The 2026 Schools White Paper represents the most significant education policy in over a decade. With major proposals on SEND reform, greater collaboration, system cohesion, and trust-led improvement, school and trust leaders are preparing for a period of significant operational, regulatory, and workforce change. 

Having heard Dr Tim Coulson speak at our National Education Leaders Conference, hosted through our education leadership network nEdEx, and through conversations with education leaders across the sector, it’s clear that the direction set out in the White Paper is ambitious.

Schools and trusts will need robust, evidence-informed systems, consistent and transparent processes, and strategic workforce planning aligned to curriculum delivery and inclusion priorities. Leaders are already balancing increasing SEND demand, staffing pressures and rising expectations around compliance and accountability. Delivering the reforms outlined in the White Paper will require sustainable improvement within a more coherent, standards-driven system, backed by careful planning and strong organisational foundations.

For more than 30 years, our team at EPM has supported over 2,500 schools and 200 trusts with integrated HR, Payroll & Pensions, DBS & Safer Recruitment, and strategic growth services designed specifically for education.

Our role is to help schools and trusts build the workforce and operational resilience needed for the reforms ahead - enabling you, as education leaders, to focus on pupils and educational outcomes.

So, what do the key policy priorities mean for schools and trusts, and how can leaders begin preparing now? 

Let's take a look at the leading policies: 

A more inclusive SEND-focused system

Strengthening behaviour, attendance and school culture

Strong trusts and a more coherent school system

Workforce sustainability and data-informed decision making 

What happens next? 

Supporting collaboration through nEdEx  

Your White Paper FAQs

How education leaders can prepare for policy priorities

A more inclusive SEND-focused system

SEND reform sits at the centre of the Government’s proposals. The Schools White Paper signals a shift towards greater mainstream inclusion, alongside expanded responsibilities for local authorities to ensure that all children can access ‘specialist support’ when needed.

Under the proposed reforms, Education Health Care Plans (EHCPs) would be reserved for children with the most complex of needs. Instead, schools may increasingly be expected to support pupils through earlier intervention and stronger collaboration with local services.

For many schools, this could mean managing increasing levels of need within mainstream classrooms while ensuring staff feel confident, supported and properly trained. With sector experts and government advisors reiterating the complex and high-stakes nature of this specific reform, it’s delay to 2026 has hopefully provided additional time to get it right.

Preparing for this shift will require strong workforce structures, clear safeguarding and recruitment processes, and effective people management frameworks. EPM supports schools in developing robust HR policies and strong DBS and safer recruitment processes, helping leaders maintain workforce stability, compliance and capability as pupil needs become more diverse. 

Strengthening behaviour, attendance and school culture

The Government’s White Paper also places renewed emphasis on behaviour expectations and improving attendance nationally. Clearer standards for pupil behaviour and stronger parental responsibility are expected to play an important role in supporting consistent school cultures.

However, behaviour and attendance outcomes are closely linked to workforce capacity and leadership confidence. To create the right conditions for improvement, leaders need the skills and support to manage teams effectively, maintain clear expectations and respond consistently to challenges.

Take a look at EPM’s CPD-accredited HR and people management training, developed in response to sector demand for high-quality professional development for education leaders and managers. The programme supports leaders to develop the knowledge and confidence needed to lead their teams effectively and fairly - particularly during periods of organisational change, such as those anticipated through the implementation of the Schools White Paper reforms.

Strong trusts and a more coherent school system

The Government’s vision places ‘strong’ trusts at the centre of a more collaborative and coherent education system. Trusts are expected to play an increasingly important role in improving educational outcomes, reducing regional variation and closing the attainment gap for disadvantaged pupils. A more unified, trust-led system should strengthen collaboration, build leadership capacity and drive consistently high standards across schools.

As trusts grow and take on greater system leadership responsibilities, robust governance structures, resilient central services and clear organisational structures will become increasingly important.

EPM supports trusts throughout their growth journey. Our HR specialists provide expertise across trust expansion and mergers, including workforce due diligence, TUPE transfers, consultation and union engagement, and leadership structure design. This ensures that people strategy, governance and organisational design are aligned to support sustainable trust growth.

Alongside this, our central services reviews help trusts assess whether their structures, systems and workforce capacity are sufficiently robust to support expansion. By identifying areas where strengthening may be needed, we support trusts in aligning with the Strong Trust quality descriptors and ensuring their central capacity can deliver improvement at scale.

By integrating people strategy, compliance and organisational design into growth planning, trusts can scale confidently, manage transition risk effectively and build the consistent, high-performing structures needed within an increasingly trust-led system.

Workforce sustainability and data-informed decision making

The White Paper highlights the need for national consistency and long-term planning to address attainment gaps and support children with additional needs or from disadvantaged backgrounds. At the same time, leaders continue to face ongoing workforce pressures, including recruitment challenges, retention concerns and increasing operational responsibilities particularly from ageing estates.

As staffing responsibilities grow, leaders need reliable data to support smart workforce planning and strategic decision-making.

EPM Connect provides integrated workforce data and analytics, helping leaders understand trends in absence, turnover, workforce demographics and staffing capacity. Access to clear, real-time insights enables leaders to plan more effectively and make informed decisions about workforce development and organisational resilience.

What happens next?

Following the publication of the White Paper, a formal consultation phase follows. The Government has emphasised its intention to test policy options through listening sessions and engagement with sector experts before finalising proposals.

Many of the proposed reforms – particularly those relating to SEND and system structure – will be introduced gradually, with longer implementation timelines, additional funding support and further development expected before full rollout.

The White Paper sets out an ambitious vision for reform, with the clear aim of improving educational outcomes for every child, regardless of background. Delivering this level of change will require sustained collaboration across the entire education system - from schools, trusts and local authorities to policymakers and sector leaders.

Given the scale of the reforms and the length of the proposed implementation period, an important question naturally arises: how will momentum be maintained if there is a change of Government following the next general election in 2029?

Ensuring progress continues will depend on the sector’s ability to embed reforms in ways that transcend political cycles and maintain a shared commitment to improving life chances for all pupils.

Supporting collaboration through nEdEx

Our Network for Education Excellence (nEdEx) brings together education leaders from maintained schools, trusts and academies to collaborate, share insight and explore the practical implications of policy change for governance, workforce and system leadership.

At this critical moment for the sector, the network provides a space where leaders can discuss emerging reforms (critically relating to the Schools White Paper right now), challenge thinking and share experiences from across the education system.

Following the success of February’s National Education Leaders Conference, look out for specific education leader insights from our nEdEx Advisory Board on the real, on-the-ground impact of the Schools White Paper across schools and trusts.

The next nEdEx conference will take place on 8 October 2026, continuing the conversation on how the sector can navigate the reforms ahead.

Your White Paper FAQs

Be part of the follow-up conversation in October by booking your tickets to our nEdEx National Education Leaders Conference.