News

Meet the FE Commissioner’s new cost-cutting boss

Controversial minister Lord Agnew has been given responsibility for a new college financial warning system, as well as oversight…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

‘Colleges still running out of money’, claims top ESFA official

A top director in the Education and Skills Funding Agency has warned that colleges are “still running out of…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Providers urge ESFA to U-turn on plans to collect delivered off-the-job training hours

The Association of Employment and Learning Providers is lobbying government to U-turn on its proposal to introduce yet another…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Lord Agnew to help with FE and skills brief at DfE

Yet another minister in the Department for Education has been given some responsibility for further education. It was announced…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Welsh college rapped by Ofsted

A Welsh college is to be suspended from recruiting apprentices in England after Ofsted found it making ‘insufficient progress’…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Commission calls for ‘demoralising’ GCSE English to be replaced

GCSE English in schools should be scrapped and replaced by a new qualification that could be sat at any…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon


News

ESFA suspends another 23 providers from recruiting apprentices

Twenty three more new training providers have received temporary bans on recruiting apprentices following early Ofsted inspections that found…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News

College to stay open as usual during ‘mammoth’ 15-day strike

Nottingham College has said it will be open as usual during 15-days of strike action by the University and…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Banks given £201m to clear college debts during area reviews

Colleges had over £200 million of bank debt paid off by the Treasury during the post-16 area reviews, but…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

New education secretary commits to Stourbridge College sell-off meeting

The education secretary has committed to meeting with principals around Stourbridge to discuss how further education can continue in…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Principal no-shows TUC fringe event panel but claims UCU pressure unconnected

A college principal embroiled in a bitter dispute with unions has denied withdrawing from a Trades Union Congress event…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News

Adult education slumps to lowest since major survey began more than 20 years ago

The government has been told to “wakeup” after research by the Learning and Work Institute found adult participation in…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon

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