Billy Camden | FE Week

Ofsted considering climbdown over logo use

Ofsted could be heading for an embarrassing U-turn over its surprise decision to threaten providers with legal action over their unauthorised use of its logo to advertise ‘good’ inspection ratings. Last week, FE Week revealed that several training providers had been threatened out of the blue with court action by the education watchdog, for the […]

MP renews spat with college over planned job cuts

A senior MP has vowed to fight Hull College all the way over a string of job losses it wants to make. Karl Turner, former shadow attorney general and MP for Kingston upon Hull, has previously joined striking staff on the picket line, and has promised to meet with the University and College Union again, […]

Lord Baker rejects post-16 academic and vocational divide

Controversial plans for a post-16 academic and vocational divide have been rejected by key backer of under-fire university technical colleges Lord Baker. The Tory peer, who founded the Baker Dearing Educational Trust to promote UTCs for 14 to 19 year-olds, took his stand in a new Edge Foundation report called ‘14 – 19 education – […]

Government guidance delayed… but area reviews plough ahead

Wave four of the post-16 education and training area reviews has been launched, even though the sector is still waiting on important government guidance that should have been published in July. FE Week has received confirmation from colleges in the north-east, and Leicester and Leicestershire, which both fall under the fourth wave, that their reviews […]

Universities breach A-level results embargo by confirming student places a day early

A number of universities have breached the A-level results embargo and confirmed student places ahead of results day tomorrow. One university also released grade information directly to students, triggering UCAS to launch an investigation into the universities’ automated systems, which is blamed for the error. A-level grades can be released to students from 6am tomorrow […]

FE chief at the exams regulator steps down as new wave of reform begins

The man in charge of Ofqual’s vocational arm, Jeremy Benson, has decided to leave the exams regulator after nearly six years, in light of the recent skills plan. Mr Benson, who joined Ofqual in 2010 as director of strategic management and then became executive director for vocational qualifications in 2014, said he is moving on […]

Busted – Wilshaw caught making up evidence in effort to further criticise colleges

Ofsted’s chief inspector’s criticism about “uniformly weak” careers guidance in colleges has been exposed for lacking any identifiable external source or inspection based evidence. Sir Michael Wilshaw made the accusation yet again during a speech at the Baker Dearing conference today. He said: “Report after report finds that careers guidance in both schools and colleges […]

Government plans £2m payoffs as FE quango scrapped

A government skills agency has set aside £2m to pay off its staff following confirmation of its closure. The UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) announced in March that its funding for 2016/17 was going to be withdrawn but no staff exits were yet agreed. But in the agency’s annual accounts report, published today, […]

Ofsted boss tells UTCs to ‘radically improve to survive’

Ofsted’s chief inspector has slammed university technical colleges (UTC) and told them that they need to make “radical improvement” if the model is to survive. Sir Michael Wilshaw, who has been a champion of the controversial 14 to 19 vocational institutions during his tenure as the education watchdog’s boss, spoke out at the Baker Dearing […]