News

Revealed: The FE winners honoured in the 2020 Pearson Teaching Awards

A college leader has scooped a prestigious lifetime achievement award at the Pearson Teaching Awards for his transformational work….

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

DfE offer further help to cash-strapped colleges this term

New funding to help colleges with a poor cash position to cover the costs of staff absences incurred between…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News

ESFA director wants ‘more power’ as college ownership battle rages

Top civil servants have inadvertently exposed a rift at the top of the Department for Education over the future…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News

Functional skills ‘portfolio’ solution proposed to lift 30,000 apprentices out of limbo

Talks are under way to replace functional skills exams with “portfolio evidence grading” for apprentices who are unable to…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Apprenticeships register not reopening until April at the earliest

Applications to the government’s register of apprenticeship training providers will not reopen until at least April 2021. And when…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Seven things we learned from the ESFA’s latest apprenticeships data release

New-look apprenticeship and traineeship statistics were published by the Education and Skills Funding Agency today and captured final year-end…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden


News

FE white paper pushed back to 2021, ESFA director suggests

The much-anticipated FE white paper might not appear until next year, the Education and Skills Funding Agency’s chief executive has revealed. …

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News

Top official reveals ‘gut wrenching’ £6m spent on accountancy fees to dissolve college

The Department for Education has revealed £6 million was spent on administrators’ fees alone for the two college insolvencies,…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News

64 colleges running out of cash which is ‘more than we thought’ admits official

Sixty-four colleges are at risk of running out of cash, a top ESFA director has said, admitting the number of colleges…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News

Official figures reveal take up of adult education courses halved during lockdown

The number of enrolments onto adult education courses in the months following lockdown dropped by half compared to the…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Winners of the National Apprenticeship Awards 2020 announced

“Outstanding” employers and individuals have been recognised at this year’s National Apprenticeship Awards – including a Great Ormond Street…

Simon Kay
Simon Kay
News

Spending review speed read: What is in it for FE and skills?

The chancellor Rishi Sunak today unveiled his one-year spending review for 2021-22. Here is what it includes for FE…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden

Must read

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
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