Billy Camden | FE Week

BREAKING: London area review reports and recommendations published

This afternoon the Department for Education published the reports and recommendations for the four London reviews in the area reviews process. London was split into four sub-reviews, two of which were originally part of wave two, but were put back to coordinate with the other two reviews in wave three. Download links below: West London […]

Principal racked up £60k bill on overseas trips

A former principal spent more than £60,000 on worldwide recruitment trips but it’s unclear if he managed to persuade a single overseas student to join his London college, it has been revealed. Kensington and Chelsea College spent tens of thousands of pounds on jetting Mark Brickley (pictured above), who unexpectedly resigned last November, on eight […]

Lord Baker scored a victory for FE

Lord Baker deserves a big pat on the back for his victory in the House of Lords this week. The Baker Clause, as it will inevitably come to be known, will force the hand of many in schools that are clearly biased against post-16 skills training. They haven’t done enough to steer students more suited […]

Ofsted watch: week of two halves for FE providers

In a week of two halves, a private training provider plummeted from ‘good’ to ‘inadequate’ in one of Ofsted’s most damning reports ever, while the first FE college to open in over 20 years was finally graded ‘good’. Platinum Employment Advice & Training Limited received the lowest Ofsted grade across the board, with inspectors finding […]

Government wants £140k-a-year director to oversee area reviews

The government is on the hunt for a permanent director to run its transaction unit following the area reviews process – a job which co-mes with a £140,000 salary comparable to that earned by FE’s busiest civil servant, Peter Lauener. An advert for the role was recently posted by the Department for Education, with a […]

Employers blasted for ignoring apprenticeships they developed

Employers including the private healthcare giant Bupa have been criticised for not employing anyone on apprenticeships they developed, after FE Week found three dental standards which have had no learners in 18 months. Analysis of latest government data shows that three apprenticeship standards – dental laboratory assistant, dental practice manager, and dental technician – were […]

Learners plead with government to end loan misery after provider collapse

Distressed learners left in the lurch when their training provider mysteriously went bust have pleaded with the government to write off thousands in student loan debts. FE Week revealed last month that the Skills Funding Agency is investigating the murky demise of John Frank Training. The provider went into liquidation on November 30, leaving no […]

Essex County Council learning branded ‘inadequate’

A major local authority which delivers adult education to more than 12,000 learners has been rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted. Essex County Council, which was inspected by the education watchdog between December 6 and 9 last year, was found to have serious problems with the teaching of English and maths, as well as having insufficient safeguarding […]

FE Week victory: apprenticeship rules ban brokerage

Public funds cannot be used to pay brokers’ fees, the Skills Funding Agency has officially ruled. In its final rules for apprenticeship funding published this week, the SFA has at last clamped down on the sorts of shady dealings which have seen private bodies and brokers cream off millions of pounds via commission fees. The […]