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WorldSkills UK Brazil job for sector funding boss Peter

The boss of the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) and the Education Funding Agency has been handed the enviable task of representing the UK at WorldSkills in Brazil this summer.

Peter Lauener, chief executive of both funding agencies, will be taking over the role of official UK delegate to the WorldSkills 2015 competition in Brazil. He replaces former SFA interim chief executive Keith Smith, who returned full-time to his director’s role over funding and programmes.

Mr Lauener said he was “pleased” to be attending the event, where young people from around the world will compete for gold, silver and bronze in a huge range of vocational skills.

“I will be personally championing the need for and value of skills training,” he told FE Week.

Ofsted pushes ahead with unified inspection plan for FE and skills, schools and early years

Ofsted today confirmed it was pushing ahead with “some of the most significant changes to the inspection of education in its history” following a public consultation on bringing all its inspections under one regime.

It was revealed in FE Week in August last year that the education watchdog planned for all education inspections to be “harmonised” under one common inspection framework (CIF) for nurseries, schools and colleges from September this year.

Its eight-week consultation on the plans, entitled Better inspection for all, closed before Christmas and Ofsted has now published a report on almost 5,000 responses, which indicated broad support for the proposals.

Ofsted’s national director of schools, Sean Harford (pictured right), also confirmed that a unified CIF would be introduced from September, along with more frequent but shorter inspections of good FE and skills providers and schools.

He said: “In recent years, we have seen encouraging improvements in schools and colleges across the country. The changes we are confirming today are designed to ensure that standards continue to improve.

“Sir Michael Wilshaw set out our proposals at the launch of the consultation in October. Nearly 5,000 people have given their views since then, with the vast majority supporting all of our proposed reforms. I am very pleased that these changes now move forward with a strong endorsement from the public, education professionals, parents, carers and learners.”

Headline fields for inspections, under the new CIF framework, will be ‘effectiveness of leadership and management’, ‘quality of teaching, learning and assessment’, ‘personal development, behaviour and welfare’ and ‘outcomes for children and learners’.

At present they are ‘overall effectiveness’, ‘outcomes for learners’, ‘quality of teaching, learning and assessment’, and ‘effectiveness of leadership and management’. Guides for the new inspections are due out in the summer term.

FE and skills providers will also, under the new CIF framework, have the following areas of provision graded “where appropriate” — ‘16 to 19 study programmes’, ‘19+ learning programmes’, ‘apprenticeships’, ‘traineeships’, ‘employability’, ‘learners in receipt of high needs funding’, ‘community learning’, ‘14–16 provision in colleges full-time and part-time’.

The report said that FE and skills providers judged good at their last full inspection would no longer be subject to a full inspection once within a six-year period. They will instead usually receive a short inspection that will take place around every three years.

It added there were no plans to introduce reinspections of outstanding providers within a definite time period, so they will “usually only have a full inspection if their performance drops or there are other compelling reasons”.

The changes come just two years after the current FE and skills CIF was introduced.

There were 4,390 responses to the online consultation questionnaire, as well as qualitative data gathered through consultative events including more than 40 short inspection pilots with FE and skills providers and schools.

More than 60 per cent of respondents supported the proposal for more frequent, but shorter inspections of good FE and skills providers.

Almost 80 per cent backed the introduction of a unified CIF.

Mr Harford said: “Our Common Inspection Framework will ensure a consistent approach to Ofsted inspections. It will focus on keeping young people safe, the breadth of the curriculum in schools, the relevance of courses and training in FE and skills, and the quality of early learning.”

Law change ‘could lead to HE in FE complaints rise’

Student complaints about FE colleges offering degrees could rise with a proposed new law putting them under the universities ombudsman, principals have been warned.

Complaints about FE colleges’ higher education courses will be scrutinised by the Office for Independent Adjudication in Higher Education (OIAHE) if the government’s Consumer Rights Bill passes later this year.

Currently the OIAHE deals with complaints about FE higher education provision if they relate to something for which the validating university is responsible.

Responsibility varies depending on the validation agreement, but the OIAHE tends to deal with complaints over how grade disputes were handled, extenuating circumstances or mis-sold courses.

Ben Elger (pictured above left), OIAHE chief operating officer, said this could lead to a rise in the number of complaints, but said it was “impossible to see” how big the rise would be.

Smita Jamdar (pictured right), partner and head of education at SGH Martineau LLP, also warned the change in the law would “bring with it the powerful new remedies of a right to a repeat performance and a right to a discount”.

“More colleges that deliver higher education will find themselves directly subject to the OIAHE. This will almost certainly continue the upward trend as far as learner complaints are concerned,” she said in an exclusive expert piece for FE Week.

The news follows the 2013/14 Higher Education Review by higher education inspectors QAA, which said more than a quarter of FE colleges offering higher education needed to improve their complaints handling.

However, Association of Colleges higher education policy manager Nick Davy (pictured above right) said he didn’t “believe that there should be a significant increase in external complaints”.

He said: “In general the system works reasonably well although we have come across a few occasions where students haven’t been clear which organisations is their external adjudicator.

“Hopefully the Consumer Rights Act will clarify the situation.”

And FE colleges will also be able to access support through OIAHE subscription, although the model and costs were yet to be decided.

“We will have a direct relationship with the FE institutions,” said Mr Elger.

“Under the new legislation we will be able look at what’s actually gone on in the complaints process in the college itself.”

He added a “perception issue” could lead to a rise in student complaints, if students felt it was easier to make their voices heard.

“Perhaps students are more likely to see there’s a clear advantage of going to the OIAHE, because we can look at a complaint without having to worry about who is responsible for which bit,” said Mr Elger.

“The first part of our mission obviously deal with the complaint as a kind of ombudsman, the second part is to share knowledge and good practice and good complaints handling information,” he added.

Amendments to the bill are still being considered by the House of Commons and the House of Lords, but it is due to be given Royal Assent before March 30.

FE leaders criticise ‘disappointing’ and ‘disgraceful’ decision to deny FE funding ringfence

A decision by the Conservative Party not to pledge the same funding protection for FE as is afforded to schools has been labelled “disappointing” and “disgraceful” by sector leaders.

The Prime Minister this morning used a speech at a school in Enfield, North London, to confirm that the ringfence, which has been in place around the education budget for five to 16-year-olds since 2010, will continue if his party remains in office after May 7.

But the Association of Colleges (AoC), Sixth Form Colleges Assocaiton (SFCA) and Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) have criticised the decision to exclude funding for 16 to 18-year-olds from the ringfence once again.

AoC chief executive Martin Doel said: “Today’s announcement by the Prime Minister to ringfence the schools budget is good news for schools but is desperately disappointing for sixth form and further education colleges which between them educate over 830,000 16 to 18-year-olds.

“This leaves college students extremely vulnerable to huge cuts in the next Parliament and we strongly appeal to the Prime Minister to think again before risking the education and training opportunities of thousands of young people.

“We fail to see why, when everyone has to stay in education or training until the age of 18, this age group continues to be treated less favourably than their young counterparts. Investment in earlier years will be wasted if 16 to 18-year-olds continue to receive 22 per cent less than 11 to 16 year olds.

“We would urge the next government to prioritise a once-in-a-generation funding review of how money is spent at each stage of education to ensure we can adequately educate and train all children and young people.”

SFCA deputy chief executive James Kewin said: “This is a disgraceful decision. Sixth form colleges have been subjected to savage and disproportionate

James Kewin

funding cuts since 2010.

“This announcement is a clear signal that we should expect more of the same from a future Conservative administration. This will disproportionately affect sixth form colleges as they do not have the ability to cross subsidise from the more generous funding available for pre-16 students.

“Protecting school students by punishing college students (who are more likely to have lower levels of prior attainment and come from more disadvantaged backgrounds) is an act of educational and economic vandalism. The government needs to wake up to the crisis in sixth form funding, which risks damaging the prospects of young people at what is a vital time in their education.”

AELP chief executive Stewart Segal said: “After the Prime Minister said last week that the desired increase in apprenticeships would not be financed from within the existing adult skills budget but with additional funding, our hope is that government investment in non-apprenticeship provision to improve adults skills will be safeguarded, knowing that a sustained economic recovery is dependent on addressing skills shortages.

“For 16 to 18 year olds, we need to protect funding across the full range of education and training options, backed up by impartial careers advice, if we are to avoid an increase in the NEET group and the costs associated with those teenagers who drop out.”

In his speech, Mr Cameron said: “Good school places need money and we will make sure our schools are properly funded.

“Today, I can make this commitment about Conservative plans. We’ve demonstrated in the past five years that we can protect the schools budget while reducing the deficit and we will do so again.”

Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary Tristram Hunt has responded by saying the move will result in a real-terms cut over the next Parliament, but has not confirmed whether his party would protect FE funding.

The Liberal Democrats have pledged to protect education funding for learners up to 19 years old, but is yet to confirm whether or not FE’s funding will be ringfenced on its own, or as part of the wider budget.

Learner needs top in functional skills revamp

Learner needs for “frequent retakes” need to be taken into account amid Ofqual-recommended improvements to Functional Skills, Federation of Awarding Bodies (FAB) chief executive Stephen Wright (pictured left) has warned.

He welcomed the qualification watchdog’s plan to make Functional Skills “more relevant and more reliable” and said “FAB is supportive of the drive to increase the quality and value of functional skills”.

Mr Wright told FE Week: “In moving forward with this work we feel it will be important to maintain a clear focus on the intended purpose of Functional Skills and
the needs of the range of learners who use them to evidence their literacy, numeracy
and IT skills. It will also be necessary to ensure that the features most frequently identified by stakeholders as being important, such as frequent opportunities to take the tests and prompt delivery of results, continue to be evident in any improved approach.”

The improvement plan, issued on January 27, followed an Ofqual review launched last year of level two English and maths Functional Skills.

The report, entitled Improving Functional Skills Qualifications, said awarding organisations (AOs) had already responded “positively” to findings that the quality of assessment materials needed to be improved and the risk of malpractice and maladministration reduced.

The report also said AOs needed to strengthen standard-setting procedures and evaluate better how far qualifications were meeting user needs.

Jeremy Benson, Ofqual executive director for vocational qualifications, said he expected improvements to make Functional Skills “more relevant and more reliable”.

Debbie Ribchester (pictured right), senior policy manager at the Association of Colleges, said: “We are pleased AOs are committed to act on Ofqual’s recommendations to ensure there is consistency of standards and will ensure the suggested improvements are made.”

Stewart Segal, Association of Employment and Learning Providers chief executive, said: “More and more employers recognise functional skills and we need a period of stability to make these improvements effective.”

The Ofqual plan came out the day the Education and Training Foundation launched its review of teaching and accreditation — including Functional Skills — of non-GCSE maths and English for learners unable to reach D grade GCSE.

Don’t leave it more than two years between inspections

Having been handed a disastrous ‘inadequate’ Ofsted grading nearly six years after the last visit resulted in ‘outstanding’ plaudits [see feweek.co.uk], Barry Lord-Gambles explains why he thinks all providers should be inspected every two years.

I have been involved in publicly-funded learning since 1984. I have been through a number of inspections for several companies both as a nominee and director and have always found them to be a challenging, but ultimately positive experience.

The last inspection however was quite an eye opener and has left my company shaken, and stirred into making providers in the same position sit up and take note.

I cannot emphasise enough the effect it had on my staff, learners and employers — many of whom I have worked with for more than 25 years.

I was very disappointed during inspection that success rates for the more up to date 2013/14 cohort were not taken into consideration, even though they were published a fortnight before the draft report was completed. They showed an increase from 69 per cent to 73 per cent.

There was also no consideration given to the current estimated success rates for 2014/15, which stood at 83 per cent.

During the inspection we were told many times by inspectors that many findings could be rectified very quickly and we would certainly be given an opportunity.

This appears not to have been the case and again highlights the inequality between independent learning providers, and schools and FE colleges — both of which do not have their contracts automatically withdrawn, but are allowed to improve despite being put into special measures

Mini inspections should include representatives from lead providers who have in the last 12 months been inspected and gained outstanding

But maybe its security relies on an inspection lottery process that is not fit for purpose.

The subject specialist on our inspection worked for an outstanding lead provider not inspected since May 2006, and even then it was under the Adult Learning Inspectorate.

Surely this cannot be right — it can’t rely on success rates and a well written self-assessment report. I believe all providers should be inspected at least every two years.

To put this in context on the subject of safeguarding, since May 2006 in the news, we have had several high profile safeguarding cases including one very high profile paedophilia case that was able to fool everyone while apparently outwardly projecting an air of total respectability.

These all came to light after the event and with hindsight could have been minimised if appropriate action was taken sooner.

With such an emphasis at inspection on safeguarding I think there may be a lesson there to be learned.

I would suggest that mini inspections would ensure that providers can stay on track and keep up with current Ofsted thinking.

I would suggest that these inspections should be part-inspection and part-support in training, guidance and sharing of good practice.

These mini inspections should include representatives from lead providers who have in the last 12 months been inspected and gained outstanding.

I also believe that the Ofsted events that I have recently attended could be improved by utilising representatives from inspiring providers who would be identified during these mini inspections who could share good practice.

With the added pressures of trying to run a business and keep everyone— from subcontractors, learners, employers, employees, the Skills Funding Agency (SFA), Education Funding Agency and Ofsted — onside it is too easy to lose sight of what we are aiming to achieve.

This is compounded by the lack of support from the SFA, which appears to be understaffed and quite often unavailable to answer queries we may have.

As a lead provider trying to address the complexities of work-based training I feel that the challenges are becoming insurmountable.

I feel very strongly that if the UK wants to maintain a first class apprenticeship model local providers like Venture Learning should be supported otherwise local knowledge, expertise and consistency will be lost.

A sector in freefall? English and maths take their toll

The FE and skills sector is performing worse in Ofsted inspections this academic year than last year, FE Week research has uncovered.

The research shows the proportion of general FE and tertiary colleges inspected so far in 2014/15 and graded inadequate or told to improve is up 27 percentage points on last year, while the percentage of sixth form colleges and independent learning providers with grade three or four inspection results also increased.

Last year, 36 per cent of inspections across the sector resulted in providers being rated as inadequate or requires improvement — it stands at 66 per cent so far this year. Reporter Freddie Whittaker investigates (click here to view the full article).

The resistible rise of learner complaints

A legal change later this year will strengthen the rights of general FE college learners taking higher education courses. Smita Jamdar looks at areas where colleges’ have struggled.

In more than two decades of working with FE colleges, I have never been asked to advise on as many learner complaints as I am now.There are many reasons why this is,

There are many reasons why this is, including, a greater awareness among learners of their legal rights, a greater investment by some learners in their own education and a greater willingness to challenge where expectations are not met are just some of them.

There is also the strengthening of consumer rights that will hit the sector later this year when the Consumer Rights Act comes into force, bringing with it the powerful new remedies of a right to a repeat performance and a right to a discount.

More colleges that deliver higher education will find themselves directly subject to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education. This will almost certainly continue the upward trend as far as learner complaints are concerned.

The most common complaints I come across relate to, firstly, an alleged failure to deliver the programme as promoted.

These complaints often arise when colleges are forced to make changes to the content or method of delivery or assessment, often because of circumstances outside their control.

Perhaps recruitment has not been as expected or a key member of staff has departed. Perhaps promised placement opportunities have not materialized.

Alternatively, the complaints might relate to dissatisfaction with the quality of what is on offer, whether that be the education itself, or the other facilities available.

Avoiding these complaints depends largely on clarity, communication and commitment.

In terms of complaints, the most common characteristic cited in my experience is disability

Information about what learners can expect should be clear and comprehensive, including information on when and why things may change. Constant and open two-way communication with learners will identify at an early stage where things are going wrong, help to find swift solutions and prevent escalation.

Commitment to the learners in terms of delivering what has been promised, putting their needs at the heart of decisions to change what has been offered to them, and in finding solutions that minimize the adverse impact on them when problems have arisen, will also keep complaints low in numbers and in acrimony.

Secondly, perceived disability discrimination. Colleges are diverse communities and learners have the benefit of protection against discrimination on the grounds of a range of protected characteristics.

In terms of complaints, the most common characteristic cited in my experience is disability. Hidden disabilities, learning disabilities and mental ill-health feature highly.

Colleges seem to struggle particularly in two respects: firstly, a failure to obtain enough information at an early enough stage to assess what needs a learner with disabilities might have and secondly, where appropriate , to consider and implement such adjustments as are reasonably necessary to allow the learner to access the educational and other services on offer.

These complaints can be reduced or avoided by ensuring that staff at all levels of the organization have an appropriate level of understanding of the legal obligations towards learners with disabilities to enable them to either refer the matter on within the organization or themselves reach defensible decisions on what to do.

Dissemination of relevant and specific information about individual students’ disability-related needs to teaching and other staff who engage with those students is important.

And thirdly, challenges on the grounds that there has been a failure to deal fairly with learners.

Based on my experience, college disciplinary and fitness to practise/study policies are being invoked more frequently, yet sometimes fail to observe even the most basic principles of fairness and natural justice.

Common shortcomings include a failure properly to articulate the case the learner has to answer, a confusion of roles between investigator and decision-maker, and a failure to allow the learner to test the case against her by testing the evidence.

There is every reason to suspect that learner complaints will increase in the years ahead.

However, relatively simple steps to address the underlying issues will protect colleges against wasted management time and resource in trying to defend the sometimes indefensible or putting things right.

‘Mistakes’ led to ‘costly and inefficient’ buildings

One site ‘difficult’ for learners to get to and ‘unsuitable for provision’

£68m developments leave college with huge debts

‘Makes sense’ to sell one off, says commissioner

Further Education Commissioner Dr David Collins has told how a series of blunders over the “size, location and financing” of these £68m West Cheshire College builds left it with crippling debt as he told Skills Minister Nick Boles “it makes sense” that one be sold off.

He described the buildings as “costly and inefficient” — and the college has revealed plans to shut the Handbridge site, as recommended by Dr Collins, just four years after rebuilding it on a site “relatively difficult to reach by public transport”.

It is also “unsuitable for the provision it offers,” according to Dr Collins.

The building, in Chester, opened around the same time as the college’s Ellesmere Port site, with both having been funded to the tune of £47.9m from the Learning and Skills Council.

Long-term borrowing to top up payment for the builds left the college £14.5m in the red and led in September to Dr Collins being sent in after the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) had assessed its financial health as inadequate.

Nigel Davies (pictured), principal since May 2013, declined to comment on whether Handbridge would be sold, but said: “Any decision to close a site is not taken lightly and has only been done with a clear and detailed understanding of the impact of those changes.”

Mr Boles responded to Dr Collins’ report by sending out two FE Commissioner advisers to ensure the proposed closure process at West Cheshire is carried out properly, including local consultation.

Dr Collins’ report had said: “West Cheshire College is in a very difficult financial position largely due to mistakes that were made in the past with regard to the size, location and financing of its new builds.” It added: “The college has a significant amount of excess space which is costly and inefficient. It therefore makes sense to consolidate provision on one site – that at Ellesmere Port – and to sell the Handbridge campus.”

A spokesperson for the grade three 15,257-learner college was “unable to confirm the number of job losses” that would result from the proposed campus closure.

Mr Davies said, despite the closure plan, the college would “continue to have a presence in Chester and is planning to open a more accessible city centre-based location”.

The commissioner’s report on West Cheshire came out the same day (January 29) as Stoke-on-Trent College’s, in which, similarly, it was advised to “review its estate” and potentially sell-off unused buildings. He inspected the college in November after it was also assessed as inadequate for financial health by the SFA.

Dr Collins called on the college to “develop a comprehensive recovery plan by the end of February at the latest”.

Sarah Robinson (pictured), principal of the grade two 15,000-learner college, said: “There are currently no plans to sell off any buildings/sites.” But she added that, since the commissioner’s visit, a staff reduction programme had been launched affecting around 25 employees across all areas, “including senior management”.

An SFA spokesperson said it was working with West Cheshire to “progress” Dr Collins’ findings, while it would “consider the outcome” of his Stoke-on-Trent report.