News Ofsted watch: Dismal week for general FE and specialist colleges It’s been a dire week for general FE and specialist colleges, after Ofsted handed two of the former grade… Fraser Whieldon 6y Fraser Whieldon 6y News Exclusive IfA rejects level 2 business admin apprenticeship leaving employers ‘disappointed’ and ‘upset’ A proposal to create a level 2 business support apprenticeship has been rejected outright by the government, with officials… Jessica Fino 6y Jessica Fino 6y News ESFA to stop funding apprentices without an assessment organisation The government will soon only fund starts on apprenticeship standards that do not have an approved end-point assessment organisation… Billy Camden 6y Billy Camden 6y News Don’t use bid writers, apprentice register re-applicants warned A senior policy advisor from the Department for Education has warned providers against using external bid writers to apply… Billy Camden 6y Billy Camden 6y News Exclusive Fraudsters pose as college principal in bid to con recipients out of money Lakes College has become the latest victim of a sophisticated email scam in which fraudsters posed as its principal…. Fraser Whieldon 6y Fraser Whieldon 6y News Ofsted’s new framework is not a good fit with FE providers With just over two months to go until the new education inspection framework comes into action, Ofsted has found… Jessica Fino 6y Jessica Fino 6y News ‘I’m just too much sauce’: An exit interview with NUS president Outgoing NUS president Shakira Martin talks Fraser Whieldon through her tumultuous two-year incumbency. The president of the National Union… Fraser Whieldon 6y Fraser Whieldon 6y News College run by famous private hospital in the dock over ‘serious’ safety issues A specialist college, run by a famous private hospital which has treated the likes of Kate Moss and Robbie… Fraser Whieldon 6y Fraser Whieldon 6y News Exclusive IfATE backtracks on proposal to keep assessment grades secret – but they still won’t be published The government’s apprenticeships quango has U-turned on plans to grade end-point assessment organisations (EPAOs) without sharing the results with… Billy Camden 6y Billy Camden 6y News Proportion of colleges with over half of lecturers on casual contracts triples The percentage of colleges employing over half of their teaching staff on casual contracts has tripled to 29 per… Fraser Whieldon 6y Fraser Whieldon 6y News Could private training provider cash-in after college sell-off? A national training provider could step-in to become the only education provider in Stourbridge, after the area’s FE college… Jessica Fino 6y Jessica Fino 6y News Employers lose £11m apprenticeship levy after missing first monthly deadline Employers lost access to £11 million of their apprenticeship levy funds in May – the first sun-setting period for… Billy Camden 6y Billy Camden 6y Newer 1 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360 361 815 Older 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 2w Jessica Hill 2w Long read, Prison education Long read 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 1mo Jessica Hill 1mo Apprenticeships, Politics Exclusive Phillipson to exempt young people from level 7 apprenticeships funding axe Education secretary makes ‘important concession’ amid backlash from other government departments Billy Camden 2mo Billy Camden 2mo Next 3 stories Colleges, FE Commissioner Exclusive 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 2mo Anviksha Patel 2mo 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 3mo Anviksha Patel 3mo 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 3mo Anviksha Patel 3mo