Teaching unions have raised further concerns about the governance and management of a troubled college which is being investigated by the government.

The National Union of Teachers (NUT) has written to Ofsted about Barnfield College, in Bedfordshire, in the same week as the Skills Funding Agency and the Department for Education confirmed they were investigating allegations that are being taken “very seriously”.

Bodrul Amin, NUT Luton branch co-secretary, said the organisation welcomed the news of the investigation.

He said: “We can also confirm that the Luton NUT has written to Ofsted in order for them to look into the management and governance at Barnfield College and Barnfield Federation.”

The college is part of the Barnfield Federation, which incorporates four primary school academies and six secondary school academies.

The director general of the federation, Sir Peter Birkett, resigned in July, and the college recently completed a major restructure.

Mr Amin said the union had been concerned by the strategy the federation seemed to have been pursuing while Sir Peter Birkett was in charge.

He said: “Sir Peter Birkett, the ex-director general, made it very clear that he wanted Barnfield in the future to be a profit-making entity.

“If we go down this route, this is what can happen because people will put profit before education.”

A Barnfield spokesperson said: “This audit is about what’s happened in the past and we are fully engaged with it to ensure that we learn lessons for the future.

“Meanwhile, our focus continues to be on our students, parents and staff. They are our priority always and we are re-shaping Barnfield to ensure we provide excellent education. That’s what the future is about.”

Gavin Shuker, MP for Luton South, and Kelvin Hopkins, MP for Luton North, have written to the government after receiving anonymous but “specific allegations” about “financial mismanagement”.

Sir Peter Birkett said he was not aware of the scope or purpose of the investigation, but defended the state of the college during his time there.

“What I can say is that when I moved on from Barnfield as director general of the whole Barnfield Federation, it was reported to me that the interim results were the highest ever, there were healthy financial reserves and the staffing reshaping of the college would place the organisation in a solid position moving forward,” he said.

“Policy and practices were regularly internally and externally reviewed and if they were found in need of improvement then action was taken immediately.”

The investigation is expected to last up to six weeks.

A joint DfE and SFA statement said: “The Department for Education and the Skills Funding Agency have received allegations relating to Barnfield College and the Barnfield Federation. We are taking these seriously and are investigating.”

It added: “We do not comment on ongoing investigations.”

Elmfield Training has confirmed that its “directors have taken steps to protect the company through an administration process”.

In a press statement sent to FE Week, Elmfield said: “The board and its advisers have been working hard with major stakeholders in recent weeks to try and put the business on a sounder long term footing.

“These efforts are continuing in order to seek to preserve jobs and protect learners.

“Whilst this is on-going the directors have taken steps to protect the company through an administration process.”

The statement follows on from an email Elmfield sent to their employees stating that its necessary to “take steps to put the company into administration.”

The email seen by FE Week, which was issued late last night (Thursday 24 October) also informs staff that Elmfield Training Ltd “cannot presently process salaries.”

The email, signed off by “the executive team” said: “As you know, Elmfield has faced a number of very difficult challenges in the past few weeks. We have been working incredibly hard with our major stakeholders to try and put the business on a sounder footing.

“Despite these efforts we have failed to reach a conclusion so far and as a result cannot presently process salaries.”

The email goes on to add that the executive team “will continue to work with stakeholders and potential buyers over the weekend and into next week and will try our hardest to preserve jobs, get the salaries paid and protect our learners. However we can’t be certain that we will be successful and while this process goes on it is necessary that we take steps to put the company into administration.”

This development comes after last week’s news that former Elmfield director Ged Syddall and a representative from the Skills Funding Agency look set for a “no-holds-barred” grilling by MPs over allegations of apprenticeship malpractice.

Elmfield is contracted to deliver apprenticeships in partnership with Barclays, as previously reported in FE Week, which recently announced it wanted to double its intake to 2,000.

A spokesperson for the bank said it still planned to press ahead with the expansion plans.

He said: “Our commitment to apprenticeships and helping young people into work remains unchanged, including delivering 2,000 quality apprenticeships by 2015.

“We are working closely with the SFA to ensure that our apprentices are not impacted.”

A spokesperson for the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) said: “In cases where a provider enters administration, the agency responds by identifying potential alternative providers. If necessary, we manage the transfer of learners and employers to new providers. We also redistribute funding as effectively and efficiently as possible to ensure that learners and public funds are protected.

“The agency’s priority is to ensure minimal disruption to apprentices, learners and employers and once appointed, we will work with the administrators to ensure that all learners and apprentices are transferred to alternative providers.

“Any concerned learners or apprentices, parents or guardians can contact the agency through a dedicated email address set up for enquiries at elmfield@skillsfundingagency.bis.gov.uk.”

More will follow on developments with Elmfield in the next edition of FE Week.

 

 

Funding software delays at the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) sparked fury in the FE sector.

A delay in supplying providers with the full software system for checking data errors and calculating funding, known as the Funding Information System (FIS), has meant providers will now have just eight working days to check tens of thousands of Individualised Learner Records, rather than the usual two weeks.

Currently, only a test version of the programme, FIS Beta, is available, which does not calculate funding.

The updated version was due to have been published today, but instead providers were told in the weekly SFA update that the beta version would be taken offline and re-uploaded with some updates on October 28.

Commenters vented their frustrations on the FE Week website, with many expressing dismay that they would have no way of accurately calculating their funding.

Mark Gould said: “This is really the most appalling mess.

“What concerns providers is the inflexible attitude of the Data Service and the SFA, and the seeming refusal to accept that software that was originally slated for release in May 2013 will not be available until November and currently suffers from a number of technical and data issues.”

Another commenter highlighted that many colleges may not even get eight days, as some of these fell in half-term, when many staff members may have booked leave.

They added: “The Data Service continually fails to deliver to target and it is clear it is not fit for purpose. Time for a National Audit Office investigation perhaps.”

User Steve Hewitt pointed out this change of software has been planned for two years.

He said: “It’s only since June, when nothing appeared, that we’ve realised the whole project was on the verge of collapsing and, I think, could now be said to have failed.
Also, let’s make it clear the main reason a lot of providers haven’t installed FIS beta isn’t through laziness or not caring, it’s because the damn thing can’t be installed on standard college networks, with usual levels of security, because it needs all sorts of proxy and firewall settings switching-off which, even with a willing IT team, can take an age.”

He added that for prime contractors this might be “an annoyance” but independent providers or subcontractors should be “furious” as the delay was “really stopping a key part of their business from operating successfully”.

Another user agreed and called for an investigation by the National Audit Office into what he called “this screwup”.

He said: “Many of us entirely innocent third parties are now at financial risk due to the SFA’s incompetence. That just isn’t acceptable at any time, let alone in today’s economic climate.”

He added: “This has just been a complete farce from day one.”

FE Week is still making enquiries with the SFA as to when the Learning Aims Reference System, which is also in the process of being updated, will be available.

Providers will have just eight working days to check and correct their 2013/14 academic year data as the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) yesterday announced a further delay to their new funding software.

At the 25 September information authority board meeting Rich Williams, head of the Data Service (which sits within the SFA) said: “We intend to deliver all of products in the Data Collections and Funding Transformation (DCFT) programme as planned on or before Thursday, 24 October.

As usual this will give providers at least two weeks to resolve any data errors and return their individualised learner record (ILR) R03 data, which is due by Wednesday, 6 November.”

The DCFT programme includes supplying providers with software for checking for data errors and calculating funding in 2013/14, known as the Funding Information System (FIS).

Currently only a test version the software (FIS Beta) is available, which many providers have not installed and does not calculate funding.

However, yesterday the Data Service said: “Technical issues concerning the bringing together of a number of different Agency products and systems, combined with the complexity of managing numerous suppliers in the same technical space, have lead to a change in our planned delivery.”

There was no mention of the delay in the SFA weekly update, also published yesterday, but the Data Service announcement continued: “FIS Beta will be taken offline from 10am Thursday 24 October 2013 to allow for essential updates to be applied. Once FIS Beta is available again at 9am on Monday 28 October, more issues will have been fixed, including:

•   Improvements to a number of reports
•   Data issues associated with Functional Skills
•   Validation errors on a number of forms

A new set of learning aim data will also be uploaded during this down time. A full reinstall of FIS Beta will be required which means that all installed copies of FIS Beta must be removed.”

There are just eight working days from Monday 28 October to the data return deadline on Wednesday 6 November, and as the first data return of the year it will mean many providers will need to check tens of thousands of learner records.

The Data Service announcement added: “DCFT products continue to be developed with a revised delivery timeline that will support R04 on 6 December.”

The announcement included no reference to the Learning Aims Reference System (LARS), also part of the DCFT programme, which holds qualification cash values, and is required to calculate the funding value of the ILR data.

FE Week is making enquiries with the SFA as to when LARS will be available.

An Eastbourne-based firm that prints qualification certificates is facing allegations of corrupt payments made in Africa.

Smith & Ouzman Limited, which specialises in security documents, as well as four British nationals, was charged at Westminster Magistrates’ Court today.

They are accused of having been involved in payments totaling £413,552.12 that were used to influence the award of business contracts to the company.

The firm, two of its directors, an employee and one agent have been charged by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) with offences of corruptly agreeing to make payments.

The individuals are Chris Smith, aged 70, of East Sussex, the former chairman of Smith & Ouzman, his son Nick Smith, 42, of East Sussex, the sales and marketing director of Smith & Ouzman, Tim Forrester, 45, of East Sussex, the international sales manager for Smith & Ouzman, and Abdirahman Omar, 37, of London, an agent for Smith & Ouzman.

The alleged offences are said to have taken place between November 2006 and December 2010 and relate to transactions in Mauritania, Ghana, Somaliland and Kenya, according to an SFO spokesperson.

The accused are expected to appear at Southwark Crown Court on November 6.

The firm’s website says it is, “trusted worldwide to design, print and distribute certificates for universities, schools and colleges, awarding bodies, governments, financial and commercial institutions”.

A spokesperson for Smith & Ouzman said: “We cannot comment on these allegations which are entirely contrary to our principles of business conduct.”

[Proceeding]

The Education and Training Foundation has called for organisations to bid to develop support programmes for providers delivering traineeships.

The sector self-improvement body said providers were keen to get support in promoting traineeships to learners and employers, securing work placements, providing accurate initial assessment and support for learners.

The foundation also said providers were looking for support in delivering the employability elements of the programme.

Jenny Williams, director vocational education and training at the foundation, said: “Through the initial consultation which enabled us to move from the FE Guild to the Education and Training Foundation, and through additional research for this programme, providers have been clear that support with traineeships was an immediate need.

“We must make sure that we respond to what providers have told us about the support they want to ensure the success of the traineeship programme.”

According to a statement from the foundation, the traineeships support programme would have four strands, including improving teaching quality in maths, English and employability skills, supporting providers to engage with employers, focussing on work with SMEs.

There would also be strands working on ensuring appropriate enrolment and improving provision for vulnerable learners.

Ms Williams said: “Whoever works with us in developing and delivering this programme will need to have a thorough understanding of the sector and the features of good vocational education and training, and share our commitment to improving learning opportunities and outcomes for all learners.”

The foundation’s first round of competitive bidding was announced two weeks ago, and included invitations to tender to enable the foundation to progress in reviewing professional standards for teachers and trainers in England and to assist with a workforce survey.

At the beginning of the month, the foundation announced that all tenders received under its previous non-competitive system would be binned, in order to ensure the foundation was an “open and transparent” organisation, according to interim foundation chief executive Peter Davies.

More information on the invitation to tender to develop this programme can be found at www.etfoundation.co.uk/procurement.

An allegation of poor financial management at a Bedfordshire college, along with concerns about “extensive” staff restructuring and redundancies, has been passed onto Education Secretary Michael Gove.

There are also worries about  “a lack of joint working with the local authority” at Barnfield College, according to two local MPs.

Gavin Shuker, Luton South, and Kelvin Hopkins, Luton North, have written to Mr Gove about the college, which is part of the Barnfield Federation of four primary school academies and six secondary school academies.

The college and the federation are both currently the subject of an investigation — prompted by allegations that have not been disclosed to FE Week — by the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) and the Department for Education (DfE).

But a joint statement from the two Labour MPs said: “We have raised a specific allegation, passed on to us on the condition of anonymity, of poor financial management at the college.

“We have also raised concerns about extensive staff reorganisation, large scale redundancies, and a lack of joint working with the local authority.”

A college spokesperson said it was “financially stable” but that a review of the federation’s “operations” at the college was under way.

A local union had warned that hundreds of staff were worried about their jobs during a restructure  programme earlier this year, and the former federation boss stepped down in the summer.

The SFA and the DfE, which acts on behalf of the Education Funding Agency (EFA), declined to comment on allegations against the federation or the college.

A joint statement from the SFA and DfE said: “We have received allegations relating to Barnfield College and the Barnfield Federation. We are taking these seriously and are investigating.”

It added: “We do not comment on ongoing investigations.”

A Barnfield spokesperson said: “The newly-appointed interim chief executive officers of the Barnfield Federation, Stephen Hall and Helen Mayhew, are engaging with the SFA and the EFA to undertake a review of the federation’s operations at Barnfield College and its sponsored academies.

“The college has significant cash reserves and is financially stable.

“Our students are at the very centre of all we do at Barnfield and our recent restructure was designed to create even better education delivery in the future, reduce our costs and enable us to offer an excellent service to the Luton community.”

The founder and former director general of the federation, Sir Peter Birkett, stepped down in the summer having joined Barnfield College as the principal and chief executive in 2005.

His departure came just over a year after college went from an Ofsted rating of outstanding to satisfactory (now termed requires improvement).

The Ofsted report said: “The principal has an ambitious vision for the college’s future as part of the Barnfield Federation.

“Leadership and management are satisfactory as it is only in the current year that actions to strengthen and improve performance at the college are beginning to have a positive impact on reversing the decline in younger learners’ success rates and on apprenticeships. The college’s judgements of its own performance are overgenerous.”

Meanwhile, the college recently completed a major restructure that had seen the local University and College Union receive a letter which stated that 226 staff and 90 full-time equivalent roles were at risk.

The union claimed a number of reasons were given for the restructuring, including plans to ‘introduce new study programmes for 16-19 year olds, raise the participation age and enhance commitment to apprenticeships’.

College principal Miles Dibsdall said at the time: “To match the college’s new teaching and learning delivery model and increased support wrap around services, the staffing structure has also been reviewed.

“During this process a number of staff have opted to take voluntary redundancy — but there have been no compulsory redundancies and we are currently promoting a recruitment fair where trainers, facilitators, assessors and learning mentors will be recruited for a September start.

“We look forward to welcoming our new intake as well as our returning students for what will be an incredibly exciting new term.”