News

Councils to charge families for post-16 SEND transport to plug black holes

‘Unfair’ plans slammed as cash-strapped LAs look to balance books

Anviksha Patel
Anviksha Patel
News

Ofsted promises to start recording inspection pauses in new era

Pledge comes after watchdog admits it holds no ‘central record of the number of inspections that have been paused’

Lucas Cumiskey
Lucas Cumiskey
Apprenticeships, Politics

Apprenticeship provider boss embroiled in Post Office scandal

Lifetime Training board backs David Smith as he inputs to public inquiry

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Apprenticeships

Funding boost for popular early years apprenticeship

DfE hopes increase will aid nursery providers in training more staff amid a workforce crisis

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
resits

GCSE maths resit pass rate lower than pre-pandemic

But performance in English re-takes continues to rise

Freddie Whittaker
Freddie Whittaker
RAAC

DfE will repay colleges £4k for RAAC surveys – but there’s a catch

Funding will only be available for surveys carried out over a two-month period last year

Jack Dyson
Jack Dyson


News

HE short course trial hit 5% of student enrolment target

‘Dire’ figures raise questions about demand for the Lifelong Learning Entitlement

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Ofsted: Inspectors locked out of new training after tech glitch

Watchdog promises to send video of mental health training to all inspectors after hundreds were unable to access the…

Lucas Cumiskey
Lucas Cumiskey
Ofsted

Ofsted inspections to restart from January 22

Union leaders will also provide ‘constructive challenge’ on Ofsted’s response to critical coroner report

Lucas Cumiskey
Lucas Cumiskey
GCSEs

‘This isn’t the end of pen-and-paper exams’, Pearson says as English GCSEs set to go on-screen

The board is the latest to announce its timeline for digital assessment, but will still offer the choice of…

Samantha Booth
Samantha Booth
News

Boost Turing scheme funding for most disadvantaged, evaluators tell DfE

Providers should also offer disadvantaged students funds upfront before jetsetting, researchers say

Anviksha Patel
Anviksha Patel
Ofsted

Inspections won’t restart next week as new Ofsted boss launches inquiry

New chief inspector says inspections halted for ‘a couple of weeks’ as he takes action after headteacher death

John Dickens
John Dickens

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