NEETs

Compulsory to 18? Too many still drop out at 16

A decade after raising the participation age, thousands of disadvantaged students still leave education at 16—and the gap with…

Jessica Hill
Sam Tuckett
The Staffroom – opinion

When words set you free: The transformative magic of free writing

By embracing free writing, resit learners unlocked not just better English skills but reduced their anxiety and built resilience

Jessica Hill
Jenni Roe and Ethan Catherall
community cohesion

Amid online poison, colleges can’t defend cohesion alone

National leadership, guidance and support is needed if young people are to be protected against online content driving division…

Jessica Hill
Sunita Gordon
14-16 provision

The 14-16 funding gap is holding back technical education

The industrial strategy promises to boost skills in key sectors. But while post-16 technical courses get extra funding, pre-16…

Jessica Hill
Kate Ambrosi
specialist colleges

How trust built a transformative education partnership

When our college joined forces with another, we proved that innovation thrives on collaboration

Jessica Hill
Lynette Barrett
GCSE resits

Fixing resits requires fixing the system around them

Persistent challenges face GCSE resit students and their teachers. If the sector is serious about improving outcomes, CPD, funding,…

Jessica Hill
Emily Yeomans


College finance

Let’s rethink what financial sustainability means for FE   

Colleges typically spend just 52% of income on teaching, support and admin and cost cuts have reached their limit

Jessica Hill
Nick Pidgeon
Assessment, Skills reform

Stop trying to make technical education look academic

In the race for ‘simplicity’ in technical education, we forget that the labour market is anything but simple, writes…

Shane Chowen
David Gallagher
AI

AI Is rewriting tech careers – Can educators keep up?

With AI roles expanding 3.6 times faster than other jobs, tech educators must pivot from static curricula to teaching…

Jessica Hill
Rory James
Trauma-informed practice

Is education policy ‘TIP’ing into a trauma-informed trap? 

From Knowsley’s failed ‘deschooling’ experiment to today’s trauma-informed practice (TIP) trends, education keeps repeating the same mistake: embracing radical…

Jessica Hill
Alun Francis
The Staffroom – opinion

How apprenticeship coaches can bridge the NEET gap

‘I’ve been where you are’: How lived experience in apprenticeship coaching can help make the shift from NEET to…

Jessica Hill
Wasim Collins
skills divide

The Great British skills mismatch

Britain has never been more educated, yet skills mismatches, regional divides, and graduate overqualification threaten productivity

Jessica Hill
Larissa Marioni