Feature, News

What does an inspectorate do when it can’t inspect?

Six weeks after lockdown and the sudden end of inspections, and five weeks after Ofsted mooted a mass redeployment…

JL Dutaut
JL Dutaut
News

Adult education charity rescued by council

A long-running adult education charity has been saved from going under after a local council agreed to a £100,000…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Coronavirus: College to build extra classrooms for anticipated spike in student numbers

A sixth-form has brought forward plans to build extra temporary classrooms as colleges across the country brace themselves for…

Yasemin Craggs Mersinoglu
Yasemin Craggs Mersinoglu
News

Frameworks set for stay of execution

The government is considering a U-turn on its planned date to switch off old-style apprenticeship frameworks as providers raise…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

ESFA seeks legal advice in face of unpublished Ofsted reports

The Education and Skills Funding Agency is taking legal advice on whether it can intervene at new providers before…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Government to take ownership of colleges

The government is working on a plan to bring colleges in England back into public ownership, FE Week understands….

Nick Linford
Nick Linford


News

DfE relaxes traineeship rules

The Department for Education has relaxed its requirement for students on traineeship programmes to record 100 hours of work…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Speed read: Highlights from our webinar with Toby Perkins

FE Week was joined by Labour’s shadow minister for apprenticeships and lifelong learning Toby Perkins on Monday for our…

Yasemin Craggs Mersinoglu
Yasemin Craggs Mersinoglu
News

Low Pay Commission calls on government to better protect apprentices

The government has been urged to take action against recurrent “very high levels” of illegally low apprentice wages. The…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

ESFA delays full rollout of digital apprenticeship system to April 2021

The full transition onto the digital apprenticeship system has been delayed by four months, the Education and Skills Funding…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Controversial closure plans to go ahead for college campus

A cash-strapped college group has confirmed it will close one of its rural campuses this summer in the face…

Yasemin Craggs Mersinoglu
Yasemin Craggs Mersinoglu
News

Back to the drawing board for apprenticeship funding rate reform

The government’s apprenticeships quango has announced it will launch a second funding rate consultation – days before the deadline…

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