FE Week Reporter | FE Week

Edition 106: Ioan Morgan and Maxine Room

Lesoco has brought in the former chair of the 157 Group to take over as interim consultant principal following the departure of Maxine Room. Ioan Morgan, who will officially be employed by the Association of Colleges’ (AoC) recruitment arm AoC Create, will take up the role at the college on Monday (June 9). Mr Morgan […]

Small classes, staff budgets and governors’ skills in the spotlight as FE Commissioner issues progress review

FE Commissioner Dr David Collins has criticised small classes, big staffing spends and a skills shortage on governing boards in a letter to the sector. Dr Collins, who has so far visited at least 10 colleges since his appointment last year, has written to governors, chief executives and colleges to update them on his progress. […]

Another look at family learning impact

A report on family learning last year from Niace called for a huge expansion in family education programmes to improve child and adult numeracy, literacy and other key skills. Carol Taylor assesses the report’s impact eight months on. The first few years of life are vital for everyone’s future attainment and achievement. We cannot rely […]

A mid-term review of the AoC India project

A delegation of college principals set off to India in January last year to assess opportunities for delivering FE in a burgeoning foreign market. They marked the opening of the AoC India office in Delhi, and John Mountford looks at what’s been happening there since. The UK’s FE colleges are ideally placed to add real […]

Sixth form colleges forced to spend 35 per cent less on learners than academy rivals, according to report

Sixth form colleges are being forced to spend 35 per cent less per student than academies do, according to a report published by London Economics today. The report, Assessing the value for money in sixth form education, found that on average, academies are able to spend an average of £1,598 more per student than sixth […]

Running wild with the Lep potential

The Lep Network underwent something of a revamp earlier this year, with Alex Pratt stepping in as chair of its newly created management board. Mr Pratt outlines his views on Leps and their relationship with FE and skills Leps are a bold attempt to arrest the long term trend of economic centralisation by rebalancing strategic […]

Di Layzelle, head of enrichment, Croydon College

Di Layzelle is shocked to realise that she’s worked at Croydon College for a quarter of a century. “Is it really?” she says, wide-eyed. “It doesn’t feel like it — well, time flies when you’re having fun.” Layzelle arrived at the college in 1989 as a PE teacher, before she developed an attraction to the […]

Learners’ uni hopes hit by strike

Desperate learners at Lambeth College have called on union leaders and college bosses to get back around the negotiating table amid fears an increasingly bitter strike is putting university futures at risk. Members of the University and College Union (UCU) started their indefinite industrial action on Tuesday, June 3, over contracts which offer less annual […]

Apprenticeship challenge tests mental and physical stamina to limit

The mental and physical stamina of high-achieving apprentices was tested to the limit in the finals of the Brathay Challenge. Eight teams from across the country descended on the Lake District to complete a series of tests of their problem solving and physical abilities over June 10 and 11. The final was the culmination of […]