Correspondence

DfE Update academies: 15 July 2026

Published 15 July 2026

Applies to England

1. Action: Give your views through the early years funding consultation 2026

We published a consultation on the changes to funding for early years entitlements on Monday 6 July 2026.

In the consultation, we are seeking views on proposed changes to the early years funding system associated with the current offer of early years entitlements.

These changes to how funding is distributed are targeted at:

• improving access to childcare for families on low incomes
• improving support for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in the early years;
• expectations for the Best Start in Life strategy;
• driving greater efficiency, simplicity and transparency in the way funding is allocated, so every penny can work harder for children and families.

Responses are requested by Monday 14 September.

2. Action: Give your views through the ‘Upfront funding for mainstream schools’ consultation

We have launched a upfront funding for mainstream schools: creating a ‘local SEND inclusion formula’ consultation on increasing the share of high needs funding that mainstream schools receive upfront to support pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). 

In the SEND reform: putting children and young people first consultation, we said we would seek views on allowing local authorities to pass more high needs funding directly to mainstream schools. 

We are now seeking views on how local authorities, working with schools, could design and implement this approach in practice.  

This is an opportunity to learn how this approach could be delivered ahead of any broader national funding reforms.  

We have published apply to provide upfront SEND funding to mainstream schools guidance to help local authorities understand the application process to be part of this first phase (2027 to 2028).  This guidance may change following the consultation.  

Responses are requested by Friday 18 September.

3. Action: Continue providing free school meals and free meals in further education where eligibility checks are outstanding

In 13 May DfE update we shared guidance on free school meals (FSM) and free meals in further education (FM in FE).  As part of the policy changes, we asked all settings to recheck eligibility for all children and young people currently receiving benefits-based free meals before the start of academic year 2026 to 2027.

We recognise this is a significant undertaking and appreciate the work already underway. Please continue to make as much progress as possible before the start of the new academic year.

Where eligibility checks have not been completed by the start of the academic year, we strongly encourage settings to continue providing free meals to those currently receiving FSM and FM in FE until the checks are completed. This will help avoid disruption for children, young people and families whilst settings complete outstanding reviews.

Complete any outstanding eligibility checks at the start of the academic term. In order for learners to attract funding, settings must record it in:

• October census for schools and academies
• R04 for FE

Thank you for your continued support in delivering this policy and helping children, young people and families.

4. Information: Publication of the academy trust handbook 2026

We have published an updated version of the Academy trust handbook. This handbook and all of changes introduced in this year’s handbook will come into effect on Thursday 1 October 2026.

The changes from last year’s edition are detailed in the ‘What has Changed’ summary section and include updated delegations for pay and electric vehicle salary sacrifice schemes.

There is more information about the handbook, and the changes introduced this year in this Academy trust accounting officer letter.

5. Information: Free breakfast clubs grant 2026 to 2027 academic year

We have now published the free breakfast clubs grant conditions and methodology for the 2026 to 2027 academic year. 

Allocations for the first fixed upfront payment will be published later in the autumn.

6. Reminder: Register now on the new Teachers’ Pensions Employer Portal

The administration of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme will soon move from Capita to Tata Consulting Services (TCS).

To register, if you are the primary contact for your organisation, you should:

• have received an email from info@teacherscorp.co.uk inviting you to register for the new TCS Employer Portal.
• use the link in your email to register, using your personal work email address. Generic email addresses, such as schooloffice@school.gov.uk, can no longer be used.
• set up Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).

If you are not the primary contact, you do not need to register. Your primary contact will add mandatory and optional contacts who require portal access.

If you have not received an invitation, check your junk folder and employerquery@teacherscorp.com.

You can find out more about registering for the employer portal on the Teachers Pensions website.

7. Feedback: Tell us about your experience of our funding service

If you receive education and skills funding, we want to hear about your experience.

Please complete this short survey by 11.59pm Wednesday 22 July 2026, it should take you 5 to 10 minutes to complete.

We aspire to run an excellent education and skills funding service that gives providers as much certainty as possible.

The survey runs once a year and asks whether we deliver:

• certainty on what we pay you and when
• clarity on how to comply with funding rules
• services that are accessible and easy to use
• answers when you have funding-related queries

We will keep your personal data confidential, and your feedback will help us to improve the service.