John Dickens | Schools Week

The real SEND story behind the OBR shock

One trust leader calls for caution over shock estimates of the potential impact of SEND funding

5 helpful ways ministers can support schools to cut costs

With this week’s budget expected to offer little for squeezed schools, one trust leader outlines suggestions for ministers to help schools balance the books

Lynsey Holzer, CEO, Active Learning Trust

Lynsey Holzer on why trust CEOs need more accountability, how she brought business leadership to the MAT boardroom and why she tells her staff she loves them … “More accountability” was not the answer I was expecting from a question to a trust CEO about the sector’s biggest issue. “I would find it really hard […]

Why the MAT debate misses the real opportunity

School-led partnerships offer the benefits of trusts without the restructuring, and work for schools that want to collaborate but keep their identity, says this leader

Why mergers succeed, and what we can learn from those that don’t

Trusts that bear the battle scars of past mergers show us that a match of values is more important than efficiency, says a governance expert

Our GAG pooling didn’t go to plan. Here’s what we learned

REAch2 set out to resolve funding inequity across its schools by pooling its funding. It had to pause the plans – but here’s what they learnt (and why they are still doing it)

5 lessons from top trusts on parent communication

Families do not always feel listened to or understood in school communications. Here’s some top tips to resolve that

It’s time to unite schools and health services … and here’s how

Our Schools and Health Framework lays the foundations for partnership working, say Dawn Haywood and Claire Gething

We listened to schools on breakfast clubs – now we’re acting

Early education minister says flagship free breakfast clubs will be game-changer for pupils with special needs as next rollout phase begins