News

Labour pledges to ditch predicted grades from university admissions

Students would only be able to apply to universities after seeing their A-level and other qualification results under a…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Cyber crime advice put out by ESFA following college email hacks

Firewalls, data back-ups and training staff to verify email senders are some of the actions colleges should take to…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News

Highbury College loses FOI battle to keep the principal’s expenses a secret

The UK’s data watchdog has sided with FE Week in our long-running freedom of information battle with Highbury College…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Edexcel maths A-level leak bigger than first thought, admits Pearson

Questions from an entire Edexcel A-level maths paper were circulated on social media before the exam this year, rather…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

A ‘snowflake’ with ‘vacuous’ thoughts: former sector leader hits back at policy adviser to Hinds

A former sector leader has hit back at an ex-special adviser to education secretary Damian Hinds after the latter…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Ofsted Watch: Employer providers excel in good week for FE sector

Two employer providers have made an excellent start to their apprenticeship training careers, with five ‘significant progress’ findings from…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon


News

Three in four providers cannot meet SME apprentice demand thanks to levy drought

Three quarters of training providers cannot meet the demands by small and medium sized employers for training apprentices, because…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News

Meet Team UK: Hairdressing hopeful McLavy aiming to bob above the competition

From getting her start with a Saturday job at a salon to competing in hairdressing at WorldSkills Kazan, Phoebe…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News

National Audit Office to investigate ‘management of colleges’ financial sustainability’

The UK’s public spending watchdog is preparing to launch a value for money review on the management of colleges’…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Hinds sought parity of esteem but his policy adviser says it’s ‘impossible’

Trying to achieve parity of esteem between technical and academic education is “totally pointless and impossible”, a former special…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Stalled manifesto plan back on track for apprentice travel subsidy?

Officials are finally preparing a cross-departmental “proposal” for cutting travel costs for apprentices. It is being worked on by…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

FE sector leader to run as a Brexit Party candidate

The chief executive of the Federation of Awarding Bodies has become the Brexit Party candidate for the Hastings and…

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