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28 April 2026

Author: FE Week Reporter

Back to the 1950s for diamond jubilee

Winstanley College celebrated 60 years of education at its Wigan campus. Upholland Grammar School, which first launched in the Lancashire village of Upholland in 1661, moved to Winstanley Road, Wigan, in September 1953. It was renamed Winstanley College in August 1977 and gradually converted into a sixth form college by 1981, which it has remained […]

Designer with dyslexia cut out for college

A designer from Cleveland College of Art & Design (CCAD) who suffers from severe dyslexia and left school without any qualifications has secured a place at the London College of Fashion. Thomas Walker convinced CCAD tutors to allow him onto an introductory art and design course, despite his lack of GCSEs, after attending an open […]

Out of this world success for space engineering graduates

A graduate from the UK’s first post-16 space engineering advanced A-level programme at Loughborough College has secured an out-of-this-world apprenticeship with leading aerospace company Airbus. The two-year course was launched in September 2012 and the first wave of 11 graduates completed in June. It combined A-level maths and physics with BTec engineering and weekly visits […]

Education Secretary under pressure to establish ‘careers hubs’

Education Secretary Nicky Morgan has come under pressure from FE sector leaders to reform careers advice and guidance by establishing ‘careers hubs’. In a letter to Mrs Morgan, the Association of Colleges (AoC), National Union of Students and children’s charity Barnardo’s, the three organisations request her support for an improved careers advice system. It comes […]

Edition 110: Michael Sheehan and Catherine Hurst

Wigan and Leigh College has started the new academic year with a new principal, Michael Sheehan. Mr Sheehan, who has previously led Pendleton College in Salford and Runshaw College in Lancashire, has replaced Catherine Hurst, its principal of six years, who left in July to “explore new challenges”. In a statement, the college said Mr […]

Sally Dicketts, chief executive, Activate Learning

From a difficult start at school to the top of a group of three colleges and two University Technical Colleges (UTCs), the rise of Sally Dicketts has been nothing if not hard-earned. The Manchester-born and Cardiff-raised 59-year-old has enjoyed a long and varied teaching career in both schools and colleges despite having been written off […]

The adult literacy and numeracy ‘scandal’

The funding, teaching and organisation of adult literacy and numeracy programmes are in need of government action, says Adrian Bailey. Problems with reading, writing and maths can have a huge impact on people’s daily lives, including getting and keeping a job, understanding bills, forms and documents, and guiding children through education. It can affect adults […]