News

Ofsted slams training for 500 apprentices at ‘world leading’ security firm

A new provider that trains nearly 500 apprentices for a “world leading” security company has been rapped by Ofsted….

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

UTC facing apprenticeship recruitment freeze after Ofsted criticism

The first university technical college to receive an early monitoring visit for its apprenticeship provision has been heavily criticised…

Yasemin Craggs Mersinoglu
Yasemin Craggs Mersinoglu
News

AoC: Replace Erasmus+ if the UK is kicked out after Brexit

The government needs to pursue every avenue to stay in a Europe-wide student exchange scheme regardless the outcome of…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Record number of apprenticeships to be probed in engineering route review

Fifty nine apprenticeship standards in engineering and manufacturing will be reviewed by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News

Union to present £700m sixth form college invoice to DfE

Sixth form college staff will march on the Department for Education tomorrow and hand officials an invoice for £700…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News

Love our colleges campaign makes its mark in the East Midlands

A group of ten East Midlands college leaders met up at Chesterfield College today to celebrate this year’s national…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden


News

AQA to pay out £1.1m for ‘serious breaches’ on exam re-marks

AQA has been fined £350,000 – the largest ever handed out by Ofqual – and will compensate schools and…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Chair and principal not ‘fully aware’ of college’s ‘imminent’ risk of insolvency

Moulton College is in a “perilous position” and its chair and new principal do not appear to “fully recognise”…

Yasemin Craggs Mersinoglu
Yasemin Craggs Mersinoglu
News

‘Significant concerns’ over Hartlepool College’s financial sustainability

There are “significant concerns” about Hartlepool College of Further Education’s financial sustainability, according to one of three FE Commissioner…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News

FE Commissioner passes judgement on £20m college subcontracting scandal

A college faces “multiple, difficult and high-risk” challenges after being rocked by a £20 million subcontracting scandal which has…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Vision express: how FE policy has wasted billions

As Gavin Williamson promises to match Germany in the delivery of vocational and technical education in ten years, JL…

JL Dutaut
JL Dutaut
News

HMRC criticised by Ofsted for uniform apprenticeship programme

The HMRC has been criticised by Ofsted for keeping hundreds of apprentices on programme for the same duration. The…

Yasemin Craggs Mersinoglu
Yasemin Craggs Mersinoglu

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