Local authority round-up 13 March 2026
13th March, 2026
Our Local Authority round up provides brief summaries of topical information on a weekly basis, to keep you aware of the changes and updates relevant to you.
Education
First students to do V Levels from 2027 as part of reform to post-16 system that will prepare students for future jobs
Young people will be able to take the very first V Levels in education, finance and digital in 2027 under landmark reforms to help young people secure well-paid jobs.
The government have introduced V Levels as an equivalent to A levels but are designed around learning for real jobs and skills employers actually need. Students who want to specialise in technical, sector-focused studies will also have more options through T Levels, which combine study and real-work experience. T Levels are also set to be expanded to include subjects such as Sport, Fitness and Exercise Science, along with Care Services.
These new qualifications will be introduced next year for 16-year-olds, providing a year of study before progressing to V Levels, T Levels or A Levels, with initial subjects in Education, Early Years and Digital. A separate two-year employment-focused route will also be available for those aiming to move straight into work or an apprenticeship, starting in Catering and Hospitality, and Education and Early Years.
For more information, please click here.
Stronger protections for children with allergies in school
Life-saving allergy pens must be stocked by schools for the first time under new plans announced. This move will also see compulsory training for teachers and a requirement for each school to have a dedicated allergy policy.
As well as saving lives, the new measures will help children stay in school, with 500,000 days of learning lost due to allergy-related illnesses or medical appointments in the last year.
The new statutory requirements mean for the first time schools must:
- Stock ‘spare’ adrenaline auto-injectors for use in emergency situations.
- Provide allergy awareness training for all staff, covering recognition of symptoms, emergency response and the use of adrenaline devices alongside improved incident recording and lessons learnt processes.
- Have completed a comprehensive policy for supporting children with medical conditions, including Individual Healthcare Plans to record specific arrangements for individuals like an allergy management plan.
This guidance will standardise practise, pointing to a collection of reliable resources for teachers to use, and work in parallel to the government’s open call to businesses to support with costs such as adrenaline auto-injectors.
For more information, please click here.
Health & Social Care
Boost for patients as the government increases the dental workforce by thousands.
Thousands more dentists will be available to see patients, opening up appointments across the country by boosting places on two professional registration exams.
As it stands, thousands of fully qualified dentists from overseas who are often already living in the UK are unable to practise because of limited exam capacity. To combat this, a total of 2,400 more overseas-trained dentists, many of whom are already living in this country and waiting for the opportunity to help, could be registered annually from 2028/29.
Due to new government investment, final exam places run by the Royal College of Surgeons of England will be increasing nearly ten-fold, allowing up to 1,350 overseas-trained dentists to join the General Dental Councill registered annually by 2028 and be available to provide dental services, including NHS treatments, in the UK.
In conjunction, the General Dental Council will expand the number of places in its Overseas Registration Exam, meaning more than 1,000 overseas-trained dentists are expected to join the register annually via this route by 2028/29.
For more information, please click here.
Upcoming events
Procurement and public law update
Date: 24 March 2026
Time: 9.am – 11.30 am
Location: Ward Hadaway, 5 Wellington Place, Leeds, LS1 4AP
Our in-person Procurement and Public Law Update covers the new procurement rules and their increased transparency requirements.
This seminar will look at what those changes have meant in practice since both the new Act and the new NHS regime came into force. We will give practical tips on how to manage procurements now and how to deal with the risks of challenge when the timescales are so tight.
Register here to join this free session with procurement law experts Tim Care and Matthew Brady.
Please note that this briefing is designed to be informative, not advisory and represents our understanding of English law and practice as at the date indicated. We would always recommend that you should seek specific guidance on any particular legal issue.
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