Billy Camden | FE Week

UTC jumps from Ofsted ‘inadequate’ to ‘outstanding’ in a year

A university technical college (UTC) has been rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted just a year after being hit with the inspectorate’s lowest possible judgement. UTC Portsmouth was slapped with an ‘inadequate’ rating in a report published in July 2020 after it failed to provide effective safeguarding arrangements. But thanks to “swift” action from the senior leadership […]

5 things we learned from DfE’s final apprenticeship reform review

The Department for Education has today published its final review of its apprenticeship reform programme. Officials established the programme, which has seen the launch of the levy and introduction of standards among other changes, in 2015 and was scheduled to be delivered by the end of the financial year 2020-21. Today’s report reveals the government’s […]

100 jobs at risk as combined authority rejects WEA’s adult education bid

Around 100 jobs are at risk at one of England’s largest charitable adult education providers after a mayoral combined authority chose to defund it. The WEA, formerly the Workers’ Educational Association which was founded over a 100 years ago, says it will see a cut of £1.7 million after the South Yorkshire Combined Authority rejected […]

Target apprenticeships at most disadvantaged, Social Mobility Commission tells government

Apprenticeships are failing to reach their social mobility “potential” and must be better targeted at the most disadvantaged, the Social Mobility Commission has said. In its state of the nation report for 2021, published today, the commission says government should do this by using the levy to incentivise employers to provide more traineeships and level […]

Provider-level achievement rates to return in 2021/22

Next year’s provider-level qualification achievement rates (QARs) will be published following a two-year suspension. The Department for Education has today confirmed school and post-16 accountability arrangements for 2021/22. It said results from key stage 4 and post-16 qualifications in 2021/22 will be published in school and college performance tables using the government’s “normal suite of […]

New ‘skills measure’ would trigger Ofsted inspections

Colleges that fail to align their provision with local and national needs will trigger Ofsted inspections in the future, under plans announced today by the Department for Education. Officials are proposing to introduce a new “skills measure” that will capture how well a college is delivering courses that the economy needs as part of its […]

Simplifying FE funding and accountability consultation launched by DfE

The government has launched a consultation on proposals to simplify funding and accountability systems in further education. As promised in the ‘Skills for Jobs White Paper’, the reforms aim to give colleges and providers more autonomy by relaxing ringfences, introducing a multi-year funding regime, and holding them to account for the outcomes they deliver. You […]

Revealed: The local skills improvement plans trailblazers

The employer representative bodies that will lead pilots for new local skills improvement plans (LSIP) have been named. Eight different chambers of commerce will spearhead the development of the plans in eight trailblazer areas this year, backed with £4 million of revenue funding. First mooted in the FE white paper, the plans will aim to […]

Staff vote to strike at 15 colleges

University and College Union members in 15 colleges across England have voted for strike action in a row over pay. College bosses have until September to increase staff pay by more than 5 per cent or they will face walkouts, the union said today. Eighty nine per cent of members who voted backed strike action, […]