Fraser Whieldon | FE Week

ESFA rules out college pleas to soften funding clawback following Treasury intervention

Colleges will not be allowed to submit a business case to avoid adult education funding being clawed back, the government has announced. Sector experts had hoped grant-funded providers would be able to put forward reasons why they should cling on to the money if they did not reach the controversial 90 per cent threshold. But […]

Gateshead College turns to Scottish accountant to take the helm after rocky period

A college that has faced dire financial straits in recent years has appointed a qualified accountant as its new permanent principal. David Alexander, currently vice principal at West College Scotland, has been named the new boss of Gateshead College. He said the college’s “clear purpose to give students the employment edge is something I’m passionate […]

Race commission shines spotlight on apprenticeship ‘disparities’

The government’s commission on racial disparities has called for a new apprenticeship recruitment campaign “highly-targeted” at young people “facing discrimination or disadvantage”. A report published today by the commission claimed ethnic minority families have a mixture of “ignorance and prejudice” about apprenticeships. That contrasts with white families, who show “a mixture of stronger traditions of […]

Colleges for learners or employers? Governance adviser to government warns of legal tension

The government’s drive for colleges to focus on helping the economy goes against their “lawful purpose” of meeting the needs of learners, a governance expert has warned. Fiona Chalk, national head of governance development for The Education and Training Foundation, told an FE Week webcast this morning there is an “inherent tension” between the two […]

Ofsted summer inspection plans revealed

Full graded inspections of new providers, and monitoring visits to those rated grades three or four will resume in the summer term, Ofsted has announced. The watchdog revealed earlier this month that full graded inspections to all education settings would not return until September, but they would bring in a “next step” as part of […]

Mixed response to restated public sector apprenticeship target

The government’s single-year extension to the public sector apprenticeship target has received mixed reaction from in-scope bodies. It was announced last Friday that the target of having apprentices make up 2.3 per cent of new public sector employees would be restated from April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022. Most sectors of the public workforce […]

MOVERS AND SHAKERS: EDITION 348

Your weekly guide to who’s new and who’s leaving. Judy Ling Wong Chair, Green Apprenticeships Advisory Panel, Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education Start date: March 2021 Concurrent job: Honorary president, Black Environment Network Interesting fact: Vanity Fair recently gave her a ‘Challenger’ award as part of International Women’s Day for her work campaigning for […]

Treasury to blame for adult education clawback plans

The Treasury has demanded that the Department for Education claw back millions in adult education funding from colleges, FE Week has learned. College leaders were riled this week when the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) announced it would apply a 90 per cent tolerance threshold for adult education allocations in 2020/21. Colleges have told […]

DfE reveals college and provider full reopening roadmap

The Department for Education has today revealed how colleges and training providers will be expected to operate over the summer term as England comes out of lockdown measures. In an update to its ‘Further education coronavirus (Covid-19) operational guidance’, the department has laid out four steps for opening up different activities and centres. It follows […]