General
Wednesday
1st Jul 2026
How will the MAT CEO pay cap work?
Multi-academy trusts will need government approval before advertising chief executive salaries above £174,000, under plans announced today
Anger over ‘patronising’ DfE heatwave message to heads
Officials question schools that closed early last week because of the heat, telling them it is important for as many pupils as possible to attend
Exclusive
Revealed: Teachers to be offered 3.5% pay rise
The government also announces curbs on the salaries of multi-academy trust executives
Exclusive
DfE spending on influencers exceeds £700K over two years
The spending on influencer marketing at a time when schools are struggling for cash suggests the government is operating in an ‘alternate reality’, says heads’ leader
Monday
29th Jun 2026
Ofsted criticised for ‘inhumane’ inspections during heatwave
School leaders demand explanation for the decision to carry out inspections last week as schools dealt with overheated staff and pupils ‘vomiting left, right and centre’
Exclusive
Pay teachers more in white working-class areas, DfE told
England’s education system is ‘not set up to serve white working-class children and families’, independent inquiry warns
DfE urged to correct ‘misleading’ energy claims
Schools will be pushed into unsuitable contracts after DfE encourages them to sign up to its Maximising Value for Pupils programme, say energy experts
Exclusive
Friday
26th Jun 2026
ASCL falls into deficit, citing ‘severe’ pressure on leaders
School funding shortfalls, along with mounting workload and accountability, have increased demand for support, the union’s annual accounts state
Why the inclusion bases guidance does little to ease heads’ anxiety
The DfE has now set out how it wants SEND inclusion bases to be run in a reformed mainstream school system. But 91¶¶Òõ’ SEND and inclusion editor, John Roberts, says the guidance doesn’t allay leaders’ concerns about what comes next