Author: Jude Burke

The Treasury is remaining tight-lipped on the size of the cash pot it has set aside for sector restructuring through post-16 area reviews — after colleges’ VAT bills were added to the list of items it is supposed to be paying for. FE Week first revealed in February that the government was planning to set […]

Governors at prisons will get direct power to hire providers for offender learning — as the Justice Secretary Michael Gove looks to replicate the decentralisation agenda he once pushed as Education Secretary. Offender Learning and Skills Service (OLASS) contracts are currently held by three colleges and one independent learning provider, and appointed by the Skills Funding […]

The government is privately worried about the ongoing delays with the Greater Manchester area review – despite skills minister Nick Boles publicly claiming in January that he was more concerned about the quality of area review outcomes than timing. According to leaked documents seen exclusively by FE Week, the review – which involves 21 colleges […]

A sixth form college (SFC) in West Yorkshire has become the first of its kind to be rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted since the introduction of the common inspection framework (CIF) in September. Huddersfield New College received grade ones across the board from the education watchdog, in a report published today which also found the 2,400-learner […]

The FE Commissioner has endorsed a three-way merger plan between colleges in the Midlands, even though concern is rising in the sector that too many providers are being rushed into joining forces. Dr David Collins’ new report on City College Coventry has concluded that there appeared “to be no insuperable barriers to progress” its plans […]

Three mergers involving five FE colleges and one sixth form college (SFC) have been proposed as part of the Tees Valley area review, which has become the second area review to reach its conclusion. The outcomes of the review, which was part of wave one of the area reviews, were published today in a statement […]

Prison governors are set to be given direct power to hire providers for offender education — following publication today of the results of an influential review. Offender Learning and Skills Service (OLASS) contracts, held at present by three colleges and one independent learning provider, are currently given out by the Skills Funding Agency (SFA). But […]

The government must do more to promote the newly-expanded FE learner loans, to avoid the danger of low take-up at the start of the new academic year, the Association of Colleges (AoC) has said. The government announced that it would expand FE tuition fee loans to learners aged between 19 and 23 at levels three […]

The government has announced a taskforce to help more people with learning disabilities to access apprenticeships — but admitted that it has yet to finalise the people who will make it up even though it is meeting this month. The announcement comes just two weeks after shadow skills minister Gordon Marsden put a written question […]