News

National Updates - January & February 2026

Updated February 2026 – School prospectuses: guidance for headteachers and governing bodies

The statutory content for the prospectus has not changed, Welsh Government have updated their 2001 guidance in line with the The School Information (Wales) Regulations 2011.

NOTE – whilst a Home-School Agreement is no longer a statutory requirement, some schools still opt to have this in place. Should this be the case, it would be useful to reference in the school prospectus.

Sustainable Communities for Learning: non-statutory guidance
Guidance for the design and maintenance of school buildings and land.

Designated person for looked after children in schools: guidance
Guidance for education providers on the role of the designated person for looked after children.

Written Statement: Progress update: National Behaviour Summit actions

Written Statement: Pay Order related to moving Additional Learning Needs Coordinators to leadership pay and conditions

School teachers’ pay and conditions (Wales) document 2025: revised February 2026

Press release – Development of all Wales resources to support school safety
New all Wales resources to support current guidance for schools to deal with incidents of weapons in schools and education settings are being developed.

The new violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence (VAWDASV) education toolkit
This toolkit is a revised and refreshed version, recognising the previous information had become outdated and the format was unhelpful for professionals across education to access. Our hope is that by bringing all of this information together in one place it will support you in accessing the need-to-know information surrounding VAWDASV and safeguarding in education settings.

Using social media safely in schools
Social media can be a fantastic way to share news, celebrate achievements and connect with the wider school community. However, it’s important to make sure that everyone’s privacy and safety is protected.

To help schools navigate this, the Practices and principles for schools’ use of social media guidance has been developed in partnership with the UK Safer Internet Centre. This guidance is especially useful for senior leaders and staff responsible for managing internal and external communication channels.

Even if you are already up and running with social media, it is recommended that you:
– review your policies and practice regularly
– keep up with platform updates
– ensure the platform has appropriate settings for the school’s intended use.

Collection – Monitoring and evaluation of curriculum and assessment reform.
How well curriculum and assessment reforms are working and helping learners.

Framework on embedding a whole-school approach to emotional and mental wellbeing
Guidance to support the delivery and evaluation of the framework. It includes action plan development using case studies and examples of good practice.