13 March, 2026

Top education news stories

Explore this week’s news roundup to uncover the key challenges and priorities for schools across the country.

6 min read

1. Sixth forms face real-terms funding cut next year, leaders warn

Government confirms funding for 16 and 17-year-olds will rise by just 0.5%, breaking a pledge made last year, writes Schools Week.

School sixth forms and colleges face a real-terms cut in their funding next year, leaders have warned, after the government confirmed rates for 16 and 17-year-olds will rise by just 0.5%.

Ministers have been accused of breaking a promise for a real-terms funding increase for 16 to 19-year-olds made in last year’s white paper to ease demographic pressures.

The Department for Education confirmed last week that the national funding rate for 16 and 17-year-old learners will only rise by 0.5% in academic year 2026/27, from £5,105 to £5,133.

This marks the lowest increase since funding rates were frozen in 2021/22.

Claire Green, post-16 and skills specialist at the ASCL leaders’ union, said the funding rate announced yesterday “does not align” with the white paper ambition, “nor does it support the government’s previous commitment to improving the financial stability of the sector”.

“The money that has been given to this part of the sector is being spread extremely thinly because student numbers are growing.”

“The paltry 0.5% increase in the learner rate next year means that colleges and school sixth forms will be seeing a real‑terms cut in the amount per student that they receive.”

Source: Sixth forms face real-terms funding cut next year, leaders warn (schoolsweek.co.uk)

2. Middle leaders carrying the strain

Middle leadership was never meant to carry this much weight, writes Schools Week.

Analysis of Edurio’s national staff experience survey from 2024/25, drawing on responses from more than 85,000 school staff in England, reveals a stark pattern.

When asked, “Overall, how well have you felt lately, physically and mentally?”, positive responses were given by 60% of senior leaders, 46% of admin staff, 38 % of teaching assistants, 35% of teachers and only 34% of middle leaders.

Middle leadership was never meant to carry this much weight. Yet in many schools, it has quietly become the role where accountability, implementation and pastoral responsibility collide, often without the time, authority or protection to match.

Department leads, heads of year and phase leaders are expected to implement reform, manage people, raise outcomes, support staff wellbeing and continue teaching, often without additional time, authority or structural protection.

As a result, middle leaders are more likely than any other group to feel stressed frequently. And they are among the most likely to say they feel overworked often, reflecting the reality of holding significant leadership responsibility alongside a full or near-full teaching load. Very few report feeling overworked rarely or never.

However, middle leaders are not disengaged. Sixty-one per cent say they feel excited by their work, and 51 per cent say they feel appreciated by leadership. Both figures are higher than for classroom teachers.

Source: If middle leaders are crushed schools have no one to step up (schoolsweek.co.uk)

3. Deliver on SEND or lose services, ministers warn councils

SEND reform plans are needed by June, and the government will withdraw services from failing authorities, local officers have been warned, writes Tes.

Councils have been warned they face “heightened scrutiny” over special educational needs and disabilities reforms – and that those found to be failing could have SEND responsibilities transferred to trusts, in a hard-hitting letter from government ministers.

The letter from education secretary Bridget Phillipson and health secretary Wes Streeting gives local area partnerships of councils and health services a deadline of June to develop and submit a local SEND reform plan.

As the government has previously announced, councils will need to have SEND reform plans approved in order to have a grant paid covering 90% of their existing high-needs deficits.

In the ministerial letter to councils and integrated care boards, they are warned that interventions could include the use of statutory powers up to and including transferring SEND responsibilities to a trust.

“Local authorities will not receive any payments until their local SEND reform plan has been approved,” the letter confirms.

Source: Deliver on SEND or lose services, ministers warn councils (Tes.com)