DfE Update local authorities: 25 February 2026
Published 25 February 2026
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2026
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1. Information: New Manage Your Education Estate service
We have launched Manage Your Education Estate, a new digital service designed to support responsible bodies to manage their school and college buildings. It was announced in the Education estates strategy published on Wednesday 11 February 2026. It is designed to support those responsible for school and college buildings (‘responsible bodies’) to manage their estate.
The service brings DfE estates guidance, data and tools together in one place for the first time. Responsible bodies, schools and colleges can use it to view condition data for their settings.
We will now use Manage Your Education Estate to tell you when new guidance, funding data and opportunities are available. This is the first phase, and we will add more tools and data over time.
To access Manage Your Education Estate, log into DfE Sign‑in and select it from the list of services. It will be available from 10am on Thursday 26 February 2026.
2. Information: 16 to 19 funding for academic year 2026 to 2027
We know it’s important to confirm funding as soon as possible to help you with financial planning and aim to publish more detail in March 2026.
This will set out details of rates and methodologies to help you to understand how we will allocate funding and get a broad understanding of the amount you will be receiving, in advance of issuing individual provider-level allocations.
We expect to issue the majority of provider-level allocations for core 16 to 19 funding by the end of March 2026, with the remaining allocations issued in April 2026. The timing of these payments in the next academic year will be as normal.
3. Information: Breakfast club arrears payments
We have now published allocations for the payment of the free breakfast club grant for the 2025 to 2026 academic year.
We will pay allocations at the end of February 2026 for local authorities, and at the beginning of March 2026 for academies.
The second payment for the spring term will be made in arrears based on uptake of schools’ breakfast clubs. We will release details of the reporting week for the next data collection in due course.
4. Information: Updated significant change guidance for academies
Academy trusts no longer need to apply through the significant change process to add or expand a school-based nursery, although trusts are still expected to consult the local authority and relevant local stakeholders on nursery changes and secure required consents.
Significant change approval remains necessary to remove or decrease academy nursery provision.
The updated guidance also clarifies processes for sixth-form closures, satellite site removals, and studio school to university technical college (UTC) conversions.
5. Information: Education records now available for year 11 pupils
Year 11 pupils in England can now get, view and share their digital education record if their school has chosen to take part. We create each record using information from schools and exam bodies, including a pupil’s name, date of birth, address, schools attended, official exam results and any support needs.
Schools can use the Issue education records service to give pupils access to their record through the education record app. The app is free to download on Apple and Android devices.
Pupils can view their information in the app as soon as it is available. Exam results, including GCSEs, will appear when added to the learning records service.
Pupils can share their record when they move to a further education institution or a training provider.
6. Events and webinars: Education record - schools webinars
Monday 9 March 2026, 3:15 pm to 4pm. Register online.
Monday 23 March 2026, 3:15 pm to 4pm. Register online.
7. Events and webinars: The estate management standards and estate management competency framework webinar
Monday 9 March 2026, 10am to 10:30am. Register on Eventbrite.
8. Events and webinars: Risk protection arrangement: an alternative to commercial insurance
Thursday 12 March 2026, 11am to 11:30am. Register online.
9. Events and webinars: DfE banking for schools webinar
Thursday 12 March 2026 at 2pm to 2:30pm. Register online.