The Know Daily - Thursday 12 March 2026

_{Read in 4m 17s ∙ Listening to Blackpink ∙}

The world’s happiest country – yes really, according to the World Happiness Report – is offering a free lakeside trip this summer 💓 All you have to do is create a killer Instagram or TikTok and fill out a quick application form. Safe to say we’re rooting for one of our readers to make the cut… 👀

📚 England school reforms

The UK government recently announced major reforms to education in England, with the aim of improving teacher recruitment, student achievement and a sense of belonging at school.

What’s been announced?
The government has pledged £330m towards recruiting 6,500 additional teachers, alongside introducing new teacher training to give educators access to professional development throughout their careers. Maternity pay for teachers is set to double from four to eight weeks of full pay starting in the 2027/28 academic year too (we love!).

There’s also a big focus on improving support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) through a new £4bn fund. The government says it wants earlier identification of needs and better coordination between schools, local authorities and health services, so families don’t have to fight for support. 

Structurally, the system is set to shift too. Over time, all schools are expected to join multi-school trusts, with new national standards and oversight. The curriculum will also be refreshed, and new initiatives aim to widen pupils’ experiences – including greater access to extracurricular activities like arts and sport through an additional £22.5m funding.

What’s the timeline?
These reforms won’t happen overnight. The first phase focuses on workforce changes and pilot programmes during this parliament, including recruitment of the additional teachers and early support programmes for schools. A refreshed national curriculum is expected to be introduced for first teaching in 2028, with updated GCSE qualifications following in 2029. In practice, that means today’s primary pupils could be among the first to experience the new curriculum and exam system by the time they reach secondary school.

What’s the reaction been?
Many welcome the white paper’s emphasis on inclusion and a broader school experience beyond exams. However, experts point out that teacher recruitment and retention have been persistent challenges, and some worry the promised workforce expansion could prove difficult without improvements to workload and funding. Others have suggested that while ambitions of narrowing the disadvantage gap are widely supported, they will require sustained investment and coordination across schools, local authorities and trusts.

What does it mean for families?
For parents and carers, the reforms could translate into a few noticeable changes over time. Schools may place greater emphasis on enrichment activities like arts, sport and outdoor learning, alongside academic results. There may be more detailed “school profiles” designed to give a broader picture of how a school performs, including engagement and wellbeing, not just exam scores. And if the workforce plans succeed, families may also benefit from better teacher availability and more specialist expertise in classrooms as England’s schools evolve over the next decade.

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🛢️ Oil from international reserves in over 30 countries is set to be released in an effort to help stabilise global energy prices.

• The bigger story: Countries that are part of the International Energy Agency, including the UK, US and Australia, have agreed to collectively release about 400 million barrels of oil onto the market after supplies were disrupted by the conflict involving Iran. The aim is to increase supply and help calm price rises that can feed through into everyday costs like petrol, transport and heating. It's the sixth coordinated stock release since the IEA was founded in 1974.

🎶 Pop music’s becoming less dominated by the English language, according to Spotify, which says songs in 16 different languages appeared in its Global Top 50 last year.

💷 British wildlife will replace historical figures on the next series of Bank of England banknotes – and we’ll be able to have our say on which animals will be the stars of the show!

🪑 The final 92 hereditary peers (members of British aristocracy who inherit their titles and automatically enter the House of Lords) are to lose their seats now that a historic bill has passed through parliament.

🦔 Hedgehogs have super-hearing, meaning ultrasound repellers could keep them safe from roads, scientists have said.

💊 A non-hormonal drug for treating hot flushes and night sweats during menopause has been made available on the NHS in England. 

🏙️ The 50 best cities in the world have been revealed, following a survey asking the opinions of 24,000 locals.

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Trivia answer: B) The 30m-long painting was the backdrop for ballet performances in 1939.

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