Department for Education

New guidance advises teachers can use AI to save time on marking

New guidance advises that teachers can use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help speed up marking and produce correspondence with parents. New teaching materials distributed to schools advises that teachers can use technology to help “automate routine tasks” in order to provide greater focus on time with pupils. It comes as…

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DfE expands FSM to all children of Universal Credit households

Over half a million more children will reportedly benefit from a free meal every school day, after the government announced it is expanding the eligibility to include all children from universal credit households. From the start of the 2026 school year, every pupil whose household is on Universal Credit will…

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First schools install Great British Energy solar panels

The first 11 schools across the country to install new Great British Energy solar panels are set to save £175,000 per year, following the government’s £180m funding to cut bills for schools and hospitals. The savings will be reinvested in schools as part of the government’s Plan for Change to…

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DfE could face budget cut if treated as ‘unprotected’, IFS warns

The Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) has warned that if the Department for Education is treated as an ‘unprotected’ area, it could face a 3% real-terms cut to its budget over the upcoming Spending Review period.  Such a cut, which is equivalent to £2.6bn, would involve “difficult trade-offs”, according to…

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DfE to roll out AI to track school attendance

The secretary of state for education, Bridget Phillipson, has revealed that the Open Innovation Team (OIT) will be providing support to the Department for Education in the form of AI tools for tracking school attendance.  Schools and responsible bodies can now access the attendance reports tool via the View Your…

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DfE appoints builder for permanent Boxing Academy home

The Department for Education has appointed McLaren Construction to build the Boxing Academy, a 56-student secondary school in Clapton which will serve 12 to 16-year-olds who need an alternative to mainstream education. The new building, set to be complete in September 2026, relocates temporary facilities in Hackney to a nearby site. …

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DfE accepts 4% pay rise for teachers

The government has accepted the School Teachers’ Review Body’s recommendation of a 4% pay rise for teachers from September 2025, alongside an additional £615m in funding. However, the Department for Education (DfE) confirmed that schools will still have to fund around 1% of the increase themselves, which it said could…

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Government to pilot digital exam results

The government has launched a digital exam results pilot to help schools and colleges to save up to £30m a year and cut back bureaucracy.  This pilot means that exam certificates will go digital for thousands of students this summer as part of a modernised ‘education record’.  Digital records, which…

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T-level qualifications still less popular than BTECs, NAO finds

The National Audit office has suggested that vocational qualifications such as BTECs remain more popular than T Levels for students and should be retained until T Levels can be fully evaluated. The Department for Education (DfE) launched T Levels following recommendations from the 2016 Sainsbury Review, which outlined the need…

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