News

Ofsted watch: Tough week with one employer provider crashing to a grade four

It has been a tough week for FE as one provider was hit with ‘inadequate’ and three others found…

Jessica Fino
Jessica Fino
News

UCU elects general secretary

Jo Grady has been elected the new general secretary of the University and College Union, though on a turnout…

Jessica Fino
Jessica Fino
News

Statistics watchdog ‘content’ with DfE including unreliable data in achievement rate tables

The country’s national statistics regulator has given the DfE achievement rate data a clean bill of health but called…

Jessica Fino
Jessica Fino
News

T-level students in rural areas still at disadvantage, despite DfE ‘tinkering’

The flexibilities added to the controversial industry placement in T-levels are “helpful” but they still leave rural counties at…

Jessica Fino
Jessica Fino
News

DfE’s double standards over level 2 business admin apprenticeship

The Department for Education has been accused of double standards after it launched a recruitment drive for level 2…

Jessica Fino
Jessica Fino
News

‘We were genuinely shocked by what we found’

The FE Commissioner, Richard Atkins, was due to visit West Kent and Ashford College following their Ofsted grade three…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon


News

Former college leadership and ESFA financial oversight in the dock

A damning FE Commissioner report has revealed how Hadlow Group’s leaders concealed the truth of its financial position until…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News

Revealed: the quarter-of-a-million pound brand to boost T-levels’ visibility

The government has unveiled its new branding for T-levels, in what has been described as the “first step” toward…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Provider to stop delivering care apprentice standards after DfE rejects funding rate plea

A significant apprenticeship provider plans to stop recruiting in the care sector after the government rejected calls to increase…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Creditors lose out as eResponse liquidators settle for just £200k

The directors of a provider that had its government funding contracts terminated following an FE Week exposé only have…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
AEB

Revealed: The 5 winners of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough AEB tender

The five training providers that have won contracts with Cambridgeshire and Peterborough to deliver its devolved adult education budget…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Ofsted finds learners unaware they are on an apprenticeship programme

An experienced commercial training provider has been heavily criticised by Ofsted after it found a “high proportion” of learners…

Jessica Fino
Jessica Fino

Must read

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
Adult education, ITPs

Mayors dump adult education cuts on independent training providers

Up to two-thirds axed from devolved procured budgets

Josh Mellor
Josh Mellor