THE GOVERNMENT EDUCATION VILLAGE

The RISE programme is the Department for Education’s school improvement service, supporting all schools through universal resources and targeted intervention. Come and speak to the team to find out more.

Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence

The Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) Programme brings together the best of sector expertise to help schools. Come speak to us about accessing high‑quality resources, peer networks, hubs and tailored support to help your school thrive.

Inclusive Mainstream

The Inclusive Mainstream strand of the Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) Programme signposts schools to effective practice, encourages peer-to-peer support and brings schools together to share knowledge and innovation. Come speak to us for more details about this offer and where you can find resources and support.

The UK government's "best start in life" strategy is aimed at ensuring children thrive from ages 0-5 by improving early years education, enhancing support for families, and targeting a 75% "good level of development" rate by 2028. Come and speak to the following teams to find out more.

Free Breakfast Clubs

We lead on the free breakfast clubs programme and can help visitors with updates on the programme, linking them up with advisors and providing advice and case studies on how to deliver a free breakfast club.

School-Based Nurseries

We lead on the School-based Nursery programme and can help visitors with updates on phase 3 which is being led by local authorities. We can help schools to understand eligibility and how they may be able to access the capital funding grant via their local authority.

Early Education Partnerships

We lead on a new initiative to fund partnerships between early years providers and schools to improve transitions and school readiness. We can advise people on how to apply for the initiative and what it aims to achieve.

The Department for Education (DfE) Education Estates directorate is responsible for the strategy and stewardship of the education estate, including overseeing the management, renewal and building and rebuilding of school and college buildings across England. In February 2026, the DfE launched a new "Education Estates Strategy: A Decade of National Renewal," which outlines a 10-year plan (2025-2035) to transform schools and colleges in England. Come and speak to the following teams to find out more.

MANAGE THE ESTATE including teams from:

• Land Transactions

• Net Capacity Assessment Team

• Manage Your Education Estate

Preventing issues by enabling responsible bodies to proactively and efficiently manage and maintain their estates. Come and learn more about our plans including:

Land Transactions – the team can help you with existing applications, assist with tips on pulling together a good application and provide overall guidance in navigating the process, ensuring you adhere to the regulatory framework and you make the most of your school estate.

Net Capacity Assessments – the team can tell you more about the role of the Valuation Office and their property assessors, what to expect during your NCA visit, how to read your NCA report and uses and benefits for schools.

Manage Your Education Estate – the team can tell you more about the new digital service launched in February to support responsible bodies, schools and colleges to manage their estates.

IMPROVE AND RENEW THE ESTATE including teams from:

• Connectivity

• Sustainability Support Programme

• Renewal and Retrofit Programme

Improving the condition and resilience of the estate by focusing on long-term strategic maintenance and renewal that prioritises condition need, risk and resilience. Come and learn more about our plans including:

Connectivity – learn more about the Schools Gigabit Broadband and Connect the Classroom Programmes and how to meet the DfE Digital Standards for broadband and schools networking.

Sustainability Support Programme – learn more about the free sustainability support provided by the Department for Education that helps strengthen the leadership of sustainability and enhances your schools climate action plans including National Education Nature Park, Sustainability Support for Education, and the Climate Ambassador Programme.

Renewal and Retrofit Programme – learn more about the new £710 million programme to improve the condition of school and college buildings, increase resilience to climate change and access to nature and make buildings net zero ready

Build and Rebuild the Estate

Tackling life expired buildings and creating places by delivering high-quality building and rebuilding projects where they are needed. Come and learn more about our plans to create suitable places for children and young people to achieve and thrive. Come and learn more about our plans including:

School Rebuilding Programme - learn more about our plans to rebuild over 750 schools and sixth-form colleges across England.

DfE provides support to help schools and trusts manage their budgets effectively and protect their resources. The Maximising Value for Pupils programme offers expert advice, helpful tools, and access to money‑saving deals, while the Counter Fraud & Prevention Team helps you safeguard funds by raising awareness of risks and providing practical fraud‑prevention guidance.

Come and speak to the following teams to find out more.

Maximising Value for Pupils Programme

The Department for Education's Maximising Value for Pupils programme supports schools and trusts to get better value from their budgets, ensuring more funding reaches the frontline to improve outcomes for children.

Working in partnership with the education sector, the programme tackles key cost pressures across four areas: commercial deals, financial and physical assets, workforce planning, and building capability. Schools and trusts can access government-negotiated deals including capped agency staff rates, free tools to benchmark spending and compare banking arrangements, procurement training, and expert advice from school resource management advisers.

The team will be available to discuss how the programme can support your school or trust. Come and speak to us about making savings that benefit your pupils.

Counter Fraud & Prevention Team
The DfE Counter Fraud & Prevention Team works to protect the education sector and the public purse by preventing, detecting, and responding to fraud, bribery, and corruption. We focus on strengthening fraud prevention, improving risk identification, and raising awareness of emerging threats across schools and trusts.

Talk with us to learn about current risks and register to receive our fraud alerts and counter fraud news. We can also signpost you to guidance on how to spot, prevent, and report fraud.

The Department for Education is working across multiple fronts to help schools, colleges and providers create safer environments and navigate major qualification reforms. Come and speak to the following teams to find out more.

Counter Extremism - Educate Against Hate

The EAH team is responsible for the Department for Education’s Educate Against Hate website and associated communications channels which publish comprehensive advice and a wide range of resources to support teachers and leaders in protecting children from extremism and radicalisation.

Technical and Vocational Qualifications Team

We support providers to understand and prepare for upcoming changes across T Levels, new V Levels and level 2 pathways. Our team provides clear guidance, resources and practical support to help you navigate the technical and vocational landscape. Visit our stand to ask questions, access materials and discuss how we can help your organisation get ready for changes to post-16 qualifications.

The Department for Education is building a more connected, data‑driven ecosystem that gives schools, trusts and pupils clearer insights and easier access to the information they rely on. We’re streamlining systems, strengthening data flows and putting trusted information directly into people’s hands. Come and speak to the following teams to find out more.

School Account

DfE is exploring how a School Account can act as a single, personalised place where school business professionals can access services, guidance, actions and opportunities. Our team is researching the challenges you face with today’s fragmented systems — and we need your insight. Come talk to us, see what we’re working on, and sign-up to participate in user research and give design feedback.

School Attendance Data and Data Spine

Talk to the DfE School Attendance Data team about your daily school attendance data including the free Monitor your school attendance tool. The team can provide support with accessing and using the tool and show how the dashboards and reports can help schools, trusts and local authorities analyse and understand their school attendance data. Talk to us about the data spine and how it will create a secure, privacy-respecting and streamlined way to connect and share information across different systems in education. We can provide more information on the data spine and the benefits it could bring.

Education Record

The Education Record is a new Department for Education (DfE) service that lets pupils securely access their education information through a mobile app.

It gives pupils a trusted, verified record they can use in post‑16 transitions, apprenticeships, employment and future learning. The app has been designed to help pupils prove their achievements and personal details by providing consistent, secure information directly from DfE-held data.