Jump in reserves leaves maintained schools sitting on £2.2 billion Covid savings and project delays shored up reserves before the current cost-of-living squeeze
Devon council appoints academy chiefs to run education services Experts say academisation is increasingly hollowing out council expertise in education
29 areas vie for spots on council academy trust pilot Only a third of councils which applied are likely to be able to join the pilot launching their own trusts
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’
Council to lend academy £1m for Holland Park bid as Harris also enters battle A standalone academy co-sponsored by Kensington and Chelsea is vying with Harris and United Learning to run the scandal-hit school
Government withholds SEND bailouts as councils told to fill £269m hole Some DfE bailout payments were delayed as councils failed to hit agreed targets, while all councils are being told to plug deficits ‘now’
Six in 10 councils face DfE intervention to cut SEND deficits All councils also face new guidance on making spending on pupils with special educational needs and disabilities ‘sustainable’
Council MAT trial next year – but caps on number and size The DfE will ‘test the concept’ of local authority multi-academy trusts, inviting councils to join a small trial
DfE hiring up to 8 more advisers to oversee attendance push A handful of councils alone have slashed more attendance staff than the DfE plans to recruit