News

Apprentice travel discounts yet to manifest

Six months after the Conservatives committed to cutting travel costs for apprentices in their election manifesto, there is no…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Ofsted watch: Impressive week for FE colleges

It’s been an outstanding week for general FE colleges, with one awarded a grade one and a second going…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News

Ofsted returns to Learndirect as the provider fights for survival

Ofsted has completed its first monitoring visit at Learndirect, as the provider attempts to improve on its ‘inadequate’ rating…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

ESFA threatens to bring forward data deadlines

The ESFA has threatened to move the deadlines for individualised learner records (ILR) forward because it reckons too many…

Paul Offord
Paul Offord
News

Government rejects call for change on end-point assessment

The government has rejected a call from an influential parliamentary group for at least one end-point assessment organisation to…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News

Don’t ‘punish’ young people with mandatory T-level work placements, AoC pleads

The Association of Colleges has asked the government not to “punish” young people by making 315-hour work placements mandatory…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden


News

AoC boss talks tough over management apprenticeships

David Hughes has “serious concerns” about the unstoppable rise of management apprenticeships and the consequent lack of opportunities for…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Exclusive: Ofsted ratings decline for colleges exposed as funding cuts bite

More than one third of English colleges are currently rated less than ‘good’ by Ofsted, whose boss has refused…

Pippa Allen-Kinross
Pippa Allen-Kinross
News

Ofsted proposes to publish monitoring visits of grade 3 providers

Ofsted is seeking views on a proposal to carry out monitoring visits to FE providers judged ‘requires improvement’ and…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Area review restructuring fund shortfall prompts extension

Around £600 million of the cash available to colleges for post-area review restructuring remains unallocated – prompting the Department…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News

SPONSORED: JTL is recruiting trade and training professionals

What happens when you combine a booming construction industry, a shortage of skilled trade professionals and a fall in…

Features Team
Features Team
News

Third FE college in six months rated Ofsted outstanding

A third general FE college has been rated ‘outstanding’ in the space of six months. Fareham College was recognised…

Paul Offord
Paul Offord

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

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