Ofsted will change its website so visitors see the “full range of component grades” for each provider “at a glance”, and not just their overall effectiveness.
Announcing the change at the ASCL conference this morning, new chief inspector Sir Martyn Oliver said the change “neither promises nor precludes further changes to our gradings, but I hope it shows that we are listening”.
At present, each college or training organisation’s page on Ofsted’s website only shows the headline judgment for each inspection.
The change will mean that, for each inspection, the pages will also show all the component judgments – quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management – as well as ratings for early years provision if they have it.
FE Week understands Ofsted is aiming to make the change by mid-April.
‘Much more than just the overall grade’
Oliver said Ofsted had heard ASCL members’ views and is “acting”.
“You are clear that all the sub-judgments that Ofsted makes about your schools matter and all should be seen. And it should be about much more than just the overall grade.
“By showing the full range of judgments, we hope that parents will be better able to compare providers.
“Better able to see a more rounded, contextual picture that speaks to what they care about: behaviour and attitudes to learning, quality of education, their child’s personal development and the way the school or college is run.”
This comprises an online survey, which staff, education organisations and parents are urged to complete.
There is no specific proposal on axing single-phrase judgments, which would require a change in government policy. But a free text box in the section of the consultation on reporting can be used for feedback on this issue.
Previous Job: Head of Employer Partnerships, Woodspeen Training
Interesting fact: Kim has always been passionate about the opportunities apprenticeships can give young people. Living in a deprived town (Blackpool), she has watched apprentices lives and careers transformed through their courses.
Paul Padda
Interim Principal and CEO, East Coast College
Start date: February 2024
Previous Job: Deputy Principal, East Coast College
Interesting fact: After moving to the region, Paul ran a street food business with a friend offering a range of Indian and South African foods – he even ran a bar from a horsebox!
But when your own school has buckets under leaking ceilings and a £500,000 SEND funding black hole, it’s tricky to remain upbeat.
The head of Wales High School in Rotherham will take over from Geoff Barton next month – and he’s got his work cut out.
The government has signalled school teachers will get a miserly pay rise in September and two teaching unions are already holding preliminary strike ballots. Staff in colleges across the country meanwhile continue their battle for fair pay through their own strikes, with the gap between them and their school counterparts sitting at £9,000.
Could Di’Iasio, who himself voted to strike in last year’s historic schools ballot, envisage ASCL calling another vote?
‘The signs are not good’
“I’d really hope not. But the signs are not good, are they?” he says.
“Strike action is the very last thing we’d want to do. But when you’ve got a workforce that is unable to recruit and retain the staff that it needs, and when you add all the cuts that are going to need to take place in order to make ends meet, it’s hard to see how members will feel positive looking at the year ahead.”
He adds: “What we want is a fair and reasonable settlement. But if that isn’t there, there’s a democratic process that would come into play.”
Leaders doing ‘bloody good job’
Despite a desperate situation on funding and pay, Di’Iasio remains “optimistic about the future” and wants leaders, who have an “awful lot to be proud of”, to take greater credit for their hard work.
He pointed to ministers’ boasts about last year’s PISA results and the improving Ofsted grade profile of schools and colleges. Leaders, he says, “need to accept – and sometimes we’re not always good [at accepting] – that we’re doing a bloody good job”.
He takes the reins at a critical moment. ASCL’s membership has grown by almost a third to 22,400 since Barton took office in 2017. Around 500 of those members are college leaders. Covid, and last year’s strike ballot – the first in ASCL’s history – raised the union’s profile.
We meet in his office at Wales, a sprawling 1970s-built secondary which caters for more than 1,800 pupils. A West Wing box-set adorns his windowsill, and a model of the Tardis from Doctor Who – a student DT project – sits by his desk.
He jokes about Barton’s upcoming “regeneration” and pays tribute to his predecessor’s “incredible job” leading the organisation for the past seven years.
Di’Iasio says it would be “easy to focus on the lack of funding and lack of investment” in schools and colleges.
“Actually, there are things now happening in the country that make me think this is a moment where the stars are aligning. This has the potential to be a new era for education. And I’m incredibly optimistic about that.”
‘Things are getting better’
He welcomed the appointment of new Ofsted chief inspector Sir Martyn Oliver and the “tone he is setting” in response to the death of headteacher Ruth Perry. Oliver will launch a “big listen” consultation at ASCL’s conference today.
“I think the profession can move forward with some confidence that things are going to get better,” Di’Iasio says.
Education secretary Gillian Keegan and her ministers have also signalled they want to “work with” education providers, while opposition parties are “listening”.
He has also met civil servants, who he says “understand the challenges we’re facing”, notably in relation to provision for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.
“I think we’ve gone from a period where perhaps, sometimes we’ve heard about green papers, white papers that have felt like they’ve been done to the profession.
“And what we’re moving into, I think, is a period in which there is an openness [and] an opportunity for people to consult and to give their views.”
But despite his optimism, the school and college funding crisis and recruitment and retention challenges are brought up frequently.
‘T Levels are not the only answer’
Di’Iasio’s biggest concern for his further education members, aside from continued underinvestment, is the government’s level 3 reforms that could spell the end of BTECs.
He says his school, which has a sixth form, tried to get involved in teaching engineering T Levels as Sheffield has a rich history in the trade.
“But it became so clear that was going to be really difficult for us to do,” he explains. “We walked away from it, because we felt we weren’t able to offer high quality provision here.”
Di’Iasio says he’s not convinced that T Levels going forward are the “only answer”, adding that schools, colleges, students and employers need a range of vocational qualification options at level 3.
He speaks of the “worry” in education about the future of BTECs which are at risk of being defunded alongside other applied general qualifications under the current government’s level 3 reform plans.
“We’re at a point now where we’re seeing the potential for that and seeing that on the horizon. And you start to worry about the offer for young people.”
Just 15 independent training providers would be eligible to receive the government’s new £3,000 apprenticeship top-ups if recent trends continue, FE Week analysis has revealed.
Treasury ministers this week announced 13 apprenticeship standards have been chosen to attract an extra £3,000 on top of their current funding band through a £50 million apprenticeship “growth pilot” from April.
But strict rules require training providers to start at least 15 apprentices to access the bonus funding.
The two-year growth pilot was announced in November’s autumn statement, but details only emerged this week ahead of the spring budget.
The chosen standards include laboratory technician, science manufacturing technician, and machining technician and all range from levels 3 to 5. In 2022/23, between 100 and 340 apprentices started each of the 13 standards.
Gareth Davies, exchequer secretary to the Treasury, stated in a written statement to Parliament on Monday: “The pilot will boost funding for eligible providers delivering 13 high-value advanced manufacturing and engineering, green and life sciences apprenticeship standards.”
The Treasury said growth pilot top-ups are “intended” for capital funds, like tools and machinery, that will “last beyond delivery of a single apprenticeship.” It’s not clear what, if any, checks officials will do to make sure the growth top-up is spent on capital.
‘Not just colleges’
Independent training providers, unlike further education colleges, rarely get access to capital funding. The apprenticeship funding rules explicitly categorise capital purchases and maintenance of parts and machinery as “ineligible costs” when pricing up how much they can claim in funding.
Further guidance on growth pilot spending is expected later this month.
Simon Ashworth, director of policy at the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP), said: “Although the pilot of 13 initial standards in phase one is quite narrow, what is encouraging is that capital investment is being supported as part of this pilot funding – and is open to all provider types and not just colleges.
“This is something AELP have been calling for and we are pleased this has been recognised by DfE and HMT. ITPs deliver most apprenticeships, so we welcome this agnostic approach to extra funding to support growing additional capacity in the apprenticeship programmes.”
FE Week revealed earlier this week that training providers will have to deliver at least 15 starts to access the growth pilot funding, indicating a minimum payment of £45,000.
Using training provider starts numbers from 2022/23, the top-ups would cost at least £6.7 million per year from the pilot. It’s not yet been announced what the remaining pilot funding will be spent on.
Just 15 ITPs
Our analysis shows that just 35 of the 147 training providers that deliver the 13 apprenticeships started at least 15 apprentices last year.
Of those, 15 are further education colleges, another 15 are independent training providers, four are employer providers, and one is a university (London South Bank).
Some training providers will do very well out of the pilot. If the pilot scheme was in place for 2022/23, 12 training providers would receive over £100,000.
Bridgwater and Taunton College delivers five of the growth pilot apprenticeship standards. It clocked up over 15 starts in two of those: 131 apprentice water environment workers and 16 apprentice pipe welders. Combined, that could yield a windfall of £441,000 through the growth pilot in one year alone.
Meanwhile, for laboratory technician apprenticeships, Tiro Training Limited delivered 114 starts in 2022/23 which, if repeated from April 2024, could generate £342,000. Jancett Childcare and Jace Training Limited would receive £279,000 for their eligible starts and West Suffolk College would receive £192,000.
Large employer providers such as BAE Systems and the National Grid could also stand to benefit.
BAE Systems started 42 apprentice plate welders#, and the National Grid and the British Army started 22 and 23 apprentice electrical power network engineers, respectively. If repeated, this could see an extra £126,000 go to BAE Systems, £69,000 go to the British Army and £66,000 go to the National Grid through the pilot.
FE Week understands the growth pilot has been specifically designed to help existing providers scale up the chosen apprenticeships to deliver value for money.
Matt Butcher, vice principal for commercial, skills and partnerships and New College Swindon, questioned the minimum number of starts threshold.
He said: “My concern here is the minimum number of starts required for the additional funding. I can’t see the rationale, as surely the point is around incentivising providers to grow into these sectors. As most of them are currently low in terms of start volumes, 15 is actually a sizable cohort. Incentives only work if you can achieve them.”
Five of the 13 growth pilot apprenticeships already attract the highest apprenticeship funding band rate of £27,000, meaning eligible providers could claim up to £30,000 for those starts from April.
A Somerset college principal has resigned with immediate effect after quality and financial problems came to light.
Jayne Davis stepped down as the head of Bath College during half term for “personal reasons”.
She will be replaced in the interim by college troubleshooter and FE Commissioner special adviser Martin Sim.
The leadership change comes weeks after Ofsted downgraded the college from ‘good’ to ‘requires improvement’, in a report which warned that leaders “do not have sufficient and consistent oversight of the quality of education” for its 5,000-odd learners, and “do not recognise weaknesses quickly and accurately”.
Bath College also missed the government’s January 31 deadline for publishing its 2023 accounts, with the latest published board minutes suggesting the financial health of the college is worsening.
Davis served as a deputy principal at the college from 2016 and took up the top job in 2021.
Jayne Davis
Bath College chair Andy Salmon, who previously spoke of the “significant pressure” put on staff involved in an Ofsted inspection, told FE Week it would be “wrong for us to comment” on the “personal reasons” that led to Davis handing in her resignation.
He thanked Davis for her “considerable contribution” to the college, but added: “While acknowledging all that Mrs Davis achieved, it is also important that we look to the future to ensure our educational success and financial sustainability.”
Financial statements for 2022 show that Bath College’s deficit grew to £1.1 million, an EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) of £904,000, £3.9 million in cash and a ‘good’ financial health rating with the Education and Skills Funding Agency.
But board minutes throughout 2023 suggest finances have begun to deteriorate. Governor meetings discussed how the college breached bank covenants and its financial health rating had dropped to ‘requires improvement’.
The minutes also said the college will record a bigger deficit than forecasted in the 2023 accounts, with cash falling and staff costs rising.
In a May 2023 meeting one governor suggested that a “root and branch business transformation approach might be required if the college remains in a position where it cannot achieve surplus”.
The chair then commented that volume of income in future years needed to increase “significantly to enable an offset against the cost challenges in year”.
Its latest accounts noted how there is an “optimum size” of colleges that secures stability, sustainability, facilitates investment and security. Research has shown this to be around £25 million income, but Bath College’s total income sat below £22 million in 2022.
The college is also engaged in a potentially costly legal dispute. Its 2022 accounts described how an unnamed organisation is claiming payment for work it claims to have done on the college’s behalf, seven years ago, amounting to £426,000.
The college “does not believe anything is due to this organisation and is defending the claim”, the accounts added.
FE Week understands the board is concerned about potential financial risks to the college were the case to go to court or to fail, and therefore authorised Davis to negotiate a settlement up to a ceiling of £150,000.
The college told FE Week it cannot comment on legal proceedings but confirmed the case is ongoing.
Incoming interim principal Martin Sim served as a deputy FE Commissioner from 2019 to December 2023, and currently acts as an adviser to the commissioner.
He’s been parachuted into several struggling colleges in recent years including West Nottinghamshire College, Barnfield College, Gateway College, Nottingham College and most recently City College Southampton.
Salmon said Sim was appointed through a recruitment partner and while the college works closely with the government and FE Commissioner’s office, there is currently “no formal intervention in place”.
The chair told FE Week that the college’s student recruitment levels are “strong”, but there is “work that needs to be done to help us achieve our ambitious target of a good financial health rating over the next few years”.
He added: “As part of this, we are looking at how we enhance our financial planning and resilience. We have, for example, been working with our auditors to finalise two details in our latest annual accounts to ensure that the figures that we publish are robust and accurate.”
The college expects to publish its 2023 accounts “around the Easter break”.
Sim will take the reins after the Easter break. Until then, the college said its executive team, chair and board will “work closely with internal and external stakeholders”.
Ofsted is considering whether it should “withhold” reports for three months where education providers fail on safeguarding, but are otherwise ‘good’, so they have a chance to fix issues before publication.
The survey also comes against a backdrop of increasing legal challenges to Ofsted ratings by FE providers, as well as challenges to its “not fit for purpose” complaints procedure.
Chief inspector Sir Martyn Oliver will vow to listen to criticism and ideas for “big reforms”, reiterating “nothing is off the table”.
Many of the questions ask for wider feedback about the experience of schools, colleges and providers on four “priorities”: how Ofsted reports on findings, carries out inspections, the impact inspection has, and the organisation’s culture.
But there are some potential policy changes outlined.
Withholding reports plan
Following an internal review, the inspectorate is “considering” a change in approach so “where safeguarding arrangements are ineffective, but the school is good or better in all other areas, it could “withhold finalising a judgement for three months”, thus delaying the report.
Ofsted would then reinspect safeguarding and if the issues were fixed, rate it ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’.
This suggests that should the provider improve, its previous failing would not be reported, but Ofsted said no further details have been worked out as yet, and it is open to views.
While the consultation only appears to seek feedback from schools on this proposal, the watchdog confirmed to FE Week it also wants to hear from further education providers and if implemented, any change is likely to apply to FE.
In December, a coroner ruled that an Ofsted inspection at Caversham Primary School contributed to Perry’s suicide. The school had failed on safeguarding but was otherwise deemed to be performing well.
‘Every voice will be heard’
Speaking at the Association of School and College Leaders conference in Liverpool this morning, Oliver will say: “We need to listen to feedback. To criticism. To ideas for small changes and for big reforms … Every voice will be heard, and nothing, nothing, is off the table.”
School and college staff, education organisations and parents are urged to complete an online survey.
Ofsted will also commission a series of focus groups with “parents and professionals to gather views on Ofsted’s future direction”.
The watchdog will also seek views on whether to create a safeguarding judgement that is separate from leadership and management – something Labour has suggested it would take forward if elected.
But there is no specific proposal on axing single-word judgments, which would require a change in government policy. However, a free text box in the section of the consultation on reporting can be used for feedback on this issue.
Disadvantaged young people ‘at heart of reforms’
Oliver has pledged to “champion high standards for all children, especially the most disadvantaged and vulnerable”. Ofsted said poorer learners will be “at the heart of future reforms”.
Views are sought on the importance of reports making clear how disadvantaged students are supported, and includes separate sections aimed at further education providers, schools, the social care sector, and teacher training inspections.
On impact, the survey asks how the inspectorate can best “improve lives and outcomes”, including a question about whether it should be given the power to inspect part-time direct entry provision for 14- to- 16-year-olds in college as well as higher technical qualifications.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said the consultation was an “important step in resetting the broken relationship between Ofsted and schools and colleges”.
Chief executive of the Association of Colleges David Hughes added: “Colleges have a unique role across children, young people, adults, skills and working with employers, which Ofsted must learn to both understand and appreciate.
“Ofsted has a wide remit, and we want to help support Martyn Oliver lead the cultural change we believe is needed and support inspectors to fully understand the complexity of the college work.”
The consultation will close on May 31. Findings will be published “later this year”.
England’s largest exam board will launch a free digital maths test to help teachers work out why students are struggling, but has delayed plans to introduce on-screen exams.
Developed by AQA over the past 18 months, the test is aimed at students in the first few years of secondary school or those preparing to study towards a maths GCSE resit.
The on-screen test is powered by “adaptive technology” that reacts to the answers a student gives. It will be available to all schools and colleges, regardless of whether they use AQA qualifications.
The exam board said it would allow teachers to “pinpoint gaps in a student’s conceptual knowledge – saving the teacher time and empowering students who then know what they need to do to improve”.
AQA is also working on “how this test data can be used at a large scale so that, for example, multi-academy trusts or colleges can see mathematical concepts students are struggling with across a wide number of schools and campuses”.
But a move towards on-screen GCSE exams has been pushed back by the board.
Last year, AQA said it aimed to launch its first digital mock exams for GCSE Italian and Polish reading and listening components in 2025.
They would then move to live exams the following year, subject to Ofqual approval.
More would follow until bigger subjects were partly digitally assessed in 2030 – meaning hundreds of thousands of on-screen exams.
But AQA said it was “continuing to talk to the regulator [Ofqual], school leaders, teachers and exams officers, and now plans to introduce digital Italian and Polish GCSE later”.
A spokesperson told FE Week the board recognised they “must get this right and maintain public confidence in our exam system, as well as give schools and colleges proper notice before making changes”.
“We will update when we can on a revised date for implementing these exams.”
It is understood the 2030 target has not changed.
The new digital maths test will involve each student being asked 30 to 40 questions from a bank of around 150. The test will analyse responses and offer the next question suited to their learning needs – dubbed a “Goldilocks approach”.
This will avoid questions “that are either too hard or too easy, and quickly establishes a young person’s level of conceptual knowledge”.
AQA CEO Colin Hughes said: “We know that many students struggle in GCSE maths because they don’t have a firm understanding of its fundamental concepts.
“Students have told us that they find the new test engaging, since it offers rapid feedback that tells them what they need to work on.”
FE Week recently revealed that councils have spent just one per cent of funds earmarked for SEND places with post-16 providers. Yet as a specialist college for young people with complex disabilities and learning difficulties, we are dependent on local authority funding for the provision that our 320 full-time students need.
The long-term squeeze on public sector budgets means we have had to find additional ways to fund skills-based provision – essential if we are to buck a disgraceful national trend which sees less than five per cent of people with learning disabilities in paid employment.
So eight years ago we launched our first supported internship programme with Severn Trent Water, giving our learners high-quality work placements with a realistic chance of securing a job at the end of the year. I’m delighted to report it’s still going strong.
This led to similar partnerships with other major businesses which saw the huge potential workforce in SEND specialist colleges, including Holiday Inn, West Midlands Police and Evtec Automotive.
In 2019 another employer partner, Premier Inn, opened a three-room training hotel at our Coventry campus, a significant investment and a huge vote of confidence in the college.
Five years on and Hereward is working with parent company Whitbread PLC to help deliver the national rollout of its Thrive programme, which aims to place mini training hotels across the country while delivering on a stated 100 internship places per year for young people with disabilities and learning difficulties.
We are now looking at two more mini hotels dedicated to the training of learners with SEND being constructed in new geographical locations by September.
Having run supported internships since 2016, we have never encountered a large employer which has been committed to enhancing the capital resources of specialist FE providers in the way Whitbread has.
Nationally, 4.8 per cent are in paid employment – a shameful statistic
Indeed, Janet Tidmarsh, head of inclusion and development at Whitbread, says the partnership is just as beneficial to the hospitality giant as I know it is for the college and its learners. The company recognises the value of a more diverse workforce, and employing more young people with special educational needs is an important part of its people strategy.
This innovative approach has brought a number of additional benefits to the college, alongside the private sector investment which we simply could not have achieved through the public purse in the current climate.
Last year, our supported internship programme had a 100 per cent retention rate and a 94 per cent pass and achievement rate for our 32 interns on 12-month employment placements. The very positive outcomes saw 81 per cent of participants going on to gain paid or voluntary work. This compares to only 4.8 per cent of people with learning disabilities being in paid employment in England – a shameful statistic.
This did not go unnoticed when a team of ten Ofsted inspectors, including a national lead for skills, visited our Tile Hill campus last April. We received the highest possible grade for skills while our high needs provision, which includes all of our full-time learners, was graded as ‘Outstanding’.
The college now wants to share its success to further the employment needs of young people with SEND. I currently chair the national employment forum for Natspec members and the Regional Colleges West Midlands SEND group. Deputy principal, Rosie Herbert has also joined the Natspec Centre for Excellence Communities of Practice programme which enables colleges to share best practice, network and discuss current issues.
The world of work has recognised the value of investing in inclusive workplaces and in staff that represent our whole communities. Every college should be reaching out to ensure their learners with SEND know the career pathways that are available to them and are empowered to access them.
For too long, a lack of aspiration for learners with SEND has held them back from being economically active and from finding the personal fulfilment that comes with that. We can’t let lack of funding be the new barrier to their progress.
Once upon a time in the ever-evolving land of Sustainabilityville, the residents were engaged in a perpetual game of “Guess What We Care About Today?”
At first, the villagers were all about saving the trees. “Paper is the enemy!” they declared, as they hugged every tree in sight. But lo and behold, a few months later, the trees were old news. Suddenly, it was all about reducing carbon footprints.
The residents traded in their tree-saving campaigns for carbon footprint dancing lessons. “Step lightly, my friends, for the Earth has a delicate dance floor!” they exclaimed, twirling around in their eco-friendly slippers.
Just when the carbon footprint craze reached its peak, a new fad emerged: Sustainable fashion! The villagers tossed their slippers aside and embraced clothes made from recycled fizzy pop cans. “Fashion with a fizz!” they proudly proclaimed.
Yet, as quickly as it began, sustainable fashion faded into oblivion. What came next?
The villagers of Sustainabilityville decided it was time to put down the recyclable fizzy pop can garments and do something more substantial. Recognising the need for consistency, they collectively concluded that a village-wide shift in mindset and a united approach to sustainable changes were the key. The forward-thinking villagers of Sustainabilityville set their sights on the heart of the village: education.
My choice of a story over a conventional blog post reflects our belief at Suffolk New College that education for sustainable development is about changing how we experience and engage with the world. By weaving a narrative, we emphasise the need for a more immersive, dynamic, and adaptable approach to teaching and learning – an approach that aligns with the essence of sustainability itself.
It’s not a static concept; it evolves, just like the characters and plot in a story.
For Suffolk New College, this is about long-term change and creating a culture of change. Sustainability demands that we experience the world in a different way, and that means teaching in a different way.
Our teacher development team have created a holistic CPD programme, aiming not only to integrate sustainability into curriculum areas but also to equip our staff with strategies to nurture sustainable mindsets in learners.
Essential components include critical and systematic thinking, alongside the ability to make decisions that are future-proof. By frequently revisiting these topics in various formats during CPD sessions, we hope to create an environment where sustainability becomes ingrained in our educational philosophy.
Our innovative approach to staff development has included escape rooms, Taskmaster tournaments, gamification activities and creative pledges during CPD days. Departing from traditional CPD formats, these activities prompted staff to reconsider their teaching practices by placing them in the learner’s role.
Our role as educators is not just to impart knowledge and skills but to instil values, attitudes, and a sense of responsibility in our whole college community. By prioritising sustainability in teacher development, staff members serve as genuine role models for environmental and social issues.
This awareness extends to the needs of others, including future generations and marginalised communities, motivating learners to contribute to positive societal change. These values have become ingrained in the culture of Suffolk New College, defining both learners and staff and establishing what it means to “Be Suffolk New College”.
The way I see it, our sustainability success relies on the importance of continuous learning, implementing innovative staff development programs, experimenting with teaching strategies and allocating dedicated time for research into green topics as pivotal components of a holistic approach to ecological stewardship.
Our acknowledgment as winners of this sustainability award is not merely a celebration but an invitation for others to embrace a journey towards a more sustainable and responsible future in education, by rethinking your staff development too.
