News

College faces £10,000 replacement bus bill over train strikes

A college in Sussex is bearing the full brunt of staff strikes at Southern Rail, having to shell out…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Providers in limbo as ‘no date’ for adult education budget procurement launch

Providers have been left in the dark about when procurement for adult education budget contracts will be launched for…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Late publication of ‘customer service’ guide for area reviews described as ‘beyond parody’

The government’s decision to publish today a “customer service” guide explaining what colleges can expect from area reviews –…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

PM’s mental health first aid training pledge only for schools, not colleges

The Prime Minister’s pledge to roll out mental health first aid training to education staff working with young people…

Alix Robertson
Alix Robertson
News

Wave three area review reports and recommendations published

This afternoon the Department for Education published most of the reports and recommendations for its area reviews in wave…

Paul Offord
Paul Offord
News

Investigation launched after former SFA senior manager embroiled in alleged Israeli plot

An investigation has been launched into whether the civil service code has been breached, after a former Skills Funding…

Paul Offord
Paul Offord


News

Qualifications achievement rates dashboard still unavailable after days of problems

The promised new qualifications achievement rates dashboard for apprenticeships, education and training will still be unavailable until at least…

Paul Offord
Paul Offord
News

Skills Funding Agency to remain in charge of assessment organisation register

The Skills Funding Agency will stay in charge of the new register of apprentice assessment organisations, despite its slow…

Alix Robertson
Alix Robertson
News

DfE writes off another £3m from undersubscribed UTCs

Over £3 million of taxpayers’ money has been lost by the Department for Education, through unrecovered payments to failed…

Alix Robertson
Alix Robertson
News

‘Large-scale incident’ exposes college safeguarding failures in inadequate Ofsted report

Epping Forest College has been rated ‘inadequate’ across-the-board, in an Ofsted report out today that warned of safeguarding failings…

Alix Robertson
Alix Robertson
News

Gazelle Group on its last legs after its director and most members quit

The Gazelle Colleges Group is on life support following a precipitous drop in membership, months of inactivity and the…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News

Outstanding colleges might now expect a visit from Ofsted

Ofsted seems to be heading for a U-turn on a controversial policy that exempts providers rated ‘outstanding’ from routine…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden

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, 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