A troubled London college has been in talks with a view to “closer working” with a college group based almost 300 miles away.

Lewisham Southwark College (LSC), which was recently found to have been making reasonable improvement following two consecutive inadequate Ofsted ratings, approached Newcastle College Group (NCG) last autumn, according to representatives from the two colleges.

The move comes ahead of the first meeting of the London (central) area review, which LSC is part of, scheduled for March 17.

“Lewisham Southwark College approached NCG in the autumn of 2015 to explore options for working together which would bring benefits to students, employers and other stakeholders in south London and accelerate the rate of recent improvements and growth opportunities at Lewisham Southwark College,” a spokesperson for the college said.

“This may lead to a strategic alliance at which point options for closer working would be explored and consulted upon with all stakeholders and within the London area review.”

The college is led by Carole Kitching, who took on the role in the summer, after being principal of Newcastle College from 2013.

LSC, which has an SFA allocation of £17.2m for 2015/16, had the dubious distinction of being the first college to receive two inadequate ratings in a row from Ofsted, after an inspection in February 2015.

The college has since had three monitoring visits from the education watchdog, most recently in January. Inspectors found “reasonable improvements for learners in all areas” at the last two of these visits.

LSC and neighbouring Greenwich Community College had been in discussion with each other about a possible merger, FE Week revealed last May.

These discussions came at the same time as both colleges were undergoing structure and prospects appraisals, led by the FE commissioner, Dr David Collins. However, nothing came of those discussions.

Southwark Council proposed a takeover of part of LSC in July, but the plan was rejected by Dr Collins in August.

NCG is made up of three FE colleges, one sixth form college and two independent training providers.

Of these, two are based in Newcastle: Newcastle College, and Newcastle Sixth Form College. The remaining four members are Kidderminster College, West Lancashire College, Manchester-based Rathbone, and Sheffield-based Intraining.

Joe Docherty, the chief executive of NCG, confirmed that the group was in talks with LSC.

“I am certainly aware of the London area reviews and I recognise the importance of ensuring any discussions are positioned within that context,” he added.

A spokesperson for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said: “Colleges are independent organisations and are free to consider what arrangements best suit their needs.

“Where they are considering a merger then we expect this to be included as part of the area review discussions which will need to consider how the needs of learners and employers can be best met through new structures and patterns of delivery.”

 

> Up to 20 per cent full level 2 and 3 to lose entitlement status
> SFA initially deny knowledge of awarding body concerns

The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) has been criticised over a consultation on the future of hundreds of qualifications, after five of the 14 working days it was open fell over half-term.

The consultation, which ran from February 10 to 29, was on plans to end full funding for up to 524 (20 per cent) full level two and level three qualifications offered by 56 awarding organisations (AOs) for 19 to 23-year-olds.

The short time period, made more challenging for respondents because five of the working days fell during half-term from February 15 to 19, provoked scathing criticism from the Federation of Awarding Bodies (FAB), which complained directly to the SFA.

A letter leaked to FE Week, sent on February 24 by NCFE chief executive David Grailey to SFA boss Peter Lauener, was also highly critical of the consultation process.

Mr Grailey wrote: “We feel it is unrealistic to expect awarding organisations to gather the required evidence in such a short period of time,” adding “this is particularly poorly planned as the period covers the half-term, during which a large percentage of the institutions listed above will be closed”.

Andrew Gladstone-Heighton, NCFE policy leader, then told FE Week on March 1: “We don’t think this short timescale was sufficient for a consultation of this nature.

“A longer timescale would have allowed for a more meaningful conversation and a quality response, which would have been significantly more beneficial for centres and, ultimately, learners.”

He added: “It is concerning as centres have either already completed their curriculum planning, or are about to sign their plans off, for the 2016 to 2017 funding year.

“This will cause more turbulence in a sector that has experienced year-on-year changes to the curriculum offer — we need some stability to avoid further negative impact on learners.”

The 56 awarding organisations affected had to supply evidence for each qualification to the SFA in the hope it might be saved under the new ‘legal entitlement’ alignment programme with the Department for Education.

Although the SFA published a list of the 80 per cent of full level two and three qualifications that were safe, they did not say how many were at risk or publish an easily accessible list of the remaining 20 per cent at risk.

It provoked further concern that a number of stakeholders did not realise the significance of the consultation.

This new approach comes around a year after awarding organisations had to supply evidence for all their qualifications based on SFA ‘business rules’.

An SFA spokesperson said: “The timetable for the consultation was designed to enable the SFA to publish, before the end of March, a final list of entitlement qualifications. This is aligned to the publication of our funding rules, and is intended to allow sufficient time for colleges and training providers to finalise their 2016/17 offer.

“This consultation itself is narrow in scope, as it relates solely to the qualifications available under the legal entitlements for 19 to 23 year olds. Many of the qualifications affected will continue to be funded in the rest of the adult education budget or via loans.”

She first said “we did indicate that awarding organisations for whom the deadline posed significant issues should contact us to discuss”, but “received no such requests”.

But when FE Week asked about Mr Grailey’s letter, she admitted: “We have received a letter from NCFE and we are in the process of responding.”

FAB chief executive Stephen Wright also said the SFA had been made “well aware of our position”.

FE Week has also learned that delegates at an SFA briefing for awarding organisations held at BIS Conference Centre in Westminster on February 18 were shown a slide stating that the consultation would only run until 29.

The SFA presenter said there would be no extension, when asked if this would be possible.

Federation complain to the SFA

Speaking to FE Week, Federation of Awarding Bodies (FAB) chief executive Stephen Wright said FAB had complained about the consultation process in its “original feedback to the draft document” and “raised it with” the SFA subsequently.

He added: “I don’t even think they consider a 14 day deadline sufficient for this exercise, especially considering the period covered the half term break.

“For each qualification to be included in the legal entitlement, awarding organisations have not only been asked to gather letters that support the expected learner demand from colleges, but also either endorsement from a professional body or a reference in a local skills strategy.

“Getting the requests out, back in (with exactly the correct wording), collated and returned to SFA for all qualifications is unrealistic.

“The result is that important qualifications will fail to be included not because they don’t provide value to learners but because, for example, a letter from a college wasn’t received in time.

He added: “Awarding organisations are very aware of the impact the uncertainty and short timescales has on the ability of colleges and training providers to plan their provision.

“It is very frustrating to receive reasonable requests from colleges for information that awarding organisations just don’t have.”

> Click here for spreadsheet list of 524 qualifications produced by FE Week.

> Click here for awarding body qualification count

> Ofsted chief tells MPs colleges are in ‘mess’ and 16-19 should stay at school
> Personal opinion sparks ‘anger’ as AoC letter demands evidence for claims

The government is distancing itself from inflammatory remarks made by Sir Michael Wilshaw (pictured above), after the Ofsted head told MPs he believed 16 to 19-year-olds should be taught in schools, not colleges.

Sir Michael’s comments during an appearance at the Commons Education Select Committee (ESC) on March 2 have provoked widespread anger in the FE sector.

“We are very supportive of the work done by colleges and distance ourselves from Sir Michael’s comments,” a source close to Education Secretary Nicky Morgan has told FE Week.

The Ofsted chief inspector laid into the FE sector during Wednesday’s evidence session, describing it as “in a mess — that’s why the government is reviewing it”.

“My view is that 16 to 19 should be done in school,” he told the committee, chaired by Neil Carmichael MP.

Vulnerable learners who need a familiar environment “head off towards the FE institution which is a large, amorphous institution on a number of campuses and do badly. They get lost. Drop out,” he continued.

“Youngsters who don’t do very well at 16 often don’t do very well two years later, particularly in English and maths where the results are pretty poor,” he added.

The reliance on success rates to secure funding meant that “too many youngsters are put on level one courses when they should be challenged to do level two”.

Sir Michael went on: “We also find in too many general FE institutions that they haven’t thought carefully enough about their curriculum. The curriculum is often irrelevant to the local workplace and national employment.”

FE Week’s news story about the chief inspector’s comments provoked an unprecedented and unanimous backlash, with more than 40 comments posted on the FE Week website in just 24 hours – many of which criticised him for airing his personal opinions in a public capacity.

Martin Doel, chief executive of the Association of Colleges (pictured), has challenged Sir Michael to justify his opinions — which he said have caused “a good deal of consternation and anger” — in a letter that he has shared with FE Week.

“Quite apart from the conflict inherent in Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector being called to give evidence in his official capacity and then providing a personal opinion, even personal opinions require justification if they are not to be regarded as mere prejudice or an unreliable anecdotal judgement,” Mr Doel wrote.

He called on Sir Michael to provide “as a matter of urgency a clear rationale for your conclusions”.

“It would be all the better if those conclusions corresponded with the judgment of the inspectors in your organisation;

“I fail to see how this could be so given that 82 per cent of colleges who provide 16 to 18 education have been judged good or outstanding in recent Ofsted inspections,” he continued.

Wednesday’s evidence session was not the first time Sir Michael has attacked the FE sector.

During a speech for the thinktank CentreForum in January, the Ofsted boss said that “educational provision, for the many children who do not succeed at 16 or who would prefer an alternative to higher education, is inadequate at best and non-existent at worst”.

The University and College Union described Sir Michael’s comments this week as unhelpful and offensive.

A spokesperson from Ofsted said it was clear that its boss’s comments were his own personal views.

The Department for Education declined to comment.

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FE Week readers don’t hold back with online comments

Lynne Sedgmore, former chief executive at 157 Group

This man speaks from limited knowledge as he has never bothered to visit or spend time in FE colleges or to read any facts.

He has no right to spill his personal unfounded predudice and ideological distortions onto hardworking, successful FE colleges, staff and students.

These statements are probably setting himself up for his next role – please retire with dignity not with such disgraceful nonsense.

 

Carole Kitching, Principal at Lewisham and Southwark college

Shockingly ill informed comments undermining the credibility of Ofsted and the positive choices made by over 840,000 young people every year.

No wonder technical and professional vocational education struggles to gain parity of esteem with traditional academic pathways.

Every public statement like this costs us 100s more young would be apprentices.

 

Ben Verinder, former director of comms at the AoC

‘Vulnerable learners do badly in college’ says Mr Wilshaw.

It’s so patently untrue, such a crude assessment, as to be laughable.

Except it was made in front of a select committee and the national media. Bravo to those calling out this nonsense, but sadly it doesn’t seem to be making any difference.

Can you impeach an HMCI? Strike them off? Before they blame colleges for, say, primary results?

 

 

 

Ofsted boss Sir Michael Wilshaw has said all 16 to 19-year-olds should be educated in schools, during a parliamentary session in which he attacked the FE sector again.

He was speaking in front if MPs at an oral evidence session of the Education Committee, chaired by Neil Carmichael, this morning.

“My view is that 16 to 19 should be done in school,” the Ofsted boss said.

Vulnerable learners who need a familiar environment “head off towards the FE institution which is a large, amorphous institution on a number of campuses and do badly. They get lost. Drop out,” he continued.

Sir Michael said that schools moving together into a clusters provided a “really great opportunity” to ensure high quality vocational education.

“If I was running one of those I’d have primary schools, I’d have secondary schools and I’d have a couple of UTCs [university technical colleges] as well,” he said.

“I’d make sure the progression was good, and I’d know the vocational offer that we were providing was of high quality.”

His comments come six weeks after Sir Michael hit out at an “inadequate at best” FE sector during a speech for the thinktank CentreForum – criticism against which the sector subsequently defended itself.

He also attacked the FE sector in today’s evidence session.

“The FE sector is in a mess – that’s why the government is reviewing it at the moment,” the Ofsted boss, who is due to retire in December, told MPs today.

“Youngster who don’t do very well at 16 often don’t do very well two years later, particularly in English and maths where the results are pretty poor,” he said.

The reliance on success rates to secure funding meant that “too many youngsters are put on level one courses when they should be challenged to do level two,” he said.

“We also find in too many GFE institutions that they haven’t thought carefully enough about their curriculum. The curriculum is often irrelevant to the local workplace and national employment,” Sir Michael alleged.

Core skills are “badly taught and results are pretty poor” in FE, he said.

Many FE colleges have amalgamated into large institutions, Sir Michael said, and “I’m not sure they’re delivering what the nation needs”.

Mr Wilshaw also defended his criticism of the standard of careers advice in colleges, which he said was based on inspection reports and destination data.

Colleges are “pretty poor at collecting destination data,” he said.

“They’re quite happy when they phone somebody up to say where are you working? Well, I’m doing a part-time job at MacDonalds, and to leave it at that.”

Read more about today’s evidence session as well as the sector reaction in next edition of FE Week.  Feel free to leave a comment below

The Government has announced the first seven apprenticeship frameworks that will be closed to new starts this summer.

The announcement was made on the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) website this afternoon.

It said: “We have published a list of seven apprenticeship frameworks which will be closed to new starts from June 1. This means the last date for new starts is May 31.

“This is the first in a series of batches of frameworks to be removed as part of apprenticeship reforms.”

This includes frameworks at level three in blacksmithing, engineering and manufacturing technologies, campaigning business administration and law, energy assessment and advice, retail and commercial enterprise.

Also affected at level three are frameworks in providing mortgage advice, business administration and law, along with witness care, health, public services and care.

And further level two frameworks facing closure to new starts are for building products industry occupations, and cabin crew, engineering and manufacturing technologies.

The SFA added: “These had no starts in the 2014 to 2015 funding year or in the funding year 2015 to 2016 up to the R06 data return. We therefore consider three months’ notice of switch-off for these frameworks to be sufficient.”

A spokesperson added students still completing their apprenticeship on the seven frameworks would “continue to do so”, on their agreed funding arrangements, and “their apprenticeship completion certificate can be claimed as normal”.

“The Secretary of State has written to the relevant issuing authorities to remove the framework and they will notify providers and employers of this.”

It comes after FE Week reported in December last year that the government had scrapped plans to stop funding all apprenticeship frameworks after 2017/18.

The cut-off, that would ensure providers were only delivering new Trailblazer standards come 2018/19, was first announced in October 2013.

But it was revealed in the government’s 2020 vision document, published on December 7, that the 2017/18 end of frameworks has now been dropped.

According to the document, the government’s “aim was for all new apprenticeship starts to be on standards from 2017/18” instead of existing apprenticeship frameworks.

But it added: “We think the recent announcement of the apprenticeship levy warrants giving employers longer to consider which occupations they will require apprenticeships for.

“To allow for this, we envisage a migration from apprenticeship frameworks to standards over the course of the Parliament, with as much of this to take place by 2017/18 as possible.”

A further education college has plummeted from the highest to lowest overall grade after its first Ofsted inspection in more than seven years.

Mid-Cheshire College (MCC) has been slammed by the education watchdog, which branded its provision ‘inadequate’ overall, with six out of seven headline fields also rated as ‘inadequate’.

Inspectors last visited the college in November 2008, when it was rated ‘outstanding’ across the board.

Today’s report is highly critical of the standard of 16 to 19 study programmes at the college, which it says account for around two thirds of the college’s 2,600 learners.

“The requirements of study programmes are not met,” the report says.

Learners on study programmes “make slow progress in improving their skills, knowledge and understanding” and “do not have sufficient opportunity to develop essential employability skills to prepare them for work and life beyond college,” the report says.

“Too little” teaching on study programmes “is sufficiently challenging” and many learners “do not achieve the high grades they are capable of”, the report says.

The proportion of learners “who achieve functional skills qualifications in mathematics and English is low,” it continues.

College leaders were criticised for having “allowed the quality of provision to decline to unacceptably low standards”.

However, inspectors were more positive about MCC’s apprenticeship provision, which they rated as ‘good’.

“Well-managed apprenticeship programmes, developed in collaboration with employers, enable the majority of apprentices to make good progress and achieve,” the report says.

“Leaders and managers work closely with employers to ensure apprenticeships meet local and national needs,” and “the majority of apprentices gain sustained employment or promotion,” inspectors found.

MCC principal Richard Hollywood (pictured right), who took over in 2013 following the retirement of long-term former principal John Reilly, said the college had an improvement plan in place before the inspection “which Ofsted recognised during their visit”.

“We have already implemented significant changes to address the more immediate issues and myself, the Governors and the staff are fully focused and determined to bring about the required improvements,” Mr Hollywood said.

“My staff and I remain fully focused on our students and helping them to achieve their aspirational goals,” he added.

Neighbouring West Cheshire College, located 20 miles away from MCC, was also rated ‘inadequate’ in November. Both colleges are currently part of the Cheshire and Warrington area review, which began in January.

Today’s report comes a day after Ofsted boss Sir Michael Wilshaw told MPs on the education selection committee that he believed 16 to 19-year-olds should be taught in schools.

An Ofsted spokesperson said: “As an outstanding college it was exempt from inspection unless its performance declined in accordance with legislation.

“Ofsted carries out risk assessment of all outstanding provisions and can conduct an inspection where it has concerns.”

City College Plymouth (CCP) has become the second college to join the 157 Group since it exclusively revealed its expansion plans to FE Week in January, bringing membership of the group to 28.

The group’s chief executive, Ian Pretty (pictured above), said he was “pleased to welcome” CCP, which was rated ‘good’ by Ofsted at its most recent inspection in 2012, “to our network of forward thinking, entrepreneurial colleges”.

Today’s announcement comes a little over a month after Cardiff and Vale College became the first college to join the 157 Group after it exclusively revealed to FE Week that it was planning to expand following a strategic review.

At the time, Mr Pretty said they had had enquiries about joining the group from 15 colleges.

“City College Plymouth is a pillar in their region with excellent employer engagement and apprenticeship programmes and an exciting plan for investing in a new STEM Centre of Excellence,” said Mr Pretty about the group’s newest member.

“City College Plymouth will make an excellent addition to our network of forward thinking, entrepreneurial colleges around the country and we look forward to working with them,” he added.

CCP, which has an SFA allocation of £9.1m and an EFA allocation of £10.8m for 2015/16, was awarded the Association of Colleges Beacon award for promotion and delivery of successful apprenticeships in 2015/16.

Phil Davies, CCP principal, said: “At City College, we work extremely hard to build and sustain mutually favourable partnerships with leading local, regional and national employers.

“To have that hard work recognised by such an influential group is simply marvellous, and we can’t wait to get started supporting the 157 Group in their mission to transform professional and technical education and support the UK’s productive economy.

“After all, their mission very much reflects our own.”