The government has promised to publish a “detailed transition plan” for transferring up to 1,000 subcontracted careers advisers and staff into the Department for Work and Pensions by April next year.
Ministers have responded today to a report from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) select committee that called out an “absence of information” about the planned merger of the National Careers Service (NCS) and Jobcentres.
They have promised to work with NCS employers, contractors and unions on a “detailed transition plan” which will be published “within the next six months”.
But ministers have rejected the committee’s call for a cross-government national strategy for adult careers guidance, arguing this would “risk” its work on transforming Jobcentres into an “integrated Jobs and Careers Service”.
The department also said that while careers advice will be available for anyone “who wants to look for work, increase their earnings, or change their career”, those who are not on benefits will be “served digitally, through a self-service option”.
The DWP is currently designing the new Jobs and Careers Service after announcing a merger of Jobcentres and the £55 million per year NCS last July.
Last month, the department told contractors it will be “in-sourcing” around careers advisers working for NCS contractors, estimated to number about 1,000, by October next year.
But MPs on the work and pensions committee have criticised an “absence of information” about the merger, with the first test site for the new service launching in June this year, almost a year after the first announcement.
Shortly after McFadden was appointed work and pensions secretary, the work and pensions committee published its report warning the merger risked being “little more than a rebranding exercise”.
Performance measures
In today’s response, the government accepted the committee’s recommendations to review the “incentives model” of the outsourced careers service, promising “robust performance measures” that will “align with the government’s wider employment goals”.
However, it rejected the suggestion of a national strategy for adult careers guidance which balances universal support with a focus on those who “need the most support”.
Pointing out that careers, adult skills and employment support are now “in one place” at the DWP, the response argued careers now needs to be “considered as part of this larger whole”.
It added: “Writing a separate careers guidance strategy therefore could risk our integrated Jobs and Careers Service vision.”
In response to a call for clarity around who will be eligible for careers advice, the department said: “We recognise that people are individuals with different support needs, and we want everyone who wants it to be able to access tailored support.
“For the majority of those not claiming benefits and who are seeking employment support or careers advice, this will best be served digitally, through a self-service option.
However, we recognise this will not be appropriate for everyone and other channels of support will be available.”
‘Crack on’
Addressing concerns about the relationship between careers advisers and Jobcentre work coaches, the department said it is designing the new service “to retain the strength of both roles”.
The new service will also “retain” the level 4 minimum qualification of careers advisers and officials will “explore” developing a dedicated training pathway within jobcentres.
The response added: “As the design of the service progresses, we will provide further detail on how this training pathway will be implemented and how careers advisers will be supported and developed within the new service.”
Committee chair Debbie Abrahams welcomed the government’s promise to reform performance measures for careers advice, but urged the government to “crack on” with detailed plans for in-sourcing careers staff.
She added: “Giving the DWP sole responsibility over the adult skills brief, instead of sharing with the Department for Education, should help to reduce the incoherent patchwork of services that are available.
“And bringing the careers service in house, rather than outsourcing, will in time provide clearer lines of accountability, and greater efficiency.”
An independent review into the growing number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) is “long overdue” and must finally join up piecemeal government initiatives, experts have said.
Last week, the government announced former social mobility tsar Alan Milburn will lead an “uncompromising” investigation into the causes of the NEET rate that has risen to almost one million.
While the appointment has been widely welcomed, sector leaders have urged Milburn to ensure the review breaks down long-standing “policy silos”.
Writing for FE Week (click here), Lee Elliot Major, professor of social mobility at the University of Exeter, said the review could succeed where others have failed – by connecting education, employment and health policy.
“The review can do something governments rarely manage: breaking down the policy silos,” he said.
“For too long, we’ve treated education, employment and health as separate domains when they are deeply connected. The danger now is ‘initiativitis’: a flurry of disconnected reforms – the curriculum review, the youth guarantee, the white working-class review – without a unifying vision.”
Former education secretary Lord Blunkett said he was “incredibly supportive” of Milburn’s appointment, praising his past work in Barnsley on social mobility and youth opportunity.
“Yes, I think it is long overdue and we need to join up the dots so that the variety of initiatives can be scaled up rapidly,” Blunkett told FE Week.
‘Initiativitis’ fears
Over the past 16 months, the government has announced £25 million to double the number of youth hubs, £90 million for youth guarantee trailblazers, launched foundation apprenticeships, conducted an independent review of curriculum, assessment and qualifications in England, and created a “job guarantee” for young people on long-term benefits.
Last month’s post-16 education and skills white paper also contained a range of measures to combat rising young NEET numbers, including auto-enrolling school-leavers on post-16 courses and tracking attendance of 16 to 19-year-olds.
Experts cautioned that the sector had seen a plethora of “reviews” over past decades without achieving meaningful change.
They added, however, that new reviews are necessary when times and causes of NEETs have changed.
For example, the rise in the number of young people who are economically inactive due to health conditions and disabilities has worsoned since the pandemic.
The government announced earlier this year that it plans to slash health and disability benefits for young people in a bid to push them into employment or training, as part of efforts to cut the country’s “ballooning” benefits bill.
Milburn’s review, to be assisted by a panel of expert advisers, has been tasked with “understanding the drivers of the increase in the number of young people who are NEET and claiming health and disability benefits, including childhood experience” and will “investigate the root causes of this rise in economic inactivity among disabled young people and those with health conditions”.
Milburn said the review will be “uncompromising in exposing failures in employment support, education, skills, health and welfare, and will produce far-reaching recommendations for change to enhance opportunities for young people to learn and earn”.
One system fits all
Laura-Jane Rawlings, chief executive of Youth Employment UK, told FE Week: “We currently have lots of pieces of the puzzle, but nobody has looked at these pieces holistically to really see where the gaps are.
“Over the last couple of decades, we’ve seen loads of reviews, reports and millions in investment, yet youth unemployment levels remain stubbornly high. So it’s fair to ask: what’s really going to be different this time?”
Rawlings urged Milburn to focus on the key “transition points” where young people fall through the cracks, from failing GCSEs in English and maths to struggling to access careers advice or opportunities locally.
“Government has funded a lot of good work, from the What Works Centre to Talent Match and the Youth Guarantee Trailblazers, but it’s all been piecemeal. No one has brought it together to understand how it fits as one system,” she added.
“If this review genuinely joins up the dots between skills, health, welfare and employment, and reflects today’s labour market, then it could make a real difference. But it must avoid becoming just another exercise in cost-cutting or another ‘test and learn’ that never gets to the learning.”
Stephen Evans, chief executive of the Learning and Work Institute, added that while reviews can play a role, the government already has a wealth of evidence on the issue.
“The urgency of this challenge, given the negative impact of being out of work and education when young, means we need to focus on rapid delivery of the government’s youth guarantee,” he said.
“Doing so requires proper resourcing and joining up work, skills and health support.”
Milburn will submit an interim report to the Department for Work and Pensions next spring, followed by a final report in the summer.
Two Institutes of Technology have ditched the flagship scheme amid fears Labour is lukewarm on the project, FE Week can reveal.
East London Institute of Technology, which launched in 2019 backed by £3.5 million of public funding, quietly exited this summer, citing “uncertainty” over government policy.
Black Country and Marches IoT, formed in 2021 with £17 million, will follow next year to gain “more freedoms” over its curriculum once its licence expires.
Their departures mark the first official exits since the Conservative government launched the policy six years ago with around £300 million in capital investment.
FE Week understands the Labour government planned to let IoT licenses lapse when their respective five-year terms came up for renewal, but Department for Education officials reversed this decision in March after the national network “rallied” in support of extensions.
IoT successes
Institutes of Technology, which are partnerships between colleges, universities and employers, aimed to drive a “step change” in level 4 and 5 skills when they launched in 2019.
Twenty-one institutes were established, involving 77 colleges, 35 universities and 99 employers, supported by £290 million in capital grants for new classrooms and high-end equipment. IoTs also tapped into a £54 million grant pot for developing higher technical qualifications (HTQs).
A previous FE Week investigation found the institutes were successful in recruiting students. But enthusiasm for the branded model appeared to wane when Labour came into power with a manifesto commitment to roll out a range of Technical Excellence Colleges (TECs).
Recent announcements, such as the prime minister’s ambition for two-thirds of young people to attain higher-level skills by age 25, suggest the government shares the same goals as IoTs.
But following an internal review late last year, officials are understood to have told the network they would no longer champion a small selection of “providers under a licence”.
Instead, the DfE suggested it would foster collaboration between colleges, universities and employers as the “default” way of working.
Then in March, after lobbying by IoTs, the government said it had “reconsidered” its approach and began issuing three-year extensions. The renewals were shorter than the 10-year extensions granted to five ‘wave one’ IoTs before the 2024 general election.
Last year, the government also cancelled a £23 million grant programme for 2025-26 to help providers increase uptake of HTQs at levels 4 and 5.
New directions
In return for initial capital investment and use of the IoT brand, partners committed to match funding of at least 35 per cent and hitting various targets. They included achieving at least 1,500 student starts at level 4 and above by their fifth year, and a focus on enrolment of women and learners from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
East London IoT, a partnership between Barking & Dagenham College, Coventry University and employers including Transport for London, said it declined to renew its licence due to “high levels of uncertainty surrounding the future” of the policy.
The institute, opened with £2.9 million in capital and supported with £500,000 in HTQ funding, built advanced robotics and digital labs used by 5,000 students. A Barking & Dagenham College spokesperson said the facilities would leave a “lasting legacy” but would no longer operate under the IoT brand.
Black Country and Marches IoT, which has taught around 1,700 students, said its plan was to “reposition” away from its licence next year to gain “greater freedom” over who and what it teaches.
Lead partner Dudley College of Technology said leaving the IoT network would allow it to expand training for younger learners below level 4, while Ben Towe, managing director of Hadley Group, who sits on the IoT board, said the move would “open up opportunities” beyond its current specialisms in advanced manufacturing, medical engineering and modern construction.
‘Fully committed’
IoTs that choose to relicense receive no further government investment beyond their initial capital grants. But despite funding for HTQs also drying up, partners told FE Week they continued to see the benefit of being a lynchpin of regional collaboration, offering a single front door to businesses seeking high-level technical training.
Multiple institutes told FE Week they remained “fully committed” to their local partnerships, which they see as “critical” to tackling skills gaps by helping students and employers navigate “complex” technical education pathways.
A spokesperson for New College Swindon, which leads Swindon and Wiltshire IoT, said confirmation of whether it will extend beyond the current 2026 expiry date would be shared “in due course”.
IoTs in wave 2, which opened between 2022 and 2024, have licences that expire between 2027 and 2029.
A Greater Manchester IoT spokesperson said the government’s renewed focus on higher-level skills “reinforces” the importance of its work, adding: “All our employer and education partners remain positive and supportive of the GMIoT and its value to the region.”
A spokesperson for East Midlands IoT said: “Students and industries are beginning to understand the value in strong local technical provision and clear pathways through more bite-sized layers of technical learning.
“The process is complex and takes time, but employers are committed to working with us to help them grow the skilled workers they, the region and wider economy, need.”
The DfE has never published data revealing IoTs’ performance.
In response to an FE Week freedom of information request for this data, the DfE refused to share what it held on individual institutes, arguing that publication would “prejudice the conduct of public affairs” due to concerns about accuracy and delays in reporting.
IoTs meet TECs
Last month’s skills white paper mentioned IoTs twice, saying that new technical excellence colleges should “draw on” their experience and expertise.
Labour has committed to launching 29 technical excellence colleges. Ten in construction have so far been named. Competitions to find five for defence, five for digital technology, five for clean energy and four for advanced manufacturing are set to launch by the end of the year.
IoT partners, five of which are already TECs, told FE Week they were confident the two initiatives would operate “synergistically”.
These include Dudley College of Technology, part of Black Country and the Marches IoT, Wigan & Leigh College, part of Greater Manchester IoT, Derby College Group, part of East Midlands IoT, Exeter College, part of South West IoT, and City of Sunderland College, part of North East IoT.
But former Dudley College of Technology chief executive Lowell Williams, a director of Black Country and the Marches IoT until this summer, said creating TECs “adds more confusion to the skills landscape”.
He added: “Why would you need both? You could have reshaped the brand to meet the aspirations of TECs.
“They’re both still about technical excellence and working with employers – it’s all the same ingredients. Governments just like new things.”
A refugee-turned-business student and a pioneering ESOL tutor were among the winners at this year’s Mayor of London Adult Learning Awards.
The City Hall ceremony, held on Thursday night, recognised the individuals and organisations whose work is transforming the lives of Londoners. Now in their fifth year, the awards, sponsored by FE Week and awarding organisation Ascentis, also honours tutors, businesses and charities that have shown exceptional commitment to adult education.
More than 250 nominations were submitted this year across 10 categories, with winners selected by a panel of judges drawn from London’s adult learning sector.
Addressing attendees, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “When I was re elected last year, I spoke about something called the London promise, the idea that if you work hard with a helping hand, you can achieve anything here.
“Tonight’s winners and runners ups are the embodiment of that promise.
“Each of you has proven the immense power of skills to change Londoners lives and as we build a safer, fairer and more prosperous city, you’ve set an example for the rest of us to follow.
“These awards are about celebrating you and all the extraordinary things you do so, congratulations, and thank you for being here tonight and for giving Londoners hope that with the right support, a better future is within their grasp. I can’t wait to see what you do next.”
Former United Colleges Group student Hamzeh Mouallem (pictured, centre) was revealed as the winner of the inspirational adult learner of the year award.
Hamzeh arrived in London speaking very little English in 2019 after fleeing the Syrian civil war. Balancing a full-time restaurant job with caring responsibilities for his younger brother, he progressed rapidly through ESOL and completed a Higher National Diploma in business with distinction. He is now studying for a top-up degree at the University of West London.
Judges said Hamzeh’s story “struck a chord”.
“What stood out most was Hamzeh being an inspiration to his younger brother, who is now at college. The majority of judges agreed that his journey exemplified determination and the transformative power of adult education,” they added.
The learning for personal progression award went to Judith Guarte Lee from Redbridge Institute of Adult Education.
Originally from the Philippines and living with cerebral palsy, Judith enrolled on ESOL and childcare courses after the birth of her son, rediscovering her confidence and ambition. She has since completed levels 1 and 2 childcare qualifications, secured a role as a childcare practitioner, and begun studying at level 3.
Reflecting on her journey, Judith said: “I’m incredibly grateful to Redbridge Institute, especially my tutors who have inspired me to believe in myself and follow my dreams. Everyone there is so helpful, I never feel left behind.”
Picking up the learning for good work award was Keighley Luff, who trained in facilities management at Chelsea Football Club through Capital City College.
Initially unsure she belonged on a high-level apprenticeship, Keighley thrived in her role as the club’s technical administrator, improving internal communications and the visitor experience at Stamford Bridge. She now also mentors new apprentices and champions work-based learning.
“I wasn’t sure I belonged on a high-level programme, but over time, I’ve discovered that discomfort can be a powerful space for learning,” Keighley said.
London Ambulance Service’s Darren Avery was named inspirational professional in adult education. As strategic workforce development manager, he has overseen the recruitment of over 2,500 apprentices, including care leavers, disabled Londoners and people from diverse backgrounds. Darren is credited with not only widening access to frontline NHS roles but also addressing critical skills shortages in the health service.
Darren said: “The greatest reward is watching people grow. Seeing a learner walk through the education centre in green uniform, full of pride and purpose, that’s what this is all about.”
A Ukrainian refugee-turned-ESOL tutor at Hammersmith and Fulham Adult Learning and Skills Service was named the winner of this year’s inspirational tutor in adult education award.
Iryna Hura impressed the judges with her “trauma-informed approach and pastoral support” that saw her classes achieve a 100 per cent pass rate in speaking and listening exams.
“I understand my students’ struggles with fear, loss and isolation because I’ve lived them too. I don’t teach English as a subject, I teach it as a lifeline,” Iryna said.
See below for the full list of winners and highly commended finalists:
Teacher shortages and lack of space have forced most colleges to close enrolments on construction courses – with over half setting up waiting lists to train tradespeople, data shows.
An enrolment survey of Association of Colleges (AoC) members found colleges reported waiting lists for courses in all eight industrial strategy priority sectors, plus health and construction.
The membership body urged policymakers to align funding mechanisms with “demand hotspots” to onboard more learners and “maximise economic impact”.
Based on 105 responses of 213 members, the survey found significant increases in demand for construction, electrical and engineering courses amid a demographic surge in young learners that was too great for current staffing levels and classroom availability.
The popularity spike for construction comes after ministers unveiled a £600 million injection into training 60,000 more “engineers, brickies, sparkies and chippies” this year.
It forms part of the Labour government’s target to build 1.5 million new homes by 2029, which housebuilders recently warned is too optimistic.
Overall, 89 per cent of colleges reported an increase of between 0.1 per cent to 19.9 per cent in enrolments for 2025-26 compared to the previous academic year.
The findings come after persistent warnings from colleges that demographic rises in young people would lead to a shortage of places on critical courses. The AoC previously estimated 25,000 extra school-leavers would try to enrol at college this year.
Over three-quarters (77 per cent) of colleges reported substantial demand for construction education, and over half (56 per cent) said they had waiting lists in the subject area.
Electrical courses were also popular, with 64 per cent of colleges receiving significantly more enrolments, while 50 per cent said engineering enrolments were up and 48 per cent welcomed more students for health courses.
The majority (86 per cent) of respondents were experiencing increased demand in all the industrial strategy priority areas as well health and construction, with a third of colleges creating waiting lists for health courses.
“These subjects with the largest waiting lists mirror those experiencing strong growth in 16-to-18 and apprenticeship enrolments, suggesting continued high demand and capacity pressures,” the report said.
Demographic change was the most cited reason for the enrolments surge in 68 per cent of college responses, followed by 51 per cent citing the impact of the 2025 summer GCSE results.
Most colleges reported capacity issues in almost all subject areas, forcing them to limit or halt enrolments in areas where “student interest overwhelms resources,” mostly in the construction and built environment subject area.
Capacity problems have also bled into apprenticeships provision, with nearly a third (32 per cent) of colleges limiting construction apprenticeship starts.
The only subject area with no capacity issue was modern foreign languages, where nearly one in five colleges (18 per cent) said they had experienced a marked decrease in enrolments, which could be explained by competition with school sixth forms.
T Level enrolments disappoint
The majority of survey respondents said T Level enrolments this year failed to meet forecasts.
The craft and design T Level – introduced last year – was least in demand with 89 per cent of colleges reporting registrations below expectations.
Meanwhile, 63 per cent noted lower enrolments in media, broadcasting and production, and digital data analytics (60 per cent), formerly known as digital business services.
Around half of colleges found numbers were on target, including in maintenance, installation and repair for engineering and manufacturing (63 per cent), and building services engineering (52 per cent)
Demand sky high for ESOL and resits
Colleges struggled to meet demand for their adult provision.
English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) was the area with the “highest unmet demand”, the report said, with 61 per cent falling short.
Meanwhile 41 per cent of colleges struggled to cope with applications for Free Courses for Jobs, which the AoC said was “particularly noteworthy” and would be investigated.
Enrolments in GCSE English and maths were also higher than expected.
Almost two-thirds (65 per cent) of colleges reported an increase in 16-to-18 GCSE English enrolments and 61 per cent reported a rise in GCSE maths.
Demand also surged last year when 75 per cent of colleges reported higher-than-expected GCSE English enrolments, and 71 per cent witnessed a spike for GCSE maths.
Fewer colleges reported increases in functional skills English and maths (35 per cent and 37 per cent respectively).
The report noted that the number of 16-year- olds rose 4.6 per cent year-on-year in 2024, then fell 0.3 per cent this year.
The Department for Education was approached for comment.
The Department for Education has bolstered the FE Commissioner’s team with three new deputies amid a shake-up of its FE oversight regime.
Former EKC Group chief executive Graham Razey, FE adviser Esme Winch and Windsor Forest College group CEO Gillian May have been selected following a recruitment exercise in the summer.
They will each begin three-year terms in the coming months. Razey will join the FE Commissioner’s (FEC) office on December 1, while Winch will begin on January 2, 2026 and May will start on June 1, 2026.
Each deputy will be paid £700 per day for up to 200 days a year.
The three new hires will replace three of the current deputies.
Nigel Duncan and Phil Cook were appointed in 2023 on a three-year term but will be stepping down at the end of this year.
Meanwhile, Frances Wadsworth was first appointed in 2018. Her latest term of office was extended in May and will end her term in February 2026.
Becky Edwards remains in post and is two years into her three-year term.
They will all serve under new FE Commissioner, Ellen Thinnesen, who takes over from Shelagh Legrave in January.
New deputies
Razey began his career at South Kent College and held the principal position at Canterbury College and East Kent College before they merged to become EKC Group in 2018. He retired from Ofsted ‘outstanding’ group in April and stood down as one of the FE Commissioner’s national leaders of further education.
Meanwhile, Winch has been an adviser to the FE Commissioner for six years. She was previously managing director and CFO of NCFE and last held a college leadership role in 2016 when she stood down as CEO and principal of Loughborough College.
May has led Windsor Forest Colleges Group since 2021. The four-college group recruited just over 7,000 students in 2023-24 and was graded ‘good’ by Ofsted in 2024.
The new hires come as DfE refreshed its guidance on how it will oversee quality improvement and financial management of colleges earlier this week.
The new rules will replace place-based teams with new regional improvement teams (RITs) that will assess and direct the support needs of colleges in their areas. Each RIT will have a dedicated lead deputy FEC to provide targeted support.
Carrying burdens that would crush most mortals, CEO Karen Redhead tells Jessica Hill about debt, leaks and freeing West London College from intervention
Karen Redhead compares her job as CEO and principal of West London College to that of King Sisyphus from Greek mythology, who the gods forced to roll a large boulder up a hill for eternity.
Her metaphorical boulder is made heavier by the challenges of managing a “crippling” loan, a crumbling building and, until 2023, operating under the intense scrutiny of the intervention regime.
It is a job “absolutely not for the faint-hearted”. Her college has come a “huge distance” since she started there in 2018; it was rated ‘good’ by Ofsted in May, and has had a ‘good’ financial health grading for the last four years.
But there is still a huge burden she must carry.
Karen Redhead, CEO, West London College
Last big challenge
Redhead was no stranger to tough FE gigs before taking on West London. After stints at Newcastle College, the Learning Skills Council and Stockton Riverside College, she joined South Tyneside College as vice principal in 2006 when it was in “absolute turmoil”. Ofsted had rated the college ‘inadequate’, and she says around £9 million claimed fraudulently by a former staff member was “all being taken back in one go”.
After eight years as principal at Derwentside from 2010 to 2018, Redhead, then aged 57, felt she had “one last big challenge” left in her.
She was under no illusion about how bad West London College’s financial situation was. After her interview with the board, she was “very surprised” to be offered the job, having been “very blunt” about their need for “really tough housekeeping”.
Danger money
She considered the £200,000 salary they offered to be “danger money” for the “career risk” she was taking.
When asked what sort of bonus she wanted, she replied she did not believe in bonuses and said she never wished to be considered for a pay rise.
“I’ve stuck to that,” she says. “I had this feeling that as I was resolving the issues… the risk would reduce, so it was only fair to see the salary flatline over time.”
Just before she was set to start in September 2018,her predecessor, interim Graham Morley, had worked out she would only have enough money left in the bank to pay staff wages for five weeks.
From her boardroom at Derwentside, the pair rang the FE Commissioner together to “press the button” on intervention so Redhead, upon starting, could access an emergency loan from the Education and Skills Funding Agency of £11.6 million (increased to £13.65 million in 2022). She believes it is one of the biggest loans the government has ever made to a college.
West London’s board had approved a budget with a £4 million growth target, at a time when Redhead says the FE Commissioner’s advice was not to approve budgets with 16-18 growth projections. She told them to “start again” with a budget assuming no growth.
As well as the financial black hole the college was in, there was an emotional black hole created three months later by the tragic news of the suicide of its former principal from 2014-2018, Garry Phillips.
Redhead pays “tribute to the significant efforts that were made for over a decade before I arrived, to try to stabilise the college”.
“But unfortunately, the issues the college was facing were significant – this was a long running, intractable problem.”
Although she has tried over the years to “second-guess why certain things happened,” Redhead has “never, ever judged” Phillips. The college’s challenges were “never down to one person”, she says.
Karen Redhead, CEO, West London College
A fighter when needs be
It’s hard not to like Redhead, whose proud working-class Geordie roots give her a disarming honesty and warmth, but also a boldness in challenging the establishment (“I’m a fighter when I need to be”).
Starting out with no senior team, Redhead had to “battle” intervention agencies from the outset, feeling “under pressure very early on” to “shrink the college into recovery” and submit a mass redundancy plan. Instead, she vowed to do “everything” she could to “avoid redundancy” and “build the college back up”.
She was moulded by her “very intelligent” father, who, having been compelled by his mother to work down the pits where he lacked “intellectual challenge”, became a union shop steward who “caused mayhem”. He had Redhead selling Socialist Worker magazines on street corners at the age of 12.
She recalls how on his death bed 12 years ago, with his mind “back in the 1970s” he was still muttering about “those managers”.
Redhead told him: “Dad, I’ve got some bad news for you – I am one.”
Karen Redhead, CEO, West London College
Made to feel ‘worthless’
West London College had been under a notice to improve for five years before she started, yet Redhead sometimes felt the Department for Education treated her like she “caused the problems” when she was “just trying to solve them”, and was repeatedly asked to submit documents they knew she did not have.
Redhead describes one of her contacts at the DfE as being “the opposite of the man from Del Monte”, as the answer to her requests was “always no”.
“There were lots of instances where the DfE could have helped and didn’t,” she says.
West London had to undergo an independent business review which Redhead says she and then-FE commissioner Richard Atkins “both felt wasn’t needed” because “what we had to do here was pretty clear” in terms of getting “control over the staffing”.
Such reviews were “pinched from the commercial world”, and “normally done when a lender considers an organisation to be a risky prospect”.
They typically take two months. West London’s took two years and “sucked the living daylights” out of Redhead’s finance team in a “constant barrage of requests for stuff that they’d already had”.
The college had already spent its emergency funding, and was not seeking to borrow more money, so she questioned the point of it.
She knows she is not the only principal of a college under intervention to feel under such relentless scrutiny.
“Below the radar” she has been voluntarily mentoring other principals facing or undergoing intervention, so they can “benefit from the experiences I went through”.
During an informal “insolvency and intervention group” that Redhead formed, six to eight principals “check for consistency of treatment” during their monthly conference calls, amid a “lack of guidance and framework” around the intervention process.
“We used to laugh at the title… like, you’d really want to be part of that group!
“But it’s very sad, those principals are being made to feel worthless. They feel tactics are coming out that they feel very undermined and intimidated by”.
Redhead sees this as an injustice, as “more often than not, if the leader of the organisation that has gone pear-shaped were part of the problem, they would have [already] gone very quickly. If they’re still there, they’re generally not part of the problem.”
It is therefore “counterproductive” for the FE Commissioner to “give them a hard time”. “Why not have them feel valued instead?”
Redhead questions why the FE Commissioner cannot use a “coaching approach” towards principals.
“You can still have the heat there, but not throw them in the flames,” she says.
Early on in her time at West London, Redhead spent two years on Atkins’ national team – despite her own college being in intervention – but she believes that in more recent years the FE Commissioner has been less willing to consult with principals at the receiving end of intervention.
She hopes to see the FE Commissioner’s office take a more conciliatory approach under its new leader. Ellen Thinnesen is someone who Redhead has “always admired”.
“I’ve always wished I could have a modicum of Ellen’s people skills.”
Karen Redhead, CEO, West London College
Intervention oubliette
As time went on, Redhead found the FE Commissioner’s recommendations on their twice-yearly visits to her college to be “pure distraction”.
Just before an FE Commissioner’s visit in 2023, Redhead’s relationship of over 30 years ended. She considers herself “one of the toughest people I know”. But during the visit, she did something that “nobody who knows me would have believed”; she started crying.
She says she explained her personal circumstances to the FE Commissioner’s team. But in online feedback to the visit, they referred to her “unstable leadership”. Redhead “fundamentally disagreed” with the ensuing report, which she claimed “twisted everything” and “would have been risible if it hadn’t been so tragic”.
There are “parallels”, she believes, in how the FE Commissioner directs criticism at leaders with the way that Ofsted treated Ruth Perry, the headteacher who took her own life.
Redhead subsequently requested a formal assessment from the DfE’s regional team, which concluded that her college had done everything it had been tasked with doing. The college was subsequently removed from intervention – something that Redhead felt should have happened years earlier.
She compares intervention to an “oubliette”; a pit with no doors, in which “you fall into, and it’s bloody difficult to get out of”.
To relieve her stresses, Redhead has always sung – she recalls her son as a child “begging me to stop singing”. These days she sings regularly in the Royal Albert Hall as a “very proud” member of the Royal Choral Society, which is “an absolute tonic”.
Redhead with the music for Handel’s Messiah that she was given as a gift from colleagues
The money pit
She gets a lot of job satisfaction knowing that “we definitely support the learners that need the most help”.
“A lot” of West London’s learners receive language support “even if it’s not funded”, as many are unaccompanied migrants in the care of social services or others entering from “outside the school system”.
Redhead’s office is based in Hammersmith and Fulham College, the largest of West London’s three campuses. Its dilapidated building is a “money pit” that has been too big for the number of students ever since it opened in 1980, and it is “way too big now”. This means too much money is wasted on cleaning, securing and heating the immense building.
The campus’s three boilers, all broken during my visit, are “well beyond their shelf life”. The system has no thermostat, and the fact that its metal pipework is encased in concrete means holes must be dug to find leaks.
Buckets are placed in classrooms to catch the water that regularly trickles through the building’s flat roof. “We’ve chucked so much money at trying to find out exactly where the water’s coming through, and none of it’s worked,” says Redhead.
The college has tried without success to bid for various capital funding and sustainability grants, which she describes as “drastically oversubscribed”.
Meanwhile, a previous condition survey “led the DfE to believe that this place was in much better shape than it actually is”.
Condition funding rules prevent colleges from spending their condition grants from the DfE on big capital schemes, but Redhead laments that it would be “much better for the public purse to invest in something that’s going to resolve a problem, rather than putting sticking plasters over it”.
The college is short of £20 million for the capital works needed.
But “really good conversations” are taking place with Hammersmith and Fulham Council over possible future capital investment.
Redhead doubts she will be “cutting any ribbons” herself on a new campus build – she expects to have retired before a “spade hits the ground”. But she hopes to get the project “well underway” for a future principal to finish.
West London College’s Hammersmith and Fulham campus
Loan troubles
Another looming finance issue is the contractual transfer of the college’s ESFA loan into a commercial loan with around £7 million outstanding in 2030. Since the loan’s terms were agreed, colleges have returned to the public sector and are now prevented from taking on commercial loans, which Redhead has pointed out means the “facility agreement [will be] null and void”.
The college has twice already had to pay legal fees for loan contract changes, and she is reluctant to pay a third time.
But despite West London’s myriad of challenges, Redhead says “never in a million years” does she regret taking it on. “This college is the absolute love of my life,” she says. “I’ve loved the challenge.”
Before I go, I suggest her dad would have been proud of all she has achieved.
“Well, I hope so,” she says. “I sometimes feel like me dad is sitting on me shoulder, reminding me what I should be doing for the staff”.
“Inconsistent” training of Prevent practitioners who refer students “when in doubt” has encouraged over-reporting to the government’s counter-terrorism programme, sparking calls for a rethink from an independent review.
The Independent Commission on UK Counter-Terrorism Law, Policy and Practice, published yesterday, identified “problematic” issues with the “high rate of unnecessary” Prevent referrals that pick up young people with issues that are not terrorism-related.
It warned that young people with complex needs were being referred to Prevent because there is “no other system in place to help”.
The three-year-long review into the UK’s counterterrorism strategy, by the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law and chaired by Sir Declan Morgan KC, called for the statutory duty of Prevent in public sector organisations to be reconsidered, as well as better training for educational staff.
The Prevent duty was first placed on schools and FE providers in 2015, and orders designated safeguarding leads (DSL) to report concerns of radicalisation to the police-led programme.
Previous FE Week analysis of Home Office statistical data on Prevent referrals in FE found sharp climbs in the number of young people being referred to the programme but few being taken to a further stage that offers personalised deradicalisation support.
Yesterday’s commission report collected evidence from 2022 over the following three years from over 200 experts to assess the efficacy of the UK’s counter-terrorism framework.
It found “acute” concerns that there was a risk that counter-terrorism powers are being applied too broadly i.e. capturing behaviour that is “harmful but not terrorist”.
The report added that fewer than 10 per cent of all referrals result in adoption as Channel cases.
“Even among these, some are not considered a real risk of radicalisation,” it said.
Most radicalisation concerns are categorised by the police as “conflicted” or “no ideology”.
The report found the lack of funding for community safeguarding and mental health services is causing Prevent referrals to be made as there is “no other system in place” to help young people with complex needs.
But the commission said there was an increased risk that channel panels, which discuss referral cases, could be overwhelmed by cases where there are significant risks of violence and miss instances of individuals being drawn to extremist violence.
It also warned against the Home Office’s recent internal review after the 2024 Southport attack, where attacker Axel Rudakubana was referred to Prevent three times but not considered a risk, that recommended referrals to be “routinely” escalated.
“The Prevent referral process is picking up many people who may be a risk to themselves or others and need support, but few are terrorism-related; providing support through a counter-terrorism programme is problematic given the serious concerns about Prevent, its effectiveness and its impact on those targeted,” the report said.
Gut instinct of practitioners could ‘reinforce stereotypes’
The commission also heard the 2015 implementation of the Prevent duty in colleges led to a “significant step change” in training and has become embedded into processes and practices for safeguarding.
But while training of practitioners has improved confidence in reporting, the report said it has led to an “increase in the over-reporting of less concerning cases”.
“The benefits of a statutory duty must be carefully balanced against the negative impacts of inappropriate or misplaced referrals,” the report added.
The commission also heard evidence that demonstrated inconsistencies in training and resources, leaving staff to rely on their ‘gut instinct’, which it warned could “reinforce stereotypes and discrimination”.
“The resultant reliance on ‘gut instinct’ combined with ’refer-when-in-doubt’ advice encourages overreporting and risks escalating manageable issues unnecessarily,” the commission warned.
Polly Harrow, assistant principal at Kirklees College and DfE’s further education student support champion, said the findings were “seriously worrying” and suggested a more robust strategic approach is “urgently required” to staff training.
“Whilst it is not my personal experience that cases have been ‘over-reported’, I can see how this could easily be the case, given the serious concerns educators have about ‘getting it wrong’ and the potential consequences of that,” she added.
Harrow said that safeguarding practitioners “typically” think it better to over-report than under-report.
“I take the point in the review that some referrals to Channel are deemed to be manageable at source. I don’t doubt that this is the case, however it does suggest that further clarity is needed not only in terms of definitions and terminology, but that the overall scope of the duty needs to be further refined to ensure maximum effectiveness.”
The report also decried the ‘Educate Against Hate’ website resources, revealing there was an “absence of a human rights-based approach”.
“Many resources neglected young people’s developing opinions and agency, frequently adopting a patronising tone,” it said.
In other cases, the commission found that some education institutions avoided discussing difficult issues from poor resources or rely on third parties to facilitate discussions.
Its research also revealed that students are reluctant to debate difficult views, which could suppress legitimate discussion and is a key aim of counterterrorism work.
Last year, fears emerged that learners were self-censoring themselves to avoid being flagged as Home Office data showed a drop in college referrals.
The review therefore recommended the Department for Education explore how to improve training for school and college staff to create “safe spaces” for discussion.
Other recommendations included a focus on people who pose significant risk to public safety rather that those with extremist ideas, more research into terrorism and extremism definitions before expanding Prevent categories, and a reconsideration of the need for a specific Prevent duty.
The Department for Education was contacted for comment.
Across FE, thousands of staff work tirelessly supporting young people with SEND to build confidence, gain skills and live more independent lives. Yet the essential role of specialist FE too often goes unrecognised.
The Power of Specialist FE awareness week – taking place in the first week of December – aims to change this.
Coordinated by Natspec, which represents and supports specialist FE providers in England and Wales, the campaign celebrates the vital role all FE providers play in enabling learners with SEND to succeed. We want to remind policymakers, employers and the public that an equitable education system must serve every learner, not just those who fit into mainstream pathways.
Why this campaign matters now
The number of children and young people identified as having SEND in England has surpassed 1.7 million – the highest figure ever recorded.
Over 26 per cent of education, health and care plan (EHCP) holders are aged 16 to 25. But post-16 education provision rarely receives the same level of attention or investment as SEND in schools, despite being the place where many young people with complex needs develop the skills and independence that will shape the rest of their lives.
This creates a critical gap in the system, leaving too many young people facing uncertainty about what comes after school.
In its FE and skills inquiry, the education select committee recognised the “neglect of FE SEND policy, as well as inefficiencies, limited accountability and policy fragmentation”. Natspec has repeatedly called for closing this policy vacuum.
Our aims
Our campaign’s ambition is to change the narrative. It gives us the opportunity to celebrate what works, and to raise awareness of the specialist expertise that exists across our colleges. We want to champion the belief that a key tenet of an inclusive education is that it sets up young people to be better included in their adult lives thereafter.
The campaign will build awareness of the contribution of specialist FE to an inclusive education system. It will shine a light on the work being done by highly specialist staff in both specialist and general FE settings, often working across disciplines to make education and training accessible, relevant and impactful for young people with some of the most complex needs.
As a result, we hope that policymakers will acknowledge the vital role of specialist FE in the upcoming SEND reforms and put forward proposals that more securely support providers to offer high-quality provision.
Together, they form a system that works best when every type of provision is valued for its distinctive contribution. When learners have access to the right provision, they gain agency, confidence and purpose. They contribute to their communities, move into work or volunteering and lead more independent lives. That is The Power of Specialist FE in action.
At the heart of this campaign are learners themselves. Throughout the awareness week, colleges will share learner stories on social media and in local media, celebrating their journeys and achievements. These stories, told by learners in their own words, reveal the power of specialist FE to change lives and challenge public misconceptions about disability.
Colleges are also inviting their MPs to visit campuses and meet learners in person to hear their stories. These visits are often transformative, enabling policymakers to see first-hand the outcomes that specialist FE delivers, from improved social outcomes to stronger links with local employers.
A collective call to action
Beyond the awareness week itself, The Power of Specialist FE is a movement. We are calling on policymakers to embed specialist FE firmly within post-16 education and skills strategies, backed by sustainable funding that reflects the complexity and cost of delivering transformative education and training.
Colleges and providers across the FE landscape can get involved through sharing stories, amplifying our campaign’s message or engaging with their local representatives.
Resources to support campaign participation are available on our campaign website. Together we can bring to life the work of this part of the sector and make it impossible for policymakers to overlook it in the future.
