Billy Camden | FE Week

College students to receive three Covid tests on site upon return

College students will have four rapid Covid tests in the first two weeks of returning to the classroom from March 8, the government has said. Three of the asymptomatic tests, which produce results in around 30 minutes, will be conducted on site while another will be conducted at home. Colleges will then introduce twice weekly […]

Unions ‘increasingly concerned’ government will order full school and college reopening on March 8

Unions have urged the government to phase the return of students to schools and colleges, amid concerns ministers will opt for a “big bang” approach to reopenings. Organisations representing leaders, teachers, support staff, governors and colleges have warned they are “increasingly concerned” the government will opt to bring all learners back on March 8, which […]

Apprentice feedback tool kicked into the long grass

A tool that allows apprentices to give feedback on their training provider via text has been delayed again and will not be launched for at least another year, if ever. The Education and Skills Funding Agency’s Digital Service has been developing the feature for a number of years and its launch was originally set for […]

MOVERS AND SHAKERS: EDITION 343

Your weekly guide to who’s new and who’s leaving. Andrew Gedge, Deputy principal, SMB Group (Stephenson College and Brooksby Melton College) Start date: February 2021 Previous job: Assistant principal, College of West Anglia Interesting fact: He once managed to help successfully land a medical helicopter in the middle of a very busy college campus with […]

Pearson launches ‘major’ consultation into the future of exams amid calls for end to GCSEs

The exam board Pearson has launched a “major” consultation into the future of exams, following calls for GCSEs to be scrapped. Former education secretaries Damian Hinds, Baroness Morris and Lord Blunkett will sit on an expert panel to advise and steer a research project looking at assessment and qualifications for young people aged between 14 […]

Association of Apprentices launches to support trainees and boost retention

An Association of Apprentices has been launched in an effort to help boost the number of the work-based trainees staying on and completing their course. The new support network for apprentices was founded by the government’s apprenticeship ambassador Jason Holt, former Lord Mayor of the City of London Sir Peter Estlin and a co-founder of […]

Re-apply – again! Anger as ESFA tells providers to make fresh RoATP application

Training providers were left “appalled” this week after the Education and Skills Funding Agency made the “ridiculous” decision that all who are on RoATP will need to re-apply yet again. “They just don’t get what we are going through, do they?” was how one managing director of an independent provider reacted, while a college principal […]

AoC warns there is still ‘not enough detail’ for colleges to plan new level 3 adult offer

The head of the Association of Colleges is “worried” there will be a slow start to the new flagship level 3 adult offer despite pleas from the education secretary for his members to embrace it. David Hughes has warned that colleges “still don’t have enough detail” to fully plan their offer, even though it is […]

Ofsted parks new provider monitoring visits

New provider monitoring visits have been delayed indefinitely by Ofsted. The inspectorate previously said it would restart the visits from January face-to-face but later announced they would be conducted remotely until at least the February half-term in light of the third national lockdown. The virtual monitoring visits to providers that are new to delivering apprenticeships […]