News 11 things we learned from the ESFA’s first annual report and accounts The Education and Skills Funding Agency has this afternoon published its annual report for 2017-18, revealing huge bailouts, questionable bonuses… Billy Camden 7y Billy Camden 7y News Student satisfaction still highest with private providers – but colleges slightly close the gap Colleges have slightly narrowed the gap with private training providers by 2.5 percentage points when it comes to learner… Billy Camden 7y Billy Camden 7y News Hinds hits back at awarding organisations’ ‘deeply disappointing’ T-levels legal challenge The education secretary has hit back at the Federation of Awarding Bodies “deeply disappointing” threat of a judicial review… Billy Camden 7y Billy Camden 7y News Exclusive No surprises: Somerset provider wins special ESFA tender after local MPs lobbied minister A training provider in Somerset that found itself at the sharp end of the adult education budget debacle has… Billy Camden 7y Billy Camden 7y News PM praises rise in apprenticeship quality despite Ofsted’s warning of a decline The prime minister has claimed that apprenticeships quality has risen since the introduction of the levy, despite Ofsted finding… Billy Camden 7y Billy Camden 7y News Awarding organisations launch T-level legal challenge in pre-action letter to DfE Battle lines have officially been drawn by the Federation of Awarding Bodies, after it outlined its intention to launch… Billy Camden 7y Billy Camden 7y News DfE announces first regional ‘skills deal’ The West Midlands has become the first combined authority to strike a “skills deal” with the Department for Education,… Billy Camden 7y Billy Camden 7y News 8 things we learned from skills minister’s select committee grilling A feisty commons education select committee meeting, held this morning, saw Anne Milton quizzed on a number of pressing… Billy Camden 7y Billy Camden 7y News Halfon pleads for nursing apprenticeships to be ‘special case’ with levy spending The education select committee chair has pleaded for nursing apprenticeships to be made a “special case” with flexibility over… Paul Offord 7y Paul Offord 7y News Milton leaves MPs ‘staggered’ by admitting she wouldn’t encourage her children to study first T-levels The skills minister is expecting a “slow take-up” when T-levels are launched, and admitted that as a parent she… Billy Camden 7y Billy Camden 7y News Exclusive Learndirect Apprenticeship staff and assets transferred to PeoplePlus for nominal fee The new owner of Learndirect’s apprenticeship division has transferred all assets, in a hastily arranged deal, to the company that… Paul Offord 7y Paul Offord 7y News Training for hundreds of glass industry apprentices branded ‘inadequate’ UPDATE: The government has confirmed that the Vocational College has now “ceased training”. “The DfE has appointed an administrator… Paul Offord 7y Paul Offord 7y Newer 1 421 422 423 424 425 426 427 428 429 430 431 814 Older 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 2w Jessica Hill 2w Long read, Prison education Long read 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 1mo Jessica Hill 1mo Apprenticeships, Politics Exclusive Phillipson to exempt young people from level 7 apprenticeships funding axe Education secretary makes ‘important concession’ amid backlash from other government departments Billy Camden 2mo Billy Camden 2mo Next 3 stories Colleges, FE Commissioner Exclusive 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 2mo Anviksha Patel 2mo 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 3mo Anviksha Patel 3mo 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 3mo Anviksha Patel 3mo