FE Week Reporter | FE Week

Will Torrent, confectionery consultant, Waitrose

At 26, Will Torrent has achieved more than many chefs could ever dream of. He’s worked with celebrity cook Heston Blumenthal at the Michelin-starred Fat Duck restaurant, won a host of awards, including a WorldSkills medal for his chocolates and desserts, and is the pastry consultant for the supermarket Waitrose. He’s recently finished his first book, Patisserie […]

Report casts shadow on apprentices

Careers guidance should be boosting apprenticeships, says shadow minister Gordon Marsden The BIS Select Committee has provided a detailed and disturbing commentary of this government’s handling of apprenticeships and highlighted a number of persistent shortcomings. The committee came down hard on the government for lacking a coherent over-arching strategy for apprenticeships as well as highlighting […]

Supporting Improvement

Download your copy of this free 16 page special supplement, produced in partnership with LSIS, via the link below: Supporting Improvement supplement Introduction to supplement A host of knowledgeable contributors have made this Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS) supplement, put together by the team at FE Week, an invaluable source of advice and guidance on provider […]

Provider network event: An inspector calls time on lack of CIF preparation

Ofsted’s new common inspection framework came under the spotlight when providers met for an expert guidance session led by inspector of more than 10 years’ experience Megan Whittaker. Around 35 representatives from a range of providers, including colleges and subcontractors, were at the conference entitled Preparing for Inspection with the new Common Inspection Framework. The […]

Laying the path for improvement journeys

If colleges want to improve, the leadership team must be honest and open about its weaknesses says Matthew Coffey. Ofsted’s How Colleges Improve report, published in September, was commissioned by the Learning and Skills Improvement Service to highlight how colleges can build on best practice and ensure the education they are providing is at least […]

Win an FE Week special edition WorldSkills mug filled with sweets

To celebrate the publication of our Supporting Improvement supplement, in partnership with LSIS, we invite you to participate in this tweeting competition. Simply tweet @feweek your top tip for college or training provider improvement, before November 23. We will retweet all entries, and our favourite five will win a mug full of sweets (see picture above) Never tweeted? Then download the […]

Westminster event: professionalism in FE as Lingfield Review is launched

Principals, teachers and experts gathered to discuss improving the status of staff in colleges and training providers at a roundtable event in Westminster. The impact of Lord Lingfield’s independent review on professionalism in further education was at the core of the panel’s debate, which included chief executives from the Association of Colleges (AoC), the Learning […]

Olympic effort required for outstanding change

You need to change the culture of your college if you want to move from ‘good’ to ‘outstanding’ says Tony Lau-Walker. And you don’t do this by first looking at the common inspection framework. When we were asked how Eastleigh College achieved its outstanding status this year the reply reflected Mo Farah’s comment after winning […]

New regime requires quick results

The new common inspection framework (CIF) represents a substantial shift, not only in its structure and application, but in its core reasoning and message. The new chief inspector has made a clear statement of purpose — too many learners are receiving provision that is satisfactory and inadequate, and the new framework is specifically designed to […]