The schools white paper is out – how #EdCon2026 will help you

The Government has set out its vision. #EdCon2026 will help you act on it. In February 2026, the Department for Education published its white paper, Every Child Achieving and Thriving, setting out a ten-year plan to transform outcomes for children and young people across England. 

It calls for three fundamental shifts: from a narrow curriculum focus to a broader one; from children with SEND being sidelined to being fully included; and from families feeling disengaged to feeling genuinely welcomed by their child's school.

This is an ambitious, system-wide agenda – and the practical and legal implications for school and trust leaders are considerable. That's why we've designed #EdCon2026 the way we have.

Our six free webinars, running 10-26 March 2026, directly address the areas where the white paper will require leaders to act. Here's how:

1. Workforce restructuring - Tuesday 10 March 2026

The white paper commits to recruiting 6,500 more expert teachers, strengthening CPD pathways and bolstering leadership support. At the same time, many schools face budget pressures and falling rolls that are forcing difficult staffing decisions.

This session will give leaders practical tools to manage redundancies lawfully and fairly, and to maintain a positive culture through change.

2. Safeguarding - Thursday 12 March 2026

The white paper positions education as the fourth safeguarding partner within new multi-agency arrangements, bringing new responsibilities for school and trust leaders.

This session will help you understand what this means in practice and how to prepare.

3. Complaints, data and AI - Tuesday 17 March 2026

The white paper sets out minimum expectations for home-to-school partnerships and signals a new digital complaints solution with clearer timeframes. On AI, it expects tools used in schools to meet defined safety and quality standards and plans a new secure national data spine for improved data-sharing across education and children's services.

This session will help you navigate the legal and governance dimensions of all three areas.

4. Academy mergers - Thursday 19 March 2026

The white paper accelerates the move towards all schools being part of a trust, which will drive further consolidation across the sector. This session will provide practical guidance on managing mergers effectively and lawfully.

5. Governance reviews and executive pay - Tuesday 24 March 2026

The white paper introduces new Trust Standards and trust inspections, alongside tighter expectations around executive pay. Increases must be proportionate and properly justified.

This session will help you understand what good governance looks like under these new requirements and how to ensure your pay decisions are defensible.

6. SEND reform - Thursday 26 March 2026

SEND reform is one of the white paper's most prominent strands, with a commitment to making mainstream schools genuinely inclusive, backed by a new Inclusive Mainstream Fund. It also introduces digital Individual Support Plans to replace EHCPs, and new Specialist Provision Packages for children requiring specialist support.

This session will help you understand what these reforms mean for your school or trust and how to prepare.

#EdCon2026 is open to all and free to attend.

The white paper is a call to action for the whole education sector. Make sure your leadership team has access to expert legal and HR guidance.

Register now