DfE told to come clean on its SEND reforms plan

The education committee has demanded government set out its plans and timescales for major SEND reforms after reports a white paper is on the table.

Committee chair Helen Hayes said while the Department for Education has submitted evidence to the ongoing SEND inquiry, it made “no reference to an upcoming white paper or other major policy announcement”.

“In light of recent media reports suggesting the imminent publication of a white paper on SEND, we ask you to write to us setting out your plans and the anticipated timescales for any policy announcements on SEND over the next six months,” Hayes said.

In a letter to schools minister Catherine McKinnell, published yesterday, Hayes said the committee’s SEND inquiry had an “unprecedented” number of contributions, including from parents of children with additional needs.

Over 880 pieces of evidence was submitted to the committee which reflects the “huge impact” the SEND system has on children’s daily lives, she said.

This week the committee heard concerns about Ofsted’s plans on inclusion and wider funding from sector experts, as well as from youngsters.

Hayes said SEND is the “most significant challenge facing the education sector”.

Education secretary Bridget Phillipson has set out her intention to oversee “system-wide” reform.

The Guardian reported last week that a SEND white paper is being drawn up. One of the big problems is funding, with councils having high needs deficits that could total nearly £5 billion by 2026.

Half of councils have warned they will become insolvent when an accounting measure keeping the deficits off their balance sheets expires next year.

Local authorities have been allowed to keep the deficits off their main balance sheets since 2020, under a measure called a “statutory override”. This prevents them from effectively declaring bankruptcy.

The government has still not said what it will do when the override expires next year.

The DfE was approached for comment. 

It’s time for a resits rethink

Few issues in post-16 education spark as much debate as GCSE resits. Each year, thousands of students in further education colleges, sixth forms and schools must retake English and maths if they did not achieve a grade 4 at 16. For many, this process feels less like a second chance and more like punishment – and too often the result is a sense of repeated failure rather than real progress.  That is why we believe it is time for a resit rethink. 

GCSE English and maths resits were introduced with good intentions. The policy is based on the premise that a grade 4 is a passport to future success, ensuring that young people leave education with the foundational literacy and numeracy skills they need for further study, work and life.  

But in practice, for those who did not achieve this grade at 16, a one-size-fits-all approach to resits does not work. The current system forces students – who have already struggled with the traditional GCSE model – to retake the same assessments, often with limited teaching time and little adaptation to their specific needs.  of the almost 70,000 students entered for English and maths resits, only 35 per cent and 24 per cent respectively achieved grade 4 or above, JCQ data from the November 2024 post-16 resit window shows.

This is not just frustrating for learners, but also a challenge for colleges which must stretch already thin resources to deliver courses. Talk to anyone in their senior management teams about the timetabling challenges of finding classroom space for large numbers of resit students, and you will understand the logistical challenges this policy presents. 

We need a more pragmatic, effective solution. The first step is to acknowledge that the needs of post-16 resit students differ to those of school-age learners. From our conversations with college leaders, we know that many arrive in FE settings with low confidence in their literacy and numeracy abilities.  

They may be focused on vocational studies and find it difficult to see the relevance of GCSE topics to their chosen career paths. They also often have fewer contact hours with teachers than in school, making it harder to build the skills necessary to succeed in an exam-based qualification. English and maths lesson attendance is often lower for students who otherwise have good attendance for their chosen vocational or technical subject areas. 

Short-term changes within the current GCSE framework could make a significant difference. Adjusting assessment structures, such as reducing the volume of exams in maths or streamlining English assessments to focus on core literacy skills, could help overcome barriers to success. Allowing students to bank credits across multiple exam sittings – rather than requiring them to pass all components in one go – would also recognise incremental progress and keep students engaged. 

But incremental adjustments can only go so far. In the longer term, we must go further by introducing a post-16 GCSE English and maths route designed with post-16 students in mind. 

This must maintain the rigour and credibility of the existing GCSE while addressing the reality of post-16 education. The content should be relevant to the lives of post-16 learners, focusing on practical applications of literacy and numeracy skills rather than abstract academic concepts. 

A more flexible assessment model, including options for on-demand and adaptive testing, could reduce exam pressure and better reflect students’ learning. It could also reduce the logistical challenge of finding spaces for students to sit their exams, whether that is in a large exam hall or in multiple rooms, each requiring qualified staff simultaneously.  We remain committed to working with the sector to build a solid recommendation for these qualifications. 

This is not about lowering expectations or reducing ambition. The goal is to ensure that every young person leaves education with the confidence and skills they need – through a reformed GCSE, an alternative but still rigorous qualification, alongside a more flexible approach to assessment. 

With the curriculum and assessment review set to deliver its interim findings soon – and a full report expected later this year – there is a rare and timely opportunity to think differently.  We must take the opportunity to make the immediate changes that would improve the resit experience for our current learners while we develop viable alternatives. But this is ultimately the moment to move beyond minor tweaks and consider bold, evidence-led reforms that genuinely support post-16 learners.  

Teesside Uni maintains ‘outstanding’ after ‘significant’ apprenticeships expansion

A university in the north east has kept its ‘outstanding’ rating from Ofsted after inspectors found its ramped up apprenticeship provision has a “transformational impact” on apprentices’ careers and lives.

Six years ago, Teesside University was awarded top marks from the watchdog. Since then, Ofsted inspectors found in its January 28 to 31 inspection that leaders and governors have “very skilfully” led a significant expansion of its programme from 287 adult apprentices to 2,542 apprentices enrolled on around 40 apprenticeship standards.

At the time of inspection, the university had half the cohort on health-related standards, such as nursing associate and advanced clinical practitioner, and the rest on civil engineering, police constable and senior leader apprenticeships.

Today’s published report found apprentices had “highly positive attitudes” to their learning and are motivated to succeed. 

Ofsted inspectors noted that without Teesside’s apprenticeships, many would find it difficult to access “high-quality training that fits around their employment and personal responsibilities”.

“For many apprentices, the experience has a transformational impact on their careers and lives,” inspectors found.

The report praised leaders’ dedication to making sure their apprenticeship strategy helped to widen participation and improve social mobility.

University leaders also worked closely employers and industry representatives to design and review their apprenticeships as well as carefully selecting subcontractors, who are subject to a “high level” of oversight.

“Leaders use their strong partnerships with further education providers through the Teesside University college partnership, employers, and industry representatives to ensure that the design and delivery is appropriate to meet skills needs,” the report added.

Meanwhile, Ofsted inspectors commended teachers for their skilful sequencing of the curriculum that builds knowledge over time.

The report said: “On the level 5 nursing associate apprenticeship, apprentices first learn about anatomy and physiology in systems, starting with the cardiac and respiratory systems, as these are the systems most commonly encountered in practice. Apprentices then develop knowledge of pharmacology and pharmacokinetics, as well as gain an undertaking of calculations.”

The visit logged a very high attendance rate across all standards and inspectors appeared to be impressed by teachers’ expertise in their fields to create stimulating lessons.

“For example, on the level 7 advanced clinical practitioner apprenticeship, teachers draw on their professional clinical practice to help apprentices develop their understanding of the key factors affecting the absorption and effectiveness of drugs.”

The watchdog was also wowed by state-of-the-art equipment, resources and facilities available to apprentices. 

The university recently opened a cutting-edge biosciences facility which gives health apprentices access to high-quality laboratories and an immersion suite to practice real-world scenarios.

The tech also works well for apprentices accessing remote sessions and is inclusive for apprentices with disabilities, who “successfully overcome” barriers to learning.

While more apprentices achieve well and move on to successful careers, the report noted that leaders carefully analyse the progress and achievements of all apprentices and take decisive action on low achievers on a few courses.

“These actions are having a positive impact, with achievement improving over the last three years,” inspectors said.

Vice-chancellor and chief executive, Professor Paul Croney OBE, said: “As a university which is dedicated to changing lives and economies, it gives me great pride and pleasure to receive this independent verification of the significant impact of our apprenticeship provision.

“By delivering an alternative pathway into higher education for students, our professional apprenticeships are helping more people to benefit from the transformative opportunities provided by higher education.

“At the same time, by supporting employers with the skills needed to ensure their business thrives, they are playing a major role in the economic growth of the Tees Valley and beyond.”

Jo Burgess, director of professional apprenticeships at Teesside University, added: “This fantastic Ofsted inspection result is testament to the hard work of everybody involved in creating those partnerships.

“We have worked extremely closely with our partners to ensure that the apprenticeships that we deliver meet those needs, enabling our apprentices to succeed and thrive in their careers and make a real difference in the workplace.”

Apprenticeships and Training Awards winners 2025 revealed

A lavish awards ceremony marking the end of the annual apprenticeship and training conference recognised a host of providers, individuals and employers for their quality training provision.

The renamed ATC awards ceremony, ran jointly by FE Week and the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) and delivered in association with City & Guilds, drew in over 600 nominations across 19 categories, handing out awards and commendations to a total of 26 people and organisations.

Winners of prestigious awards such as apprenticeship provider of the year went to Truro & Penwith College, and specialist training provider of the year was awarded to Chesterfield College Group.

Catch came out top to win training provider of the year.

The large employer of the year was given to painting and decorating contractor Bagnalls. Lloyds Banking Group and Pendennis Ship Yard won highly commended awards for this category.

Bagnalls also won the award for employer support for social mobility.

Meanwhile, Maltby Land Surveys won the SME employer of the year for their excellent small-scale apprenticeship provision.

The outstanding apprenticeship programme was won by EMTEC Automotive Apprenticeships, which is part of Nottingham College, and the best new apprenticeship programme went to Bournemouth and Poole College.

Taking home the award for excellence in English and maths skills development was HIT Training.

South Essex Colleges Group won the gong for innovation in training delivery, narrowly followed by PTP Training, who impressed the judges and was awarded highly commended in the category.

Individuals were also specially recognised for their efforts.

Gary Laybourne, CEO of Coach Core Foundation, was acclaimed at the ceremony with an award for outstanding contribution to apprenticeships and training.

The pinnacle of the night saw Jane Hadfield from NHS England receiving the special recognition award.

Hadfield is Health Education England’s apprenticeships and senior programme manager for talent for care and sits on the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education board.

The winners were announced at the annual apprenticeships and training conference (ATC) gala dinner this evening at Exhibition Centre Liverpool.

It follows a parliamentary reception earlier last month, during National Apprenticeships Week, where all finalists were honoured at a reception in the Houses of Parliament, hosted by Mr Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle.

Finalists were selected by a 20-strong panel of judges, including AELP’s CEO Ben Rowland, apprenticeship influencer Holly Hobbs, former skills minister Anne Milton and UCAS head of apprenticeships Lindsay Conroy.

Shane Mann, chief executive of FE Week’s publisher EducationScape and chair of the ATA judging panel said: “I was delighted by the number and quality of the nominations we received this year.

“As chair of the judging panel, I am proud to say that tonight was a showcase of the best of what apprenticeships can offer.

“Our winners are proof of the dedicated professionals in the sector and the excellent work that puts apprentices front and centre of their provision.

“Congratulations to all the winners and thank you to our team of amazing judges, sponsors and partners. We couldn’t have done it without them.”

The winners in full are listed below:

‘Constrained resources’ mean ‘tough decisions’ in levy reform – minister

Ministers will make “tough decisions” about how to widen the apprenticeship levy to fund other types of training “within a constrained” budget if the Treasury refuses to release more funding, Jacqui Smith warned today.

The skills minister told FE Week’s Apprenticeships and Training Conference that there is “not an enormous amount of apprenticeship levy funding that is not spent” following new figures that show 99 per cent of the budget was spent in 2023-24.

Smith said: “We need to rebalance the programme towards young people, but in order to do so, there are tough decisions to make for what we fund in the future, having inherited a challenging fiscal picture and with 99 per cent of the apprenticeship budget spent last year. We will need to prioritise.”

Reforming the apprenticeship levy into a “growth and skills levy” to fund other training routes was a key pledge in Labour’s election manifesto. 

The minister told the Financial Times last month that the government’s ability to allow money from the apprenticeships budget to be used for non-apprenticeship training would depend on how much funding the Department for Education receives at the spending review in June.

The DfE’s apprenticeships budget increased to £2.7 billion in 2024-25. Ministers are currently working on plans to remove level 7 apprenticeships from the scope of levy funding, which could free up around £240 million – although a final decision on how many will be chopped is yet to be announced.

At the same time, the government plans to introduce new “foundation apprenticeships” which will be funded by the levy from autumn 2025.

Smith today suggested the government will keep its election manifesto promise, but more areas could be at risk if Treasury doesn’t increase the DfE’s budget.

She told conference: “People who’ve heard me know that I’m pretty frank about what I think is and is not possible. 

“We took pretty quick action on improving the flexibilities around the levy, through the decisions that we’ve made about introducing foundation apprenticeships, shorter duration apprenticeships, and heard particularly some of the messages about the delivery of shorter form courses, about that type of flexibility. 

“One of the things that I quite often have to say to people is there is not an enormous amount of apprenticeship levy funding that is within the skills budget, that is not spent. That’s why I emphasise the fact that 99 per cent of it is spent up. 

“So without additional amounts, we will need to make decisions about how we can deliver that flexibility within a constrained resource.”

Sector leaders have long argued that Treasury is short-changing the sector because it holds onto around £800 million from the amount of money the levy receives through employer contributions compared to what is distributed to spend on apprenticeships in England and the devolved nations.

Smith previously said she has “made this point to the Treasury”.

The minister also addressed level 7 cut concerns, telling conference that she “hears your point” about ensuring “sufficient notice” for providers, employers and prospective apprentices.

She said: “The decisions around level 7 are, I’m afraid, an example of the choices that you need to make when you have limited resource.

“I am afraid to govern is to choose and we have to prioritise, and we’ll announce as soon as possible the final decisions with respect to level 7 apprenticeships.

“But it will be the case that anybody who has started on a level seven apprenticeship will be supported to complete it. And I hear your point about ensuring sufficient notice to people.”

ASF cuts ‘enormously difficult’

FE Week revealed last month that mayors have been told to expect cuts of between 2 and 3 per cent to their adult skills fund budgets next year.

There is also no funding available for in-year growth on nationally procured adult education budgets and the DfE last week announced it could not fully fund in-year growth of 16- to- 18-year-olds, which led some colleges to warn they may have to turn away students.

Smith said: “It was enormously difficult for us in thinking about our overall planning envelope to make the decision that we had to make for a small cut in adult skills funding.

“I totally understand the argument that people make that that is also an important contributor to giving people the skills they need to stay and in some cases, to get back into the workplace.

“That’s why we need to make the case that we are making to the chancellor as part of the spending review.”

Phillipson confirms Peck pick for Office for Students

Outgoing Nottingham Trent University vice chancellor Edward Peck has been confirmed as the next chair of the Office for Students (OfS). 

Peck was announced as the government’s preferred candidate for the post last month and was subject to a pre-appointment hearing with the education select committee last week. 

Confirming the appointment today, education secretary Bridget Phillipson said Peck will “play a key part in building the financial stability of higher education providers, driving the delivery of high-quality education and outcomes for students, and ultimately helping deliver on the government’s plan for change”.

Peck will take over from David Behan, who was made interim chair of the higher education regulator in July after leading an independent review of the quango. 

A start date has not yet been confirmed for the £59,000 a year, two-day-a-week job.

Peck has led Nottingham Trent University since 2014 but announced last month he will step down in the summer.

He holds a number of other roles in higher education. He is currently acting chair of UCAS, chair of the higher education mental health implementation taskforce and is the Department for Education’s higher education student support champion. 

Peck will step down from those roles when he begins his term as chair.

He told the education committee last week he will ask for “urgent briefings” about the state of university finances and whether action plans to improve are making a difference.

In December, the OfS took the unprecedented step of closing its register to new higher education providers so its staff can prioritise “severe pressures” facing universities. It also froze applications for new degree awarding powers and the use of the university title. 

Closing the register means new providers can’t get approval to deliver higher education courses needed in local areas. OfS hopes to lift these restrictions by August.

DfE’s revised 2023-24 apprenticeship budget was ‘99% spent’

England’s apprenticeship budget was 99 per cent spent last year after a chunky in-year cut, new figures show.

FE Week previously reported that the Department for Education surrendered £60 million of its £2.585 billion ring-fenced apprenticeship budget in the 2023-24 financial year to Treasury.

Of the revised budget of £2.525 billion, a total of £16 million ended up going unspent. This amount was again returned to Treasury.

The figures, released by skills minister Jacqui Smith in response to a parliament question, show that 28 per cent of the budget, £695 million, was spent by small and medium-sized employers.

And 2 per cent, £53 million, was forked out for non-delivery costs, including running digital services and marketing and communications campaigns.

Apprenticeships spend from the department’s ring-refenced apprenticeships budget2023/24 financial year (£million)Proportion of total spend (%)
Levy paying employers1,76070
Non-levy paying employers69528
Pre-reform apprenticeships1<1
Non-apprenticeships training532
Total2,509100%
Source: DfE

Labour is reforming the apprenticeship levy into a growth and skills levy so that funds can be used for some non-apprenticeship training.

To free up space in the budget, the government is planning to remove level 7 apprenticeships from the scope of levy funding. An announcement on the scale of the removal of level 7 apprenticeships is expected shortly.

Treasury documents show that the levy generated £3.841 billion from employers who pay the levy between April 2023 and March 2024.

When DfE’s ring-fenced budget spend on apprenticeships in England is combined with the £500 million-odd that is handed to the devolved nations from the levy, it leaves more than £800 million that was raised by the levy but held onto by the Treasury in 2023-24.

The DfE’s supplementary estimates suggest its apprenticeship budget for 2024-25 rose by £204 million to £2.73 billion.

Addressing tight apprenticeship spending at yesterday’s Apprenticeships and Training Conference, the DfE’s apprenticeships director Kate Ridley-Pepper said: “Now, as you know, with stretched public finances and 99 per cent of the apprenticeship budget spent last year, there are also some tough choices to make on what we can fund in the future in order to support ministers commitments to rebalance the programme towards younger people, including through foundation apprenticeships, and to continue to support SMEs, who deliver so much for our economy and who around a third of our apprenticeship budget is spent on. 

Kate Ridley-Pepper

“We want to make clear that large employers levy contributions are not wasted when they are not used, but that they go towards supporting apprenticeships that are valued and vital SMEs, and we recognize the need for clarity so that you can plan delivery. 

“And I’m grateful for your patience as we continue to work quickly to announce a decision on level seven apprenticeships.”

First rise in teachers’ pension contributions since 2015 to go ahead

The government will increase teachers’ pension contributions – the first since 2015 – despite concerns over the “financial impact” on staff.

Last year, the Department for Education consulted on plans to raise contributions for teachers earning the most to avoid a shortfall in the fund.

The changes have now been ratified and will come into effect on April 1.

Teachers earning less than £34,873 will not be impacted – with their pension contribution remaining at 7.4 per cent. 

But a teacher on £50,000 will pay an extra £10 a month or £120 a year, and someone on £110,000 would pay an extra £17 a month, or £198 a year (see tables below).

It comes after the last government increased the contribution schools and colleges have to make from 23.6 per cent to 28.6 per cent.

In last year’s consultation, the DfE explained the six “contribution tier” rates had remained the same since 2015, but the thresholds at which each rate is paid had increased annually in line with inflation.

Unions raise ‘financial impact’ concerns

As a result, the “estimated yield” from the current structure is now 9.45 per cent, whereas members are “required collectively to contribute 9.6 per cent across the whole scheme membership”.

This is “primarily because of the member contribution tier thresholds increasing at a higher rate (based on CPI) than average salary growth, which has affected the expected distribution of the membership in the contribution tiers”.

The DfE said it had accepted a “unanimous recommendation” from the Government Actuary’s Department and TPS advisory board “to retain the current six-tier structure with the forecast shortfall met by an increase of 0.3 percentage points for tiers 2-6”.

The government received 187 responses to the consultation. Just under half backed the plans, including most unions.

But “several … expressed concerns about the adjustment of the member contribution rates, citing the financial impact”, and about the rise causing more teachers to drop out.

Some respondents said teachers should be “given the option to decide what percentage of their pay they want to contribute to their pension”.

Government said opt-out rates remain “stable”, but they will monitor the figures. They also said their “tiered” approach to raising contributions is “fair and justified”.

On impact by gender, government added: “Inevitably, more females will be affected by this change as females make up a higher proportion of the membership. 

“There tends to be a higher proportion of male members, compared to the overall proportion of the membership, in the higher salary bands and therefore the Department does not believe that older female members are unfairly impacted by this change.”

New Fair Deal extended to colleges

The government has also confirmed it will extend generous public pensions to college staff who are compulsorily transferred to private sector companies. 

The application of the New Fair Deal, a non-statutory policy, means private companies that take on college contracts for services such as cleaning, catering, facilities management or IT have to honour some of the country’s most generous pension contributions to college staff transferred to them. 

Unions wanted the government to apply the policy retrospectively from the point that colleges were reclassified as public sector bodies in November 2022.

The Department for Education said today that it will amend the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) so that the policy applies to “employees of FE establishments who are already members (or eligible to be members) of the TPS and whose contract transfers to a new employer after 14 November 2024”.

“This will allow those members to retain access to the scheme while they remain employed on that same public service contract,” the consultation response added.

Treasury said that applying the policy from November 2024 “strikes the right balance between the consistent application of Fair Deal guidance and protections of staff subject to outsourcing exercises, as well as the ability of further education employers to have security in their planning decisions”.

The Association of Colleges told the government the policy change will make it “harder” for colleges because contract prices could be negotiated upward or disincentivise suppliers from bidding altogether. 

In response, the DfE said: “The Fair Deal policy is determined by HMT and the Department is simply giving effect to the policy in the TPS regulations. However, the department will continue working with Further Education colleges on any ongoing concerns, through the existing channels.”

Sir Hamid Patel appointed interim Ofsted chair

Academy trust CEO Sir Hamid Patel has been appointed interim chair of Ofsted.

Patel, who has been a member of the Ofsted board since 2019, will serve in the post until a successor is found for Dame Christine Ryan, who announced in November she would be stepping down.

Ryan will leave her role at the end of March, following four-and-a-half years as chair.

Patel is chief executive of Star Academies, a multi-academy trust that runs 36 primaries and secondaries in northern England, the West Midlands, and London.

He will serve as interim chair of the Ofsted board for up to five months, until a new chair is appointed.

Ryan announced her decision to step down as chair last year, months after a damning independent review led by former HMI chief inspector Dame Christine Gilbert broadly criticised Ofsted’s response to headteacher Ruth Perry’s death.

Board criticised by Gilbert review

Gilbert said the watchdog’s response had appeared to be “defensive and complacent” and said it must move away “from the discourse that ‘inspectors are never wrong”.

The review also found the Ofsted board “had little or no involvement in determining the strategy for dealing with the crisis and communicating to the media and stakeholders”.

Christine Ryan
Dame Christine Ryan

The board’s role “appears curiously limited, apparently leaving some of Ofsted’s most critical activities outside of its control, unless HMCI chooses to let it have some control”. 

“This degree of autonomy and entitlement for HMCI does not make for effective governance,” it said, adding that Ofsted should review its governance framework to “strengthen the role of the board with the aim of establishing constructive challenge to support Ofsted in its learning and reform”.

The watchdog accepted Gilbert’s recommendation to review its governance framework to “strengthen the role” of the board to help reduce the “entitlement” of the chief inspector.

The inspectorate said this work would “strengthen accountability and oversee Ofsted’s commitments to improved service delivery”.

“These efforts will support a newly appointed chair to take forward an ambitious, longer-term reform agenda.”

Announcing her decision to step down as chair, Ryan said in November it had been a “privilege” to serve in the role, but that there was still “much to accomplish in the months ahead”.

Sir Martyn Oliver

“Of course, there have been challenges – from the impact of the pandemic at the outset of my tenure, to the scrutiny and changes of more recent times,” she said at the time.

“The work Ofsted does is vital in ensuring that children and young people receive the education and care they deserve.”

Ofsted chief inspector Sir Martyn Oliver, thanked her for her service as chair during a turbulent time for the inspectorate.

“She has successfully led the board through a time of significant challenge and change, culminating in our current consultation on the future approach to education inspections,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.

“I am very pleased Sir Hamid will be supporting us as interim chair, while the government recruits Dame Christine’s successor. I look forward to working more closely with him and, in time, with a new chair.”