development (HC3) sets out that planning conditions and obligations should be used to secure the timely delivery of community facilities and public service infrastructure required to serve new development, so that these facilities are available for use when the development (or an agreed proportion of the development) is first occupied or comes into use. We are currently analysing the feedback received to the consultation and will publish our response in due course.

The Department of Health and Social Care works collaboratively with the Department for Education on a range of programmes to improve children’s health.

This includes making a significant funding contribution to the Department for Education over a number of years to the Primary PE and Sport Premium, and to the new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network, to provide all children with equal opportunities to reap the benefits of physical activity.

The Department of Health and Social Care works collaboratively with the Department for Education on a range of other health-related activity in schools, including the delivery of mental health support teams; integrated Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies; evidence-based screen use guidance for parents and carers of under-five year olds; the School Fruit and Veg Scheme; and on updating the School Food Standards to bring them in line with the latest dietary advice.

The department publishes a range of guidance each year to support schools and local authorities in understanding how funding is allocated, available at the links below.

National funding formula policy papers: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-funding-formula-for-schools-and-high-needs-from-2025.

National funding formula tables and technical notes: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-funding-formula-tables-for-schools-and-high-needs-2026-to-2027.

The schools operational guide: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pre-16-schools-funding-local-authority-guidance-for-2026-to-2027/schools-operational-guide-2026-to-2027.

Information on the dedicated schools grant calculations: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2026-to-2027.

The High needs funding operational guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/high-needs-funding-arrangements-2026-to-2027/high-needs-funding-2026-to-2027-operational-guide.

Early years Funding guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-funding-2026-to-2027.

16 to 19 Funding guidance: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/16-to-19-education-funding-guidance.

Capital funding guidance: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69c2a9363ed0546101e0dbdd/Condition_funding_methodology_and_spend_guidance_2026_to_2027.pdf.

We are investing over £1 billion for PE and school sport over three years. This includes £580 million for a new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network alongside investment in facilities which schools have been calling for and transitional support for primary schools.

Despite over a decade of PE and sport premium funding, less than half of children meet the Chief Medical Officer’s recommendation of 60 active minutes a day, with persistent inequalities among groups including girls and those from disadvantaged and ethnically diverse backgrounds.

The Network will combine both a universal offer to all primary and secondary schools, plus targeted direct support for those schools and pupils who will benefit from it the most. This includes coaching, swimming provision and support to open facilities, as well as stronger links to extra‑curricular sport and local clubs. Schools will also receive funding to test and share effective practice, alongside more accessible programmes from National Governing Bodies and clearer pathways into community sport. Support will align more closely with wider programmes and include competitive sport opportunities and inclusive events for less‑active pupils. Provision will be informed by baseline and ongoing needs assessments led by a national delivery partner.

A National Delivery Partner will be appointed through a fair, open process, with detailed design confirmed through the procurement, but the approach will focus on supporting those most in need.