News

BTEC and other vocational exams to go ahead this week despite national lockdown, DfE confirms

BTEC and other vocational exams will still go ahead this month despite the new national lockdown restrictions, the Department…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

GCSE and A-level 2021 exams cancelled

Summer exams will not “go ahead as normal” this year, the prime minister said tonight after announcing schools and…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Gateshead College accounts reveal the story behind shock deficit

Unauthorised loans, at least £5 million in government bailouts and an inability to investigate potential “fraud” has been revealed…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

College return: Leaders call for further delay ahead of prime minister’s address

Colleges leaders have told FE Week they want a delay to face-to-face teaching for most students until at least…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News

Queen’s New Year honours 2021: Who got what in FE?

The outgoing FE Commissioner Richard Atkins has been knighted in the 2021 Queen’s New Year Honours. Around 30 people…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News

New staggered January return plan announced

The government has pushed FE student return dates back by an extra week – but BTEC and other vocational…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden


News

Army ‘on standby’ to support schools and colleges with Covid testing

The government told the media last night that the military will be “on standby”  to support secondary schools and…

Nick Linford
Nick Linford
News

£78m Covid mass testing support revealed

The government will make £78 million available for the rollout of rapid mass Covid-19 testing of students from January…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

New Ofqual chief promises to work with sector for ‘smooth-running’ exams next year

The new interim chief regulator at Ofqual has promised to work with the sector to ensure the “smooth-running” of…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Bring back individual learning accounts, say influential MPs

Influential MPs have added their voices to calls for the return of individual learning accounts to help reverse the…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News

Unions tell ministers mass testing plans are ‘inoperable’, and pledge to back colleges who refuse

Unions and professional associations have said they will fully back schools and colleges that are “unable” to deliver mass…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Non-exam-year FE students to switch to online learning for first week back in January

FE students who are not preparing for exams in 2021 must learn at home for the first week of…

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