The new White Paper from the Department for Education, Every child achieving and thriving, sets out a long-term shift in how success is defined in education.
The ambition is clear: every child should achieve academically and thrive socially and emotionally. Attainment still matters, but so do belonging, engagement and wellbeing. We’ve drafted this to give you an overview of the key points for educators and school staff – and what the response from the sector has been.
Three Overarching Shifts
Three major shifts sit at the heart of the paper:
- From narrow to broad: A richer, knowledge-led curriculum from early years to post-16, without narrowing.
- From sidelined to included: Stronger inclusion, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.
- From withdrawn to engaged: A determined push on attendance, family partnership and pupil engagement.
In practice, this could mean wellbeing data discussed alongside attainment, more structured ways to measure belonging, and clearer expectations around personal development.
What the sector is saying
Sector organisations broadly welcome the link between high standards and inclusion. The Fair Education Alliance calls the White Paper a much-needed, system-wide reform that could make education fairer - if properly funded and carefully introduced.
The Association of Educational Psychologists also supports the stronger emphasis on inclusion, early support and wellbeing, while stressing that sustained investment and genuine partnership will be vital.
Higher expectations, sharper data
The paper sets bold national goals:
- GCSE average at grade 5+
- Halving the disadvantage gap
- 75 percent of children school-ready by age five
- 90 percent meeting phonics expectations
- Attendance above 94 percent
- All schools monitoring belonging by 2029
For schools, that likely means earlier intervention, tighter tracking of vulnerable groups, renewed focus on early literacy, and more targeted support for pupils at risk of falling behind.
What the sector is saying
There is wide backing for raising attainment and narrowing disadvantage gaps. However, Tes reports that school and union voices are questioning whether ambitious goals on GCSEs, early literacy and attendance are realistic without action on workload, funding and poverty.
The Fair Education Alliance supports robust data, but warns that accountability must recognise context and avoid penalising schools serving disadvantaged communities.
Curriculum and assessment reform
A refreshed National Curriculum arrives from 2028, with updated GCSEs from 2029. There will also be a new statutory Year 8 reading assessment and strengthened writing checks.
Schools may need to revisit curriculum sequencing, protect breadth, and prepare for changes to performance measures. Middle leaders, in particular, will feel this in forward planning and curriculum design.
What the sector is saying
Curriculum specialists and school leaders generally welcome the focus on breadth, knowledge and a stronger Key Stage 3. Commentaries such as It happens in the Curriculum describe this as a generational opportunity to align standards with inclusion.
At the same time, Inclusion Quality Mark and others are urging the government to provide clarity and stability, warning of reform fatigue as schools prepare for National Curriculum and GCSE changes.
SEND reform: earlier, clearer, more inclusive
SEND support will move to a clearer tiered model: universal, targeted and specialist. New Individual Support Plans will sit at the centre, alongside earlier access to external expertise.
Mainstream settings will be expected to adapt first and escalate later. That means stronger classroom inclusion, clearer intervention pathways and more structured oversight of SEND provision.
What the sector is saying
SEND organisations cautiously welcome earlier intervention and stronger mainstream inclusion. Kids Charity supports the focus on early support and expert input, but warns tighter EHCP rules must not exclude children whose needs go beyond individual support plans.
The Fair Education Alliance argues reform must be fully funded and co-designed across education, health and care. The message across the sector is consistent: reform is necessary, but safeguards and resourcing matter.
Workforce, leadership and professional development
There is a commitment to recruit more expert teachers and introduce a clearer professional development entitlement.
Schools may need to map their CPD offer more explicitly to national expectations and demonstrate impact. Structured development pathways and retention strategies are likely to become more visible.
What the sector is saying
Investment in professional development is broadly welcomed. Advocates such as author and education consultant Haili Hughes highlight the potential of clearer CPD pathways to improve quality and retention.
However, the Fair Education Alliance stresses that meaningful reform requires a credible workforce strategy covering recruitment, retention and specialist roles, not just new expectations on schools.
Attendance, accountability and collaboration
Expect tighter attendance systems, frameworks for stronger home–school engagement and more formal monitoring of pupil belonging.
There’s also a continued push towards trust-based collaboration and regional improvement structures – which in practice should lead to better system alignment.
What the sector is saying
Inclusion Quality Mark have welcomed the paper’s stronger recognition of engagement and inclusive culture within accountability frameworks.
Meanwhile, Tes reports concerns about additional data burdens, punitive approaches to absence and the impact of a fully trust-based system on local autonomy.
Engagement and collaboration are widely supported. The challenge lies in ensuring they strengthen - rather than strain - relationships on the ground.
System structure, collaboration and accountability
Stand‑alone maintained schools will likely move into existing or new trusts, with inspections focusing more on trust performance and support, not just individual schools. Schools will also get greater access to support offers, with targets for growth in use of digital tools and data.
Sector reactions to the move towards an all‑trust system are mixed but broadly cautious. The National Governance Association (NGA) welcomes clarification of direction on all schools joining high‑quality trusts, but stresses that structures “are not a silver bullet”. Koinonia Education also accepts the direction of travel, but flags concerns about the complexity of delivering multiple system shifts across 22,000 schools within one Parliament.
The overall shift
Taken together, this signals a system that blends higher academic ambition with stronger inclusion and wellbeing.
The paper sets out a phased timeline, ranging from 2025-2029:
- Incremental introduction: alignment with best practice from 2025/26, preparation for new SEND and curriculum requirements from 2026/27, and full implementation by 2028/29.
- Multiple policy changes running in parallel, so schools may need a multi‑year implementation plan built into their SIP/SDP.
Flourish welcomes the direction of travel set out in the White Paper. The ambition to hold high standards alongside inclusion, belonging and wellbeing reflects what we see every day across education and care: that children achieve best when they feel safe, supported and understood.
At the same time, we echo the sector’s call for clarity, structure and sustained support. Ambition must be matched with practical guidance, realistic timelines and proper resourcing if schools are to turn this vision into meaningful change. Done well, this could be a pivotal moment. Done without the right foundations, it risks adding pressure to an already stretched system.
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