MORE CASH is to be channelled directly into schools under plans to expand and revamp the Standards Fund. Next year’s fund will be
pound;1.6 billion compared to this year’s pound;1bn, and local authorities will be told to pass at least three-quarters to schools against this year’s minimum 65 per cent. Schools will also spend less time bidding for the money as only five of the fund’s 31 programmes will be based on bids, compared to 12 this year, the rest will be allocated via LEAs.
