New school year round up

Here’s a reminder of some changes for this academic year:

Mandated uniform

Primary schools can only mandate three pieces of branded uniform, with secondary schools being permitted to have four compulsory items only if one of those four is a tie. 

Phone-free environments

On the whole, schools must now be a phone-free environment, meaning pupils should have no access to their devices throughout the school day (including break times). There are of course limited exceptions. 

Adrenaline auto-injectors

The introduction of a measure commonly called “Benedict’s Law” means that schools must now stock spare adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs) for emergency use and provide compulsory allergy awareness and safety training for staff. Schools must also have an allergy safety policy in place and should review their existing policies and procedures to ensure that they comply with the new statutory guidance.

Free school meals

The eligibility criteria for free school meals have been extended to include all children from families receiving Universal Credit, enabling more children to be eligible. The Government is also continuing to roll out free breakfast clubs.

Additional or strengthened topics

The Relationship, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) guidance requires schools to cover a range of additional or strengthened topics to better prepare pupils for modern risks and challenges. At primary level, this includes online safety and personal safety around roads, railways and water. At secondary level, this includes strengthened teaching on online safety, including AI-generated sexual imagery and deepfakes, as well as violence and knife crime, misogyny, incel culture and the impact of pornography.

Ofsted statistical inspection model

Ofsted has worked with the Department for Education to create a new statistical inspection model that aims to improve the effectiveness of inspections and better compare attainment and progress in national tests with similar schools. 

Safeguarding

Safeguarding will continue to be subject to close scrutiny. To meet the ‘expected standard’ for inclusion, schools will need to demonstrate how they identify and seek to reduce barriers to pupils’ learning and/or wellbeing, including for disadvantaged pupils, pupils with SEND and other vulnerable groups. Schools should therefore review their inclusion arrangements, policies and procedures to ensure that these are up to date and, importantly, are being implemented effectively in practice.

Changes to Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) 

Changes to Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) include:

1. All staff, including those who do not directly work with children, should now read Part One;
2. Strengthened guidance on child-on-child abuse;
3. Expanded guidance and clearer examples as to what constitutes sexual abuse;
4. Stronger emphasis on mental health;
5. Guidance on recognising and responding to the risk of serious violence has been expanded; and
6. Expanded guidance on the role of the Designated Safeguarding Lead, now contained in Annex B rather than Annex C.
7. The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 introduced a new duty under the Children Act 2004 requiring specified organisations, including schools, to share information where it may help safeguard or promote a child’s welfare. Information must now be shared where the conditions are met, unless sharing would be more detrimental to the child than not sharing. Look out for our separate briefing on this, to be published shortly.

For details of this year’s updates to the Academy Trust Handbook, see our separate briefing here: New Academy Trust Handbook 2026.

If you require any further information or advice regarding any of the above, please contact Esther Campsall in our Education team, who will be able to assist.