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16 May 2026

Posts by
John Dickens

Showing 10 out of 1274

Opinion

The real SEND story behind the OBR shock

One trust leader calls for caution over shock estimates of the potential impact of SEND funding

Wayne Norrie

27 Nov 2025 | Opinion: Inclusion
Opinion

5 helpful ways ministers can support schools to cut costs

With this week's budget expected to offer little for squeezed schools, one trust leader outlines ...

Keziah Featherstone

24 Nov 2025 | Opinion
Features

Lynsey Holzer, CEO, Active Learning Trust

Lynsey Holzer on why trust CEOs need more accountability, how she brought business leadership to the MAT ...

John Dickens

25 Nov 2025 | Profile
Opinion

Why the MAT debate misses the real opportunity

School-led partnerships offer the benefits of trusts without the restructuring, and work for schools that ...

Stephen Hall

24 Nov 2025 | Opinion
Opinion

Why mergers succeed, and what we can learn from those that don’t

Trusts that bear the battle scars of past mergers show us that a match of values is more important than ...

Samira Sadeghi

21 Nov 2025 | The Boardroom Leader
Opinion

Our GAG pooling didn’t go to plan. Here’s what we learned

REAch2 set out to resolve funding inequity across its schools by pooling its funding. It had to pause the ...

Cathie Paine

21 Nov 2025 | Opinion
Opinion

5 lessons from top trusts on parent communication

Families do not always feel listened to or understood in school communications. Here's some top tips to ...

Jessica Shepherd

20 Nov 2025 | Opinion: Solutions
Opinion

It’s time to unite schools and health services … and here’s how

Our Schools and Health Framework lays the foundations for partnership working, say Dawn Haywood and Claire ...

Dawn HaywoodClaire Gething

20 Nov 2025 | Opinion
Opinion

We listened to schools on breakfast clubs – now we’re acting

Early education minister says flagship free breakfast clubs will be game-changer for pupils with special ...

Olivia Bailey

19 Nov 2025 | Opinion
Opinion

Curriculum review was missed opportunity to improve SEND crisis

The curriculum review promised to remove blocks for schools to deliver good outcomes for children with ...

Jo Hutchinson

14 Nov 2025 | Inclusion