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27 April 2026

Author: FE Week Reporter

Students’ artwork displayed in House of Commons

Talented students from 20 sixth form colleges had their artwork displayed at the House of Commons. The exhibition, which displayed 21 works of art by 21 students including still life, portraits and landscape scenes, was organised by the Association of Colleges (AoC) and attended by Education Secretary Michael Gove. One of the chosen artists Frances […]

In the frame for special commendation for video on local policing

Television and film students found themselves in the frame for high praise after filming and editing a video to boost confidence in local policing. Five level two students at Darlington College worked on the video, which features officers giving out crime reduction advice and helping reduce antisocial behaviour through high-visibility street patrols. Senior officers were […]

Is FE and skills on board the Lep drive and does it even need to be?

Local enterprise partnerships seemed to be the next big thing for FE and skills in late 2012 when Lord Heseltine called for a single funding pot that included the adult skills budget. Fears emerged that a lack of FE and skills representation among Lep boards might see sector cash used elsewhere, on infrastructure projects, for […]

Putting English and maths ‘front and centre’

Among the areas of Ofsted praise heaped upon North Somerset’s outstanding Weston College earlier this year Foundation English. Dave Trounce explains how the college putting core skills at the centre of the whole college curriculum. The flurry of excitement which greeted the post-Christmas announcement that our Foundation English programme at Weston College was deemed by […]

Less adult money signals a moral future

The world of publicly-financed FE is a diminishing one. Andy Gannon makes the case for defending the sector from further government cuts with a new, morality-based dialogue.   So, perhaps unsurprisingly, the adult skills budget faces a cut of around 15 per cent. It goes without saying that this is regrettable — we all know […]

Making employers pay ‘risks’ 16 and 17 apprenticeships

A government consultation on apprenticeship funding reforms is looking at making employers pay towards training. Kirstie Donnelly explores the implications. All 16-year-olds are different. All of them have different talents and different goals in life. Some, for example, are naturally academic and suited to classroom learning. Others, as we all know so well, are better […]

Graham Stuart, chair, Education Select Committee

After almost four years at the helm of the House of Commons Education Select Committee, Graham Stuart is not known for holding back when it comes to criticising government. But the Tory politician’s willingness to speak his mind in his committee sittings should not be mistaken for an absence of party loyalty. Pro-austerity and highly […]

What the budget means for FE beyond the apprenticeship headlines

The extension of the apprenticeship grant for employers may have provided the main source of budget attention for FE, but Mick Fletcher looks at how else the sector might have been affected by Chancellor George Osborne’s announcements. In a pre-election budget, designed to win votes through devices like cutting the bingo tax, FE was never […]