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


Funding

Spending rules for 16-19 increase ‘sensible and proportionate’, say leaders

Here’s how colleges and training providers will be allowed to spend extra 16-19 study programme funding next year.

Shane Chowen
Shane Chowen
Higher education

‘Pull your weight’ on pre-16 attainment, colleges told

The new OfS fair access director will address the sector for the first time later today.

Shane Chowen
Shane Chowen
Sponsored post

Levelling up Access to Further Education Whitepaper

Colleges are searching for the alchemy to transform great face-to-face teaching into a powerful virtual course that meets the…

Code Institute
Code Institute
Assessment

Only use exam board websites to access advance information, students told 

GCSE and A-level students should only access advance information about exam topics on official websites, exam boards have said,…

Samantha Booth
Samantha Booth
WorldSkills

Getting ready for Shanghai: inside WorldSkills UK’s motivational bootcamp

“I want you all to take a moment to think about why you want that gold medal”

Will Nott
Will Nott
Ofsted

FE loans training provider goes bust after damning Ofsted inspection

The ESFA immediately terminated the provider’s funding contract

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