FE colleges to be reclassified by Office for National Statistics

General further education (FE) colleges are to be reclassified as no longer being a part of central government.

The decision by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) means FE colleges will have more freedoms as independent bodies and be affected by significantly less red tape.

Skills Minister John Hayes, announcing the decision today, said: “I am delighted at this very positive news which we have been working hard to achieve over the last year.

“The Government is committed to cutting red tape so that further education colleges have the freedom they need to make their own judgements on how to manage their affairs for the benefit of learners, employers and wider communities.”

The decision follows a review by the ONS of the changes made in the Education Act 2011 by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Department for Education (DfE), which include removing a number of restrictions and controls both for further education and sixth form colleges.

The ONS told the treasury last week that the changes, to be implemented from April 2012, are sufficient enough to warrant a reclassification.

Martin Doel, chief Executive of the Association of Colleges (AoC), said: “We are extremely pleased that the Government has succeeded in getting this decision reversed and has delivered on its promise to afford further education colleges greater autonomy.

“Allowing colleges to maintain their own affairs is not only beneficial to the institutions themselves, it also brings more clarity to the way public money is spent.”

The previous classification by the ONS in October 2010 meant FE colleges were included in government accounting boundaries.

Lynne Sedgmore CBE, executive director of the 157 Group, said: “This decision aligns with the freedoms and flexibilities given by John Hayes and his department and enables colleges to deliver Governmental priorities and initiatives.

“Clearly the voice of colleges and our business communities have been listened to, and responded to, on this critical matter to good effect.”

The National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) has welcomed the change and says it will help colleges deliver “more innovative and diverse adult learning”.

Mark Ravenhall, NIACE Director of Policy and Impact, said: “NIACE believes adult learners will benefit from this change, alongside the greater freedoms being introduced for colleges and other providers.

“We welcome the announcement and the challenge made to the sector to deliver more innovative and diverse adult learning that is truly accountable to local communities.

“The decision also proves that just because colleges deliver good public services they don’t have to be part of the public sector.”

ncn student illustrates national success

Two years ago Paty Bugarini couldn’t draw. Now she’s won a prestigious national illustration contest which will put her work in front of major agencies and publishers across the world, after completing ncn’s Foundation Degree in Design.

Her work from the course is one of a select few to be included in ‘Images 36’ New Talent section, published by the Association of Illustrators and used as a directory by art directors all over the world.

Her winning piece of work was The Boy and The Cloud, illustrations for a book she wrote as a final piece of coursework.

It won ncn’s Best in Show award, and she has worked as an intern at a design agency.

MPs slam ‘shocking’ special needs system figures

A third of all 18-year-olds with special educational needs are not in any form of education, work or training, a government committee has revealed.

The Commons Public Accounts Committee, in a report which was issued today, described the figure as “shocking” and said that too many young people are “falling through the gaps” once they leave school.

They also said the system is complex and parents need to know more about what support their child is entitled to.

However, the government say they are determined to make the system “simpler, fairer and more transparent”.

Margaret Hodge MP: “It is shocking that almost a third of young people with a statement of special educational needs at the age of 16 are not in any form of education, employment or training two years later.”

The committee’s report into special education for young people aged 16 to 25 said the government spent £640 million on special education in 2009-10 for people in the age group.

Margaret Hodge MP, the chair of the Committee, said: “It is shocking that almost a third of young people with a statement of special educational needs at the age of 16 are not in any form of education, employment or training two years later.

“The government spent £640 million on special education for 16-to 25-year-olds in 2009-10, yet too many of these young people are falling through the gaps after they leave compulsory education, damaging their life chances and leaving a legacy of costs to the taxpayer.

She added: “The system is extremely complex and difficult to navigate, with an array of different providers including schools, FE colleges and specialist providers.

“Too many parents and young people are not given the information they need to make decisions about what is right for them, with many losing hope.

“Parents need to know what support their child is entitled to, how it can be accessed, and how well different options would meet their child’s needs.

“But three quarters of local authorities do not give parents information at all about the respective performance of schools, FE colleges and specialist providers.”

Children’s minister Sarah Teather said disabled young people or those with special educational needs “all too often” fall through the gaps in services when they reach 16.

She added: “That’s why we have proposed the biggest programme of reform in 30 years.

“This includes a new, single education, health and care plan from birth to 25 focussed on improving the outcomes for those with the most severe needs.

“This will mean local services all working together to provide targeted support, with young people and their families getting much more information and advice on preparing for further education and work.”

Children’s minister Sarah Teather: “We are determined to make the system simpler, fairer and more transparent. We will shortly be updating on progress on delivering these reforms.”

She also said the Youth Contract will invest roughly an extra £1 billion in the next three years to support 16-24 year olds into education, training and work.

The minister added: It’s encouraging to see the PAC’s support for our proposals for funding changes.

“We are determined to make the system simpler, fairer and more transparent. We will shortly be updating on progress on delivering these reforms.”

The report was based on evidence from the Department for Education, the Young People’s Learning Agency, the Principal of Abingdon and Witney College, and representatives of two organisations which provide support and information to young people and professionals about special education, Disability Alliance and nasen.

The Sheffield College launches FM Sports Academy for Parisian football talent

The Sheffield College has launched an academy for up and coming foreign talent seeking to combine academic qualifications with football training.

The FM Sports Academy at Hillsborough College, part of The Sheffield College, has been setup with Sports Etudes in Paris to offer 20 places for 16 to 20 year-olds.

The foreign students can choose to study BTEC diplomas, A-levels, foundation degrees and English courses, while receiving daily coaching and competitive games versus semi-professional clubs. Phil Wymer, a foundation programme leader at Hillsborough College and director of the academy, said: “These students are very talented and want to sharpen their style and tactics, and develop potential opportunities with local football clubs.

“There’s also the appeal of Sheffield being the city of sport and a good tradition at Hillsborough College of delivering sports courses and training.”

The college has links with Dinnington Town FC and will be able to offer students the chance to compete in trials at professional clubs such as Manchester City Football Club.

Have A Go success at Dearne Valley College

Hands on taster sessions at Dearne Valley College (DVC) have proved a huge success. The Wath-based college hosted a week of Have A Go sessions and workshops to give local young people a chance to build skills for their future.

Almost 300 youngsters took part, which saw participants having a go at various activities whilst meeting tutors, support staff and speaking to current full-time students.

Mark Hepworth, DVC assistant admissions manager said: “Deciding what to do next and indeed where to continue further study can be a difficult decision.

“Our Have a Go taster sessions allowed prospective students to learn new skills but also provided an insight into what college life would be like.”

Derby College host Olympic challenge

Nearly 100 pupils from city schools joined an Olympic challenge at Derby College to introduce them to a wide range of vocational careers, courses and apprenticeships.

The pupils from Leesbrook, Merrill, Sinfin and da Vinci secondary schools took part in a wide range of challenges, including bathing a doll, grooming a dog and creating nail art designs.

They also made non-alcoholic cocktails culminating in a final activity involving dressing in full construction site safety equipment and then lining up the coloured Olympic rings painted on hard hats in the right order – against the clock.

Winds of change at Lowestoft College campus

Lowestoft College’s newly refurbished engineering workshop and wind turbine training tower has been officially opened.

The new engineering workshop features state-of-the-art equipment and was made possible thanks to a funding boost of £1.3million from University Campus Suffolk, the Local Strategic Partnership, the Skills Funding Agency and the college’s own resources.

The investment also meant improvements could be made to the learning resources centre and refectory. Principal Simon Summers said: “The new engineering workshop is particularly exciting and means our students and apprentices are able to benefit from up-to-date equipment which meets the industry standards.

Student from Central Sussex College wins recording contract at Open Mic contest

Talented Central Sussex College music student Shak Forbes is celebrating after being named winner of the Open Mic UK competition.

The 16-year-old won the national search for new young music talent at the O2 after blowing the judges away with his original rap performance of Mac Miller’s ‘Best Day Ever’, backed by a full choir.

Shak is now set to take the charts by storm after he beat 9,000 other young musicians from across the UK, to scoop first prize of a recording contract worth £30,000, and the chance to release his own single.

Shak, who has been writing original compositions since the age of eight, said: “I have always loved the creativity of making music, and being on stage feels like the right place for me to be.

“However, I never thought I’d win this competition, so it feels amazing!”

Music teacher at the college Steve McCarthy said: “This is an amazing achievement for a young talent and the combination of winning a national competition in addition to his music studies at College is preparing Shak for a strong career in the industry.”

Police donate broken bicycles for Doncaster College repair qualification

Doncaster College is working with South Yorkshire Police to get a new course up and running.

The qualification, which looks at the repair of bicycles, could not run at the college due to the lack of damaged bicycles they had, for the students to repair as part of the course.

To help, the force has agreed to provide the college with more than enough bikes to run the course, from their property store in Doncaster. PC Dave Chadwick, from the Urban Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT), said: “So far we have donated 30 bikes to the college, which would otherwise be collecting dust in our property store.

“It’s an excellent partnership between the college and police and is really pleasing to be able to support young people to develop new skills.”

John Ellis, head of motor vehicle at the college said: “Even though they would go for auction I would imagine that they would get very little for them because of the state of repair which is needed with a lot of them, but at least now the students have got the advantage of being able to strip them down and see what’s worn and we can repair them.”