Author: Billy Camden

The principal of the first college to be rated “outstanding” under Ofsted’s new framework has warned that “you can’t hide anything” if you want to achieve the top grade. Karen Dobson was celebrating last week after the publication of Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group’s glowing grade one report. The feat was all the more impressive […]

Six college leaders have shared the “heart-wrenching” impacts of government funding cuts after speaking anonymously to FE Week for the first time. We approached the principals and chief executives at this week’s Association of Colleges conference, who revealed how they have had to cut back significantly on staff, pay and provision. They, like anyone who […]

Labour has pledged to raise the base rate of per-student funding in FE to secondary-school levels and expand the apprenticeship levy if it wins power. Jeremy Corbyn launched the party’s manifesto at Birmingham City University today ahead of the general election on December 12. The Labour leader vowed that the party would “make lifelong education […]

Three FE colleges in England have been announced as winners of the Queen’s Anniversary Prizes for 2018-2020 in a ceremony at St James’s Palace. London South East Colleges, Dudley College of Technology and Tyne Coast College were among the 22 education providers recognised in the awards. They were recommended by the prime minister and approved […]

The Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) has today recommended a new, more “robust approach” to subcontracting in an effort to avoid an outright ban. Subcontracting in FE, the practice of one provider paying another to deliver the training, has never been far from scandal and controversy. It has already been banned for advanced […]

A bitter dispute that involved extensive strikes at Nottingham College has officially ended after a deal was reached which will ensure no staff see their pay cut as a result of new contracts. The agreement will also retain workload protections and rules out proposed cuts to sick pay and annual leave. Staff who are members […]

A move to campus-level Ofsted grades for college groups is back on the cards and they could be introduced as soon as next September, FE Week can reveal. The education watchdog will shortly meet with college leaders to discuss the move and a consultation will be run early in the new year. If support for […]

The first college to receive a grade one rating under Ofsted’s new inspection framework is Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group. Inspectors graded the college ‘outstanding’ across the board, in a glowing report published this morning. Principal Karen Dobson (pictured) said while the inspection was “intense”, getting the top grade was “absolutely brilliant” and a testament […]

The Conservatives have announced plans to put £1.8 billion into capital investment for further education colleges. In a speech in Coventry, party leader Boris Johnson said the rebuild programme would be part of a “skills revolution” and be introduced over a five-year period. “Colleges are a vital part of our education system, it’s not just […]