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’
Covid wipes almost a third off academies’ fundraising income Charity Parentkind said PTA fundraisers upped their hours last year, but suffered from cancelled events and less lucrative virtual ones
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’
Infant free school meals funding rate to rise by just 7p Nadhim Zahawi says increase is ‘because we know more can be done in the face of rising costs”‘
‘Fair funding’ promised by 2027, and 8 more school cash changes Another DfE consultation on the national funding formula outlines raft of new proposals
‘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
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 boast of £1 billion savings ‘shameful’, says union Experts say budget cuts mean school savings are ‘unsurprising’
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