News

College in £37m debt given permission to carry out banned tactical subcontracting

The Department for Education appears to have given a cash-strapped college special treatment, after it endorsed subcontracting to meet…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News

Former learner warns he’ll take DfE and SLC to court over FE loans scandal

Pressure is mounting on the government to resolve an FE loans scandal that left hundreds of students with huge…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Six UTCs received ESFA bailouts totalling £1m last year

Six university technical colleges received bailouts from the government totalling almost £1 million last year, with the ESFA’s funding…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Learners starting FE loans funded courses falls for third consecutive year

The number of people taking out advanced learner loans in the first quarter of the academic year has fallen…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Apprenticeship starts up on 2017/18 – but still down on 2016/17

Apprenticeship starts are up 15 per cent for the first quarter of 2018/19 compared with the same period in…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News

Colleges will put learners on inappropriate courses without funding increase, warns Ofsted boss

Colleges are likely to increase the amount of courses that “attract the most learners” but which don’t offer “real…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke


News

Revealed: The 36 providers in the running for Manchester’s AEB funding

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority has revealed the providers that have made it through to the final round of…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

College in £1.4m legal battle with Nigerian state unblocks staff access to FE Week

Highbury College has unblocked access to FE Week on its internet servers following heavy backlash from government officials and…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

DfE U-turns over study programme rule change

The Education and Skills Funding Agency has U-turned on plans to bar 16- to 19-year-olds who’ve passed GCSE maths…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News

College claims Institute of Technology bid ‘not in jeopardy’ despite Ofsted grade three

A college that has plummeted two Ofsted grades from its previous ‘outstanding’ has insisted its bid to open an…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News, Uncategorized

MPs from all sides call for an end to six years of real-term FE funding rate cuts

There was cross-party and unanimous condemnation from dozens of MPs over real-terms cuts to FE funding during a Parliamentary…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News

Fully fund level 3 to 5 training in ‘skills shortage areas’, AoC proposes

The adult education budget should be used to fully fund training at levels three to five in skills shortage…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke

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