school funding | Schools Week

Publish funding allocations to academies, MPs tell DfE

Report finds it is ‘not possible’ to tell if ministers are living up to their commitments

State V private school funding gap widens

IfS analysis finds average private school fees are now 92 per cent higher than state funding

SchoolsCompany: Former bosses of scandal-hit academy trust sued over missing millions

A scandal-hit academy trust is suing former trustees to recover up to £2.8 million of “lost public funds”. Experts say the case sets a precedent that should serve as a warning for the sector. Normally the government would just write off liabilities owed by collapsed trusts. An investigation by Schools Week has established the government […]

Leading academy CEOs demand £5.8bn catch-up cash for poorer pupils

A group of leading academy trust bosses have set out proposals for a £5.8 billion Covid recovery plan, as Gavin Williamson confirmed he was lobbying within government for extra school funding. In an unusual intervention, the chief executives of five large multi-academy trusts have co-signed a letter to the education secretary warning failure to adopt […]

School funding will remain below 2009 levels despite government’s spending boost

School spending will still be lower per pupil by 2023 than more than a decade ago under the last Labour government, a new analysis has estimated. Cash available for schools in England will be between 1 and 2 per cent lower in real terms – accounting for inflation – in 2022-23 than it was in […]

Reduce teachers’ timetabled hours in most disadvantaged schools, says Teach First

The government should fund a £30 million-a-year pilot to reduce teachers’ timetabled hours in some of the most disadvantaged schools, Teach First has said, after more than half of teachers backed the idea. The recommendation is one of several in a manifesto published by the charity, which also wants to see overall school funding increased […]

DfE raids own coffers for a tenth of £3.1bn catch-up cash

More than a tenth of the government’s £3.1 billion education catch-up funding is coming from existing Department for Education budgets, ministers have admitted. Education secretary Gavin Williamson has provided a full breakdown of how much money will be spent across various education recovery pledges over the coming years, after MPs demanded answers in June. In […]

Spending review: School budget fears as departments asked to find ‘at least’ 5% savings

The Department for Education has been asked to find savings of “at least” 5 per cent as part of the spending review, leaving it facing cuts that could amount to £4.5 billion and prompting fears of an impact on school budgets. The Treasury announced this week that the spending review, a plan for public spending […]

Two-thirds of heads warn schools face cuts despite ‘record’ funding

Two-thirds of primary school leaders say sharp cutbacks could be needed to balance their books in two years’ time, according to a union survey. The NAHT union warned almost a third of those polled had already made cuts in the past year, with some heads revealing they had cut teaching assistant and site manager roles […]