Paul Offord | FE Week

ESFA threatens to bring forward data deadlines

The ESFA has threatened to move the deadlines for individualised learner records (ILR) forward because it reckons too many providers submit on the last day. The threat has sparked anguish from colleges and ITPs across the country – and one disgruntled person has even asked the agency not to “keep beating us with a stick”. […]

Third FE college in six months rated Ofsted outstanding

A third general FE college has been rated ‘outstanding’ in the space of six months. Fareham College was recognised as grade one in all headline fields except adult learning programmes which was found to be ‘good’. The ‘outstanding’-overall report – up from its previous ‘good’ rating – is due to be published by Ofsted tomorrow, […]

Milton reveals four pillars of new careers strategy

The four main themes of the government’s widely anticipated careers strategy have been set out by the skills minister, in a speech delivered at the Careers Education and Guidance Summit. Anne Milton said the strategy would be published “shortly”, speaking at the event in London today. “I am tremendously grateful for the work that you […]

Consultation launches on FE residential safeguarding standards

The government has opened its consultation on new national minimum standards for residential accommodation for 16- to 18-year-olds in the FE sector. It has gone live on gov.uk today and will close on January 26. “The standards were last revised in 2002, and much has changed in the FE sector since then,” said a Department […]

Major home health care employer provider branded ‘inadequate’

Ofsted has rated a major home healthcare employer-provider ‘inadequate’ across the board, in a report that condemns its “woefully low expectations”. Nestor Primecare Services, which was previously rated as ‘requires improvement’ overall, was inspected in September – and today’s excoriating report finds “no key strengths”. The company employs 125 apprentices, of whom “approximately a quarter […]

Tendering process finally launched for single awarding organisation plan for prisons

The contract tendering notice has finally been published by the Ministry of Justice in support of its move to appoint single awarding organisations for seven areas of study in prisons. The approach to market for this process was originally supposed to have opened on September 21, but FE Week reported on delays back on October […]

FE loans applications down for all established age groups

Applications for FE loans were down in 2016/17 for all age-groups they were available to in previous years. The total number of applications “received” increased marginally from 80,650 in 2015/16, to 93,660 for 2016/17, according to latest figures published by the Department for Education this morning. However, this is taking into account 21,240 from 19 […]

Milton only appoints Conservative MPs as apprenticeships ambassadors

Three Conservative MPs have today been named as apprenticeship ambassadors by skills minister Anne Milton. Maria Caulfield, Stephen Metcalfe, Trudy Harrison are all tasked with championing the opportunities and benefits of apprenticeships, to encourage people from all ages and backgrounds to consider taking one up. But it begs the question, why weren’t the appointments cross-party? […]

Apprenticeship funding model report provokes dismay

A long-awaited report on whether the government’s forecasting tool to predict apprenticeship starts is working has caused dismay over “seriously flawed” assumptions. Cambridge Econometrics won a £15,000 contract in March to assess the Department for Education’s apprenticeships projection tool, that looks ahead to resulting spending requirements under the new apprenticeship levy-based system. In its tender […]