News

Increase 16-19 funding by ‘significant amount’, Social Mobility Commission urges

The government should raise the funding rate for 16 to 19-year-olds by a “significant amount” in the upcoming spending…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Monthly apprenticeships update: February starts up 16% but down on 2017

Apprenticeship starts for the period August 2018 to February 2019 are up 10 per cent on the previous year…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

DfE has finally found an organisation to inspect the quality of unregulated apprenticeships

The government is expected to announce which regulator will inspect the quality of learning for level 6 and 7…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

New DfE Skills Index shows significant decline since 2012

The overall added-value of the FE and skills system in England has fallen from a baseline of 100 in…

Jessica Fino
Jessica Fino
News

Apprenticeship pay and satisfaction surveys delayed and incur more costs

Two flagship apprenticeship surveys have had their publication date delayed by six months and will incur additional costs to…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News

Careers and Enterprise Company will continue to rely on public cash, admits DfE

The Careers and Enterprise Company will continue to be reliant on government handouts after ministers dropped their ambition for…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden


News

Ofsted watch: Solid start to the summer term for most providers

The summer term has kicked off on a solid footing with two colleges and one university being graded ‘good’…

Jessica Fino
Jessica Fino
News

‘Insufficient’ Ofsted monitoring report published for NCG’s private provider

An independent provider that is part of the country’s largest college group has had its first Ofsted monitoring report…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

DfE slammed for refusal to investigate defunct Manchester UTC as paperwork fails to materialise

Auditors were unable to properly scrutinise the finances of a failed University Technical College because important data was missing,…

Jessica Fino
Jessica Fino
News

Troubled Hull College Group to de-merge one of three colleges

The cash-strapped Hull College Group is to offload one of its three colleges later this year. Harrogate College, which…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

UCU calls on FE Commissioner to consider de-merging London colleges from NCG

Union officials at two London colleges have written to the FE Commissioner requesting that he urgently investigates whether they…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

ESFA takes control of investigation into Hadlow’s former deputy principal

An investigation initiated by the Hadlow Group’s board into their former deputy principal has been taken over by the…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon

Must read

Colleges, Long read

Colleges on the frontline of a divided nation

As social media algorithms fuel intolerance and binary thinking, college staff increasingly find themselves dealing with the fallout. Jessica…

Jessica Hill
Jessica Hill
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