News

Milton to launch national Year of Engineering

Update, 11am, January 15: The Department for Education called FE Week to say that the minister’s visit to the National…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News

Chartered status: when will the government subsidies end?

The Chartered Institution for Further Education, the brainchild of the former skills minister John Hayes, was first conceived back…

Nick Linford
Nick Linford
News

Anger as ESFA dodges MPs’ scrutiny on subcontracting fees

The government has been accused of shocking double standards on transparency, admitting it probably won’t publish its long-delayed findings…

Paul Offord
Paul Offord
News

Nescot accepts former £360k a year principal was unfairly dismissed

A college has accepted that its former principal Sunaina Mann was unfairly constructively dismissed, after she brought her case…

Paul Offord
Paul Offord
News

Could Hinds’ experience make T-levels work?

Damian Hinds has been appointed as the new education secretary and, with a background including responsibility for youth employment…

Pippa Allen-Kinross
Pippa Allen-Kinross
News

Ofsted watch: Two providers climb out of ‘inadequate’ but one slumps the other way

Two training providers pulled themselves away from ‘inadequate’ ratings this week, but one went the other way and plummeted…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden


News

Government search site is flooded with hundreds of ‘locations’ for the same providers

Training providers are flooding the government’s Find Apprenticeship Training website with hundreds of locations they have no permanent presence…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Non-levy tender appeals are lucky for some

Multiple providers have successfully overturned the government’s decisions not to award them contracts in the controversial non-levy tender –…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Atkins’ aides: Principals appointed to advise DfE

A crack team of seven top principals has been chosen by the FE commissioner to advise government officials on…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News

Struggling college awarded £21m to make merger work

A struggling college received a massive £21 million bailout from the government as part of its recent merger deal,…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News

Was government support of Learndirect sale legal?

> MPs demand answers over ESFA approving sale of Learndirect Apprenticeships in 2016 > PAC inquiry to quiz Ofsted…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Hughes criticises DfE for claiming university regulator has FE representation

The government and its former universities minister are under fire for “worrying” confusion over FE college representation on the…

Paul Offord
Paul Offord

Must read

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
Adult education, ITPs

Mayors dump adult education cuts on independent training providers

Up to two-thirds axed from devolved procured budgets

Josh Mellor
Josh Mellor