Ofsted

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

Inspectors praise social mobility focus in grade 1 report

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Politics, Skills reform

Teacher misconduct laws extended to FE colleges and providers

Children’s wellbeing and schools bill puts further education teachers in scope of lifetime bans

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Colleges, FE Commissioner

Bailout saves WCG from going insolvent next month

But the college group’s new principal says it is now ‘on the right track’

Josh Mellor
Josh Mellor
Devolution, skills

Devolution white paper: Skills funding pots to be un-ringfenced

Mayors will also take on joint control of local skills improvement plans

Josh Mellor
Josh Mellor
Colleges, Ofsted, SEND

Watchdogs call for EHCPs to include preparation for adulthood plans

SEND ‘cliff edge’ still exists, Ofsted and CQC find

Josh Mellor
Josh Mellor
Colleges

30 colleges risk private school VAT trap

Those who followed the Colchester Institute case and entered into Lennartz arrangements could be stung

Josh Mellor
Josh Mellor


Ofqual

MPs give Sir Ian Bauckham the nod for Ofqual top job

Education committee hope he will serve a full term and ‘restore much-needed stability’ to the exams regulator

Lucas Cumiskey
Lucas Cumiskey
Colleges

College trials ‘radical’ 4-day week

Teachers say mid-week lesson planning day will allows for better work-life balance

Anviksha Patel
Anviksha Patel
ATC 2025

Apprenticeship and Training Awards 2025 finalists revealed

Winners will be announced at the ATC in March

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
Apprenticeships, Ofsted

‘Inadequate’ for double RI apprenticeships trainer

Ensis Solutions downgraded by Ofsted after finding one third of apprentices should have finished their course

Anviksha Patel
Anviksha Patel
Apprenticeships, ESFA

CITB shaves £5m from apprenticeship clawback bill

The training board, which administers its own levy, failed to comply with apprenticeship levy rules

Josh Mellor
Josh Mellor
Apprenticeships

Phillipson muddies water on 50% growth and skills levy pledge

Education secretary revived the threshold this week for the first time since before the election

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