FE Week Reporter | FE Week

The Force is strong at South Thames College

In 1977 Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford emerged from the first Star Wars film as global movie stars — and the same looks set to happen this year for John Boyega, who returned to his old classrooms at South Thames College with tales of a Hollywood galaxy far, far away, writes Billy Camden. The new […]

An Audi mural challenge for students

Graphic design learners from Bournemouth & Poole College have risen to an unusual artistic challenge to create a giant mural for a new Audi dealership. The design, created by a team of a dozen students and two tutors, transformed the dull security hoardings shielding a £14.5m building project for the Audi auto sales and car […]

Funding cuts death of NBAP ‘unacceptable’

Meredith White outlines how the Network for Black and Asian Professionals (NBAP) helped her, and just what the FE sector is losing with its closure. I was introduced to the Network for Black Professionals (NBP) some time ago by my manager who at the time, through NBP, was mentoring staff aspiring to be senior managers. […]

Waxing times for college principal

Barnsley College’s new principal has had a hair-raising start to his tenure after he took part in a sponsored half-leg wax for charity. Chris Webb, who started at the college in September, put his legs in the hands of the college’s hair and beauty department in exchange for donations from staff and learners who gathered […]

Show the Government how FE is responding to reform agenda

It is vitally important that FE shows it is responding to the Government’s reform agenda, says Gemma Gathercole. As the FE sector gathers for this year’s AoC Conference, I suspect the majority head to Birmingham with a sense of foreboding ahead of the spending review announcements and autumn statement that will follow next week. Although […]

Where might the Chancellor’s funding axe fall?

There can be little doubt that public funding for FE will fall by a lot. The question is where. Further education in England is on the brink of the greatest transformation it has seen in a generation. The die was cast in May when the Conservatives were returned to office after the election on a […]

Old Cif or new Cif? Early indications of impact on inspection judgments

With a few months of the new Ofsted Common Inspection Framework (Cif) under the sector’s belt, Paul Joyce outlines some common issues. While it is true to say that a change in framework places a different emphasis on inspection judgements, it is important to remember that a framework is just that — a framework. Ofsted […]

‘Don’t fall foul of doing what is urgent instead of what is important for new SFA subcontracting rules’

Small but key changes to Skills Funding Agency (SFA) subcontracting rules could lead to big problems for lead providers if not considered and followed, says Denise Bishop. In times of great change it is very easy to allow less urgent things to fall down the to-do list with an ‘I’ll-get–to-it-tomorrow’ attitude. And for FE providers […]

Colleges in no-win situation on meeting priorities

Colleges have a number of different priorities for which they can be criticised for not focusing on and, says David Hughes, apprenticeships just one example. Last week’s FE Week front page headline — ‘Colleges that ignore apprenticeships criticised’ — wrongly insinuated, in my view, that the sector’s lack of responsiveness was placing delivery of the […]