This week I highlight a free webinar to support governors with their school’s climate action plan, confirmation that the Schools Financial Benchmarking website will soon be switched off and the DfE’s announcement that it aims to produce a fully costed plan to improve the support system for pupils with SEND by April next year.

Free climate action planning webinar
Sustainability Support for Education is hosting a free webinar on Monday 19 May from 6-7pm to support governors with their school’s climate action plan. This free and interactive session will help governors to identify key actions to include in their plan and think about how they can support colleagues to access further support to develop and implement the plan. You can use this link to register.

Schools Financial Benchmarking website to be switched off
In Autumn last year, the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (FBIT) was released and became the principal place for schools to examine their financial data and benchmark their spending. View My Financial Insights has already been switched off and the Schools Financial Benchmarking website will be switched off in the coming weeks.

DfE to set out a costed SEND plan by April 2026
The DfE has set outs its response to a report from the Commons Public Accounts Committee on the SEND crisis. It has accepted the recommendations for action and has said it aims to produce a fully costed plan to improve the support system for pupils with SEND by April next year.

The DfE has also said it intends to announce a plan for dealing with Council SEND deficits this summer, and to set out what inclusive education in schools should look like by the end of the year.