News

New Learndirect owner wins £20m in ESFA contracts

Learndirect has started to win government funding to deliver skills training again, after its new owner secured more than…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Charity to test new GCSE maths curriculum for controversial resits policy

A maths charity has been awarded £60,000 to investigate the “feasibility” of a new GCSE curriculum in the subject…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News

£2m bank charge for college clearing debt with bailout

A cash-strapped college has spent almost £2 million of the bailout cash it received from the government on bank…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News

Ofsted watch: Two NHS trusts hit with poor reports

Two NHS trusts have been put in intensive care this week, following poor Ofsted reports – one a monitoring…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News

Top-performing college owed £500k pulls out of Saudi Arabia programme

A college has terminated its contract with the controversial Saudi Arabian Colleges of Excellence programme due to “on-going delays”…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Colleges congratulated as FE funding tops DfE’s correspondence league tables

FE funding was the most popular topic of correspondence from MPs and stakeholders to education ministers in the last…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon


News

College hiding principal’s expenses ‘skirting with possible criminal offence’

A college which “shocked” the skills minister this week after it blocked FE Week’s website from its internet servers…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Ofqual fine and legal costs land an awarding organisation with a six-figure bill

An awarding organisation has been left with a bill of over £100,000 from Ofqual – which includes the exams…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News

Deficit hits £10m in three years as KCC continues to seek merger solution

Kensington and Chelsea College is considering a fresh merger attempt as it runs down its reserves created by the…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News

Principal ‘not right’ for next stage of college journey given £150k payment

The principal of a college group who stepped down with immediate effect last year after concluding he was no…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

IfA boss refuses to say whether he wants to remain in post as DfE forced to re-advertise role

The Institute for Apprenticeships will re-advertise for a new chief executive in the coming months, but its current boss…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Provider integrity at heart of Ofsted’s new Common Inspection Framework

Ofsted will soon focus on providers’ “integrity” during inspections, but its chief inspector has said she cannot turn the…

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