News

Revealed: The winners of the Nasen Awards 2022

Eighteen schools, colleges, individuals and organisations recognised for work supporting children with SEND

Freddie Whittaker
Freddie Whittaker
Politics

Austerity 2.0: Hunt warns of spending cuts

Chancellor says ‘all departments’ will need to find savings, and ‘some areas of spending will need to be cut’

Freddie Whittaker
Freddie Whittaker
Feature, News

A silencing sector? Non-disclosure agreements and media policies in FE

Everyone gets why non-disclosure agreements and strict media engagement rules are used in colleges. But concerns are growing that…

Jess Staufenberg
Jess Staufenberg
UTCs

NHS targets UTCs for ‘digital health’ skills shortfall

The NHS estimates 30,000 ‘digital health’ professionals will be needed by 2030

Jason Noble
Jason Noble
Training Providers

LifeSkills goes into administration after DfE finds ‘data irregularities’

Almost 500 students and 80 staff impacted

Tallulah Taylor
Tallulah Taylor
Exams

‘Difficult to swallow’: Leaders criticise exam fee hikes of up to 17%

Exam boards will earn several million pounds more from schools and colleges – but say they have to cover…

Samantha Booth
Samantha Booth


Qualifications, Skills reform

Revealed: 1 in 3 at risk BTECs saved from the chop

DfE publishes ‘final’ list of level 3 quals that overlap with first ten T Levels

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Higher education

OfS touts tough registration rules on sexual harassment

HE regulator plans to consult on a new condition of registration early next year

Tallulah Taylor
Tallulah Taylor
Colleges

Third college to go through FE insolvency regime owes £8m

The country’s smallest sixth form college has been forced to close

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Apprenticeships

DfE forced to finally reveal true amount of apprenticeship funding returned to Treasury

Over £2bn surrendered since the launch of the levy in 2017 to 2021

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Apprenticeships

Apprenticeship starts for young people grow the most in full-year 2021/22 figures

But overall starts are still 11% down on pre-pandemic levels

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Results 2022

BTEC and CTEC result delays scrutinised by MPs: 6 things we learned

Officials grilled on scale of the delays, the impact on learners and the action being taken to ensure the…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden

Must read

Colleges, Long read

Colleges on the frontline of a divided nation

As social media algorithms fuel intolerance and binary thinking, college staff increasingly find themselves dealing with the fallout. Jessica…

Jessica Hill
Jessica Hill
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