News

City and Islington and Westminster Kingsway Colleges set to merge in August

City and Islington and Westminster Kingsway Colleges have announced that they plan to “merge” from August next year. But…

Alix Robertson
Alix Robertson
News

Sector leaders welcome damning Public Accounts Committee findings on area reviews and FE finances

Sector leaders have welcomed then findings of a new Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report that raised grave concerns over…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

Skills Funding Letter reveals that co-funding in workplace will be removed from 2016/17

Skills Minister Nick Boles has revealed in the Skills Funding Letter that co-funding in the workplace will be removed…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

Serious doubts over ‘haphazard’ post-16 area reviews raised in Public Accounts Committee report

Post-16 education and training area reviews have come in for heavy criticism in a new Public Accounts Committee (PAC)…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

Weymouth College jumps from ‘inadequate’ Ofsted rating to ‘good’

Weymouth College has jumped from an ‘inadequate’ Ofsted rating to ‘good’ following intervention from the FE Commissioner. The latest…

Alix Robertson
Alix Robertson
News

Two-month delay for confirmation of nationwide qualification achievement rates

The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) has confirmed that publication of the next round of nationwide qualification achievement rates will…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter


News

Second wave of invitations to tender published for delayed ESF contracts

The second wave of invitations to tender for long-awaited European Social Fund (ESF) cash — this time totalling £16.2m…

Alix Robertson
Alix Robertson
News

Festive wishes and New Year hopes

What a year it has been for FE and skills. Over the past 12 months we’ve had a General…

Nick Linford
Nick Linford
News

Mixed reaction to lifting of traineeship restriction

The removal of rules allowing only providers rated outstanding or good by Ofsted to get lead contracts for traineeships…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

Apprenticeship frameworks cut-off scrapped

The government has scrapped plans to stop funding apprenticeship frameworks after 2017/18. The cut-off, that would ensure providers were…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

Public Accounts Committee will report on FE finances on December 16

The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) will publish the results of its inquiry into the financial state…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

New interim principal to take charge at troubled City College Coventry in New Year

A new interim principal will take the reins at troubled City College Coventry early next month. Dr Elaine McMahon…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke

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