Colleges, Reclassification, Skills reform

DfE promises to ‘streamline’ high-end principal salary sign-offs

Lengthy delays are impacting college boss recruitment

Anviksha Patel
Anviksha Patel
Colleges

College U-turns on paid president gig after backlash

Ex-principal’s son also resigns after nepotism accusations

Anviksha Patel
Anviksha Patel
Adult education

Holex on the hunt for first CEO

New chief will work alongside policy director Susan Pember

Shane Chowen
Shane Chowen
Apprenticeships

Babington announces third CEO in less than a year

COO promoted after ‘turnaround specialist’ resigns with immediate effect

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Ofsted, SEND

Ofsted to examine how SEND pupils are prepared for adulthood

Inspectors will visit a ‘small number of areas’ to look at a ‘particular aspect of SEND in-depth’

Lucas Cumiskey
Lucas Cumiskey
News

RAAC: 10 colleges will get removal grants

234 education settings have now been identified as having confirmed RAAC

Billy Camden
Billy Camden


Apprenticeships

Care apprenticeship provider slated for focus on diploma rather than OTJ and EPA

Ofsted also slams ‘poor’ training as director strips back staff numbers

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Ofsted

Birmingham sixth form college awarded ‘outstanding’ second time running

The city’s only sixth form college praised for ambitious curriculums for thousands of learners

Anviksha Patel
Anviksha Patel
Apprenticeships

First apprentices awarded ‘professional status’ post-nominals

Sixteen former apprentices first to be awarded professional status through new recognition scheme

Shane Chowen
Shane Chowen
News

Ofsted rejects RAAC inspection exemption call

But crumbly concrete disruption will be ‘sufficient grounds to defer the inspection’

Freddie Whittaker
Freddie Whittaker
Apprenticeships

Hundreds of small businesses utilise removal of apprenticeship cap

Some SMEs have recruited over 50 apprentices since April 2023 policy change

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Electric car charging grants for colleges rise to £2,500

Ministers say colleges could generate revenue by allowing the public to use their charging points

Freddie Whittaker
Freddie Whittaker

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
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
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