Billy Camden | FE Week

UTC founds feeder school against Baker trust’s wishes

A university technical college that has struggled to recruit students is opening an 11-14 feeder school next door. This comes despite opposition from opposition from the Baker Dearing Trust, responsible for overseeing all UTCs. The school, which will be called ‘the Inspiration Academy@Leigh UTC’ will open in September, operating on the same plot of land […]

Confusion for new providers on RoATP over compulsory training

Hundreds of training providers don’t know when they can start apprenticeship programmes, because the government has failed to inform them of the mandatory training they need to complete first. The Education and Skills Funding Agency has added over 500 companies to the register of apprenticeship training providers, but FE Week has found that none were […]

‘Alarming’: ESFA still giving one-man bands access to millions

Labour has demanded an investigation into the way providers are selected for the register of apprenticeship training providers – after a new company with one employee run from home made it onto the list. The updated register was published this week by the Education and Skills Funding Agency – and Learn for Free Ltd, which […]

Colleges not on apprenticeships’ register still advertising vacancies

High-profile colleges that failed to get onto the government’s new register of apprenticeship training providers the first time round are still advertising vacancies, as they nervously wait for permission to deliver them. The revelation, which Birmingham Metropolitan College and Solihull College openly admitted to, comes as FE Week has learned the results of the second […]

Ofsted watch: Three colleges slide to grade three

Three colleges dropped from Ofsted ‘good’ to ‘requires improvement’ this week, in a bad week for FE. The only silver lining was for Abingdon and Witney College, which maintained its grade two rating. Southampton City College lost its ‘good’ rating following an inspection report published May 9 and is now deemed to ‘require improvement’, after […]

Allocations shock: ESFA ‘mistake’ sees massive firms listed as small

The allocations “horror show” has got even more alarming, after FE Week found the government has been wrongly categorising giant firms including Santander as non-levy payers. Other smaller employers have meanwhile been classified as subject to the charge launched last month, despite their payroll being drastically short of the £3 million point from which firms […]

Lib Dems commit to defending 16 to 19 funding

A “real-terms” commitment to protect 16 to 19 FE funding per pupil has been announced by the Liberal Democrats. The party announced today that over the course of the parliament, it will protect FE per pupil funding “in real terms” at £660 million, and “invest in continuous professional development for teachers” through a £165 million […]

Principal leaving UTC as year 10 recruitment stopped

An ‘inadequate’ university technical college will not take on any new year 10 students from September and is on the hunt for a new leader, following the resignation of its principal. UTC Plymouth revealed that the college would not be admitting any 14 year olds – through a year 10 intake for 2017/18 – although […]

Sixteenth studio school confirms it will close

An ‘inadequate’ studio school in Essex has announced it will close in August following dwindling student numbers, making it the 16th of its kind to shut its doors. The closure of New Campus Basildon Studio School means just 34 will be left open, after 14 others have already closed and another, Future Tech Studio School […]