Schools

‘Recovery premium’ rolled out for all special school and AP pupils

Catch-up cash will increase for mainstream secondaries, rising to £60k on average, but rates frozen for most primaries

Tom Belger
Tom Belger
Academies

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

Tom Belger
Tom Belger
School funding

DfE boast of £1 billion savings ‘shameful’, says union

Experts say budget cuts mean school savings are 'unsurprising'

Tom Belger
Tom Belger
Covid

Teacher recruitment targets hiked as DfE predicts post-Covid exodus

Ministers have repeatedly missed past targets, but slashed trainee bursaries during a short-lived Covid boom

Tom Belger
Tom Belger
Covid

Academy reserves surge to £3.9 billion after Covid savings

The average academy trust saw their reserves jump 29%, boosted by unlikely Covid windfalls

Tom Belger
Tom Belger
Grammar Schools

£64m to make grammar schools more inclusive – but the gap widens

Despite pandemic surge in free school meals rates, grammars given expansion cash have fallen further behind

Freddie Whittaker
Freddie Whittaker
Schools

Don’t let your energy contracts expire, DfE warns schools

Buying energy out of contract will be 'more expensive', leaders told

Samantha Booth
Samantha Booth
Schools

Special schools left ‘begging’ councils for tax hike cash

One trust considers legal action over £400,000 loss, while council says it will scrutinise pay before handing out cash

James Carr
James Carr
Schools

Many DfE cost-cutters couldn’t find schools savings, survey reveals

School resource management advisers have been visiting schools since 2018

Tom Belger
Tom Belger