£760m SEND reforms cash to come from schools budget rise Funding expert warns schools ‘next few years are going to feel very tight’ as leaders say settlement ‘well short of what’s needed’
DfE faces renewed calls for free school meals auto-enrolment Report warns of a ‘postcode lottery’ of take-up, with some vulnerable families struggling with the sign-up process
Spending review 2025: What’s in it for schools? School funding and capital cash rise (a bit), Ofsted budget boost, school library scheme and a schools white paper
School funding to rise by around 1% per pupil each year £4.7bn cash increase will result in average real-terms per-pupil funding growth of 0.9 per cent per year
Free school meals extension: What schools need to know Schools told to keep eligibility under ‘continued review’ from 2026, but to avoid ‘sudden loss’ of entitlement mid-year
Popular schools should prioritise places for poorer pupils, says charity Teach First calls for pilot that boosts pupil premium funding to motivate schools to be more inclusive
Mums who return to teaching part-time more likely to stay New study reveals how the first 12 months back are crucial for retaining new mums
Schools risk ‘inadvertently’ breaking minimum wage law Bottom end of unqualified teacher pay scales could fall below legal requirements, legal experts warn
DfE reviews pupil premium amid free meals extension concerns But the education secretary rejects ‘barefaced lie’ as Tories claim schools could lose £1.5bn