Author: Billy Camden

The college that topped the funding tables during the adult education budget procurement has been awarded an extra £1.6 million for growth – even though it plans to subcontract it all with hefty top-slices. Independent providers, forced for the first time to tender for all their AEB funding, were aghast in November after FE Week […]

Peter Lauener is taking on yet another job next month, this time as chair of the Construction Industry Training Board at the request of the skills minister. The former boss of both the ESFA and the Institute for Apprenticeships, once dubbed the busiest man in FE, will take up the role at the organisation on […]

UPDATE: UCU staff members at Bradford College have today (May 3) voted to strike. The result for Kirklees College is expected to be announced tomorrow (May 4).   Two cash-strapped colleges in West Yorkshire are being balloted for possible strike actions over plans to cut jobs and change contracts. Bradford College, which received two government […]

The skills minister has imposed administered status on a cash-strapped college in Luton, due to the “significant” financial challenges it faces. Anne Milton wrote to Barnfield College on March 26, following a recent investigation by the FE commissioner, Richard Atkins. He found that its finances were a “major cause for concern”, with “significant” operating losses […]

The principal of a Northamptonshire college has resigned after it was labelled “unsafe” by Ofsted in a damning grade four report. Stephen Davies stepped down from Moulton College yesterday following last week’s shocking report, which said learners, including those with high needs, were in danger. He took on the job in 2011 when the specialist […]

Carole Stott will step down as chair of WorldSkills UK in the autumn, after more than five years in the role. The former teacher, who was awarded an MBE in 2012 for services to adult education, has led the board through a period of “extraordinary change” ever since she took on the position in April […]

The government has launched a consultation on proposals to “strengthen” public reporting on performance for colleges which are in groups and have multiple sites. Running for nine weeks, the consultation comes ahead of a new college campus identifier which could pave the way for campus-level inspections at mega-colleges. It seeks views on two proposals. The […]

The country’s largest FE provider didn’t get “anywhere near” quashing its now infamous ‘inadequate’ rating during its legal fight with Ofsted, the judge from the case has said. After a seven month wait the Manchester Administrative Court has finally published the detailed judgement following Learndirect’s failed judicial review in early August last year. Mr Justice […]

Private providers fared best out of the whole FE sector this week as three achieved ‘good’ ratings. There wasn’t any cause for celebration for colleges however, as two of them – Stoke-on-Trent and Moulton – were handed critical ‘requires improvement’ and ‘inadequate’ ratings respectively. Starting with the private providers: CSM Consulting Limited rose from ‘requires […]