News

ESFA’s supposed solution to NHS business admin conundrum

A successful alternative to the business admin level 2 apprenticeship, for NHS Trusts at least, has been found, according…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Troubled HS2 college spent £73K on failed Ofsted legal challenge

The beleaguered National College for HS2 blew £73,000 on a failed legal attempt at stopping Ofsted publishing a grade…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Education secretary writes to all FE providers to express his ‘deepest gratitude’

Education secretary Gavin Williamson has written to college leaders, independent training and adult education providers today to thank them…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Coronavirus: Exams regulator to set out details of process and timetable ‘next week’

Detailed information about how students will be assessed for this summer’s GCSEs and A-levels won’t be published until next…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Apprenticeship funding and quality assurance consultations extended by 6 weeks

Government consultations on apprenticeship funding and external quality assurance have both been extended by six weeks. The Institute for…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Nine key findings from new DfE employer and apprentice surveys

The Department for Education released new data into the views and experiences of apprenticeships today. A survey of more…

Yasemin Craggs Mersinoglu
Yasemin Craggs Mersinoglu


News

Apprenticeship quango says less than half passing to be ‘expected’

The proportion of apprentices that last year passed the new style ‘standard’ has been revealed as just 46.6 per…

Nick Linford
Nick Linford
News

Apprenticeship starts fall 7% in first half of 2019/20

The number of apprenticeship starts in England dropped by 7 per cent in the first half of 2019/20, new…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

National apprenticeship achievement rates fall below 65%

The overall achievement rate for apprenticeships fell last year by 2.2 percentage points to 64.7 per cent.  National achievement…

Nick Linford
Nick Linford
News

Committee of MPs to probe DfE’s response to coronavirus

The response of the Department for Education to the coronavirus outbreak and the impact of the disease on schools,…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Coronavirus: Ofqual admits teacher assessment not possible for all vocational qualifications

Ofqual is “urgently” working out how to calculate grades for students studying vocational and technical qualifications this year, but…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Adult education, Covid-19, Devolution

Coronavirus: Some mayoral combined authorities guarantee AEB payments to ALL provider types

Multiple mayoral combined authorities (MCAs) have promised to honour adult education budget payments to all types of providers during…

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

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