News

Staff say overcrowding hampered bomb scare evacuation at DfE’s Sheffield office

Workers warn of ‘disaster waiting to happen’ after incident on day of top civil servant’s visit

Freddie Whittaker
Freddie Whittaker
News

Principal chosen to captain new UK shipbuilding skills taskforce

Captain Dr Paul Little, who is chief executive of City of Glasgow College, will lead a team of 20…

Will Nott
Will Nott
Colleges

DfE reveals plan for three-way merger to secure survival of cash-strapped Southampton college

The proposal forms the outcome of the DfE’s long-awaited City-wide Solution project Southampton

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Colleges

Colleges call for emergency government funding to boost staff pay

The DfE is also being asked to review FE policies to reduce financial risks

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Staff

Week of strikes at London college begin over ‘fire and rehire’ threat

‘The management team at Richmond upon Thames are effectively putting a gun to the head of its own staff….

Will Nott
Will Nott
Ofsted

SEND college jumps from ‘requires improvement’ to ‘outstanding’ in three years

‘From the moment learners enter the college premises, they encounter a very welcoming, caring and calm environment,’ inspectors said…

Will Nott
Will Nott


News

DfE and quangos shun NUS – but will FE notice?

The union’s engagement on FE issues is already minimal

Will Nott
Will Nott
Apprenticeships

Apprentice pay: ‘£4.81 an hour isn’t enough to live on. It’s crippling.’

Low-paid apprenticeships are becoming ‘unaffordable’ for learners and are contributing to low take-up, according to providers.

Shane Chowen
Shane Chowen
Colleges

Clawback disputes and ‘frustratingly slow’ ESFA reviews delay accounts for 4 colleges 

One college has now failed to publish financial statements for the previous three years

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Colleges

Principal under investigation given £75k for loss of office

He lost his job after an audit revealed £5m worth of overclaimed funding

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Not enough desks for DfE staff sent back to the office

Staff at the Department for Education have had to work in corridors and canteens after the government’s return-to-the-office edict…

Freddie Whittaker
Freddie Whittaker
Apprenticeships

Winners of inaugural apprenticeship assessment awards revealed

Federation of Awarding Bodies chief executive Tom Bewick said the awards marked a “crucial point” when the majority of…

Will Nott
Will Nott

Must read

16-19

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
Qualifications

Revealed: V Levels incoming as axe looms for BTECs

New qualifications set to launch as ‘third route’ between A-levels and T Levels

Shane Chowen
Shane Chowen
Politics, Skills reform

DWP will take over apprenticeships, minister confirms

Shifting adult skills and apprenticeships policy will give “bigger emphasis on skills”, Jacqui Smith claims

Anviksha Patel
Anviksha Patel
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