VWV

Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 requires academy trusts, maintained schools and pupil referral units to make arrangements to support pupils with medical conditions. This framework has been strengthened by the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, including specific requirements concerning allergy safety policies. Regard should also be had to the Department for Education’s statutory guidance, Allergy safety in schools.

The new requirement is linked to the Inclusive Mainstream Fund, through which the Government is providing £400 million a year to schools for three years to support earlier intervention and strengthen inclusive mainstream provision. For 2026/27, the IMF is being paid as a separate grant. The grant is made by the Secretary of State under section 14 of the Education Act 2002, with conditions imposed under section 16. For 2026/27, publishing the strategy is a condition of the IMF grant.

The Government is rolling out free breakfast clubs across state-funded schools with primary-aged pupils. For schools currently participating in the programme, Department for Education (DfE) guidance requires the club to be open to all pupils on roll from Reception to Year 6, to last at least 30 minutes immediately before the school day and to be free and accessible. Importantly, participating schools must offer a place to every pupil who wants one and cannot limit the number of places available.

What is the Building Safety Levy and why has it been introduced? The Building Safety Levy was introduced by the Building Safety Levy (England) Regulations 2025 (the 'Regulations'). It is essentially a tax on new residential developments, payable by developers to local authorities. The income generated by the levy will be used to contribute to the cost of remediation of historic building safety and fire defects in residential buildings across England.

12 Oct 2026 VWV has strengthened its Government & Public Services offering with the appointment of local government law specialist Jonathan Goolden. Goolden has joined VWV's Government & Public Services team, bringing with him extensive experience advising councils and public bodies on governance, constitutional and regulatory matters.

General damages are for non-monetary losses ; the things that affect your day-to-day life, such as: Pain and suffering: Physical pain and emotional distress. Loss of enjoyment: Reduced ability to enjoy life due to your injuries. The amount awarded for general damages depends on how severe and long-lasting your injuries are. Special damages cover specific financial losses resulting from your injury. These can include: Medical expenses: treatment, rehabilitation, and ongoing care.

Gena Ritchie, Solicitor in our Commercial Litigation team, has been quoted in the media on the news that the government has launched a consultation on reforming whistleblowing laws, including giving the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) powers to reward individuals who report economic crime. The consultation follows a review by Jonathan Fisher KC and covers eligibility, reward caps and whether to criminalise false reports or the harassment of whistleblowers.

Gena Ritchie, Solicitor in our Commercial Litigation team, has been quoted in the media on the news that the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has fined Deloitte £6.1 million over audit failures linked to the Go-Ahead Group (GAG) scandal. In a final settlement decision notice published on 8 October, the FRC found that Deloitte had failed to adequately scrutinise “clearly questionable” conduct at three GAG subsidiaries over a five-year period.

VWV's Construction team, led by Jason Prosser (Partner) and Francesca Morrison (Associate), provided all of the construction law input into this scheme (to include advice on the main building contract, the suite of professional appointments and associated documentation), supporting Cassidy Group through to completion.

Recent developments suggest some movement in the relationship between those frameworks. The HE regulator, the OfS, has reduced a number of requirements for eligible FE colleges where it considers that the DfE already provides sufficient oversight. At the same time, the OfS has introduced its new free speech complaints scheme, creating an additional route for regulatory scrutiny in HE provision. VWV advises both FE and HE providers on governance, regulation and compliance.