News

Ofsted praise environment in new inspection reports

“Two acres of peaceful gardens create a calm environment and help them relax, enabling all to concentrate fully on…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News

Workers told to repay thousands for construction course they ‘did not take’

Grzegorz Bogdanski is being forced by the government to repay a £5,421 loan for an FE course he claimed…

Yasemin Craggs Mersinoglu
Yasemin Craggs Mersinoglu
News

Coupland to replace Berragan as IfATE chief next week

Sir Gerry Berragan’s reign at the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) will end this month as he…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

College lowers expectations over £1.4m legal battle with Nigeria

A college locked in a legal battle with a Nigerian state has substantially lowered its expectations about recovering the…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Recruitment drive as Ofqual cracks down on non-compliance

Ofqual is beefing up its compliance teams as part of a crackdown on awarding bodies following high-profile mishaps and…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Festival of Learning 2020 award nominations launched

The 2020 Festival of Learning awards are open for nominations from today for colleges and training providers. There are…

Yasemin Craggs Mersinoglu
Yasemin Craggs Mersinoglu


News

Conservative Party admits IoT claim was an error

The Conservatives have promised to rectify a misleading claim it has made about further education in the build-up to…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

OCR becomes second exam board to breach re-mark rules

OCR will pay schools and colleges nearly £15,000 in compensation after becoming the second exam board to breach rules…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Ofqual reduce £50,000 apprenticeship assessment body fine to £8,595

Ofqual is penalising an end-point assessment organisation to the tune of £8,595 after it admitted to a “series of…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News

UCU suspends 14 day strike after college offers new deal

Extensive strikes due to start at Nottingham College today were called off at the eleventh hour after leaders offered…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Ofsted to research subcontracting in FE

Ofsted is launching research into FE subcontracting – off the back of government plans for a radical overhaul of…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Sixth form college leaders failed to spot ‘terminal’ finances

A sixth form college principal and governing body failed to identify its “now terminal” financial position, the Department for…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden

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, 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