FE Week Reporter | FE Week

Why all workplaces are sites of learning

“Have you been sent here as a reward . . . or as a punishment?” Lorna Unwin asked more than 100 delegates at a LSIS leadership and management conference in London late last month. Throughout the day, delegates heard how leadership could support excellent learning, and how to lead outstanding learning. Professor Unwin, of the […]

Keep up with the changes, governors told

The chief executive of the Network for Black Professionals has challenged FE and college governors to respond to change more quickly and effectively. This need for change, says Robin Landman OBE (pictured right), can be seen in the response of FE governance to the new Ofsted framework, launched last September. “One of the big challenges […]

What to do when you want to move up a level

The prospect of making the leap into leadership without any guidance can be daunting for senior staff. “I’d been challenged by my then chief executive, who said “Do you want to be a principal or not?’” says Esme Winch. “And having decided I did, I thought the LSIS senior leadership and management development course would […]

Freedoms and flexibilities bring extra responsibility

The government gave college leaders greater scope to shape provision and the future of their institutions with its New Challenges, New Chances policy document. But those increased flexibilities have brought with them added responsibilities and that means governance has to be the best it possibly can be, says Rob Wye For me, there are two […]

Getting the outside view

Sheila Selwood finds it easy to explain the inspiration for the Learning Board, LSIS’s support for governing bodies. “We don’t always see ourselves as others see us,” says the director of governance at West Herts College. The support programme developed when West Herts governors approached LSIS after realising that they wanted more than the internal […]

The governance challenge

Huge responsibilities, you don’t get paid and there’s little in the way of a public profile — why would anybody want to be a college governors’ chair? The role of governance has been nudged into the spotlight by a joint report from the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS) and Ofsted, and by a new […]

Enter governance, centre stage

There’s a “crucial” offstage layer in society, according to Dame Ruth Silver, chair of the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS). This layer is governance and, she believes, it is vital to modern society and to the public sector — yet it remains in the shadows. “All forms of governance are little known, under–scrutinised, and […]

At the heart of the matter

Oustanding teaching and learning is back at the centre of leadership focus – which is where it should be, says Lynne Sedgmore Leadership in colleges constantly receives attention. It almost has become a cliche to say that excellence in all aspects of an organisation is dependent ultimately upon the quality of its leadership. Of course […]

Time to shine a spotlight on college governance

Skills Minister Matthew Hancock and Ofsted chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw have both drawn attention to the importance of FE governance. The minister spoke of the contribution made by governors when he addressed a gathering of 130 FE governors and chairs of governors, at Lancaster House, London, early in the year. “I am deeply grateful […]