Yasemin Craggs Mersinoglu | FE Week

Ofsted watch: Inspectors find learners unaware they are on an apprenticeship

A new provider that has learners on its programme who did not even know they were apprentices overshadowed a ‘good’ week for FE, especially colleges. Welcome Skills Limited received three ‘insufficient progress’ grades in an early monitoring report, with inspectors finding leaders do not “design or plan” programmes that enable its 329 apprentices to make […]

MOVERS AND SHAKERS: EDITION 296

Your weekly guide to who’s new and who’s leaving. Andy Forbes: Principal, City of Bristol College Start date: November 2019 Previous job: Principal, City & Islington College Interesting fact: He worked for two years as a psychiatric nursing assistant before deciding to go into teaching. Barbara Van der Eecken: Vice chair of the Society for Education […]

MOVERS AND SHAKERS: EDITION 295

Your weekly guide to who’s new and who’s leaving. Becky Francis, Chief executive, Education Endowment Foundation Start date: January 2020 Previous job: Director, UCL Institute of Education Interesting fact: She attended Bath Technical College and returned to give an alumni speech at a recent degree ceremony. John Cope, Deputy director for education, Public First Start date: […]

Festival of Learning 2020 award nominations launched

The 2020 Festival of Learning awards are open for nominations from today for colleges and training providers. There are four award categories to recognise the achievements of adult learners, tutors, employers and learning projects. The annual awards, which began in 1992 and are run by the Learning and Work Institute, received more than 250 nominations […]

UCU agrees deal to end long-running dispute at cash-strapped college

A deal to end a long-running dispute at Bradford College has been reached after it agreed to a series of measures to improve staff security and pay – including an extra five days’ annual leave. Members of the University and College Union had taken 10 days of strike action between November 2018 and July 2019 […]

‘Unfair’ funding rule costs colleges £1.5m

Colleges have hit back at the “unfair” English and maths condition of funding rule after FE Week found more than one in 10 had funding recouped for failing to meet its requirements. This newspaper’s analysis of the latest allocation data for 16 to 19 providers, released last week, revealed that 23 of the 171 (13 […]

Stourbridge College building on verge of sale to 350 year-old £12k a year state boarding school

A college which was controversially closed in the summer is set to be sold to a £12,000 a year state boarding school – raising hopes the site will continue to be used for education purposes. Old Swinford Hospital, founded in 1667, has agreed terms to purchase the land and buildings of Stourbridge College from Birmingham […]

Industry placement cold-spots? Exploring the toughest T-level challenge

Forty-five colleges and school sixth forms across England will need to find hundreds of 45-day industry placements as part of new “digital” T-levels next year. But last month Scarborough Sixth Form College pulled out of the programme as the principal did not feel confident in securing enough placements – a move which was applauded by […]

Funding ban for new level 3 and below qualifications

The Education and Skills Funding Agency will stop any new qualification at level 3 and below receiving approval for funding from September next year. Officials at the ESFA issued a “moratorium” notice to awarding organisations this week, which will be in place initially for a period of three years. The move is part of the […]