Jess Staufenberg | FE Week

Mainstream colleges can be daunted by the prospect of supporting blind students

Childhood vision impairment is very rare, so colleges are often inexperienced in best practice around supporting blind students, writes Caireen Sutherland Throughout education, it is vital that young people with vision impairment have the right specialist support in place. Although getting the right support for students with vision impairment at any stage of education is […]

The DfE must realise the arts are key to the future of engineering

Many of the skills and behaviours in creative digital qualifications are transferrable to the STEM sector, writes Ann Marie Spry An estimated 11 million adults in the UK are now eligible to obtain a new qualification for free to help them gain in-demand skills. But it’s more urgent than ever that we address the creative […]

Should the Further Education Trust for Leadership be replaced?

The Further Education Trust for Leadership think tank will close this year. Should the model be replicated? Jess Staufenberg finds out “Do we need an independent think tank for further education?” That’s the question that will be posed in a webinar next week by perhaps the only organisation that could claim to be exactly that. […]

FE colleges need to seek advice from environmental sustainability experts

Teaching sustainability will increase student employment prospects – but we’re still not doing it properly, writes Dora Martínez Carbonell Sustainability has certainly become the buzzword of the 21st century. From reusable coffee cups claiming to make our coffee break ethical and green, to fashion brands making T-shirts from recycled plastics, to airlines offsetting flights so […]

Here are 3 lessons Covid taught us about learners with autism

Transition from school to college in particular needs to be improved for students with autism, writes Jeannie Christina Many of our learners have struggled during the pandemic, and for those with autism, this has been a particularly challenging time. Since Covid struck many of my autistic learners have experienced increased anxieties, stresses and worry about […]

The DfE should follow up some recommendations in the Commission on Race

The Commission on Race has many shortcomings but there are interesting suggestions in the section on education and training, write Jeff Greenidge and David Hughes The recent report from the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities prompted strong backlash from many people and organisations. The report is selective in its use of evidence, overlooking many […]

If your college isn’t in a careers hub, here’s the evidence it should be

Colleges already do well with employer links, but new research shows they have a better chance with the hub model, writes Oli de Botton Helping young people find their right next steps is difficult at the best of times. In the middle of a pandemic, the task becomes critical. Careers education that is college-led, employer-shaped and focused on removing barriers for young […]

Whitehall is failing as a moral leader on apprenticeship targets

Whitehall chiefs, headteachers and local government leaders should have their performance and pay incentives linked to hitting the apprenticeship target, writes Tom Bewick Did you hear about this year’s April Fools’ joke over at the Department for Education? A senior official walked into the secretary of state’s office and said: “Minister, I’m pleased to report […]

The Commission on Race is a spectacularly badly-timed distraction

The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities seeks to lay responsibility for painful lived experience at the door of individuals and families, writes Anjali Shah When the government’s Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities report came out on Wednesday, I got an email from a student. “I don’t know what to make of this report,” […]