Strikewatch: The colleges with staff on the picket line in 2023

Strikes are hitting colleges up and down the country this year as staff continue to fight for fair pay and better working conditions.

Here’s all the action that has been announced so far in 2023.

January

NameDisputed pay offerStrike days
Sparsholt College£850 consolidated rise + one off £4504
Sheffield College2.5%4

February

NameDisputed pay offerStrike days
Havant and South Downs College3% + one off £4002

March

NameDisputed pay offerStrike days
City College NorwichUp to 5.1%2

April

NameDisputed pay offerStrike days
Havant and South Downs College3% + one off £4002
Newham Sixth Form CollegeWorking conditions dispute30

May

NameDisputed pay offerStrike days
Darlington College3%2
Bradford College3.2%14
City College NorwichUp to 5.1%2
Kirklees College2.5%4
Barnet & Southgate College2.5%3
Manchester College4.25%12

June

NameDisputed pay offerStrike days
Leeds City CollegeUp to 4%4
Harrogate CollegeUp to 4%4
Kirklees College2.5%4
Bradford College3.2%4
Tyne Coast College2.5%2

September

NameDisputed pay offerStrike days
Kirklees CollegeUp to 9.7%4
Barnsley College2%1
York College2.5% + non-consolidated payment ranging from £300 to £8002

November

NameDisputed pay offerStrike days
Bede Sixth Form College, NETA Training Group, Stockton Riverside College, The Skills Academy and Redcar and Cleveland College3%3
Kirklees College10% plus backdated minimum rise of £2,000 and minimum pay increased to real living wage2

First FE Commissioner intervention report published in over a year

A troubled adult residential college has been praised for its efforts in tackling poor safeguarding, in the first FE Commissioner intervention report to be published in over a year.

Shelagh Legrave’s team visited Ruskin College in February following an ‘inadequate’ Ofsted report several months earlier that came after years of turmoil.

Inspectors found that college leaders were “unable to identify and protect learners who may be at risk or need help”, “do not know about significant personal challenges that some vulnerable adults faced while in their care” and were “unable to help staff to keep these learners safe”.

Leaders also acknowledged at the time of Ofsted’s visit that they had failed to follow their internal safeguarding procedures, for example by not ensuring that staff are safe to work with vulnerable adults while waiting for Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks.

In a report published today, the FE Commissioner commended the college’s leaders for their efforts in addressing the concerns raised by inspectors.

“Leaders and managers acknowledge the weaknesses, identified by the recent Ofsted inspection, that have triggered intervention,” the report said. “They describe the impact as galvanising them to take rapid action on safeguarding and compliance coupled with more bespoke policies and training. Students we met valued the support they get and confirmed they feel safe in college.”

Proposals are also “well advanced” to establish a new Ruskin College quality group, which “should provide a more focussed mechanism to monitor and enhance the quality of provision”.

Ruskin College, based in Oxford and founded in 1899, focuses on adult learners and its offer includes Access to HE diplomas, English for speakers of other languages courses, and trade union courses accredited by the TUC.

It has been subject to a financial notice to improve from the Department for Education since 2014 and has spent most years since battling poor finances that threatened its future mainly due to falling enrolments.

In recent years its principal has been fired following a significant funding clawback, and the college was forced into a last-minute merger with the University of West London in August 2021.

Today’s FE Commissioner report states that Ruskin College has made “important progress” in improving its financial performance after years of decline and contraction.

“There is a clear educational vision for the college (the ‘skills escalator’) that builds on the Ruskin tradition of widening participation through a portfolio of FE and HE programmes, though there are some gaps in the current curriculum offer that limit opportunities for students to progress,” the report said.

“Governors and senior leaders recognise that rebuilding the provision from the low base inherited on acquisition may take time. Challenges remain to grow FE provision to make best use of the funding available for the benefit of students and to secure sustainability.”

FE Week was unable to reach the college for comment at the time of going to press.

First FE Commissioner intervention report of 2023

The volume of FE Commissioner intervention visits and reports has fallen since Legrave took on the job from her predecessor Richard Atkins in 2021. There were 20 published in 2020, but only one in 2021, three in 2022 and Ruskin College is the first of 2023.

Despite the limited number of formal intervention reports, Legrave told FE Week in November she feels her team has been as visible as ever to the sector through their “active support” visits, which focus on preventing struggling colleges from going into formal intervention.

Under this scheme, any college can request help and support from the FE Commissioner through a diagnostic assessment – a process that was previously only open to colleges where a new principal had been appointed.

In 2021/22 there were 31 of these active support visits to colleges.

MP urges struggling college to hit the brakes on campus closure

A college with deteriorating finances has announced plans to close one of its campuses to find savings, in a move that has been met with “incredible concern” from a local MP.

The Sheffield College is proposing to shut the doors to its Peaks campus from September 2023 – an action that impacts 83 staff.

There are currently 300 students studying at the campus, which offers games design, health and social care, high needs, public services and science courses, apprenticeships and the Prince’s Trust programme.

But college chiefs say this is a far cry from its full capacity, with student numbers dropping by more than half from 776 in 2014-15.

Most courses delivered at Peaks would be moved to the college’s city centre site, which is seven miles away and takes 30 minutes to get to on public transport.

Principal Angela Foulkes said the “underutilised” Peaks campus is costly to maintain and run, a situation which is “compounded by a tough financial climate for the further education sector nationally including a reduction in funding in real terms and surging energy costs”.

But Sheffield South East MP Clive Betts has voiced discontent over the sudden decision after being contacted by “worried” constituents.

He said: “I am incredibly concerned about the decision to close the Peaks campus. One of the great assets of Sheffield College is having sites across the city, and to lose this one seems like a step in the wrong direction. I want to urge Sheffield College to hit the brakes on this decision and get everyone round the table to consider all the available options.

“The Peaks campus is the only provider of further education in my constituency and this decision will have a huge impact on the families who have children pursuing education post-GCSE.”

Betts added that it is “difficult to agree” with the Sheffield College’s assessment of the campus when it was its own leaders’ decision to close the Peaks campus’ sixth form several years ago which has “directly contributed to a fall in numbers”.

Foulkes said she understands the closure of Peaks “will be unsettling news” for staff and students, adding that “we will do everything we can to support them” including minimising redundancies by giving employees the option to relocate to the college’s other campus sites.

Current and prospective students will be supported with travel costs and journey planning, including bespoke transport arrangements where required, a spokesperson said.

The Sheffield College, which is Ofsted graded ‘good’, teaches around 14,000 young people and adults a year across four main campuses.

Hundreds of University and College Union members at the college went on strike earlier this year following an “insulting” pay offer of 2.5 per cent amid the cost-of-living crisis.

The college defended the pay offer at the time by pointing to a precarious financial position highlighted in its 2021/22 accounts.

The accounts show the college has moved from an operating surplus of £224,000 to an operating deficit of £3.7 million.

According to the financial statements, performance was “significantly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic resulting in fewer adult students engaging in learning and fewer apprentices which has impacted on income received”.

“Compared to the previous year there have also been significantly lower levels of capital grant income received in the year,” the accounts added. “More time on campus has meant that costs of delivery have increased from the previous year due to higher energy costs. This is an area of concern for the group as a whole as price increases for energy are prevalent with the college expecting some increases from April 2023 once the current contractual arrangement expires.”

A consultation on the Peaks campus closure opened yesterday and runs until June 1, 2023.

Exams: Some colleges ‘unnecessarily’ doing too many ‘plan B’ tests

Some schools and colleges are “unnecessarily” getting students to take too many tests as part of “plan B” exams preparation, the government has admitted.

The Department for Education and Ofqual have issued draft guidance on how education providers should collect teacher assessed grades (TAGs) evidence as part of “long-term resilience arrangements” for exams from 2024 onwards.

While cancellation of GCSE and A-level exams nationwide is “unlikely”, they said it “remains good public policy to have contingency arrangements”.

The government faced fierce criticism for not having an “off-the-shelf plan B” when exams were cancelled for a second time in early 2021 due to the pandemic. 

Schools and colleges are currently collecting students’ performance evidence for the third year in a row, just in case the exams for some reason cannot be sat.

But in new draft guidance, Ofqual and DfE said in the last three years “we have seen some examples of schools [and colleges] introducing additional assessments for the purpose of gathering evidence of student performance, which we consider to be unnecessary and counter to supporting students as they prepare for their exams”.

“We are keen that students benefit from the opportunities they are given to prepare for their exams, and certainly are not adversely affected by taking too many assessments.”

They added a “small number” of schools and colleges “created a large number of new and additional mock exams and assessments” this year.

The new guidance states that one full set of mock exams sat in exam conditions is “likely to provide sufficient evidence” for TAGs. There is “no need” to complete multiple mock sets for evidence, they said.

This year they stopped short of repeating advice on the frequency of testing after previously saying a “sensible approach” would be to test once a term.

Ofqual and DfE fear over-assessment could “lead to reduced teaching and study time and additional exam-related anxiety”.

Similar guidance to 2023

The rest of the proposals are similar to the guidance in place for this summer.

For example, teachers should plan so that the gathered evidence assessed pupils “on a wide range of content” which is similar to their summer exams.

Students should be told, where possible, before taking any test whether it would form part of the evidence base for TAGs.

Half of schools consulted last year on the 2023 guidance said the plans would increase workload.

Ofqual has also since heard from students that while some found the plan B arrangements “beneficial” to prepare for exams, others felt “greater anxiety” mock exams could be used for final grades.

The exams regulator is also asking for views on updating its conditions so the plan B proposals can be put in place.

VTQ arrangements

For VTQs used alongside or instead of GCSEs, AS and A levels for progression to further or higher study, Ofqual propose that similar arrangements should be put in place to general qualifications, but these would “need to be set by awarding organisations to allow the arrangements to reflect the design of their qualifications”.

“We propose that it should be for awarding organisations to determine if and/or what such guidance might be, noting the need for them to take into account the proposed approach for GCSEs and A-levels,” today’s guidance said.

“This would include Technical Qualifications within T Levels. For other VTQs, which assess occupational or professional competence, proficiency, or act as a licence to practise, these resilience arrangements would not apply.”

The overall consultation runs until August 2.

UCU boss agrees to pay damages over ‘reckless’ tweets

University and College Union general secretary Jo Grady will make a payout to a trade union activist and author following a Twitter row that forced a libel hearing.

In a statement on social media today, Grady confirmed she would pay “a sum of money” to former firefighter and Fire Brigades Union activist Paul Embery over the incident, but said she was doing so “without any admission of liability”.

It follows a High Court hearing today, where Judge Jaron Lewis heard from representatives from Brett Wilson LLP on behalf of Embery that he and Grady had agreed on a settlement, which media reports suggest is just under £10,000 in damages and around £12,000 in costs.

That sum will be donated to groups campaigning to protect women’s rights, a statement from Embery on Twitter said.

The case pertains to social media posts in August 2022 when Embery had been on a train journey between London and Norwich and took exception to a group of women reportedly using sexually-explicit profanities which could be heard by his children and other passengers.

According to Embery’s legal team he was met with hostility when he tried to speak to the women, and then filmed the group and tweeted a photo to train operator Greater Anglia to raise the issue.

Tweets published by Grady following the incident included one which said: “Grow up Paul and take a day off bullying women and pretending to be outraged for clicks. It’s pathetic at any age, but especially yours.”

Another continued: “It’s creepy to record young women on the train, share that video, and lie about them on social media for clout.”

Embery’s lawyer claimed the tweets from the “highly influential figure”, which were “liked” thousands of times, had accused the FBU activist of “being a serial harasser of women and lying about the incident in question” and caused him “immeasurable harm”, according to the Perspective Magazine.

“They contained wild and reckless allegations; all entirely without foundation,” the lawyer told the court today.

Embery said that Grady has agreed to pay substantial damages and legal costs after publishing “a serious libel about me,” adding that she had agreed not to repeat the libel.

Embery had launched a crowdfunding campaign to support his legal action, confirming that any unused funds for legal fees will be donated to charity in line with the platform’s rules.

Grady’s statement said that she did not share Embery’s understanding of the tweets, adding “nor do I accept any liability in relation to any potential claim Mr Embery may believe he has against me”.

However, Grady said that she was unable to invest the lengthy amount of time nor could afford the financial commitment involved to fight a defamation case.

“As a result of this I have reluctantly agreed, without any admission of liability, to personally pay a sum of money to Mr Embery which he has agreed to pay to charity. He has agreed in return not to issue any proceedings against me,” she added.

The UCU declined to comment as it was a “private matter”.

Catholic sixth form college stays ‘outstanding’ after 15-year inspection gap

A Catholic sixth form college in Manchester is celebrating after retaining its ‘outstanding’ Ofsted rating after 15 years – a period in which its student population almost doubled.

Xaverian College had around 1,500 learners back in February 2008, when it was last fully inspected, but now has more than 2,800 students according to its latest inspection report published today.

The catholic sixth form college, based in Rusholme, Manchester, was handed the top rating in all areas following its latest visit in March 2023.

Delighted college principal Anthony Knowles said the report was a testament to the hard work of staff and students over the last 15 years.

“At Xaverian, we put our students first and ensure that they leave college with the highest grades possible and fond memories and friendships that will last a lifetime,” he said.

“As principal of the college, I have to say how proud I am of everyone within the college community who has contributed to this outcome, and of our amazing students who consistently demonstrate their commitment to their studies and the enthusiasm they have for being a part of the Xaverian family.”

Most students are on A-level, vocational level 3 programmes or a mix of both, with a small number on level 2 vocational courses or foundation learning studies.

Inspectors praised the “overwhelmingly positive” attitude of students, who spoke highly of the support they received, as well as the pride staff took in working at the college and the high expectations they placed on learners.

Ofsted said the culture of the college was “warm, welcoming and aspirational” and included “extensive” extra-curricular activities.

The report noted that students were well-informed about studying at higher levels and prepared well for their progression into higher education, apprenticeships or work.

Inspectors said the college had a good relationship with the local authority and other Catholic colleges and feeder schools.

It said that leaders offered additional programmes to boost employability in specific skills areas, including an extended project qualification for students to develop independent research skills, an access programme for students aspiring to careers as dentists and health professionals and qualifications for music students.

In addition, access programmes developed with higher education partners helped support disadvantaged students in priority subjects such as science.

The report said that teachers are experienced subject experts who delivered a “highly ambitious curriculum” while leaders personalised continuous professional development for staff to boost students’ learning.

Staff took time to find out what learners can and can’t do at the start of their courses, with teaching planned to help learners remember key concepts, the report continued.

For SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) students, inspectors said support was “highly effective”, with students making progress in line with their peers and teachers receiving specialised training in areas such as mental health, autism and visual impairments.

The report continued that precise feedback on homework helped students progress.

Leaders were praised for monitoring the quality of education and being “considerate of staff’s welfare and workload” while governors were also recognised for their commitment to the college’s vision.

The feat means all 44 of England’s sixth form colleges continue to be rated either ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted.

First approved digital functional skills awarding body revealed

The first awarding body to get their digital functional skills qualifications over the line has been revealed.

Gateway Qualifications today announced that regulator Ofqual has signed off on its offer ahead of delivery set to commence in August 2023.

With just four months to go before the launch date, 10 other awarding bodies continue through the stringent approvals process.

Digital functional skills qualifications (DFSQs) have been in the works for several years and form part of the Department of Education’s strategy for digital skills, alongside essential digital skills courses that became available in August 2020.

DFSQs will be available at entry level and level 1 and are being designed to provide learners with the skills to use a range of software applications, navigate the internet and keep safe online.

They will replace all existing functional skills ICT qualifications from July 31, 2023.

Paul Saunders, commercial director at Gateway Qualifications, said: “Digital skills are increasingly important for both life, study and work, and we are pleased to be at the forefront of making available this new, but essential qualification to colleges and training providers across the UK. 

“With the Covid-19 pandemic accelerating the adoption of digital technologies, the need for individuals to have basic digital skills has never been more important.”

Gateway Qualifications was also the first awarding body to gain approval for essential digital skills qualifications in August 2020.

It was in fact the only awarding organisation to get sign off to offer the courses in time for that deadline. The DfE and Ofqual will hope the other awarding organisations seeking to offer DFSQs will not repeat those delays this time around.

Each awarding organisation must go through a “technical evaluation” process with Ofqual to ensure they are “valid and fit for purpose” before being made available to colleges and training providers to deliver.

Ofqual publishes the progress so far for each awarding body and places them on a five-point scale – one being the furthest from approval and five meaning sign off has been granted.

Of the 10 other awarding bodies going through this process for DFSQs, three are at stage four, four are at stage three, and three are at stage one.

OrganisationEntry Level 3Level 1
BCS33
City & Guilds44
Gateway55
Highfield11
iCan Qualifications11
NCFE44
NOCN33
OCNLR44
Pearson33
TLM33
TQUK11
Source: Ofqual

Slowly layering pre-work support for SEND students is vital. I’m autistic myself – I know

Last year I was trolled by a welfare rights officer. They objected to me using my own autistic lived experience in a leadership role to lift others and give representation to my autistic students. The reason? I am normalising the idea that autistic people can work.

Unless either you or a loved one are autistic you may not know that just 29 per cent of autistic adults in the UK are in paid employment. Of those autistic people not yet ‘out’, 65 per cent said they wouldn’t disclose their neurodiversity to their line manager through fear of discrimination.

Over the years, my various roles in the education and children’s sectors have involved working with students, staff and employers. I have found a few initiatives to be particularly effective in preparing autistic students for the world of work.

Manager confidence is key

Workplace culture is everything. If you are going to support your neurodiverse students to find jobs they love, your neurodiverse staff must love their jobs too.

This is all about upskilling your managers to ensure staff feel included and valued. Too many managers have their own internal imposter syndrome going on and what you can then get is a culture of managers wanting to be popular with the crowd.

But inclusion is an intentional act and successfully managing workplace adjustments for disabled staff requires strong, confident leaders to manage those non-disabled team members who may gripe that “It’s not fair she gets to wear ear defenders,” or “Why can he work hybrid three days per week,” or “It’s so unfair they get interview questions in advance!” 

One way to tackle this is asking your managers about their confidence to manage case studies on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in small group workshops, so they do not lose face.

I would urge all would-be employers to examine their own workplace culture first when it comes to helping students transition to jobs. The ground must be fertile to plant a seed that grows.

Offer staged internships

Many students with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) aren’t ready for year-long, full-time supported internships and it’s important for them to ‘try before they buy’. This can be done by providing different study levels and pathways.

An example is the provision at Digital Independent Specialist College (DISC). This Manchester-based college delivers programmes in partnership with SENDCode, a social enterprise that supports young, neurodiverse people who are not engaging in education. Together, they’ve crafted three layered programmes for their students including an alternative provision pathway which gives an insight into their pre-internship for school-aged students who struggle to access the mainstream curriculum.

They also offer a flexible pre-internship, based on students’ interests, which includes remote learning, travel training, work at DISC’s city centre studio and, where appropriate, external work placements.

A year-long, full-time supported internship for young people with an EHCP is also available alongside pastoral, peer-to-peer and weekly maths and English support.

Recreate work settings

Develop ‘pop-up’ employment experiences where students work on live briefs and feel what it’s like to work in an organisation, but within the small-scale, supported environment of their own college setting.

In the past, we’ve worked with charity, Digital Advantage on developing a replica creative agency within New Bridge where our students design logos, write scripts, and make films and podcasts. It’s significantly improved their confidence, self-esteem and understanding of how businesses operate.

Showcase top job opportunities

In May 2022, we took our digital pathway students from our college to Apple’s headquarters in Chicago to design a new app. It’s an experience they will never forget; they were so energised and determined after the visit. We must push at the ambitions of young people with SEND so they can carve out a meaningful future for themselves.

Support employers to adapt

Colleges must work with employers, so they adjust their recruitment practices. Online job ads, complex application forms and formal interviews might mean businesses are missing out on many talented young people with SEND.

Students, too, need support to navigate the recruitment process so they can continue to be themselves and achieve what we all want – to start, stay and succeed in work.

The Ideas Room shows what meetings could be like. Come try it out

We’ve all been to this kind of meeting. The kind that leaves you feeling over-worked and under-valued. The kind you have to sit through although most of the agenda doesn’t concern you, when you could be doing something more productive. The kind where the person who keeps asking questions is resented because they’ve made the thing over-run. The kind where content is delivered at you, a fait accompli that requires nothing from you, and especially not well-intentioned feedback.

Do you ever wish there was a safe space for you to go, where you could openly share and discuss ideas without fear of being judged or interrupted? A space beyond the physical confines of your office or classroom walls, and populated by FE professionals from across the country, all eager and ready to connect with you? Do you yearn for a new way of conducting meetings, to empower your teams to really think and listen to each other?

Good news: This space exists, and it is open and ready to welcome you.

I always leave the Ideas Room feeling re-energised, refreshed, and inspired, and I know you will feel the same.

Created and facilitated by the JoyFE Collective (a group set up by Dr Lou Mycroft and Stefanie Tinsley during the first Covid lockdown as a way for FE practitioners to stay connected during those challenging times), the Ideas Room is based on the principles of Nancy Kline’s Thinking Environment.

In short, it is the very opposite of traditional meetings: there is no fixed agenda; everyone is treated equally; job roles and hierarchy are left at the door; everyone has the opportunity to speak without interruption; no advice is given. It is truly a space full of opportunity and potential, where ideas can grow and thrive.

Here’s how it works.

At first, everyone in the room is invited to share how they are doing and whether they have an idea to explore or are simply there to listen. Everyone takes it in turn to answer honestly and succinctly, without interruption. I felt self-conscious the first time I attended, but soon realised that there was no judgement from anyone. We listened intently to each other as we shared our feelings, not only about work but some personal things too. (It is up to each individual how much they want to share.)

Next, those with an idea briefly explain it and then everyone splits off into breakout rooms (one room per idea). The person with the idea explains it in more detail, and then we take it turns to share our freshest thinking about that idea, again without interruption. Ideas range from initial thoughts about a lesson plan or teaching idea to topics for CPD or research projects and right through to wider themes such as inclusion and motivation. Any FE-related topic is welcome.

Active listening is often missing from traditional meetings, but in the Ideas Room the act of switching off your mic is a powerful one. Forced to listen to the speaker without interrupting them, we listen more intently. It’s equally powerful for the speaker, who is free to share their thoughts and ideas with complete control over how much to say and the time to pause as required. It is wonderful to watch thoughts being formed and then verbalised in real time.

The framework of the Ideas Room can be applied to any meeting. Indeed, it has the power to transform how leaders interact with their team members by facilitating honest thinking in a safe space that is rooted in respect and equality.

The Ideas Room is held on Zoom every Wednesday evening from 8 to 9pm, and Fridays from 9 to 10am during term-time. It is a genuinely enriching way to reach out to the FE community and, as Joy FE put it, to let your thinking grow.

Work meetings might take some time to catch up, but in the meantime there’s a space for every professional to have a voice. I hope to hear yours soon.

To access the Ideas Room connect with #JoyFE on your favourite social media platform