Education sector: news in brief - August 2026

Heatwaves and illness contribute to rise in school absence

School attendance in England fell slightly during the 2025-26 academic year, with new figures showing a small rise in both overall and persistent absence. Department for Education data shows overall absence across state schools rose to 6.93%, while persistent absence increased to 19.05%.

The summer term saw the highest levels of absence, particularly during the late June heatwave. During the week beginning 22 June, absence rates climbed to around 11.8%, the highest recorded during the academic year, as exceptionally high temperatures affected schools across the country. 

The data also shows ongoing gaps in attendance. Pupils eligible for free school meals and those with special educational needs and disabilities were much more likely to be absent than their peers.

Measures to reduce back-to-school costs

Families are expected to benefit from lower school costs from September, under government measures aimed at easing pressure ahead of the new academic year.

In July, the government confirmed that 1,400 more schools will offer free breakfast clubs from September, bringing the total to more than 2,700. More than 680,000 children are expected to benefit, with families potentially saving up to £450 a year through free breakfasts and childcare before school.

New legal limits on branded school uniforms will also come into force from September. Schools will have to limit the number of branded items they require, making it easier for parents to buy more clothing from supermarkets and high street retailers rather than specialist suppliers.

Ofsted publishes annual report highlighting inspection reforms and sector challenges

Ofsted has published its annual report and accounts for 2025-26, covering its performance, finances and key developments across education and children’s social care.

The report highlights Ofsted’s revised education inspection framework, which replaced single-word overall grades with more detailed report cards. These are designed to give parents and professionals a clearer picture of education quality. After pilot inspections and test visits, Ofsted inspected 1,420 state-funded schools during the year.

In early years, Ofsted reported a 24% rise in notifications from providers, leading to almost 15,000 risk assessments and 970 inspections in response to concerns. Settings are now usually inspected every four years rather than every six.

EEF publishes guidance on inclusive teaching

The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) has published a new Guide to Inclusive Teaching, focusing on strong classroom practice and targeted support for pupils with additional needs.

According to the EEF, inclusive teaching is about helping every child participate and succeed in school, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The guidance sets out a two-part model that combines effective universal classroom approaches with carefully considered adaptations and targeted support where needed.

The EEF stresses that adaptations should complement, rather than replace, strong classroom practice and should be closely linked to learning. It also warns that ineffective support can hinder progress, highlighting the need for schools to monitor the impact of any additional measures.

Alongside the guidance, the EEF has released scenario-based training resources to help teachers and school leaders embed inclusive practice and improve outcomes for all pupils.

New technical education routes planned for young people

The government has announced plans for new technical education routes for 14-year-olds to provide vocational learning.  Students would study core subjects such as English, maths and science, alongside technical training, and undertake work experience. 

The government wants to create clearer routes into skilled jobs and address concerns about young people who are not in education, employment or training. It wants regional mayors, local authorities, schools, colleges and employers to work together to create pathways that meet local workforce needs.

The government also plans to update how school performance is assessed, with Ofsted recognising schools that offer high-quality technical education and support pupils’ to prepare for work. The new pathways are expected to support sectors including engineering, healthcare, digital technology, construction and clean energy.

Deteriorating pupil wellbeing linked to high absence rates

New research from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) has found that, despite spending significant time and resources on supporting pupils to attend school, absence rates remain much higher than before the pandemic. 

The study explored the relationship between pupil wellbeing and attendance. Wellbeing is used as shorthand to describe how pupils feel about everyday life, and whether they feel safe, happy and supported.

Key findings from the research include:

• Persistent absence in English secondary schools rose from 13.7% in 2018/19 to 27.7% in 2021/22 following the pandemic
• Nearly a quarter of secondary pupils (23.4%) remained persistently absent in 2024/25
• 51% of parents and carers surveyed identified poor wellbeing as a key factor behind increasing absence rates
• Parents linked declining wellbeing to factors including social media use (66%), greater awareness of mental health issues (41%), difficulties accessing support services (37%) and bullying (35%); and
• Pupils also highlighted online bullying as having a negative impact on both wellbeing and attendance. 

The report suggests that poor wellbeing and absence can create a self-reinforcing cycle, with prolonged absence making it harder for pupils to return to school. 

DfE forecasts steeper fall in pupil numbers

New projections from the Department for Education (DfE) suggest that pupil numbers in England will fall more sharply over the next five years than previously expected. The total school population is forecast to fall by around 8.6% by 2031, from 7.81 million pupils to 7.08 million.

The decline is largely linked to lower birth rates and continues a trend seen since 2019. Earlier forecasts had predicted a smaller reduction of around 5%.

Primary schools are expected to be most affected, with pupil numbers forecast to fall by 473,000, a 10.7% drop between 2026 and 2031. Secondary school rolls are also expected to fall by 6.3% over the same period.

In contrast, the number of pupils attending special schools continues to rise, increasing by 4.8% in 2026 to 178,000. The DfE expects this trend to continue before numbers peak in 2027-28.

ICO raises concerns over EdTech use of pupil data

Education technology companies are under increased scrutiny after Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) audits found that many providers are using pupils’ data for other purposes other than those for which they had consent.  The findings have led to plans for new guidance on children’s data in educational technology.

The ICO reviewed 28 edtech providers, including suppliers of management information systems, safeguarding tools, learning platforms and classroom apps. The regulator made more than 500 recommendations following the audits. 

Auditors found that many companies were using children’s information for activities such as product development, performance analysis and creating anonymised datasets. Some providers also used pupil data to develop AI tools or shared anonymised information with third parties.

The ICO said nearly 70% of audited firms could not show that schools or pupils had agreed to these extra uses of data. It also raised concerns about transparency, saying contracts and privacy information often did not include enough detail.

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