Pippa Allen-Kinross | FE Week

Exclusive: Ofsted ratings decline for colleges exposed as funding cuts bite

More than one third of English colleges are currently rated less than ‘good’ by Ofsted, whose boss has refused to rule out funding as a root cause. In its annual report next month, the inspectorate is expected to show that the overall ratings at general further education colleges have plummeted for the third year running, […]

Exclusive: Sixth form college performance fell 8% points, Ofsted expected to say

Sixth-form colleges have been driven to “tipping point” through repeated funding cuts, the body that represents them has said, after FE Week exposed a sharp drop in top Ofsted grades. Our exclusive analysis, using the same methodology as Ofsted’s own annual report, has shown an eight-point fall in those with a grade one or two […]

Peers force senior civil servants to defend FE funding

Senior government figures have been forced to defend whether further education is getting its “fair share” of funding during questioning at the House of Lords. A hearing on the economics of higher, further and technical education saw senior civil servants quizzed about the disparity of funding across the sector, during a session of the Economic […]

Ofsted Watch: Three councils told adult learning requires improvement

Three local authorities have been told by Ofsted that their provision of adult and community learning ‘requires improvement’. Birmingham City Council and Swindon Unitary Authority both slipped from grade two to grade three in reports published this week, while Kettering Borough Council kept its grade three rating. Swindon Unitary Authority’s adult community learning service was […]

‘Don’t forget FE in the budget’ demand sector leaders in open letter

Leading voices in FE have joined forces to demand more funding for the sector ahead of the autumn budget. An open letter to the chancellor and signed by the heads of 10 unions and major learning bodies is calling for investment to create a “stable and well-resourced further education sector” that will boost social mobility […]

Ofsted boss worried about lack of subcontracting inspections

The head of Ofsted has acknowledged MPs’ concerns about how few subcontractors used by FE providers are inspected. Speaking at a meeting of the education select committee today, Amanda Spielman accepted that she had a “number of concerns” about apprenticeship provision, and wanted to ensure that “cowboys”, “sharks” and “bottom feeders” do not take advantage […]

Pilot applications open for new Strategic College Improvement Fund

A fund designed to help failing colleges improve the quality of education and training has opened its pilot scheme for applications. Struggling general FE or sixth form colleges, supported by a stronger partner, will be able to apply for cash through the Strategic College Improvement Fund, to develop an improvement programme and a tailored package […]

Ombudsman warns councils are failing special needs learners

Councils are not doing enough to ensure special needs learners get the help they need, a report from the local government ombudsman has found. The new Education Health and Care Plans (EHCP) were introduced in 2014 as a way of providing more holistic and efficient SEND support for learners up to the age of 25. […]

Ofsted watch: Two colleges improve to ‘good’ rating

Two FE colleges are celebrating Ofsted success this week after climbing from a grade 3 to a grade 2. Burton and South Derbyshire College was ranked ‘good’ across the board after its inspection on September 26. The report, published on October 20, commended the college for taking “extensive and effective steps” to improve provision, with […]