Enrichment in England: what the new school benchmarks mean

A school day is more than lessons and exams. A debate, orchestra rehearsal, coding club, football team, volunteering project or residential can give a child a chance to discover an interest, practise working with others and feel that school is a place where they belong.

That is the thinking behind England’s new enrichment framework. Published by the Department for Education in June 2026, it gives schools and colleges eight benchmarks for reviewing their offer. In October, the government also announced £22.5 million of tailored support for more than 400 secondary schools in disadvantaged communities.

The framework is guidance, not a new compulsory timetable. Its real test will be whether it makes opportunity less dependent on a family’s postcode, money or confidence in navigating school life.

What counts as enrichment?

The DfE’s framework covers activities beyond the statutory curriculum, both during and outside the school day. Its five broad categories are civic engagement; arts and culture; nature, outdoor and adventure; sport and physical activity; and wider life and future skills, including STEM and digital literacy.

That could mean a school council and community project, a school play, gardening, a sports club, a cooking course, a museum visit or an enterprise project. The point is breadth. A school with a strong football team but no accessible creative, cultural or civic opportunities would not meet the spirit of the framework.

The eight benchmarks, in plain English

The benchmarks ask schools to build an offer that is strategically aligned, broad, well communicated, shaped by their community, accessible, delivered with partners, focused on outcomes and continually improved. None of those words guarantees quality on its own, but together they create a sensible set of questions.

• Strategic: leaders and governors understand how enrichment supports the school’s priorities, such as attendance, wellbeing, careers or personal development.
• Broad: every pupil can encounter several different kinds of activity, rather than being offered one narrow route.
• Accessible: cost, transport, disability, caring responsibilities and confidence are considered so that “available” means more than “technically advertised”.
• Community-shaped: pupils, families and local partners have a voice in what is offered.
• Improving: schools monitor participation and learn what works, rather than assuming a club is successful because it has existed for years.

Why is this happening now?

The government says more than 14,000 young people contributed to its State of the Nation survey, with respondents highlighting the importance of safe spaces, trusted adults, mental health support and activities. Its wider ambition is to reduce the participation gap between disadvantaged young people and their peers by 2035.

The October announcement gives the policy a practical delivery strand. More than 400 secondary schools will receive support through the Enrichment Expansion programme, with coordinators helping groups of schools identify gaps, work with local organisations and develop plans. The government has also announced the £132.5 million Every Child Can programme for activities in schools and communities at weekends and during holidays.

These are significant commitments, but they are not a promise that every school will suddenly have the same menu of clubs. Funding, staffing, facilities and local partnerships still matter. A good framework can clarify the work; it cannot remove every constraint.

What does the evidence say?

It is tempting to describe enrichment as an attainment strategy. The evidence is more nuanced. The Education Endowment Foundation’s toolkit estimates a small average academic impact for physical activity, while stressing that the quality of the programme and any connection to learning matter more than the activity’s label. Its arts participation summary reports a positive average impact but also warns that evidence quality and implementation vary.

That is why families should value enrichment for more than grades. Confidence, teamwork, belonging, physical health, cultural experience and the chance to find a genuine interest all matter. The school’s job is to explain the intended benefit and check whether pupils are actually participating and benefiting — not to promise that a club automatically raises exam results.

What should parents ask a school?

Parents do not need a specialist vocabulary to test the quality of an enrichment offer. Useful questions include:

• What activities are available across the five categories, and how often can pupils take part?
• Are there costs for equipment, trips or transport, and what help is available?
• How can a child with SEND, a medical need or a busy caring schedule participate?
• How does the school hear what pupils actually want?
• How does the school know who is missing out, and what does it do about that?
• Are activities connected to careers, the curriculum or local community opportunities where that is helpful?

Families should also look for clarity rather than prestige. A small, well-supported club that a child can attend regularly may be more valuable than an impressive list that is difficult to access.

A promising framework, not a finished result

England’s enrichment benchmarks give schools a useful shared language for an area that has often depended on individual staff enthusiasm and family resources. The strongest part is the emphasis on breadth and access: children should not have to be unusually confident, wealthy or well connected to discover what they can do.

But the framework is non-statutory, and the early funding will not reach every school in the same way. The next question is delivery: whether schools publish a clear offer, remove practical barriers, listen to pupils and improve it when participation is uneven. For parents, that is the most meaningful sign to watch. Enrichment is not an extra decoration around education; it is part of how a child finds a place in it.