News

St Helens College handed financial health warning

St Helens College has been served a financial health notice to improve by the Education and Skills Funding Agency….

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News

Sixth form college retains its grade one after 12-year respite

A sixth form college in Merseyside has become the first SFC to score a grade one Ofsted rating in…

Jessica Fino
Jessica Fino
News

Huge adult education budget procurement underspend by colleges

Colleges underspent their original funding allocations awarded through the controversial 2017-18 adult education budget (AEB) procurement by a huge…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Bank forced to gift millions to college

Government officials forced a major bank to halve a £40 million unsecured loan after threatening to put a college…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

AoC president faces challenger for the top job

Never mind the race to become prime minister, the race to elect the next president of the Association of…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News

College starved of cash shuts award winning training restaurant

A college has been forced to shut the doors of its prestigious restaurant, blaming years of government cuts to…

Jessica Fino
Jessica Fino


News

PM frontrunner pledges greater investment in ‘our amazing FE colleges’

Conservative leadership favourite Boris Johnson has said he would “do more to fund our amazing FE colleges” if he…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Hinds ‘pleased’ with level 6 and 7 inspection approach but OfS can’t say what it is

The Office for Students can’t say how it will assess level 6 and 7 apprenticeships delivered at non-registered HE…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Guns, machetes and iron bars: Why Unison wants college staff trained

A union has demanded college staff be trained in how to deal with weapons-related incidents, after workers from campuses…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News

‘There’s more than one way to be a gen sec’: New UCU boss up for the challenge

The new University and College Union boss has backed herself to successfully lead the organisation despite never having run…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News

Colleges fail to win any OfS mental health funding

All three college bids for a £6 million fund to help reduce student mental health problems have been rejected….

Jessica Fino
Jessica Fino
News

Queen’s birthday honours 2019: Who got what in FE and skills?

Eight leading figures from the further education sector have been recognised in the Queen’s birthday honours. These include five…

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