FE Week Reporter | FE Week

Blossoming florist takes on apprentice

Business is blooming for a young florist who has taken on an apprentice from her old college. Lauren Henderson, aged 21, completed level three floristry at East Durham College last year, before opening her shop in July. “It’s been a mad few weeks, but business is going really well,” she said. The shop, in Sunderland, […]

‘Home-from-home’ for special needs students

Havering College of Further and Higher Education has transformed the home of its former caretaker into a state-of-the art facility for students with learning disabilities, including those on the autistic spectrum. The London college spent £420,000 on the plush new facility, known as The Bungalow, which will feature a sensory room with fibre optics and […]

Food festival develops new catering skills

Catering students helped to bring Manchester Food and Drink Festival to Salford City College. Working with chefs from award-winning local restaurant Grenache, they prepared and served a gourmet meal for guests at a festival-related event in the college’s training restaurant, The Glass House. Student Adam Wright, aged 17, said: “We’ve learned a lot while working […]

Plastic frocks bag designers place on the catwalk

Fashion and textile students took to the catwalk with clothes made entirely from recycled plastic shopping bags. The Chelmsford College level three BTec learners showed off their garments at the intu Lakeside shopping centre, in Essex, alongside fashion displays from the centre’s shops, which donated the shopping bags for the students’ creations. Julie Leahy, curriculum […]

Seascape makes splash in photo competition

A photographic student’s picture of dark clouds over the Bristol Channel has been shortlisted in a national photographic competition. Ed French, who is studying a level three BTec extendeddiploma in photography at Weston College, Somerset, captured the image last year. He said: “I like how the sea meets the sky and is divided by the […]

Hands-on science and maths work experience

A- level students got hands-on experience of professional scientific and mathematical research. Nelson and Colne College Sixth Form students Sarah Kendall, aged 24, Fiona Dewhurst and Umair Asif, both 17, joined placements on university summer research projects. Their involvement was organised by Nuffield Foundation charitable trust. Sarah worked on a project studying brain damage associated […]

Ofsted director Coffey wins praise for prison talk

Prison education and training came under the spotlight last week in a critical speech by Ofsted’s FE and skills director Matthew Coffey. But he also made a number of recommendations that have earned him praise from Rod Clark. A grading of good, or maybe even outstanding, to Matthew Coffey for highlighting the need to improve […]

Our Mann’s impressed with Nottinghamshire college

Laying bricks, an afternoon jam with talented music students and a relaxing manicure were just some of the activities I enjoyed while visiting West Nottinghamshire College, writes Shane Mann. My visit, with FE Week editor Nick Linford, began with a tour of the college’s Ashfield centre. (Pictured above: Principal Asha Khemka OBE welcomes Nick Linford […]

Rushanara Ali, shadow junior education minister

As Rushanara Ali’s staff show me into her parliamentary office, they seem understandably disorientated by her sudden change of focus from international development to education and young people. But shadow minister Ali is unfazed by the results of Labour’s most recent reshuffle. She seems to be in her element with her new shadow ministerial brief […]