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14 May 2026

Author: FE Week Reporter

I’m a student. . . get me out of here

Students ate a pig’s head, devoured an octopus and handled a tarantula when Canterbury College held a series of I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here-style challenges to raise more than £1,000 for Children In Need. Eleven brave students tried weird and wonderful dishes cooked by the catering department, including pig’s tongue, frogs’ legs, lumpfish […]

Cooking up a storm in FutureChef 2013

Two aspiring chefs will showcase their cooking skills at the regional final of Springboard’s FutureChef 2013 competition after victory in their local heat at Central Sussex College’s Crawley campus. Lauren Sinfield, 14, from Lancing, and Rhianna Catt, 15, from Brighton, both wowed judges with their culinary creations. Lauren, a pupil at Sir Robert Woodward Academy, […]

Students hear top tips from fashion veteran

Fashion designer Simon Carter dropped in on Kingston College students to give advice on how to get creations from the classroom into stores on the high street. The menswear and accessories designer, who has shops across the UK, told students how he first created his brand 27 years ago. “One of my earliest defining moments […]

How to get 14-year-olds on the right track

From left:  Jewel Barnes and TJ Anderson, both of Downside Fisher Youth Club, Ann Hodgson, Institute of Education, Nick Linford of FE Week, Nic Dakin MP, Christopher Monaf and Nathanial Danderson, also of Downside Fisher Youth Club Meaningful careers advice and support would help 14-year-olds plan their futures, teenagers told  a parliamentary panel. Four members […]

The state of play is not always clear

Ofsted’s annual report may make uncomfortable reading for colleges, but counterbalance and context are needed, says Joy Mercer Ofsted’s annual report can make for uncomfortable reading for those working in and with colleges. This is not least because the methodology of planning inspections is so heavily weighted by risk. The report itself says: “The timing […]

Doug Richard, author, Richard Review of Apprenticeships

From humble beginnings a dragon was born. The entrepreneurial nous of Dragons’ Den investor and government review author Doug Richard wasn’t always present. Today, aged 54, he runs the School for Startups social enterprise and keeps an eye on new business opportunities with the Cambridge Angels investment group, but the picture of a young Richard, […]

A period of reflection is now needed

Apprenticeships, apprenticeships, apprenticeships — after three inquiries, incorporating a host of government recommendations, it’s time to take a breather, says David Way Doug Richard’s report has been eagerly anticipated not least because its advice on the future of apprenticeships comes from the perspective of a businessman without the detailed knowledge or ‘baggage’ of an insider […]

Independent assessment is key

Ann Watson on why EAL backs the Richard Review’s proposal to use tax breaks to encourage employers to take on apprentices  Certain issues surrounding apprenticeships are brought up time and again by government, employers, training providers, awarding organisations and apprentices themselves. The Richard Review is the latest to highlight the benefits of the vocational pathway […]

Archaeology students go absolutely potty

Archaeology students in the North West have enjoyed a cracking hands-on practical session as part of their college course. The second year A-Level group at South Cheshire College were given broken pots of different shapes and sizes and had the task of restoring them to their former glory using reconstruction techniques. Peter Scott from Sourdust […]