Jude Burke | FE Week

ESFA announce changes to 16 to 19 funding rules from August 2019

Study programme learners aged 16 to 19 who’ve passed GCSE English and maths are set to be barred from level one courses from next year, the Education and Skills Funding Agency has revealed. The proposed rule change, published today, prompted the Association of Colleges to warn that the government was in danger of creating the […]

T-levels could be under threat if no deal Brexit goes ahead

The introduction of T-levels could be under threat if a “no deal” Brexit goes ahead, according to reports this morning – although the Department for Education has denied this. The Times newspaper listed the new technical qualifications as being “considered vulnerable to ‘reprioritisation’” in the event that the UK leaves the European Union at the […]

Pressure mounts on Hinds to explain £500m apprenticeship ‘alleged overspend’

The chair of the influential education select committee has urged the government to be “open and transparent” about a projected £500 million overspend on this year’s £2 billion apprenticeships budget, after the education secretary dodged a question about it in parliament yesterday. Robert Halfon asked Damian Hinds to confirm the figure – first raised by […]

Why the ESFA wants more apprenticeship providers – despite no starts at over 500 last year

The government’s top apprenticeships civil servant has defended the decision to allow more providers on to the provider register – after FE Week analysis revealed a third already on there aren’t delivering. When asked by this newspaper why the Education and Skills Funding Agency didn’t focus on removing the inactive providers before making the register […]

Ofsted Watch: Three providers rated ‘good’ in first inspections

It’s been a big week for new providers, with five first-time inspection reports published – three of which resulted in a ‘good’ rating. Elsewhere a college was downgraded from a grade two to three, while seven monitoring visit reports were published. The Results Consortium Limited, an independent learning provider, got a ‘good’ result this week […]

AoC fears college apprenticeships market share will shrink further

The Association of Colleges has warned that colleges’ share of the apprenticeship market will continue to shrink, after FE Week analysis revealed they have been hit hardest by the move to levy funding. New statistics from the Department for Education, which included the number of starts per provider for the first time, show that colleges’ […]

Bailout cash will still be available under new insolvency regime

Colleges will still be able to access some bailout funding once the insolvency regime comes into effect next year – even though the government has previously said the tap will be switched off. This was revealed in a letter from Peter Mucklow, FE director at the Education and Skills Funding Agency, published on Wednesday, which […]

ESFA insists the apprenticeship budget is not under pressure

The top apprenticeship civil servant has sought to reassure the sector after fears were raised of a budget overspend this year, as part of a wide-ranging interview with FE Week. Keith Smith, director of apprenticeships at the ESFA, said he was “not expecting any pressures” on the £2 billion budget this year, in response to […]

ESFA finally launches ‘tougher’ apprenticeship provider register

The “tougher” register of apprenticeship training providers has finally reopened, more than a year after the last window closed. It’s now open indefinitely – meaning that providers can apply on a rolling basis, rather than having to wait for an application window. It comes almost 15 months after the Education and Skills Funding Agency revealed […]