Billy Camden | FE Week

Sixth Form Colleges Association award winners unveiled

Seven outstanding teams from sixth form colleges across the country have been honoured at an inaugural awards ceremony for the sector tonight. The De Vere Jubilee Conference Centre, in Nottingham, was the setting for the Sixth Form Colleges Association awards dinner and ceremony, where FE Commissioner Richard Atkins was compère for the evening. It was […]

Editor Asks: Robert Halfon reflects on time as minister

Most, if not all of the FE sector was left in shock this week after we exclusively revealed that Robert Halfon had been sacked from his job as apprenticeships and skills minister by Theresa May. Mr Halfon, who took the role over from Nick Boles 11 months ago, is well known for his passion for […]

Merger partner announced for cash-strapped college

A cash-strapped college that was recently told by the FE Commissioner that it urgently needed to merge in order to survive has finally found a partner. Stratford-upon-Avon College, in Warwickshire, has today announced that it will merge with Solihull College & University Centre, with the launch date targeted for January 1, 2018. Stratford was rated […]

Brathay Challenge: National apprentice team of the year revealed

A team of nine apprentices from GlaxoSmithKline Ulverston have been named the apprentice team of the year, through the prestigious Brathay Challenge. Eight teams from across England went head-to-head on the banks of Lake Windermere for the national Final of the annual competition, which began on Monday this week and ended today, supported by the […]

Ofsted watch: Providers enjoy grades boost in good week for FE

A host of providers jumped up Ofsted grades in what was a mostly impressive week for FE – but a university technical college with just 143 students came in for criticism. Two large colleges – City of Bristol College and North Shropshire College – clawed their way out of ‘inadequate’ and have now been rated […]

Education ministers retain their seats

All the key education figures from Labour and the Conservatives have been re-elected, while long-time FE champion Vince Cable has made a welcome political comeback. Robert Halfon, apprenticeships and skills minister ahead of the general election, and his shadow Gordon Marsden were returned as MPs for Harlow and Blackpool South with increased shares of the […]

Free Financial Times offer is for FE students too

Students from colleges and independent training providers will be able to read the Financial Times for free, despite the offer for 16 to 19-year-olds initially only appearing to be available for secondary schools. The FT this week advertised a scheme, sponsored by Lloyd’s Bank, for “secondary schools” with sixth-forms to register for free subscriptions starting […]

Blue pill is tough to swallow

Since the snap election was called by the Conservatives seven weeks ago, it has been interesting to see the reaction to their handling of the media. The overriding theme has been one of avoidance: stories of the press being locked out of events, being allowed to ask pre-vetted questions only and of ministers darting in […]

UTC applications surge after letters sent to parents

The body that runs the university technical colleges has been making bold claims about a surge in demand for places for 14-year-olds. New figures shared exclusively with FE Week by the Baker Dearing Trust indicate that applications from 14-year-olds are running at nearly “double the rate” compared with last year. Silverstone UTC, for example, currently […]