28 March 2022 White paper sets a target for all schools to be in strong MATs by 2030

The schools white paper, 'Opportunity for all: strong schools with great teachers for your child', sets a target for all schools to be in strong multi-academy trusts (MATs), or have plans to join or form one, by 2030

Other policies include

• the DfE will expect most trusts to work towards serving at least 10 schools or 7500 pupils
• the proportion of schools a trust can run in a particular area will be capped, though no cap will be imposed on trust size overall
• a review in May will consider new intervention powers over academy trusts if they fail to meet new statutory standards for being strong MATs
• clearer expectations for trusts over providing high-quality, inclusive education, school improvement, financial management, parental engagement and workforce deployment, training and retention
• trusts facing new statutory duties to work collaboratively with other trusts, councils and public bodies, and follow the admission code
• top-slicing faces new 'transparency measures'
• in exceptional circumstances, good schools may be able to request moving trust
• £86m over three years for trust capacity funding, with additional financial support for dioceses
• a new CEO development scheme open to executive heads and senior trust staff
• a consultation to move schools with two consecutive Ofsted judgements below good into strong trusts
• a consultation proposes new powers to force 'coasting' maintained schools and academies (those with two consecutive Ofsted ratings below good) to convert or change trusts
• regional schools commissioners to become regional directors
• the DfE will consider bids for high-quality standalone free schools, but avoid converting schools as standalone academies
• a £40m fund is promised for 24 priority areas among the 55 'education investment areas' to address particular needs, such as literacy, numeracy or absence.  These areas will also be targeted for establishing new academically-focused 16-19 free schools
• legislation will protect faith schools' statutory freedoms and protections on conversion
• a pledge to ensure that selective schools are secure in MATs
• the government will discuss plans for all trusts to have local governance arrangements for their schools

4 February 2022 Government sets out plans for education in the 'Levelling up' white paper

As part of the 'Levelling up' white paper published this week, the government has pledged to ensure that 90% of pupils leave primary school by 2030 with the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics

Other plans include

- targeted support for schools in new education investment areas (EIAs) 

- encouraging schools to run new 16 to 19 free schools, with priority given to EIAs

- consultation on moving schools with 'successive' requires improvement ratings into multi-academy trusts (MATs)

- a new national academy, available online, to 'stretch' pupils

- schools publishing mandatory food statements

- providing £5m for a new cooking curriculum

- setting up a pilot project to inspect food standards

- funding a reformed National Citizen Service for the next three years

- a clear vision for schools being in strong MATs - a schools white paper is expected to address the issue of schools structures

12 January 2022 DfE to reform how local authorities' school improvement functions are funded

The Department for Education (DfE) has announced that it will implement the proposals for reforming how local authorities' school improvement functions are funded following a consultation late in 2021

The local authority school improvement monitoring and brokering grant, forecast to be around £42million in 2022-23 will be reduced by 50% for the financial year 2022-2023, prior to full removal in the following financial year

Local authorities will be allowed to deduct funding for their core school improvement activities from maintained school budgets to seek to cover the shortfall

During the consultation, local authorities feared that such 'top-slicing' could meet local opposition, but the DfE has said that it will 'reserve the right to permit de-delegation against the wishes of a school forum'