The Schools White Paper 2026: The Reality Behind the Reform

The White Paper, published by the Department of Education (DfE) As “Every child achieving and thriving” alongside associated SEND reforms, frames a structural shift in how our school system is organised and delivered rather than a discrete policy adjustment.  

The direction of travel is clear:

• A fully trust-led system. Higher standards under tighter fiscal constraints, with sharper emphasis on outcomes and accountability.
• For multi-academy trusts (MATs), this reform agenda will present organisational and workforce implications that extend beyond compliance and into long-term architecture.  
• From an Education HR and Trust perspective, there are several critical considerations as the White Paper is unusually explicit in that delivery depends on workforce design, retention, professional development and trust level capacity.  

It sets out workforce related policy levers including:  

• A 6,500 additional teacher delivery plan, alongside reforms to pay, conditions and contractual flexibility,
• A new teacher retention program from autumn 2026 and maternity pay enhancement from 2027-2028,  
• A shift in support staff relations through the reinstated School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB), with outcomes expected from April 2027.  

Operations insights from the 2026 DfE White Paper

The White Paper's inclusion agenda is not to be treated as a SEND policy; it presents inclusion as a whole-system operating model involving individual support plans for children with identified SEND, training expectations for all staff, a new multi-year Inclusive Mainstream Fund, and an expectation that schools collaborate (initially through local groupings, and over time through school trusts) to share staffing expertise and provision.  

Finally, the environment is framed as one of high expectations under tight resources constraints. In mainstream schools, staffing is the dominant cost driver. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) similarly highlights that much of the recent growth in school spending has been absorbed by SEND pressures, while mainstream school spending per pupil is roughly back to mid 2010 levels after adjusting for SEND.  

The implication here being to treat the White Paper as a prompt for workforce architecture, not only for education policy compliance.

Organisational resilience in this context means a school or trust can absorb new inclusion duties, build specialist capacity and sustain standards without fragility.  

This can be achieved through:

• A clear inclusion leadership structure and deliberate role design to support increased demand for leaders
• Investing in high-quality staff, staff development and effective workforce planning strategies that are aligned to pupil need
• Collaboration between schools and other partners that utilises integrated staffing models to add capacity, enable innovation and ambition.

A fully trust-led system changes the HR landscape significantly and Trusts must balance:

• Standardisation vs. contextual flexibility
• Centralisation vs. school autonomy
• Consistent people frameworks across multiple settings

With sustained financial constraint, workforce costs remain the largest and most sensitive lever. Trust leaders will likely face tough decisions around cost-cutting measures but will need to be mindful that these measures do not create long-term fragility.  

Harmonising pay structures, career pathways, performance frameworks and leadership pipelines will be essential to support the recruitment and retention of your talent.

Why this matters, and why the right partner matters

At Edwin People, we work with schools and Trusts not just on recruitment, but on whole workforce strategy.

We understand:

• The operational and strategic realities of MAT growth, including academisation pipelines, trust mergers and long-term growth strategy
• The complexities of inclusion-led organisational design
• The financial pressures shaping staffing decisions
• The importance of aligning structure, culture and capability

Our approach combines executive recruitment, workforce diagnostics, organisational design support and long-term talent strategy - because schools don’t just need vacancies filled. They need sustainable people models.

If your Trust is reassessing its workforce architecture in response to the White Paper, Edwin People would welcome a discussion about how we can support that work.