The Education Commute

The Education Commuter

Welcome to The Education Commute—turning the research you don't have time to read into your 20-minute journey to work. ​Each week, we take one piece of evidence—from UK benchmarks and EEF toolkits to global education research—and test how it actually translates to Monday morning reality in primary, secondary, and specialist classrooms worldwide. ​We debate the nuance rather than reading the press release. Grounded in UK practice, built for educators everywhere, and fully sourced before the morning bell rings. Here's how the week runs: Monday is for the whole staffroom, Tuesday goes deeper for teachers with the latest EEF evidence, Wednesday covers policy and Ofsted for leaders, Thursday looks at what's working in schools around the world, and Friday translates the week's research for parents and carers at home.

  1. Bonus

    £2,690 A Head: The 2026 School Money Nobody Claims

    Three boxes on an admissions form that most parents leave blank, and every one of them is worth money to the school. This bonus episode reads the Department for Education's own 2026 to 2027 pages and sorts the money schools most often miss into three piles: money a parent unlocks, money with a member of staff's name on it, and money you only get by asking. What's covered • The Number: £2,690 per pupil, pupil premium plus for a previously looked-after child. It arrives only if the child is on the October census, and telling the school is the parent's choice. • Service pupil premium, £360 a child, including families who left the forces in the last six years. • A free lunch is not pupil premium. Families still have to apply; pupil premium (£1,550 primary, £1,100 secondary) follows only the Targeted FSM group (£7,400 income threshold). The FSM category goes on the autumn census by 2 November. • Early years pupil premium: EEF research (March 2026) on missed applications. • Access to Work (DWP) and the £3,000 to £6,000 retention incentive: the member of staff applies, not the school. • Free breakfast clubs (£1,000 start-up grant), holiday activities and food, and Erasmus+, with the next round expected to open in November 2026. Actions for consideration • Reword one form line: "Has a parent served in the armed forces, now or in the last six years?" • Ask infant free-lunch families to apply for benefits-based free school meals anyway. • Explain at induction why the school would like to know about care experience or service, and that it is the parent's choice. • Put Access to Work and the retention incentive in the staff bulletin twice a year. The Funding Finder 2026 75 funding routes for UK schools, government and non-government, sorted by purpose and by who can apply. First two entries free; the full list unlocks with the free newsletter: theeducationcommute.co.uk/episodes/bonus-1 Sources • DfE, Pupil premium 2026 to 2027: technical note • DfE, Service pupil premium • DfE, Implementing changes to free school meals • EEF, Early years pupil premium research • DfE, The Erasmus+ programme Full source list on the episode page. Disclosure Both voices on this show are synthesised; the research, reading and judgement are done by a serving practitioner. Amounts and deadlines change: check the funder's page before you apply. Not financial advice. Strand: Leaders

    £2,690 A Head: The 2026 School Money Nobody Claims

  2. Bonus

    73 Pots Of Money: The 2027 School Funding Guide

    The PE and sport premium can't buy a single plank of a playground climbing frame. This bonus episode works through five shopping lists, playgrounds, buildings, technology, PE and sport, and maths and science, and for every pot of money asks what the funder wants, how much there is, which schools can apply (mainstream, special, independent) and what to highlight when you apply. What's covered • The Number: £6,240 plus £10 per pupil, the 2026 to 2027 PE and sport premium, which DfE calls transitional funding. It cannot fund capital, including fixed playground equipment. • What replaces it: £530 million for a new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network (UK Parliament written answer, 17 July 2026). • Playgrounds: devolved formula capital, Local School Nature Grants, Awards for All's community rule, and what Wolfson won't fund. • Buildings: who bids to the Condition Improvement Fund; Wolfson's state secondary programme; solar. • Technology: Connect the Classroom and Gigabit Broadband. DfE contacts schools; there is no bid. • Maths and science: Maths Hubs release time, Royal Society Partnership Grants (up to £3,000, by 30 November) and CREST Engage (closes 20 October). • Special and independent schools, and when a PTA is the applicant. Actions for consideration • Check this year's devolved formula capital before the playground catalogue goes round. • Spend the PE premium by 31 July 2027, and gather inactivity and swimming data for the new network. • Read each funder's rules for your school type before you write a bid. The guide The School Funding Guide 2027: 73 funding routes in 12 categories, with each funder's intention, the money available, eligibility by school type and what to highlight. Two entries are free on the episode page; the full guide unlocks with the free newsletter at theeducationcommute.co.uk. Most 2027 to 2028 rates are not yet published; we'll refresh the guide when they are. Sources Department for Education: PE and sport premium guidance (24 September 2026), School capital funding, Condition Improvement Fund, Connect the Classroom, Schools Gigabit Broadband. UK Parliament written answer UIN 16974. Learning through Landscapes, National Lottery Community Fund, Wolfson Foundation, Sport England, NCETM, the Royal Society, British Science Association, BBC Children in Need, Asda Foundation. Full links on the episode page. Both voices on this show are synthesised; the research, reading and judgement are done by a serving practitioner. Amounts and deadlines change: check the funder's own page. Not financial advice. Strand: Leaders

    73 Pots Of Money: The 2027 School Funding Guide

  3. Bonus

    No Minimum Age: Exclusion And SEND In Black And White

    Friday, ten past three: a teaching assistant bitten, a teacher kicked, a colleague signed off, and the same name on most of the forms. Is "he has an EHC plan, it's a special school, the behaviour is communication" the law, or a habit? This bonus episode sets out, in black and white, the rules on suspension and permanent exclusion for pupils with SEND in special schools, mainstream primary and secondary, and independent special schools, and asks four questions: do we have to wait until Key Stage 3, should it be possible from Reception, what is in the child's best interests, and what is the evidence? What's covered • No minimum age. DfE's statutory guidance (July 2026) applies to all pupils, including nursery classes. In 2024/25 pupils aged six and under received 39,394 suspensions and 467 permanent exclusions. • The legal test: a serious breach or persistent breaches of the behaviour policy, and staying would seriously harm the education or welfare of the pupil or others, "such as staff or pupils". • What SEND changes: the Equality Act, reasonable adjustments, early contact with the local authority and an early annual review. Unlawful to exclude because a school feels it cannot meet the need. The 2017 "avoid excluding EHC plan pupils" line is no longer in the guidance. • The Upper Tribunal in C & C (2018): schools are "not required to tolerate violent behaviour at all costs", but must show the exclusion is proportionate. • Special schools do exclude: 134 permanent exclusions in 2024/25, and physical assault against an adult was the most common reason recorded. • The evidence: the Timpson Review, the DfE and Ministry of Justice data share, and youth justice findings. Excluded young people do worse; cause is not proven. Bennett, the EEF and newer studies are on the episode page. • Independent special schools, staff safety duties, and a short UK note. Actions for consideration • Retire the "no exclusion" policy if you have one: the guidance warns it can expose staff to unreasonable risks. • For a pupil with an EHC plan, contact the local authority early and request an early annual review before the decision. • Review the risk assessment for staff who work with pupils where force may be needed. The rules sheet A one-page rules sheet (the test, what SEND changes, the age question, and the checklist to show your working) is free with the newsletter at theeducationcommute.co.uk. Sources Department for Education: Suspension and permanent exclusion guidance (July 2026); Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England 2024/25 (9 July 2026); Behaviour in schools (2024); Restrictive interventions guidance (April 2026). C & C v The Governing Body of a School [2018] UKUT 269 (AAC). Equality Act 2010. NICE NG11. Timpson Review (2019); Bennett, Creating a Culture (2017); EEF, Improving Behaviour in Schools; DfE and MoJ data share (2022); Madia et al. (2022); Cornish and Brennan (2025); EPI (2024). HM Inspectorate of Probation; UNISON; NASUWT. Full links on the episode page. Both voices on this show are synthesised; the research, reading and judgement are done by a serving practitioner. General information, not legal advice. Strand: Leaders

    No Minimum Age: Exclusion And SEND In Black And White
See All Season 2 (3)

About

Welcome to The Education Commute—turning the research you don't have time to read into your 20-minute journey to work. ​Each week, we take one piece of evidence—from UK benchmarks and EEF toolkits to global education research—and test how it actually translates to Monday morning reality in primary, secondary, and specialist classrooms worldwide. ​We debate the nuance rather than reading the press release. Grounded in UK practice, built for educators everywhere, and fully sourced before the morning bell rings. Here's how the week runs: Monday is for the whole staffroom, Tuesday goes deeper for teachers with the latest EEF evidence, Wednesday covers policy and Ofsted for leaders, Thursday looks at what's working in schools around the world, and Friday translates the week's research for parents and carers at home.

Information

  • Creator
    The Education Commuter
  • Episodes
    85
  • Seasons
    2
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © The Education Commute 2026
  • Show Website
    The Education Commute

You Might Also Like