News

ESFA finally launches £73m adult education budget tender

The long-awaited national adult education budget tender has been launched by the Education and Skills Funding Agency. Bids for…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Pace of external quality assurance transferring to Ofqual slows to a crawl

Providers will be stuck paying for external quality assurance (EQA) for even longer than planned, as the process of…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News

Turing Scheme to open for bids next month

Bids for the UK’s new £110 million Turing Scheme will open to universities, FE providers and schools next month….

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Sponsored post

What does inclusivity in education look like?

After this last year, more people are aware that just because we’re in this together, doesn’t mean we all…

Cognassist
Cognassist
Skills reform

FE recruitment drive ‘pipedream’ without pay rises

Government aspirations to bolster the FE workforce “will be nothing more than a pipedream” unless colleges are given funding…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News

Talks under way on threshold rate for college adult education under-delivery

Intense negotiations are taking place within government to determine the extent to which colleges will again be allowed to…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon


News

Providers complain of ‘impossible timelines’ for lifetime skills guarantee offer

Training providers are “disappointed”, “extremely frustrated” and predict a “disjointed and likely stuttering start” to the government’s lifetime skills…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Revealed: ESFA investigation into fastest growing apprenticeship provider

England’s fastest growing apprenticeship provider is under investigation by the Education and Skills Funding Agency and faces going bust,…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

ESFA college threshold for more in-year 16-18 cash drops to as low as an extra 35 students

The Education and Skills Funding Agency has today revealed a new in-year growth funding calculation for 16 to 18-year-olds…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Covid-19

UK pulls out of EuroSkills competition owing to Covid-19 uncertainty

The UK will not take part in this year’s EuroSkills competition – the first time the country has pulled…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News, Sponsored post

Continuing delivery of flexible and safe end-point assessment in 2021

Despite the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) extending temporary flexibilities to support apprentices, further restrictions with national…

Bridget Stockdale
Bridget Stockdale
News

Ofsted confirms remote inspections extended until March 8

Ofsted has confirmed that in-person routine inspections will not be returning until March 8 at the earliest. The education…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon

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