FE Week Reporter | FE Week

Sixth form colleges’ academy VAT pass announcement comes as perfect leaving present

David Igoe will stand down as chief executive of the Sixth Form Colleges’ Association (SFCA) at the end of March. He told FE Week why he views Chancellor George Osborne’s decision to allow SFCs to become academies and gain VAT exemptions as the perfect leaving present. It was really good news that Chancellor George Osborne […]

Young artist’s icons on show

A young artist’s painting of Nottingham’s best-known icons will be put on show at Nottingham City Council. Internationally-renowned designer Paul Smith and literary greats DH Lawrence, Lord Byron and Alan Sillitoe all feature in 18-year-old Soniya Ahmed’s striking portrait, as well as Albert Ball, the First World War fighter pilot. Soniya is studying a BTec […]

Funding threat hangs over providers who missed topslice declaration deadline

The Skills Funding Agency was today looking into whether it would suspend funding for lead providers who flouted a disclosure deadline as part of a topslicing clampdown. It said it was “undertaking compliance work” to determine whether any providers had ignored a ruling that all their management fees be published online by Monday (November 23). […]

Employer engagement hopes with £3bn levy

Sector leaders have reacted positively after Chancellor George Osborne fleshed out how the new apprenticeship levy on large firms would raise £3bn a-year. Mr Osborne confirmed that from April 2017 employers would have to pay 0.5 per cent of their pay roll costs towards the levy — offset by a £15,000 allowance meaning that most […]

Finances on the mend at New College Nottingham

The FE Commissioner has finished his work at New College Nottingham (NCN) after overseeing dramatic improvement with its financial position. A spokesperson for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) told FE Week that “the intervention at NCN has ended”. Commissioner Dr David Collins’ initial visit to the 20,000-learner college from February 9 to […]

Area reviews question over academy VAT move

Sixth Form College (SFC) leaders were today in the dark about whether Chancellor George Osborne’s announcement they could become academies to escape VAT would also allow them to escape post-16 area reviews. Mr Osborne announced during his Budget speech that the government would allow SFCs to become academies “so they no longer have to pay […]

Learndirect topslices almost £50m from subcontractors over two years as average management fee rises to 36 per cent

Figures that the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) demanded be published by today have revealed that Learndirect top-sliced almost £50m from deals with its subcontractors in the last two years. The Sheffield-based provider retained 31 per cent (£24.3m) of total funding (£77.7m) for its 73 subcontractors in 2013/14, as previously reported by FE Week. But management fee […]

Where does your college sit in the FE Week 2015/16 adult apprenticeship allocations table?

The exclusive front page story in FE Week edition 154 on startlingly low levels of apprenticeship delivery among some colleges promised more details would be published later. The full list of apprenticeship allocations for general FE colleges was published in edition 155 and can be seen below. Click here for an expert piece on colleges’ […]

Movers and Shakers: Edition 155

Barking & Dagenham College has welcomed new principal Mark Robertson following the departure of Cathy Walsh OBE, who stood down from the role after seven years in the job. Mrs Walsh joined the college in September 2008 but has decided to take some time out to travel the world. She was awarded an OBE in […]