FE Week Reporter | FE Week

Learning merger lessons south of the border

With reviews of FE provision across England getting under way, Nigel Rayner looks at whether any lessons can be learned from the Scottish experience of college reviews. Hot on the heels of the government’s statement that it wants to see ‘fewer, larger, more resilient and efficient’ providers of FE in England, a number of colleges have already announced […]

Former My Family star takes college route to courtroom

A former child star of a popular primetime television show has grown up and swapped his acting career for life as a human rights barrister with the help of City and Islington College, writes Billy Camden. You’d think Gabriel Thomson’s role as Michael Harper in BBC sitcom My Family from the tender age of 13 might one day lead to a […]

Redefining FE’s mission across age ranges and historical sector divides

Gerry McDonald outlines the reasons and process behind his college’s application to open a free school and considers why it was turned down. The ability of FE to redefine itself is perhaps its defining characteristic. This can, of course, serve us well in challenging times when funding and competitive pressures make it difficult to hold […]

Letting football do the talking

Barnsley professional footballer Marc Roberts headed back to his roots when he visited his local college’s sports department. The former Barnsley College sports student returned to the Honeywell campus to speak to learners at a sports fair. The 25-year-old defender also talked about his experiences at college and his journey into The Beautiful Game. “My time at college […]

‘Far too early to tell if higher education in FE complaints will rise’

September 1, 2015, has gone down in FE as the date from which complaints about the sector’s higher education provision were handled in same way that university complaints are. Felicity Mitchell outlines the change, why it has happened and considers whether principals should be worried. The Higher Education Act 2004 required the appointment of an […]

The Indy Scene

The summer holidays over, a new contract year starting, let’s silence the press criticism of apprenticeships by producing outstanding performances from our learners, inspired by the stunning results of the UK WorldSkills team. I started my holiday on a Wednesday, for HIT next day the dreaded Ofsted phone call came for a full inspection the […]

Rianne Chester, World Skills winner

After a double celebration for being crowned the world’s best beauty therapist and making Team UK history for achieving the highest score at this year’s World Skills competition in Sao Paulo, Rianne Chester can’t hide her beaming smile. The former Warrington Collegiate student took some time out amid the excitement of the TeamUK welcome home event […]

Survey reveals principals’ unease with area reviews

Almost 90 per cent of principals affected by new area reviews are unhappy with government guidance outlining how the process will work, an exclusive FE Week survey has suggested. Huge unease with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and Department for Education (DfE) guidance was revealed in a survey of the 38 principals […]

A golden homecoming for TeamUK

TeamUK’s outstanding WorldSkills competitors received a rapturous welcome home with a celebration event in the heart of London. Skills Minister Nick Boles and Prime Minister David Cameron’s apprenticeship adviser Richard Harrington, MP for Watford, were among the guests as most of the TeamUK’s 40 competitors were honoured on Tuesday, September 8, at Dean’s Yard, near Westminster. The […]