Funding, Skills reform

DfE publishes ESFA review but can’t confirm crucial post-16 responsibilities

The review of the ESFA has now been published in full.

Shane Chowen
Shane Chowen
Colleges

Winners of the AoC Student of the Year Awards 2022 revealed

Awards for the young student, adult student, higher education student and apprentice of the year are run by the…

Will Nott
Will Nott
News

AoC: Relax financial intervention rules to protect college reputations

A ‘significant minority’ of colleges face ‘real financial difficulty’

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Apprenticeships

Prisoners to finally be offered apprenticeships

The scheme will initially be offered to up to a hundred prisoners across England before being rolled out across…

Will Nott
Will Nott
Levelling Up
Will Nott


Awarding

Awarding bodies’ report reveals rocketing cost of regulatory burden

Regulation has risen ‘exponentially’ over the past decade, research finds

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Apprenticeships

Apprenticeship funding band pilot finally gets underway

Around 20 trailblazer groups from various sectors are set to be piloted

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Apprenticeships

Minister refuses to offer transparency on apprenticeship levy spending

Donelan says the government is instead focused on the ‘key stats that really matter’

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

ESFA to be stripped of policy role

Responsibility will be absorbed by DfE following an independent review

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Apprenticeships

Revealed: Organisations named the first flexi-job apprenticeship agencies

Apprentices will be employed by these organisations, but will have multiple employment placements over their apprenticeship.

Shane Chowen
Shane Chowen
News

Disadvantaged students ‘effectively penalised’ for not studying A-levels, research finds

They may have lost out when competing for university places

Will Nott
Will Nott

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