Colleges, Politics

IFS: £300m boost only delivers real-terms FE funding freeze

Demographic bulge, inflation, pay gap, high staff turnover and labour market demands creating ‘perfect storm’ for colleges

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
ESOL

AoC: Immigration charge on businesses should fund ESOL

£2.1 billion from employer tax should readdress decline in ESOL funding, new report recommends

Anviksha Patel
Anviksha Patel
News

SFCA drops judicial review after reaching pay ‘agreement’ with DfE

Sixth form college pay offer increases but strikes continue after union rejects the offer that is still ‘inferior’ to…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Colleges

ESFA chief David Withey to become college principal

He will lead a college in the south west when the agency closes in March

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Lifetime lines up high street deals for ‘Big Apprenticeship Thank You’

Retailers and restaurants will offer discounts for ‘The Big Apprenticeship Thank You’

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
Ofsted

Ofsted chief faces new year committee grilling

Sir Martyn Oliver to face MPs over progress in addressing coroner’s concerns following death of Ruth Perry

Freddie Whittaker
Freddie Whittaker


News

New year honours 2025: Who got what in FE and skills?

College leaders, governors and a leading apprenticeships researcher among 19 recognised

Shane Chowen
Shane Chowen
News

Former union chief Bousted made a Baroness

Mary Bousted will sit on the red benches as a Labour life peer

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
SEND

MPs launch inquiry to find SEND solutions

The education select committee want solutions that will fix the broken SEND system and improve outcomes

Shane Chowen
Shane Chowen
Ofsted

Ofsted to trial ‘new inspection approach’ in January

Ofsted also published its first update on Big Listen actions

Shane Chowen
Shane Chowen
Skills bootcamps

Bootcamps: Providers ‘pushed’ to prioritise job-ready learners

Demanding targets failed to take into account learners who were further from the job market

Josh Mellor
Josh Mellor
Ofsted

‘Herculean team effort’ lands top Ofsted marks for Suffolk college

Inspectors praise social mobility focus in grade 1 report

Billy Camden
Billy Camden

Must read

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
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