News

College handed emergency cash as merger hits a second delay

An embattled sixth-form college being propped up by a £3 million bailout has seen its merger delayed for a…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News

‘Bureaucratic’ process for adding courses to level 3 lifetime skills guarantee offer slammed

One of the country’s largest manufacturing sectors has hit out at the “frustrating” and “bureaucratic” process of adding courses…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Covid-19

Delay to Covid-19 testing for providers branded ‘madness’

The government has failed to explain why private training providers will need to wait until the end of next…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Functional skills barrier removed for ‘eligible apprentices’ from today

The government has finally reintroduced a flexibility that allows apprentices to take their end-point assessment (EPA) before their English…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Ofsted monitoring inspections paused for week of colleges’ return

Ofsted will pause its remote monitoring inspections for the week beginning March 8 to allow schools and colleges to…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

GCSE and A-level exams 2021: Externally-set questions to be ‘optional’

Schools and colleges won’t be forced to use externally-set questions when determining their students’ GCSE and A-level grades this…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden


News

‘Pyrrhic victory’: Functional skills learners CAN receive teacher assessed grades

Functional skills students can receive teacher assessed grades this year but only if it is not possible to sit…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Confirmed: How BTEC and other vocational quals will be graded in 2021

The government has today outlined its final decisions for awarding BTEC and other vocational and technical qualification (VTQ) grades…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

GCSE and A-level exams 2021: What we know so far about the government’s plans

The government has confirmed its plans for replacing GCSE and A-level exams this summer, with teacher assessments due to…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Winners of the AoC Student of the Year Awards 2021 revealed

The winners of this year’s Association of Colleges’ Student of the Year Awards have been revealed. Five learners from…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News

IfATE launches new reports to pre-warn sector of apprenticeship standard revisions

A new tool that pre-warns providers and employers when apprenticeship standards are being revised has been launched today by…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Colleges can start testing students on-site before March 8, DfE confirms

Secondary schools and colleges will be allowed to start testing students on-site before March 8, the Department for Education…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden

Must read

Awarding

Earpiece exam cheat ring jailed over construction test fraud

Men trained candidates to hide devices and exploit access arrangements to pass mandatory safety tests

Josh Mellor
Josh Mellor
Adult education, Apprenticeships, Skills reform

Apprenticeships purge: Team leader and chartered manager among 16 axed standards

Ministers also unveil the first 7 apprenticeship units

Shane Chowen
Shane Chowen
Colleges, Politics

Joe Docherty: Labour peer quit college role over ‘inappropriate conduct’

The former education executive has been suspended by the party weeks after being sent to the House of Lords…

Jessica Hill
Jessica Hill and Gabriel Pogrund
Colleges, Long read

Inside FE’s lifeline for under-16s: Stepping in where schools fail

More and more anxious 14-16 year olds not in school are starting afresh in colleges, but they are under-recognised,…

Jessica Hill
Jessica Hill
Colleges, Long read

Legrave’s last orders: build cash, challenge leaders and don’t ignore teaching

In her final interview, the outgoing FE Commissioner warns colleges not to mistake funding rises for financial safety

Shane Chowen
Shane Chowen
Young people

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