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23 April 2026

Author: FE Week Reporter

Ceremony marks the ‘wonderful things’ that tutors do

Adult Learners’ Week winners recently got together in London to thank their tutors. Rebecca Cooney was there The dedication of FE tutors was honoured as part of Adult Learners’ Week (ALW) with a special celebration ceremony in central London. David Hughes, the chief executive of the National Institute for Adult Continuing Education, said the event […]

Cracking the glass ceiling

FE can show the private sector a thing or two when it comes to the representation of women in top jobs, says Sally Dicketts The media has been paying a lot of attention to the representation of women — or lack of it — in top roles in FTSE 100 and 250 companies. It’s not […]

Time to climb aboard the internship

Former House of Commons Education Select Committee specialist Ben Nicholls is head of policy at London’s Newham College. He writes exclusively for FE Week, every month One of my most enjoyable meetings of the last fortnight was with a Labour MP — a major champion of FE — and his research assistant, currently on placement […]

Why are so few applying for principalship?

Ofsted, funding cuts, policy changes . . . it’s no surprise that the number of prospective FE principals/chief executives is falling, says Mike Hopkins A straw poll of principal and chief executive colleagues makes clear the reality of the decline in the number of prospective principals. Why has this happened? Broadly speaking, issues include Ofsted […]

Chris Jones, CEO, City & Guilds

After an hour with Chris Jones it’s difficult to say I’ve discovered much that wasn’t already known. What the City & Guilds chief executive did give away was an enjoyment of mowing the lawn at the home he shares with wife Judy in the Oxfordshire village of Bampton. Oh, and he enjoys watching a bit […]

Principals fear ‘lack of new talent’

Succession planning is a key leadership challenge with too few would-be college principals waiting in the wings, a new report has warned. The Principals’ Professional Council report, Further Education Colleges: Rising to the leadership challenge, pinpoints “a lack of new talent coming through”. The report, based on consultation with 130 principals at nine events in […]

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Why are so few applying for principalship?

Ofsted, funding cuts, policy changes . . . it’s no surprise that the number of prospective FE principals/chief executives is falling, says Mike Hopkins A straw poll of principal and chief executive colleagues makes clear the reality of the decline in the number of prospective principals. Why has this happened? Broadly speaking, issues include Ofsted […]

First specialist college grade one under new regime

The first specialist college to achieve an outstanding grade under Ofsted’s tough new inspection regime has been announced. David Lewis College, in Cheshire, which supports students aged 14 to 25 with complex learning difficulties, scored grade ones across all fields after it was inspected by the education watchdog in March. The Ofsted report said: “The […]