Author: Billy Camden

The special treatment afforded to Learndirect after its infamous grade four from Ofsted was actually a ministerial decision, even though the ESFA’s former boss attempted to take “personal responsibility” for it, the National Audit Office has revealed. The country’s public spending watchdog has this morning published its much-anticipated report into the circumstances surrounding the monitoring, […]

The AELP wants the education secretary to review the “controversial” outcome of the non-levy tender before ‘good’ and ‘outstanding’ providers are “wiped out”. Results of this much-delayed procurement were released last week, and many Ofsted grade one and two providers were denied an ESFA contract to continue delivering apprenticeships for smaller employers until April 2019. […]

The first annual Ofsted report delivered by Amanda Spielman has warned that the ignominious fall of Learndirect shows that “no provider is too big to fail”. The chief inspector unveiled her report for 2016/17 this morning, confirming FE Week’s predictions that it would warn of declining performance for both general FE and sixth-form colleges. It […]

A total of 714 training providers have won contracts in the £650 million non-levy tender – nearly a third of which did not have an apprenticeships allocation last year. The ESFA has released a list of all the winners from the much-anticipated procurement to fund apprenticeships at small employers. It reveals that 714 providers have […]

A survey of civil servants working at the education watchdog shows a surge in approval of Ofsted’s leadership and ability to manage change this year. The 2017 civil service people survey has offered the first glimpse into life at the inspectorate under Amanda Spielman, who took over as chief inspector from Sir Michael Wilshaw in […]

An ‘outstanding’ training provider is facing a significant challenge to survive after it was only awarded a fraction of the funding it said it needed from the non-levy tender debacle. Haddon Training, a private provider based in Wiltshire, has been delivering work-based training in equine, animal care and business services for over 20 years, but […]

Apprenticeship providers in London are the biggest losers from the results of the much anticipated non-levy tender, after FE Week analysis revealed they were only awarded a third of their bid. The ESFA last night informed providers of how much funding for apprenticeships with small employers they will receive from January 2018 to March 2019. […]

With more and more councils introducing travel charges that deter learners from further education, the government has ignored the AoC’s appeal for a review of transport arrangements for post-16 learners with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND). FE Week investigates how widespread these charges really are, and considers their impact. Two thirds of county councils […]

Colleges must justify staff who are paid over £150,000 a year, according to the University and College Union, which says oversight is “desperately needed”. Seventy-one college leaders earned salaries of that size or more in 2015/16, according to FE Week analysis of DfE accounting records. This rises to 132 (over two thirds of all colleges) […]