Third of schools snap up free portrait of King (costing £1m)
New figures reveal take-up of controversial scheme to offer King Charles portrait to all public bodies New figures reveal take-up of controversial scheme to offer King Charles portrait to all public bodies A third of England’s schools ordered a free portrait of King Charles III, new figures show, at a cost of just over £1 million to the taxpayer. Cabinet Office statistics, published today, show 8,067 of 23,739 eligible schools – 34 per cent – took up the government’s offer to receive an A3 framed picture of the king in full regalia. The average price of a portrait, including delivery was £131.81, meaning school orders alone cost more than £1 million. Across all public institutions, 20,565 orders were made costing the government £2.7 million. Many in the sector were critical of the scheme as it came as budgets were cut in departments, including the Department for Education. Cut included governor recruitment and teacher top-up training and national professional qualification courses. When schools were invited to apply last year, the National Education Union leader Daniel …
