News

Taxpayers’ £10m hit over ‘careers queen’s’ bust empire

ESFA funds cannot be recovered, say liquidators

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Apprenticeships, Ofsted

‘Stunned’ businessman vows to walk away from FE after ‘inadequate’ verdict

‘The sector is run as an autocracy’

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Ofqual

Sign language learners affected as ‘ground-breaking’ awarding body to close

Up to 150 learners could be affected by closure of Institute for British Sign Language at the end of…

Jason Noble
Jason Noble
SEND

SEND improvement plan ‘offers no solutions’ to post-16 problems

Government finally sets out its next steps for SEND review launched over three years ago

Shane Chowen
Samantha Booth and Shane Chowen
Apprenticeships, Politics

Double tax on employers to boost training, says former education minister

Lord Jo Johnson said a reformed apprenticeships and skills levy was “the only game in town” to increase spending…

Shane Chowen
Shane Chowen
Colleges

‘Innovative’ colleges honoured in 2022/23 AoC Beacon Awards

Ten colleges scoop awards at Association of Colleges event

Jason Noble
Jason Noble


Colleges

DfE’s college loans scheme won’t be ready until summer

Further details including eligibility criteria to be announced in April

Jason Noble
Jason Noble
AEB, Funding

‘Significant’ in-year cash boost to national adult education budget funding

ESFA to apply 2.2% increase across the board and a 20% uplift in 6 subjects

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Principals call for 12-month delay to ‘reckless’ plan to defund most BTECs

Heads warn education secretary the timeline is ‘not credible’

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Colleges, sixth forms

College leaders to fight ‘destabilising’ free school bids

Five colleges unite to lobby west Yorkshire MPs over new proposed sixth forms and college applications

Jason Noble
Jason Noble
WorldSkills

Registration opens for UK’s biggest national skills competition

The hunt for the UK’s top technical skills talent has begun with registrations now open for the WorldSkills UK…

Tallulah Taylor
Tallulah Taylor
Training Providers

AELP board election results revealed

Three high profile provider leaders were re-elected while AELP founding member John Hyde retires after over 20 years with…

Shane Chowen
Shane Chowen

Must read

Colleges, Long read

Alun Francis, chair of the Social Mobility Commission

Deprived areas need vision – not victimhood – to level up, and Social Mobility Commission chair Alun Francis is…

Jessica Hill
Jessica Hill
Long read, Prison education

The prison that’s offering hope for a new life upon release

‘We’re saving people’s lives as well as turning them around’

Jessica Hill
Jessica Hill
Apprenticeships, Politics

Phillipson to exempt young people from level 7 apprenticeships funding axe

Education secretary makes ‘important concession’ amid backlash from other government departments

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Colleges, FE Commissioner

Weston chair felt powerless over £2.5m payments to former principal

Ex-Weston college chair gives tell-all interview following FE Commissioner probe

Anviksha Patel
Anviksha Patel
Colleges

Weston College governance failure allowed ‘concealment’ of £2.5m payments to former principal

Paul Phillips was paid £1.8m in 2023, including a ‘significant’ six-figure retention payment which his COO son ‘resisted’ paying…

Anviksha Patel
Anviksha Patel
T Levels

NAO reveals enormity of T Level take-up failure

Forecasts missed by 75% and secret DfE estimates show staff and employer shortages could limit places to 48,000 students

Anviksha Patel
Anviksha Patel