News 80 winners scoop silver at the 2022 Pearson National Teaching Awards Silver winners will now be shortlisted for one of 16 gold awards Freddie Whittaker 2h Freddie Whittaker 2h Covid-19 Williamson provided wine and mince pies for DfE lockdown Xmas party Sue Gray report finds 50 staff were invited to the ‘festive drinks’ – organised days in advance Samantha Booth 1d Samantha Booth 1d Higher education Open University to partner with colleges to fill higher technical education cold spots The government has backed the initiative with £10 million – cash which will be used to ‘increase the capability’… Will Nott 2d Will Nott 2d News Staff say overcrowding hampered bomb scare evacuation at DfE’s Sheffield office Workers warn of ‘disaster waiting to happen’ after incident on day of top civil servant’s visit Freddie Whittaker 2d Freddie Whittaker 2d News Principal chosen to captain new UK shipbuilding skills taskforce Captain Dr Paul Little, who is chief executive of City of Glasgow College, will lead a team of 20… Will Nott 2d Will Nott 2d Colleges DfE reveals plan for three-way merger to secure survival of cash-strapped Southampton college The proposal forms the outcome of the DfE’s long-awaited City-wide Solution project Southampton Billy Camden 2d Billy Camden 2d Colleges Colleges call for emergency government funding to boost staff pay The DfE is also being asked to review FE policies to reduce financial risks Billy Camden 3d Billy Camden 3d Industrial action Week of strikes at London college begin over ‘fire and rehire’ threat ‘The management team at Richmond upon Thames are effectively putting a gun to the head of its own staff…. Will Nott 3d Will Nott 3d Ofsted SEND college jumps from ‘requires improvement’ to ‘outstanding’ in three years ‘From the moment learners enter the college premises, they encounter a very welcoming, caring and calm environment,’ inspectors said… Will Nott 3d Will Nott 3d News DfE and quangos shun NUS – but will FE notice? The union’s engagement on FE issues is already minimal Will Nott 6d Will Nott 6d Apprenticeships Apprentice pay: ‘£4.81 an hour isn’t enough to live on. It’s crippling.’ Low-paid apprenticeships are becoming ‘unaffordable’ for learners and are contributing to low take-up, according to providers. Shane Chowen 6d Shane Chowen 6d Colleges Clawback disputes and ‘frustratingly slow’ ESFA reviews delay accounts for 4 colleges One college has now failed to publish financial statements for the previous three years Billy Camden 6d Billy Camden 6d 1 2 3 4 5 6 643 Older Must read Apprenticeships Apprentice pay: ‘£4.81 an hour isn’t enough to live on. It’s crippling.’ Low-paid apprenticeships are becoming ‘unaffordable’ for learners and are contributing to low take-up, according to providers. Shane Chowen 6d Shane Chowen 6d Colleges Principal under investigation given £75k for loss of office He lost his job after an audit revealed £5m worth of overclaimed funding Billy Camden 7d Billy Camden 7d Covid-19 Stressed and nervous but determined to prove themselves: the students sitting exams for the first time John Dickens, editor of FE Week’s sister publication Schools Week, joined Ofqual chief regulator Dr Jo Saxton as her… John Dickens 2w John Dickens 2w Next 3 stories Qualifications, Skills reform, T Levels Revealed: 38 BTECs facing the chop to clear way for first T Levels They’re among 160 level 3 quals set to be defunded from 2024 Billy Camden 2w Billy Camden 2w Industrial action UCU threat: Raise pay or we’ll strike on exam day Strikes are planned for the same day on which many GCSE students are due to take what UCU calls… Will Nott 3w Will Nott 3w Inclusion The college gender gap narrows, but slowly While the gender pay gap has improved on average at most colleges, sector leaders have said the rate of… Will Nott 4w Will Nott 4w