Conflict questions as Labour moves to single regulator Former official claims closing ESFA ‘bad news for transparency and fairness’, but others welcome the change
ESFA annual report and accounts: 8 things we learned £4.5m academy write-offs, risks of ‘errors’ and bumper £107k ‘exit package’ payout
12 ESFA staff get £50k+ exit packages amid restructure Annual accounts of funding agency also reveal how £5.8m in debts owed by academies have been written-off
Lilac Sky trust founder Averre-Beeson banned from running schools Two leaders of collapsed trust barred seven years after government intervention, and with investigation report STILL not published
20% rise in cost-cutter savings and 6 more ESFA accounts findings Government agency also admits it paid £2.1m to the wrong organisation – but managed to get the funds back
ESFA ‘sorry’ as academy trust handbook issued days before taking effect With a caretaker government in power, the 2022 academy handbook includes only limited changes
Trust blames not balancing books on lack of DfE Covid cash An expert said standalone academies faced particular challenges, but Covid boosted rather than worsened many schools’ finances
Everything you need to know about the ESFA review The agency will be stripped of academy oversight, lose hundreds of staff and face a governance shakeup after the Bell review
Let schools quit trusts and create super-regulator to complete academisation, ministers told Ex-adviser also calls for ‘range of new powers’ for councils under fully-academised system