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11 April 2026

Author: Jude Burke

Ofsted watch: A ‘good’ two weeks for employer providers

It’s been a good two weeks for employer providers, as two have received ‘good’ ratings following their first ever inspections.  The picture for independent learning providers is less positive, with both full inspection reports published in the last two weeks resulting in ‘inadequate’ verdicts.  Senior leaders and managers at Nissan Motor Manufacturing (UK) Limited have […]

DfE in firing line with former skills minister for ‘misrepresentation’ and ‘discourtesy’

Chair of the education select committee Robert Halfon has accused the Department for Education of misrepresentation and discourtesy. Yesterday afternoon the DfE published a blog, aimed at journalists, that claimed the former skills minister gave inaccurate apprenticeship figures in an interview with the BBC Today programme that morning. Mr Halfon says this clearly misrepresented what […]

IfA refuses to reveal funding band review recommendations

The Institute for Apprenticeships will not publicly reveal the recommendations from its funding band review – despite sharing them with the employer groups involved. A number of those employer groups have come forward with the outcomes, and FE Week has reported on six of them. But despite repeated requests for the full list, the IfA […]

GCSE resits 2018: maths results are down but English is up

Less than a quarter of the older students resitting their maths GCSEs in England achieved at least a grade 4 this year – a fall of almost three per cent from last year. The picture for English in England is better, though: 33 per cent of those aged 17 or above taking the exam this […]

Shell-shocked: Four giant tortoises stolen from college

UPDATE: Two of the four missing tortoises have been found. Geoffrey and Blastoise were located in the village of Lytchett Matravers, around 18 miles from the college, Dorset police announced on Sunday. Ms Hassall told FE Week the college was “very relieved” to have the pair back. They’re both off to the vets today as […]

Bailout-backed university takeover of college finally given official approval

A cash-strapped London college’s merger with a nearby university has finally been given the official stamp of approval. Lambeth College will join forces with London South Bank University by January 2019, the university has announced. The on-off partnership, first announced more than 18 months ago, will be backed by almost £30 million in government bailout […]

UVAC demands special treatment for degree apprenticeships

The University Vocational Awards Council is demanding special treatment for universities offering degree apprenticeships, following the Education and Skills Funding Agency’s recent decision to extend existing non-levy contracts by a year.   The body, which represents HE institutes delivering vocational training, is claiming that degree apprenticeship provision has been hit the hardest by the move […]

IfA funding rate review: retailer standard facing 20 per cent cut

The retailer apprenticeship standard is facing a 20 per cent funding cut, following the Institute for Apprenticeships’ review. The level two standard will have its funding cap reduced from £5,000 to £4,000, FE Week has learned. It’s currently the 13th most popular standard, responsible for 2,750 starts in the first nine months of 2017/18. Annette […]