Long-awaited area review guidance finally published

Long-awaited area review guidance and updates have finally been published by the Department for Education – three months after they were first expected.

The implementation guidance, due diligence framework and guidance for local authorities and local enterprise partnerships were all due to have been published in July.

But they were finally released this morning, alongside updated guidance and application forms for the restructuring facility and for sixth form colleges to convert to academy status, and full details of the areas and colleges involved in waves four and five of the reviews.

A letter from FE Commissioner Sir David Collins about the progress of the area reviews to date, originally sent to college chairs and principals in August, also accompanied the newly-published documents.

Today’s publication comes after Bobbie McClelland, deputy director of the DfE’s reforming FE provision unit, told FE Week’s area review summit on July 6 that the documents were to be published before the parliamentary summer recess, which began on July 21.

But they were understood to have been held up by the widespread FE-related changes to government caused by the EU referendum in June.

Despite this, as previously reported by FE Week, a draft version of the implementation guidance had been unofficially circulating among colleges since July – sparking a row over a lack of transparency in the area review process.

And DfE officials, including Ms McClelland, apparently side-stepped ministerial sign-off on the documents earlier this month, by giving presentations on the then-unpublished documents at an Education and Training Foundation area review conference.

There is still no sign of the reports into the first wave of reviews to have completed, which are understood to include full details of each review’s recommendations.

These were also expected in July, but have yet to be published.

A DfE spokesperson denied that the guidance had been delayed.

London mayor Sadiq Khan calls for government rethink on apprenticeship funding rates

London mayor Sadiq Khan has added his voice to those calling on the government to rethink proposed apprenticeship funding rates that would see cuts of up to 50 per cent for young people in the most deprived areas.

His concerns about the effect of such drastic cuts on social mobility and on young people in the capital were outlined in a letter dated October 12 to Tottenham MP David Lammy and seen by FE Week.

“I am concerned that these proposals may be in conflict with the government’s social mobility agenda and could make it more difficult to achieve my manifesto pledge of creating a fairer and more equal city, as well as achieve my commitment to create thousands of new, high quality apprenticeships that will play a vital part in securing opportunities for young Londoners,” he wrote.

“The proposed removal of both the area cost adjustment and the disadvantage uplift may result in some of the most vulnerable people from the most deprived areas of London being excluded from accessing apprenticeship opportunities on the basis of cost, and I have responded to the government’s consultation setting out the challenges the new funding system will present to London.”

He said he asked the deputy mayor for skills, Jules Pipe, to meet with apprenticeships minister Robert Halfon to discuss the funding rates.

Mr Khan’s letter comes after growing anger from politicians, employers and providers since FE Week published its analysis of the provisional apprenticeship funding rates in August.

These showed funding for 16- to 18-year-olds in some of England’s poorest areas could drop by up to 50 per cent for starts from 1 May 2017.

Last week Mr Lammy applied for a backbench House of Commons debate on the cuts, noting that the government had “serious questions” to answer on the issue.

His debate application followed a letter from Mr Lammy, motivated by FE Week’s research and co-signed by 50 MPs, to Mr Halfon in early September calling on the government to reverse the cuts.

And on September 14, the FE Week #SaveOurApprenticeships campaign against the devastating cuts was launched at the Houses of Parliament to a packed gathering of senior leaders and politicians.

Last week senior Department for Education officials gave the clearest public indication yet that they will go at least some way to reversing the proposed huge funding cuts.

During an evidence session for the Public Accounts Committee, Jonathan Slater, permanent secretary to the DfE, said that getting the funding rate correct for young people from deprived areas “is one of the most active debates we’ve been working through” and that “we’re doing our best to get that right”.

He added this issue was “a very strong point that’s been made during the consultation phase and how we get that right is one of the most active debates we’ve been working through”.

Halfon calls UTCs “incredible” despite one in 10 already shut

Apprenticeships and skills minister Robert Halfon has dubbed the University Technical College programme “excellent”, despite ten per cent of the 14 to 19 institutions closing just six years since they were first introduced.

In his first major speech in his current role, Mr Halfon told the audience of the Edge Foundation Annual lecture: “I actually love UTCs … I think UTCs are incredible.”

Speaking at Westminster Kingsway College today (October 19), Mr Halfon said he disagreed with the comments made yesterday in a Times article, entitled ‘Technical colleges flop as they fail to recruit pupils’.

He said: “The Times in my view has got it utterly wrong.

“If you just judge a school by its exams results – fine. But what you should judge a school by is the destination and whether people get jobs and skills afterwards.”

The Times’ article echoed FE Week findings from October 7, which showed that more than 10 per cent of university technical colleges are now expected to close, only six years since the first was opened.

The latest to close its doors will be Royal Greenwich UTC in London, which Greenwich Council is converting into a secondary school at a cost of £13m.

Royal Greenwich UTC will become Greenwich Trust School from next September, just two years after it opened as a 14-to-19 institute.

FE Week analysis in February showed that the college, which has a capacity of 600, had just 257 students during the last academic year – representing a 35 per cent drop from the 397 who attended in 2014-15.

Its closure marked the fifth UTC out of 48 to shut up shop since they were launched in 2010.

Our February investigation discovered that student numbers had fallen at 40 per cent of UTCs that opened between 2010 and 2013.

Four other UTCs – UTC Lancashire, Central Bedfordshire UTC, Hackney UTC and Black Country UTC – have all closed with reports of low student numbers.

The Department for Education meanwhile confirmed last month that a proposed UTC developed in partnership with Burton and South Derbyshire College would not now open, despite the £8m the government had already spent setting it up.

Just last week, Heathrow Aviation Engineering UTC was issued a financial notice to improve due to an “apparent loss of financial control”.

The UTC, which opened in north London in September 2014, has a 600-pupil capacity, but just 231 on roll as of January.

Despite these findings, Mr Halfon commented that he welcomes the work of Lord Baker, one of the founders of the Baker Dearing Educational Trust which promotes UTCs, and added that although the UTC programme “will take time” it will “show clear benefits to students in the long term”.

He admitted, however, that UTCs “can be improved”, and said that work is being done to achieve this change.

Mr Halfon kept is focus on the destinations of UTC students, which he described as “an extraordinary result”.

He said: “Over the past year, just 0.5 per cent people who have left UTCs are – in fact I hate this word – so called ‘NEETs’.

“And 44 percent have gone on to university, 28 per cent have gone on to apprenticeship and many have done to do other things. 17 per cent I think have gone into work.

“It’s an extraordinary result if you look at it in terms of destination.”

When questioned about the problems with student recruitment in UTCs by FE Week editor Nick Linford, Mr Halfon stressed that “there are over 40 UTC colleges still”.

Responding during a question and answer session after his lecture, he said: “Lord Baker is very passionate about education starting at 14 – I am looking at that.

“There is another UTC minister as you know, Lord Nash, who looks at these things.”

He added: “My view is that we look at what works, and then take the evidence from that.”

DfE confirms Richard Atkins CBE as new FE Commissioner

Richard Atkins’ appointment as the new FE commissioner has been confirmed by the Department for Education – almost a month after FE Week first reported the news.

He will take over the role from current FE commissioner Sir David Collins, who will retire in November.

Mr Atkins was principal of Exeter College from 2002 until March 2016, and retired on a high after the college received an Ofsted grade one in 2014.

He was president of the Association of Colleges in 2014/15, appointed a CBE in the most recent New Year’s Honours list for this services to FE and became an Ofsted board member in July.

Mr Atkins said he was “delighted and honoured” to be appointed the new FE Commissioner.

“I am keen to build on the work that Sir David Collins and his team have begun over the past 2 years, and to work with colleagues in colleges to develop a high-quality and financially sustainable network of colleges across England which provide the very best technical and professional education for learners, employers and local communities,” he said.

Sir David congratulated Mr Atkins’ on his appointment, and said: “Richard will bring extensive experience of further education and skills training to the role and I am confident this will prove invaluable in continuing the work of the commissioner. I welcome him to the role.”

Apprenticeships minister Robert Halfon joined Sir David in congratulating Mr Atkins.

He said: “High-quality further education colleges are engines of social mobility, creating opportunities for people of all backgrounds to get the skills they need to succeed.

“In Exeter and Yeovil, Richard has demonstrated that he is an exceptional leader.

“I am confident that he will use his skills to improve delivery and unlock opportunities for learners across the country to go further in learning and their careers.”

Alongside Mr Atkins’ appointment, the DfE has also confirmed that current deputy commissioner Marilyn Hawkins will step down from the role alongside Sir David, after leading the completion of the area review process in London.

Three existing FE advisers – Steve Hutchinson, Cindy Rampersaud and Andrew Tyley – have been promoted to deputy commissioners, bringing the number of FE deputies to five. 

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Three-way merger becomes two-way after college pulls out

A college has pulled out of a planned three-way London merger, as the remaining two colleges announce that they still plan to pair up.

The College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London had been in discussion with Barnet and Southgate College and Waltham Forest College about a possible three-way link up, but announced today that this had now been “shelved by agreement”.

Meanwhile, the remaining two colleges announced that they would soon be consulting on proposals for a two-way merger, with a planned merge date of August 1 2017.

In a statement released today, CONEL said that the sticking point in the merger proposals had been differing approaches to governance and management.

It would have preferred an “innovative group structure” with “strong local governance and management”, while the other two colleges “expressed a preference for a traditional model of merger and feel that developing an alternative at this stage would cause unnecessary delay to their merger timetable.”

In a separate statement announcing their two-way merger plans, Barnet and Southgate College and Waltham Forest College said that they “look forward to opening discussions” with CONEL “on further collaboration and other options to support skills development across London”.

Andy Forbes, CONEL principal, said the college was confident about its future.

“We are a successful college with strong roots in our local communities and this will continue,” he said.

CONEL’s chair of governors, Keith Brown, added: “We will always be open to exploring closer collaboration with partner colleges where we feel that would further improve what we can offer to learners.

“We will therefore continue to work closely with Barnet and Southgate and Waltham Forest, and other neighbouring colleges to develop London’s education and skills provision.”

Ann Zinkin, Barnet and Southgate College chair, said: “We welcome the opportunity to collaborate with Waltham Forest College. 

“We share the same objectives of building a vibrant, high quality and financially resilient college that serves young people well and meets the wider aspirations of the local communities and businesses in the area.”

Paul Butler, the chair of Waltham Forest College, said: “A single, joined up college will give us the ability to extend our training offer and deliver a wider range of high quality courses that meet the needs of young people and local, regional and national businesses. 

“We also look forward to strengthening our ties with other neighbouring colleges as we go forwards.”

All three colleges are currently involved in the London-wide area reviews of post-16 education and training, although as part of separate reviews.

CONEL is in the central London review, while Barnet and Southgate is in the west London review and Waltham Forest College is in the east London review.

FE Week understands that all the London area reviews are expected to complete in November.

Sussex college merger plans unveiled

Plans for a merger between two Sussex colleges that aims to boost apprenticeships and higher level skills in the region have been unveiled.

The link-up between City College Brighton and Hove and Northbrook College is one of the recommendations to have emerged from the Sussex area review of post-16 education and training.

The two colleges are set to join forces in March 2017 under the name the Metropolitan College, according to the merger document.

Consultation on the proposals opened today, and will run until November 17.

The merged college will “place apprenticeships and work-based learning at the heart of what we do” and “develop a range of vocational specialisms, at level 3 and above, which link to local economic priorities”, the consultation document said.

Nick Juba, chief executive of City College Brighton and Hove, and Sue Dare, principal of Northbrook College, said: “The Metropolitan College will offer clear routes right up the educational ladder providing opportunities for every young person or adults across the city region to gain the knowledge and skills they need to succeed.”

Northbrook and City College’s chairs of governors, Ian Lowrie and Julie Kerney, said the newly merged college would be the “engine room of the local economy”.

City College, which was rated good overall at its most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2011 has around 8,200 learners of whom 700 are apprentices, according to the consultation document.

And Northbrook, which was also rated good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in October 2013, has more than 10,200 learners, of whom around 1,800 are apprentices.

The proposed name for the new institution, which was chosen “to reflect the combination of people, ideas, culture and place that the new organisation will serve”, is also being consulted on.

A spokesperson for Northbrook College told FE Week that the colleges may continue to use their existing names “where this is important to local communities”.

The spokesperson said that the merger would not affect the colleges’ curriculum offer for 16- to 18-year-olds, “but there will be a single offer to employers for apprenticeships”.

The Sussex area review was part of the first wave of post-16 education and training area reviews, and had its first steering group meeting on November 5.

FE Week understands that the review completed in May, but the final report into the review – including its recommendations – has not yet been published.

The planned merger between City College Brighton and Hove and Northbrook College comes after FE Week reported that Brighton and Hove council completed its own area review of post-16 education and training, including school sixth forms, earlier this month.

The main recommendations from that review, which covered City College Brighton and Hove but not Northbrook College, were that small school sixth forms should either merge or close.

The 157 group has rebranded. Is that it, then?

After much consultation and speculation, the 157 Group announced their new name on Twitter this morning, leaving Mick Fletcher somewhat underwhelmed 

Is that it, then? Is that all there is? The long awaited relaunch of the 157 group has finally arrived and the new name is… COLLAB.

I thought at first it might be an acronym – ‘ Colleges Out Looking after Learners And Business’; and then less charitably, an anagram: ‘Bollac…’. But no; it’s an abbreviation.

It’s an odd abbreviation; indeed it feels slightly strangulated but, for anyone who might have missed the connection, the group Chief Executive has helpfully explained that “Collab is collaboration”. Apparently it says so in the Urban Dictionary, which describes itself as “a cornucopia of streetwise lingo”. Should go down well with the Wiggers and Palins of this world then (look them up if you’re not cool enough to know).

Collab means collab in the sense that Brexit means Brexit, I suppose. And like Brexit, there is a strategy that we are not told too much about; apart from the fact that it will involve a lot of collaboration – new opportunities, new deals. That’s not a bad thing in itself, but it’s hardly original or unique. Is there any college that doesn’t engage with employers and its local community these days?

Collab means collab in the sense that Brexit means Brexit

It marks a big change however, from the original purpose of the 157 Group, which was to enable large and successful colleges to speak out on behalf of the sector. Sir Andrew Foster, in his landmark report, pointed out that compared with higher education or schools, FE colleges were virtually invisible. Despite excellent work by the 157 Group, AoC and other sector bodies, the problem remains just as relevant today, 10 years after he wrote it.

The writing was on the wall for this wider role of the 157 Group as soon as its new Chief Executive, Ian Pretty, announced that in his view ‘there was little to be gained’ from trying to affect policy decisions. It’s an eccentric point of view; it’s clearly not shared by the business community, who according to some estimates spend around £2 billion per year doing exactly that, with the finance sector alone spending almost £100 million lobbying government.

It’s clearly not a view shared by the various higher education mission groups or closer to home, the AELP, which is currently pushing very effectively to influence the implementation of the apprenticeship reforms. It is to be hoped that the decision of the 157 group to withdraw from this particular field of battle does not weaken the overall negotiating strength of the sector.

There may of course be some advantage in simplifying the range of organisations seeking to represent the sector. The Gazelle Group appears to have stopped pronking (use the OED definition for this one) and the weary survivors have set off on a long migration towards more fertile territory. The Chartered Institution for FE seems to provide a new home for those who just want to join an exclusive club without being burdened with the 157 Group’s founding aim of fighting for the sector and the IfL, sadly, has joined the long list of institutional mayflies that enjoy a few brief moments of summer sunshine. The way should be clear for AoC to represent colleges, without the risk of divide and rule.

I wish the Collab colleges well in these difficult times. I know many of their leaders and am confident they can adapt and thrive, despite the constant policy churn. I suspect the sector will lose, however, if their collective endeavours are more focussed on getting a good deal on their gas bills rather than a good deal for learners in the next education bill.

Mick Fletcher is a founding member of the Policy Consortium and a director of RCU Ltd

All private training providers told current adult education contract will terminate next July

Private training providers have been told their current adult education contracts will end next July – rather than be automatically renewed as before.

The news came in a letter from the Skills Funding Agency to all training providers, dated October 12, and seen by FE Week.

It stated that changes to contracting regulations, which came into force in February, meant that the SFA could no longer automatically renew contracts when they ended and instead “must procure future training provision”.

The letter continued: “Please therefore accept this letter as formal notice that your current contract will terminate on 31 July 2017.

“We will shortly be launching an open and competitive procurement exercise for AEB [adult education budget] funded provision.”

Further information about the procurement exercise would be provided “over the coming weeks”, it said.

Colleges – which contract with the SFA through a grant funding agreement – are not affected by the changes, the letter said.

The news has prompted Association of Employment and Learning Providers chief executive Mark Dawe to call for all providers – including colleges – to have to compete to deliver adult education budget provision.

He said: “If it is true that all providers, including those that already have a grant, are able to tender for this part of AEB, then we believe that all AEB funding (contract and grant) should be put out to tender.  

“Without this, it would seem the process is incredibly biased against large independent providers.”

As previously reported by FE Week, the requirement to procure the AEB provided by private training providers is the result of changes to European Union law.

The changes were first revealed in an SFA document, Adult Education Budget: Changing context and arrangements for 2016 to 2017, published on January 28.

That document said: “In advance of 2017/18, changes to EU procurement regulations will require us to procure the adult budget provided to ITPs.

“This means that the AEB will be subject to competition as part of a procurement process.”

The new contracts would be for 2017/18 “with an option to extend contracts for a further two years, which we will review on an annual basis,” according to the letter seen by FE Week.

Procurement would be open to all providers on the register of training organisations “that have passed capacity and capability for the delivery of education and training services, and selected relevant interests”.

The change will not affect apprenticeship provision, which will be procured separately through the new register of apprenticeship training providers.

Cornwall college puts out a casting call for canine models

Whether your dog is an aspiring Kate Moss or Naomi Campbell, you’re in luck – as a college in Cornwall has put out a casting call for canine models.

Duchy College Rosewarne is currently on the lookout for dogs of all shapes and sizes, so that students on their increasingly popular dog grooming courses can practice their pampering skills.

The college offers qualifications such as the Dog Grooming College Certificate Level 2, the City and Guilds Level 3 Certificate in Introductory Dog Grooming, and the Level 3 certificate for Professional Dog Stylists.

The college requires a variety of breeds and coat types to come forward, from long-haired to short haired, and everything in between.

Successful models will receive the full spa treatment, as students put their bathing, drying, brushing, styling and clipping techniques to use under the supervision of qualified professionals.

Curriculum lead for animal science, Carol Knight, said: “We all deserve a bit of pampering, even our four-legged friends. So if your dog is having a bad hair day this is a great opportunity for canine-owners in the Camborne and local surrounding area to treat their pooches to a wash and groom.”

 

Picture: One lucky pooch gets pampered at the college’s dog grooming facilities