council | Schools Week

Council attempt to cut academies’ intake ‘absurd’, says MAT boss

CEO fears Labour reforms will give authorities hit by falling rolls more teeth to squeeze academy intakes

Revealed: Asbestos row behind school’s £500k legal stand-off

Reading council issued High Court proceedings in September to recover debt and interest from Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre

GMB union ballots school support staff over £1,925 pay rise

Members polled over a pay deal worth 10.5% for the lowest-paid school staff and 4% for some higher earners

Councils offer school support staff pay rise worth almost £2,000 each

It leaves schools facing another unfunded cost increase that will further stretch budgets

Council trusts allowed to run schools beyond their own boundaries

Sector leaders said LA-founded MATs should be allowed to expand anywhere like other trusts, but one expert warned of council ‘power struggles’

Covid savings fuel record turnaround in maintained school finances

Lower energy and exam costs saved schools millions during lockdowns

£45 million for schools to prevent violence ‘nowhere near’ amount needed

Experts have warned £45 million package of school funding is “nowhere near” enough to tackle youth violence, highlighting a decade of cutbacks to public services and the need for more wide-ranging reforms. The government announced the funding on Monday as part of a wider “beating crime plan”, promising to launch schools-based taskforces in “serious violence […]

MPs tell government to ‘shake up status quo’ on home education

MPs have slammed an “astonishing” lack of data on the number of children educated at home, and called for more powers for councils to check on their progress and welfare. School leaders backed calls for the government to introduce a national register of children educated at home, and to investigate a recent rise amid concerns […]

School staff in Devon get £10 each as Covid thank you gesture

A council with a £50 million deficit has given its schools around £65,000 to spend on staff as a “token of appreciation” for their hard work and resilience during the pandemic. Devon County Council (DCC) has awarded its schools £10 per employee to spend “in whatever way they think best to thank teaching and support […]