White Paper – Every Child Achieving and Thriving

Response to Every Child Achieving and Thriving

The government’s 2026 white paper Every Child Achieving and Thriving, lands at a moment when teachers are already navigating a complex landscape of curriculum expectations and changes, widening attainment gaps and the ongoing pressure to ensure that no pupil is left behind. However, many professionals would agree that there is a clear need for change: the status quo is no longer working, if indeed it ever has. Too many children, families and teachers are being let down by the current system so it is welcoming to see that this is being recognised by the government. The opening paragraphs of the foreword by Bridget Phillipson highlight the need for change and state that there is disconnect between families and schools. Many of the schools we work with tell us about the challenges they face and experience this disconnect first-hand.

No one would argue against the vision and intentions of the white  paper – success for all including the most disadvantaged in our society – but what should that look like and how will it be achieved? We will examine what the white paper means for classroom practice, consider the opportunities it creates, and offer practical, research‑aligned steps teachers can take to turn its ambitions into reality.

Literacy as the Foundation of ‘Achieving and Thriving’

The white paper places strong emphasis on early intervention, high‑quality teaching, and evidence‑informed practice. As stated in The Writing Framework published in 2025, literacy is the gateway to every other subject. When children read fluently, write confidently, and speak with clarity, they access the full curriculum and participate more fully in school life.

What’s encouraging is that the paper recognises literacy not as a single skill but as a collection of competencies – reading, writing, understanding and building vocabulary, oracy, comprehension, and critical thinking. This aligns with what teachers see daily: literacy is woven through every lesson and every interaction.

‘Good writing is essential, not just for allowing children to express themselves, but for scaffolding and supporting complex thought. We will continue to support schools in implementing our recently published writing framework. It marks the beginning of our longer-term plan to help teachers to support all children to become confident and fluent writers who can share their ideas and find their voice in the classroom and beyond.’ 

(Department for Education 2026)

Schools can use this policy moment to focus on whole‑school literacy strategies and practice, ensuring consistency across school and progress for all pupils.

Early Intervention: More Than Phonics

The white paper’s focus on early intervention is welcome but it’s vital that this is interpreted broadly. The importance of the 0-5 years cannot be overstated and many teachers, particularly those who work in more disadvantaged areas, would agree that there was, and still is, a huge impact following the closure of many of the services that were previously available such as Sure Start Centres. I cannot think of an early years practitioner who would not welcome the return of these or something similar in its place. Thinking more specifically through a literacy lens, phonics is essential but it is not the whole story. A well‑rounded literacy education is strengthened by the following components:

• Rich oral language experiences
• Explicit vocabulary instruction
• Opportunities to develop comprehension strategies
• Access to high‑quality texts
• Time to develop their own reading preferences

High‑Quality Teaching: The Heart of the White Paper

The white paper repeatedly emphasises the importance of high‑quality teaching. This is not new but it is significant. As Professor Becky Francis CBE, CEO of the EEF says, teachers remain the single most important in‑school factor in pupil achievement.

What matters now is how schools interpret high‑quality teaching in literacy and how they implement or maintain consistency with the most effective approaches. Writing is cognitively demanding: it requires vocabulary, grammar, planning, transcription, and critical thinking. Many pupils struggle because they lack the foundational knowledge to express themselves clearly. There is a huge body of research and evidence-based practice that tells us that teaching should be as follows:

• Explicit (with clear modelling, guided practice, effective feedback)
• Cumulative (skills taught progressively, revisited and strengthened over time)
• Knowledge‑rich (building background knowledge to support understanding)
• Responsive (using assessment and quality questioning to adapt teaching)

This is where professional development becomes crucial. Teachers need time, space, and support to deepen their understanding of teaching and learning in response to the latest research and recommendations.

Addressing the Attainment Gap Through Literacy

The white paper acknowledges the widening gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers. Literacy is one of the most powerful levers for closing this gap.

Low literacy skills, poor attendance, and SEMH and wellbeing needs are the most frequently cited barriers to attainment for disadvantaged pupils, according to analysis conducted by the EEF.

Children from language‑rich homes typically start school with thousands more words in their vocabulary. Without targeted support, this gap widens every year. By secondary school, it can become a gulf too huge to bridge.

What teachers can do: have a structured approach to vocabulary instruction – every subject has its own language, and pupils need explicit teaching to master it. Combine this with structured talk, reading across the curriculum, and scaffolds that are gradually removed as independence grows. The white paper also reiterates the need for a comprehensive oracy framework and doubles down on the promise made in the curriculum and assessment review to fulfil this. This will be a great support for many teachers to have clarity around what good speaking and listening looks like and, more importantly, how to support all pupils to achieve it.

Turning Policy Into Practice: What Teachers Need

As Bridget Phillipson states in the foreword of the white paper, ‘Childhood is changing and our education system must change with it.’

The government acknowledges that largescale change takes time and investment, as well as shared goals and a common desire by all stakeholders to affect the change. ‘…this ambitious white paper sits alongside our wider plan to rebuild our public services.’ It needs to be a shared responsibility and not just fall at the feet of education to enact societal change. It will require parents, schools and government, local authorities and MATs, healthcare, social services and communities to work together as one.

For the ambitions of Every Child Achieving and Thriving to be realised, teachers and schools will need

• Time for professional development
• Access to high‑quality resources
• Support for evidence‑informed practice
• Space to collaborate
• Trust in their professional judgement
• Funding to support the most disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils

Policy sets the direction but teachers do the work. The white paper’s success will depend on how well schools are supported to implement its recommendations.

The white paper offers a vision of a system where every child can achieve and thrive. As teachers, you are already doing the daily, transformative work that makes this possible.

This moment is an opportunity to strengthen what works, challenge what doesn’t, and build an education culture that lifts every learner. The policy may set the agenda, but it is your expertise, creativity and commitment that will bring it to life.