All posts tagged: school funding

Academy trust with £9m deficit names new CEO

Academy trust with £9m deficit names new CEO

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The academy trust in the largest financial hole in England has named its new chief executive, days after the resignation of its last boss. Lisa Walton has today been installed as acting CEO of the St Ralph Sherwin Catholic MAT, which has been the subject of ministerial scrutiny and strikes after sliding into an over £9 million deficit. This comes after the 25-school chain announced on Friday that previous chief Kevin Gritton, who had been in post for almost four years, had resigned with immediate effect. The new CEO St Ralph chair Sarah Noon confirmed this afternoon that Walton has been appointed acting chief until August 2027. “The appointment is effective from today and has been approved by the Bishop of Nottingham and the Department for Education,” she added. For the last four years, Walton has been deputy of the East Midlands Education, which has 24 schools on its books. “During this time, she also served as interim CEO for 14 months. She is a practising Catholic,” Noon continued. “On behalf of the trust board, …

Schools ‘expected’ to use government route to buy tech

Schools ‘expected’ to use government route to buy tech

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Schools will be “expected” to secure management information system (MIS) suppliers through a new government framework from next year. Today’s announcement comes after Schools Week revealed last year that ministers were looking to shield schools from the £200 million MIS turf war by creating the new purchasing route. The move is part of the Department for Education’s “maximising value for pupils” programme – a wide-ranging scheme aiming to boost “investment in the school system, so every pound delivers for children”. Speaking this afternoon, education secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “Our new framework means schools no longer have to do it themselves. “We are stepping in to support them to drive down costs, protect pupils’ data, and lift the burden so the school workforce can focus on what they came into the job to do.” 2027 target The department told leaders in November it understands buying MIS “can be difficult”, as it looked “to create a simpler purchasing route that reduces costs and legal risks with suppliers”. Slides shown during a DfE websinar the same month said officials want to …

£320m fund scrapped by government

£320m fund scrapped by government

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The £320 million PE and sport premium for primary schools will be scrapped in favour of a new “partnerships network” with around 40 per cent less annual funding. Ministers said last year they would review the funding stream as it was “not delivering the step change that we would like to see”. Now the Department for Education has said a new “PE and school sport partnerships network” will run from spring 2027, bringing targeted support to primary and secondary schools based on their needs. This could include providing new coaches, top-up swimming lessons and increased extra-curricular activities to meet local demand. Schools will also be able to access a universal offer, which will include online training. Rather than money flowing directly to schools as it does now, a national delivery partner will work with national governing bodies to deliver this support. Annual funding for PE and sports has also been cut. The DfE said the network will receive £580 million over three years, working out as less than £200 million a year, 40 per cent …

More academy trusts £1m+ in the red, but others improve

More academy trusts £1m+ in the red, but others improve

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The number of trusts over £1 million in the red has almost doubled in a year as leaders warn it is “tougher than ever” to keep pace with increased costs. Overall, eighty-three trusts running 293 academies had deficits by the end of 2024-25, Schools Week analysis has found, narrowly down on 12 months before. But seven are now saddled with seven-figure holes in their budgets, up from four a year earlier. The highest is £9.2 million. Source link

Almost 4 in 10 leaders expect to cut SEND support

Almost 4 in 10 leaders expect to cut SEND support

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Almost four in 10 leaders expect their school will make cuts to support for pupils with SEND next year, sparking concerns over a “worrying gap” between government reform ambitions and the reality on the frontline. A Sutton Trust-commissioned poll, conducted by the National Foundation for Educational Research, shows more than 40 per cent of leaders have already slashed resources to support children with SEND this year. Nearly a quarter have also reduced teacher assistant numbers. Government ‘contradictions’ Thirty-six per cent of the leaders quizzed during the study anticipated further cutbacks to SEND support in 2026-27. Just under 60 per cent expect teaching assistant reductions, while 37 per cent said support staff would be slashed. This was despite 43 per cent reporting they had made SEND support cuts this year. This was particularly prevalent in primaries (45 per cent). Many have also made reductions to teaching assistants (71 per cent), support staff (49 per cent) and teaching staff (30 per cent). The figures were lower than those recorded by the Sutton Trust last year, but come …

Trust failed to clear payment to outgoing ‘senior executive’

Trust failed to clear payment to outgoing ‘senior executive’

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MAT also did not conduct internal audit as reserves tumbled due to ‘rising costs’, accounts show MAT also did not conduct internal audit as reserves tumbled due to ‘rising costs’, accounts show More from this theme Recent articles An under-pressure academy trust broke rules over a £15,000 payment to a former school leader.   Latest accounts for the Tenterden Schools Trust (TST) in Kent show it made the error as it entered into a settlement agreement with an outgoing “senior executive” last year.  The six-school chain also admitted to failing to carry out internal financial checks last year. Its reserves fell by more than 40 per cent over the period. Jonathan Wilden, TST’s CEO, said his academies were “finding rising costs a challenge while wanting to do as much to support children”.  He added: “They have no choice but to utilise reserves while conducting an accurate analysis of curriculum and staffing models with headteachers.” Accounts show a settlement agreement – entered into before Wilden’s arrival – contained a “provision for pay in lieu of notice …