Ofsted

College left ‘surprised’ as Ofsted grades apprenticeships ‘inadequate’

Inspectors found ‘serious weaknesses’ but also reported a number of positive aspects of the college’s provision

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
Colleges, Department for Education

DfE lost over £12m supporting national colleges last year

New accounts reveal how much the DfE has spent propping up the sector and how it rates colleges’ financial…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News

T Levels attract 5,450 new students in 2021

And around 3,550 students started the T Level transition programme

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

FE base rate to increase from August 2022 to £4,542

An 8.4% increase in the national funding rate for students aged 16-17 will be applied

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

DfE launches £150m capital fund for wave four T Level providers

Colleges and training providers in the fourth wave of the T Level rollout are being invited to bid for…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Universities and colleges announced for new £2m short HE course trial

Only one college has been chosen for the new Higher Education Short Course trial

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon


News

Revealed: The winners in the £120m Institutes of Technology wave 2 competition

The names of the next nine colleges and universities to develop new Institutes of Technology have been named. The…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

DfE top boss handed £278k payout to leave after exams fiasco

Jonathan Slater had just eight months left in post, but was pushed out in spate of perm sec departures

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

DfE looks to ex-teachers to fill Covid staffing gaps

Leaders also asked to ‘use their own networks to encourage sign-up’

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

Just 195 of 5.7m teacher grades changed after exam board reviews

And for the almost 1m VTQ TAGs, just 636 were changed

Samantha Booth
Samantha Booth
Covid-19

Education recovery in FE: Ofsted reveals key findings from autumn 2021 inspections

Providers’ finances have suffered, apprentices have been unable to take exams and staff are facing ever-increasing workloads

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News

AoC recommends ‘kick in the teeth’ 1% college staff pay rise – again

Unions say staff will ‘rightly be furious at this offensive’ offer

Billy Camden
Billy Camden

Must read

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
Adult education, ITPs

Mayors dump adult education cuts on independent training providers

Up to two-thirds axed from devolved procured budgets

Josh Mellor
Josh Mellor