Education sector: news in brief – October 2025

Local Authorities face mounting deficits over SEN provision

A new report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has revealed that local authorities across England are grappling with significant annual shortfalls due to the rising costs of Special Educational Needs (SEN) provision. Spending on high-needs support, primarily for children with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), has seen a 66% increase since 2016 and cost around £12 billion in 2025.

Funding from central government hasn't kept pace, and councils are struggling to cope. The IFS forecasts LA debts could reach £8 billion by 2028 and warns that the current financial trajectory is unsustainable. It says that, without reform, mainstream school budgets may face real-terms cuts.

The report also highlights a sharp rise in demand, with the number of children under 16 with EHCPs nearly doubling since 2016. This has largely been driven by increased diagnoses of autism and ADHD. 

National Parent Survey 2025 

The National Parent Survey 2025, conducted by Parentkind in partnership with YouGov has found that: 

• Two million children were bullied at school last year
• Almost 1 million children feel unsafe at school
• 40% of parents think their children would have better standard of living abroad
• Parents spend £1.5 billion a year on private tutors
• More than 3.5 million parents have asked for a special education needs assessment for their children
• Four-in-ten parents think AI will hinder their children future job opportunities; and
• Two million mothers said parenting had negatively impacted their mental health in the last year.

The survey received responses from 5,866 parents across the UK, making it the largest annual parent poll in the country. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK parents.

Maintenance grants reintroduced for disadvantaged students

The UK Government has announced the reintroduction of targeted, means-tested maintenance grants for students from low-income households, marking a significant shift in higher education funding policy. These grants, abolished in 2016, will now return to support disadvantaged students studying priority courses at colleges and universities across England.

The grants aim to address the growing financial pressures on students, following a 20% real-terms decline in maintenance loan value over the past five years. The initiative is part of the government’s broader Plan for Change, designed to remove barriers to opportunity and promote social mobility.

Full details are expected in the upcoming Autumn Budget.

Breakfast Club pilot faces backlash over funding shortfalls

Primary schools invited to trial the government’s flagship free breakfast club scheme have reported increased financial pressures due to inadequate funding. The pilot includes 750 early adopter schools. This comes ahead of a national rollout in another 2000 primary schools from next April. 

A government survey shows that three-quarters of primary leaders say that breakfast clubs are “not financially viable in their school,” whilst 44% are struggling to recruit enough suitable staff to run them. 

Trial shows texting parents can improve school attendance

The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) has published findings from the BITUP trial, which tested whether providing parents with details of the actual number of school days their child missed via text messaging could improve attendance. The trial was conducted across 105 secondary schools in England and involved over 100,000 pupils. It targeted families where attendance fell below 95%.

Instead of using percentages, schools sent personalised messages stating the exact number of days missed. 

Results showed a small but positive impact: pupils in the intervention group missed 0.21 fewer days on average across the academic year. The effect was stronger among girls, year 8 pupils, and those eligible for free school meals. Some parents said that they had taken action after receiving the texts, such as discussing attendance with their child or contacting the school.

Although the overall impact was modest, the programme only cost £1.11 per pupil per year, or £0.29 if implemented independently by schools. Many schools say they plan to continue using the approach, with some refining their targeting strategies.

MPs urge boost in Further Education funding

In their report, the Education Committee has called for urgent investment in the further education (FE) sector, warning that years of underfunding have left colleges struggling. The report highlights a 15% pay gap between FE and secondary school teachers, contributing to staffing issues.

Key recommendations include:

• Creating a statutory pay review body
• Introducing a student premium for disadvantaged learners; and 
• Reforming the apprenticeship levy. 

MPs also support retaining BTECs and making T Levels more flexible.

The committee stresses the need for stronger local coordination and greater autonomy for Skills England to ensure the sector can meet future workforce demands.

Overhaul of further and higher education

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced reforms to the UK’s education system to boost skills and opportunity for young people. The plan sets a new target for two-thirds of 25-year-olds to be engaged in higher-level learning, academic, technical, or apprenticeships – up from 50% today.

Key measures include:

• 14 new Technical Excellence Colleges focused on sectors like clean energy and digital
• £800 million investment in further education for 16 to 19-year-olds in 2026–27
• 100 hours of English and maths teaching for students without GCSE passes
• Structured professional development for FE teachers
• A single funding model for Level 4–6 courses, regulated by the Office for Students; and
• Expansion of student finance access, including modular courses under the Lifelong Learning Entitlement.

New incentives to boost specialist teaching workforce

The Department for Education has announced a new funding package designed to attract more specialist teachers into classrooms across England. Aspiring teachers can now access tax-free bursaries and scholarships worth up to £31,000 to train in high-demand subjects such as chemistry, maths, physics, and computing.

Additional funding includes:

• £15,000 bursaries for SEND-specialist trainees
• £10,000 bursaries for English teacher trainees
• Up to £29,000 for schools to train apprentices in STEM subjects; and
• Support for Postgraduate Teaching Apprenticeships, which have grown by 55%.

Scottish teachers facing growing financial pressures

A new survey by NASUWT reveals a significant rise in financial hardship among teachers in Scotland. The findings show that 14% of teachers have taken on second jobs to make ends meet, up from 11% last year. Roles include tutoring, exam marking, and work in retail, hospitality, and counselling.

The survey highlights worsening economic conditions:

• 31% are very worried about their financial situation (up from 27%)
• 72% have cut back on food spending (up from 54%)
• 53% have increased credit card use (up from 36%)
• 66% have stopped saving (up from 61%); and
• 37% struggle to pay energy bills (up from 28.8%)

Some teachers reported using personal funds to cover food and school trips for disadvantaged pupils, which causes further strain to their finances.

More education sector updates – October 2025

• Severance payments in FE colleges: are the rules changing? 
• Solving the SEND crisis: what can schools and colleges learn from the latest House of Commons Committee report?
• Faith and fairness: did a church school’s admittance criteria discriminate against non-white Christians? 
• Seven tips to help schools and colleges manage parental disputes about their child’s education
• Understanding Ofsted’s reforms: what schools and colleges need to know