Author: FE Week Reporter

The FE sector has had one of its key spokespeople recognised on the 2015 Debrett’s 500 list of the most influential people. Dr Lynne Sedgmore CBE, executive director of the 157 Group, has been named as one of the UK’s most influential people in the 2015 Debrett’s 500 list, which was first published in yesterday’s Sunday […]

Ofsted’s system for flagging up falling standards has been described as offering an “insecure comfort blanket” after two formerly outstanding providers fell straight to inadequate having gone uninspected for a total of more than 12 years. The grade-four-across-the-board results for Four Counties Training Limited (FCT), in West London, and Venture Learning Limited (VL), in Greater […]

Lambeth College has retained its grade three Ofsted rating despite inspectors visiting amid long-running industrial action that ended with staff returning to the classroom last week. Principal Mark Silverman was praised in the report, out on Friday, for “resolute and resilient management,” while staff efforts and contingency plans “helped to mitigate some, but not all” […]

Local authorities “need more legal powers to ensure partners share vital information” in tracking the education and training status of 16 to 18-year-olds, it has been claimed. Local Government Association children and young people board chair Coun David Simmonds (pictured) hit back at a Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report that highlighted how up to 20 […]

The Department for Education (DfE) has not ruled out another college intervention to take on a school from troubled academy chain E-Act (formerly EduTrust Academies Charitable Trust). South Gloucestershire and Stroud College (SGS) has announced it was the new sponsor of Forest Academy, formerly Heywood Community School, Forest of Dean, from March. The school, given […]

The Sixth Form Colleges’ Association (SFCA) has written to Skills Minister Nick Boles in a bid to clarify his comments to fellow MPs about the issue of a VAT exemption for its members. Mr Boles said he was prepared to discuss the matter with the “fierce” Treasury as he answered Labour MP Kelvin Hopkins during […]

The RAF’s apprenticeship scheme has seen it become just the second employer provider to be rated outstanding across the board under Ofsted’s current common inspection framework. The report, released on Thursday, said success rates were “significantly above national rates for all apprenticeship subjects” and that instructors “plan learning activities very well so that apprentices of […]

The government will not be enforcing a recommendation from the Further Education Learning Technology Action Group (Feltag) that 10 per cent of all course content should be delivered online, Skills Minister Nick Boles has revealed. Speaking at the Bett technology trade show on Thursday (January 22), Mr Boles said he was not planning to be […]

The Sky Academy invited FE Week reporter Paul Offord to look around its new Careers Lab that will give thousands of 16 to 19-year-olds the opportunity to learn about job opportunities available at the broadcasting giant and wider media, business and technology sectors. [slideshow_deploy id=’31337′] Broadcasting giant Sky hopes to plant seeds of inspiration in […]