Full Classrooms, Leaking Roofs – and a New DfE Push for Live Teacher Data.

Date | 13th February 2026

Capacity funding: scale, scope and timing

The latest DfE update confirms that a new national bidding round is open for £287 million of post‑16 and construction skills capacity funding in non‑devolved areas. This sits within a wider post‑16 capital budget of £570 million between 2026–27 and 2029–30, split into £375 million for general post‑16 capacity and £195 million for construction skills capacity. The core aim is to help colleges and sixth‑form colleges create additional places for growing 16–19 cohorts, including specialist spaces for technical and construction routes. Bids must be submitted by 5pm on Friday, 17 April 2026, so estates, curriculum and finance teams have a relatively short window to shape projects, gather evidence and secure governor sign‑off.

Education Estates Strategy: a decade of renewal

Running alongside the bidding round is the new Education Estates Strategy, described as a ten‑year “decade of national renewal” for schools and colleges. The strategy introduces a £710 million Renewal and Retrofit Programme for 2025–26 to 2029–30, focused on issues such as leaking roofs, ageing heating systems and resilience to flooding and climate risks. Ministers say this is intended to move away from short‑term “patch and mend” capital works towards more planned investment in the education estate. The Association of Colleges has welcomed the post‑16 capital settlement and the recognition that FE estates need sustained funding, while also noting that the £570 million budget follows a long period of underinvestment in college buildings.

Teacher FTE data collection: new workforce return

On workforce, the DfE has launched a new FE teacher full‑time equivalent (FTE) data collection. FE and sixth‑form colleges must submit total FTE figures for teaching staff on permanent or fixed‑term contracts for the 2023–24, 2024–25 and 2025–26 academic years via the Submit Learner Data service. The collection opened on 2 February and closes at 5pm on Monday, 16 February 2026. The update explains that the purpose is to monitor changes in teacher numbers closer to real time and to use this information to inform policy development and funding decisions earlier. Colleges will be aligning HR, payroll and timetabling records to ensure that the snapshot reflects their teaching workforce accurately.

High-needs places and National Apprenticeship Week

High-needs place change request outcomes for the 2026–27 academic year have also been issued, with a query window open until 27 February 2026. The outcomes confirm which requested changes from local authorities have been agreed and make clear that, where no change is recorded, funded place numbers typically roll forward from the previous year. Colleges and SEND leads will be checking that local authority plans for learners with education, health and care plans align with the pattern of demand they are seeing on the ground.

These announcements coincide with National Apprenticeship Week 2026, running from 9 to 15 February. The capacity package includes a dedicated national Construction Skills Capacity Fund worth £195 million, designed to increase provider capacity in construction and related technical areas as part of a wider £625 million construction skills package. FE Week reporting also links future estate investment to apprenticeships and T Level placements, indicating that builders working on school and college projects will be expected to support training opportunities on their schemes. Together, these measures connect capital investment, workforce data, high-needs places and apprenticeship policy across post‑16 education.