Welcome to the academy trust merger era New analysis of government figures shows 2,460 trusts were running schools in October, down by 100 or 3.9% year on year
KS2 SATs pushed back over King’s coronation bank holiday The Standards and Testing Agency said key stage 2 test dates will be moved to accommodate the extra May bank holiday in honour of King Charles
DfE warned its trust CEO scheme risks breaching competition law Training providers warn plans to launch a MAT leadership development programme could wipe them out and risk breaching competition rules
‘No-ego’ trust group vows to speak for MATs who don’t feel heard The Queen Street Group has doubled in size as it vows to champion diverse trust voices and help more women into top jobs
No need to rush into trusts, governance expert tells schools National Governance Association chief says it’s still up to ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ schools whether to join MATs
Ministers mull school funding black hole immunity extension Soaring demand for SEND support has left councils with a £1.9 billion deficit
£18m academy growth cash ‘shows coasting double standard’ New rules enable government to force schools with two consecutive less-than-good inspections into new trusts
New ESFA chief vows ‘culture shift’ to ease trust fears Watchdog must avoid jumping to ‘punitive measures too quickly’, but ‘laser-like’ focus on financial management justified
Minister admits ‘transparency’ needed over academy transfers and conversion MATs and academy-sceptics alike are likely to welcome more transparency about why schools get transferred to particular trusts