45 more advisers recruited to join ‘best of the best’ RISE teams Four in five of the government’s new school improvement consultants are from the trust sector
Councils take up to 9% of school budgets for core services Findings challenge claims trusts charge their schools more for services away from classrooms
Schools have 28% of budgets shaved off by academy trust ‘GAG pooling’ Unions are now demanding greater scrutiny over how trusts pool budgets, as schools await promised guidance
Governors told to 鈥榬esign鈥� if they don鈥檛 back Catholic mega MAT plans And another diocese tells governors they could only pass compliance checks with evidence they supported academisation
Kent council’s controversial special school inclusion plans shelved Proposals to redesignate special schools amid accusations some ‘turned away most complex pupils’ faced legal threats
MAT mulls 鈥榓ction short of merger鈥� with other trusts Astrea Academy Trust CEO says ‘there are models for doing things differently’ that would allow trusts to collaborate without joining forces
Fears Catholic school heads ‘coerced’ into mega-MATs Union raises concerns leaders ‘met with hostility’ amid rows over archdiocese plans for ‘universal academisation’
Schools鈥� repair bill 鈥榤uch higher鈥� than 拢13.8bn estimate High-ranking Whitehall official warns cost to fix crumbling estate ‘almost certain’ to be more than thought
Schools warn of staff cuts as Reeves snubs sector Leaders face having to make redundancies, curriculum squeezes and cuts to programmes supporting the poorest pupils