Politics

Islington’s Education Plan 2023-2030: Key Changes and What Residents Will See

The borough’s education strategy targets reducing exclusions, improving attendance, and raising exam results, with shifts expected under a new Ofsted framework.

By Islington Policy Desk · Published 25 July 2026

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Islington Council’s Education Plan 2023-2030 is starting to take shape, with a focus on reducing Fixed Term Exclusions, tackling Persistent Absence, and lowering the number of 16-19-year-olds not in Education, Employment, or Training (NEET). For local families and school staff, the changes will mean a refreshed approach to how schools support pupils who struggle to attend or stay in lessons.

What the Plan Aims to Do

The plan sets a target for all pupils in Islington to achieve exam results in the top 25% in London by 2030. It also seeks to cut permanent exclusions and suspensions across the borough’s schools. These goals come at a time when national funding for school improvement has tightened: the School Improvement Monitoring and Brokering grant was reduced by 50% in the 2022/23 academic year and fell to 0% in 2023/24, limiting the resources available for local oversight and support.

How This Affects Islington Families

For parents, the most visible impact will be on attendance and behaviour policies. Schools are expected to adopt more targeted interventions to keep pupils in classrooms, rather than relying on suspensions or fixed-term exclusions. The borough is also working to ensure that students with special educational needs or those eligible for free school meals, groups that, according to 2025 data, already achieve better outcomes in Islington than their peers nationally, continue to receive extra support. Persistent post-pandemic attendance challenges remain a concern, and the plan prioritises reversing this trend.

A New Inspection Era

A significant change on the horizon is Ofsted’s move to a new inspection framework, expected to take effect in November 2025. The current system of single-word judgments (such as “Outstanding” or “Requires Improvement”) will be replaced, and routine inspections have been suspended until then. This means Islington schools will be operating without formal Ofsted ratings for much of the 2025 calendar year, which could affect how parents choose schools and how schools approach improvement planning. The council is preparing for this transition as part of its broader education strategy.

What Comes Next

Implementation of the Education Plan will unfold over the rest of the decade, with annual progress reports expected to track metrics on exclusions, attendance, and NEET numbers. Residents can expect to see changes in how local schools communicate about behaviour support and attendance, as well as more resources directed at early intervention. The suspension of Ofsted inspections until late 2025 adds a layer of uncertainty, but Islington’s focus remains on steady improvement rather than quick fixes, with the 2030 benchmark as the horizon.