Ofsted

Ofsted suspends ‘independent’ scrutiny panels

Inspectorate accused of ‘marking its own work’

Billy Camden
Amy Walker and Jessica Hill
Apprenticeships

Care leaver apprentice bursary to triple to £3,000

DfE also pledges to support local authorities to recruit up to 500 new child and family social worker apprentices

Tallulah Taylor
Tallulah Taylor
Colleges

Green light for religious sixth form colleges to academise

New regulations finally pave way for Catholic sixth form colleges to convert

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Adult education

Lifelong loan laws laid in Parliament

Ministers will create a new system of credits and fee caps to regulate how much providers can charge for…

Shane Chowen
Shane Chowen
Ofsted

‘Insufficient’ prison officer apprenticeships found at Sodexo

Firm is under threat of suspension on new apprentice starts after Ofsted new provider monitoring inspection

Jason Noble
Jason Noble
Colleges, Ofsted

College hits back at Ofsted after grade 3

The inspectorate published the report despite an ongoing challenge

Billy Camden
Billy Camden


Politics

‘Morale is at an all-time low’: Keegan’s DfE staff go on strike

Civil servants joined teachers on the day of strike action, saying: ‘You can’t run public services unless you fund…

Tom Belger
Tom Belger
Colleges

Bite-size finance guides issued for colleges following reclassification

Colleges given guidance on senior pay controls, write-offs and severance payments following reclassification

Jason Noble
Jason Noble
Apprenticeships, Ofsted

Ofsted chief calls for reversal of declining early years apprenticeships

Amanda Spielman warns that using apprentices to replace experienced early years practitioners isn’t fair to learners or children

Jason Noble
Jason Noble
WorldSkills

WorldSkills UK chief steps down after seven years

Dr Neil Bentley-Gockmann announces plans to step down in May to head up Whitehall & Industry Group

Jason Noble
Jason Noble
Adult education, Skills reform

Revealed: ‘Significant’ funding rate increase for some adult education courses

ESFA-funded ‘priority’ subjects receive uplifts but it’s not good news for functional skills English and maths

Shane Chowen
Shane Chowen
Politics, Young people

Former education ministers slam DfE’s level 3 qualifications cull

Lords fear reforms will have a ‘disastrous’ impact on social mobility, economic growth and public services

Billy Camden
Billy Camden

Must read

Colleges, Politics

Joe Docherty: Labour peer quit college role over ‘inappropriate conduct’

The former education executive has been suspended by the party weeks after being sent to the House of Lords…

Jessica Hill
Jessica Hill and Gabriel Pogrund
Colleges, Long read

Inside FE’s lifeline for under-16s: Stepping in where schools fail

More and more anxious 14-16 year olds not in school are starting afresh in colleges, but they are under-recognised,…

Jessica Hill
Jessica Hill
Colleges, Long read

Legrave’s last orders: build cash, challenge leaders and don’t ignore teaching

In her final interview, the outgoing FE Commissioner warns colleges not to mistake funding rises for financial safety

Shane Chowen
Shane Chowen
Young people

Curriculum review: ‘Strengthen’ resit accountability and reduce T Level assessment burden

Review recommends already-announced V Levels, level 2 pathways and new pre-GCSE English and maths quals

Anviksha Patel
Anviksha Patel
News

Case dismissed: Marples loses High Court claim against DfE

A judge has dismissed a multi-million-pound claim brought by former training boss Peter Marples and his family against the…

Shane Chowen
Shane Chowen
Skills reform

New law to bar ‘unsuitable’ FE leaders among skills white paper reforms

The government’s post-16 strategy has finally been unveiled

Billy Camden
Billy Camden and Shane Chowen