FE Week Reporter | FE Week

A call to demonstrate what FE and its workforce can offer

Andrew Harden reflects on FE events at the UCU 2015 congress in Glasgow. The University and College Union’s (UCU) first annual congress under the new government took place in Glasgow recently. The two-day event included a special sector conference attended by delegates from across the FE sector and a joint conference with colleagues in higher […]

Edition 140: Lise-Lotte Olsen, Rebecca Kay, Natalie Wilson & Rayna Crawford-Jones

Chelmford’s Writtle College has a new governors’ board chair in Julia Smith. Ms Smith, who has served as a governor since July 2010, took over from Lise-Lotte Olsen, who finished her term of office after eight years in the Essex college role. “I very much look forward to this challenge as we enter an exciting […]

College issues exams blanket ban on wristwatches over concerns about ‘hard to identify’ internet-enabled smart watches

An East Midlands college has issued an exams blanket ban on wristwatches over fears learners could cheat using powerful new “smart watches” that can access the internet. A North Nottinghamshire College (NNC) statement on its website says candidates will be banned from wearing their watches in all exams following the “emergence of smart watches that […]

Key founder college quits Gazelle amid membership review

Gazelle has been dealt a major blow with news that a key founding college has announced it is “no longer an active member,” FE Week can exclusively reveal. Fintan Donohue said he was “naturally disappointed” that North Hertfordshire College (NHC), where he was principal and chief executive when he set up Gazelle in around 2011, […]

Pearson stops second distance provision linked to AL

Pearson has stopped registering higher national certificate (HNC) distance learning students at a second general FE college delivering the provision with support from private firm Acquire Learning (AL), FE Week can reveal. The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) was critical of the HNC in business course, launched at South and City College Birmingham […]

Skills Competitions Raising Standards

Ofsted scrapping of graded lesson observations ‘right’

Ofsted’s decision to scrap graded lesson observations for FE inspections has been described as the “right way to go” by Principals’ Professional Council (PPC) chair Sue Rimmer. A spokesperson for the education watchdog said on Friday (May 22) that it had consulted with FE providers and “conducted numerous pilot inspections to test the changes” before […]

Free supplement: Skills Competitions Raising Standards

For the young people involved, there can be no doubt skills competitions offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. However, the impact of skills competitions ripples out much wider than just the handful of talented young people who make it to the medal podium — and that ripple effect in raising standards is what this supplement sets out […]

FE Commissioner praise following revisits

The FE Commissioner has praised progress being made at two colleges following revisits. Dr David Collins checked up on the 6,800-learner East Kent College, which had taken over the Dover and Folkestone campuses from K College. His revisit, in November, came after grade four Ofsted-rated K College was broken up last summer after falling at […]