Thursday
Government spends £5.8bn on SEND deficits
DfE confirms that 129 councils have received cash grant payments to clear 90 per cent of their deficits amid warnings that overspend will continue
Powell rejects claim that she ‘undermined’ Ofsted boss
Education secretary puts her confidence in Sir Martyn Oliver on record in letter responding to Tory criticism, and also confirms she is working with Ofsted on inspection framework reforms
School meal uptake falls in trial of tightened food standards
Some pupils skipped lunch altogether when the food standards were trialled, according to DfE research that reveals the challenges of implementing stricter rules on school meals
DfE warned it must deliver long-term SEND funding plan
Council bosses say schools and local authorities need more certainty on the money that will be available to make the special educational needs reforms work
The film driving a campaign for a fairer approach to attendance
Motherland star Anna Maxwell Martin and the creators of Unauthorised Absence talk to ÌÇÐÄVlog about getting teachers’ input into the film, which shows how fines pit parents and schools against each other
Turtles, teenagers and the risk of temporary solutions
Taking two turtles as pets got this international leader in Taiwan thinking about the danger in school leadership that quick fixes become permanent arrangements that don’t serve the students well
Wednesday
Sir Jon Coles: Data spine an ‘extraordinary overreach’ of government powers
Warnings from leader of country’s biggest multi-academy trust are echoed by education unions and sector groups, who urge the government not to rush the major national data project
Budget 2026: everything schools need to know
Mainstream school spending is projected to fall in real terms, while – in a Budget with few mentions of education – the chancellor announces additional funding for PE and books for young children
‘Useless degree’ fears: how AI is changing student choices
AI tools such as ChatGPT and Gemini are being used for advice on course choices and university destinations, according to a survey of almost 5,000 international students
Is a lack of support forcing dads out of teaching?
The DfE is pushing ahead with improving maternity pay to help keep new mothers in the job, but what about the dads who are teachers? Better paternity support would benefit the whole sector, experts tell Zofia Niemtus
Why school improvement starts with the most isolated staff
If you want to deliver sustainable positive change in a school, you need to look beyond the most visibly successful staff, says this senior leader, who shares his strategic approach
