What lies ahead for schools and colleges in 2026?

Welcome back to Inside Your Ed – I hope you’ve all had a great start to 2026.

Last year concluded with an action-packed autumn term of education policies, including the Curriculum and Assessment Review, a Post 16 White Paper and a new levy on international students along with several announcements on extra funding for schools and families.

But fear not, because this year is already poised to offer plenty more drama and debates. A Schools White Paper is expected in the coming weeks, including reforms to the support for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, or SEND for short, and that all comes on top of simmering tensions over this year’s teacher pay awards and Ofsted’s controversial new inspection framework.

To share his views on what is coming up in 2026, I’m delighted to be joined by Pepe Di’Iasio, the General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, which represents over 25,000 leaders in primary, secondary and post-16 education.

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