Latest news from FE Week

Gaps remain in Labour’s plans to fill shortages and spread opportunity

Notable in Sir Keir Starmer’s speech launching the Labour manifesto today was a lack of clear headlines on education. Though with polling showing education is not high on the public’s list of priorities for change, it was never going to get top billing.

It should nevertheless be welcomed that among the Labour’s five missions is ‘breaking down to the barriers to opportunity’. Under this heading, last year they announced an ambitious target to reduce intergenerational income persistence to Scandinavian levels – or in other words, improve social mobility.

To achieve this, they will have to go way beyond the policies set out in their manifesto – if and when there is headroom in public spending. And the further education sector will need to play a key role in any transformative plan to spread opportunity.

There were positive words in Starmer’s speech for further education, and a promise to transform FE colleges into specialist Technical Excellence Colleges.

Much of Labour’s broader narrative on growth has encouragingly focused on skills and jobs for the future. However, without tangible details on funding and how these ambitions will be met, this feels like an extension of the ‘parity of esteem’ conversation which has delivered little for the sector over the past two decades.

The establishment of a new body in ‘Skills England’ and plans to tie skills into broader industrial strategy have clear potential. But it is vital that the new body considers young people as a distinct group as well as adult learners, and that its work specifically considers barriers to training opportunities for those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Devolving decision making to local areas in terms of skills needs has potential to genuinely help to level up skills across the country, but whether it has a positive effect, and where, will depend on implementation.

The promise to change the apprenticeship levy into a Growth and Skills Levy has been telegraphed since last year. While employers will no doubt appreciate the flexibility, it is absolutely vital that this does not come at the expense of high-quality apprenticeship provision that gives young people a qualification that has wider currency beyond the immediate needs of the employer.

They will have to go way beyond these policies

There is a significant danger that the levy backslides further into focusing on employers’ internal learning and development needs rather than funding a national apprenticeship offer that meets the broader skills demands of the economy and provides high quality alternatives for the 50 per cent of the population who don’t attend higher education.

Ringfencing will be necessary to protect the broader social goals of the apprenticeship programme.

While the manifesto points out the reduction in apprenticeship starts in recent years, the cannibalisation of the levy for other types of training may serve to worsen that trend. Increasing apprenticeship starts for young people will require investment, as well as a combination of carrots and sticks for employers.

The Sutton Trust has outlined a series of such options, including ringfencing a portion of the levy for young people, and extending subsidies to employers to create new opportunities.

Nonetheless, the acknowledgement of the importance of pre-apprenticeship skills is a positive one. An expanded traineeship programme has significant potential to widen access pathways into apprenticeships.

Labour are right to identify good teaching as the best thing you can offer a child to boost their chances in life. But it will be important that reforms to improve the status, pay and professional development of teachers also extends to post-16 settings.

Disappointingly, there was no mention of extending Pupil Premium funding to post-16. Socio-economic disadvantage doesn’t stop at 16, so there is no reason that dedicated funding should either.

The Sutton Trust’s manifesto of costed policies proposes an extension of the scheme. This would give sixth forms and colleges (particularly those supporting the most disadvantaged communities) targeted funding to boost learning, including targeted programmes such as tutoring, attendance interventions and staff development.

There is room for some optimism on today’s evidence. However, if we want further education to truly deliver on the promise of filling skills gaps and providing quality routes for young people into the workplace, the sector is going to need much more than warm words.

There are positives – but the Conservatives’ manifesto misfires on crucial issues

You’d have thought they’d come out fighting. Education, after all, is the record the Conservatives are proud to defend this election. Indeed, the opening sentence of the education chapter in the manifesto rightly proclaims, “English children are now the best readers in the Western world”.

And yet, just about every pledge after that seeks to put back into the system what policy decisions of the past 14 years have taken out: teachers, funding, school buildings, sports provision, a level playing field for academic and vocational qualifications at 16, 100,000 more apprenticeships and “valuable life skills” (only at 18, though) delivered through National Service.

Don’t get me wrong, “it is massive”, as Rob Halfon put it yesterday at our event to mark the Times Education Commission. Two years on, to hear a Prime Minister talking about skills – the Advanced British Standard (ABS), reaffirmed in the manifesto – has all the right ambitions to end the “damaging divide between vocational and academic education” at 16.

It’s also a rare gem of a policy in that it has cross-party support. Our recent polling with Public First found that 78 per cent of 2,000 adults would support a proposal to reform the education system in line with the ABS, while just 10 per cent oppose.

In fact, a massive 61 per cent said they thought the ABS would represent an improvement on the current system of 16-18 education. That support was steadfast regardless of voting intention.

It needs some fine-tuning: a much more serious teacher recruitment drive, collaboration with colleges and sixth forms and, crucially, the possibility for students to ‘mix and match’ academic and vocational subjects. The latter in particular is what drives public support for the policy.

It’s just a shame the party has come round to the idea of a truly broad and balanced curriculum so late in the day.

Despite much more reliable public support for the ABS, it is the new, multi-billion-pound National Service announcement (a compulsory programme of civic or military duties for 18-year-olds, backed by a Royal Commission) that takes centre stage in the manifesto.

The pledges are a far cry from tackling our pressing issues

Young people need meaningful, joyful opportunities to develop their skills for life, but why wait until 18? Why not invest this considerable funding into our schools and colleges? Aren’t they best-placed to deliver an enriched curriculum and co-curricular offer, in collaboration with businesses and the third sector, that compliments young people’s academic and/or technical study?

All in all, the manifesto pledges are a far cry from the ambition to tackle the pressing issues on the ground we heard in the room at Edge’s event yesterday.

Teach First’s Russell Hobby highlighted the immense workload burden driving teachers out of the profession, and Ark CEO Lucy Heller suggested the place to start to ease some of this pressure is accountability and assessment reform. Meanwhile, the manifesto sharply retorts: “We will back Ofsted”.

ASCL President and former headteacher, Evelyn Forde warned schools and colleges “have become the fourth emergency service”. Former children’s commissioner and Centre for Young Lives founder, Anne Longfield CBE suggested we need to “bring services together in common purpose” to help them identify children who need extra support in the early years.

Far too often, we leave it to our overstretched and under-resourced FE colleges to pick up the pieces, much too late in a young person’s life.

The manifesto confirms the extension of STEM teacher bonuses to those working in FE (and the ABS will help equalise teaching hours in schools and colleges). However, it does little to get to some of the knottier issues, like the GCSE resits policy and the adult skills budget.

As journalist and Times Education Commission chair, Rachel Sylvester concluded yesterday, “there is no policy that can change the country like education”. It underscores the talent pipelines for key sectors like health, housing, energy, digital and technology.

When the election was called, our CEO, Alice Barnard said: “What we say and do on education signals a much wider vision for the future of the UK.”

This manifesto was an opportunity for the Conservatives to address the critical needs of our young people, the education profession and the labour market. Evidently, they didn’t read the room.

Second ‘outstanding’ for Cheshire college

A Cheshire college has been rated ‘outstanding’ for the second time in four years for its “culture of continuous improvement”.

Ofsted gave Riverside College in Widnes the highest rating following an inspection in April. Its report was published this week.

Inspectors praised college leaders for their “highly effective quality assurance” processes for monitoring and improving teaching.

Teachers used assessment “incisively” to adapt their teaching, check learners’ progress and provide “high-quality developmental feedback”.

The college teaches more than 3,600 young students, more than 2,000 adults and about 450 apprentices. It was formed in 2006 following the merger of Halton College and Widnes and Runcorn Sixth Form College.

It was rated ‘outstanding’ in all areas of effectiveness except provision for learners with high needs, which was rated ‘good’.

This follows a 2020 inspection that also praised the college’s “culture of relentless self-improvement”.

Principal Mary Murphy said the college was “overjoyed”.

“This achievement is a testament to the unwavering dedication and hard work of our exceptional staff and students.

“I am immensely proud of our college community for their pursuit of excellence and for consistently upholding the high standards that have once again been recognised by Ofsted.”

Inspectors said teachers and leaders were “passionate” about providing life-changing opportunities for young people and adults, many of whom came from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Teachers were also rated as “highly qualified” and commended for putting a “great deal of thought” into their work.

Inspectors also reported “extremely positive attitudes” from students, who felt “valued and respected”, “highly motivated” and had high attendance levels.

The college was also praised for improving the attendance of its apprentices when staff noticed that “a few” had been leaving some programmes early.

On the question of the college meeting local skills needs, inspectors found “highly effective partnerships” with stakeholders.

The college had undertaken “extensive research” to identify local needs, particularly in the north west’s emerging hydrogen industry.

It also worked with employers in the welding and construction sectors.

Labour manifesto 2024: The FE pledges

Labour has promised “a comprehensive strategy” to “better integrate” further and higher education in its general election manifesto published this morning.

Under Labour leader Keir Starmer’s ‘break down barriers to opportunity’ mission, a Labour government would “better integrate further and higher education” by setting out the roles of different training providers, how students can move between them and “strengthening regulation”.

Details of how the review and changes to regulation would work remain limited.

Any changes appear likely to be led by the party’s promise of a new body, Skills England, which will “bring together” businesses, training providers and unions with regional and national government.

Skills England would oversee a “highly trained” workforce for the economy, informed by Labour’s promised industrial strategy, while putting employers “at the heart” of the skills system.

But the manifesto doesn’t mention a previously promised pause and review of the Conservative’s planned bonfire of BTECs and other rival T Level qualifications.

Commitments to other existing education policies, like the Advanced British Standard and the lifelong learning entitlement, also remain unclear.

Labour promised to reform the skills system after years of Conservative “chaos and policy churn”, addressing “plummeting” apprenticeship numbers, and “widespread” skills shortages.

Pledges confirmed in the manifesto but already outlined by Labour include the creation of “specialist” technical excellence colleges, replacing the apprenticeship levy and a youth guarantee of access to training.

The manifesto says Labour will reform the “broken” apprenticeships levy, criticising the current system’s “rigid rules”.

Its growth and skills levy would allow employers to fund non-apprenticeship courses deemed eligible by Skills England. Labour’s announcement earlier this month to fund pre-apprenticeship traineeship courses through their new levy didn’t appear in the manifesto.

Labour announced it would replace the apprenticeship levy in 2022. It originally said up to 50 per cent of levy funds could be spent on non-apprenticeship training, but that threshold was also missing from the manifesto.

The manifesto also confirmed plans to replace a single headline Ofsted grade with a report card system showing how education providers are performing.

Domestic training plans to reduce immigration

Previously announced plans to create workforce and training plans to avoid being “overly dependent” on workers from abroad to fill skills shortages were confirmed.

By linking the immigration and skills systems, Labour says it will use “joined-up thinking” by ensuring that plans to “upskill workers” are formulated for sectors seeing high overseas recruitment like health, social care and construction.

It said: “The days of a sector languishing endlessly on immigration shortage lists with no action to train up workers will come to an end.” This will work by formally linking the new Skills England and the Migration Advisory Committee.

More devolved skills powers

Labour promises local areas will “gain new powers” over adult education, skills and employment support.

The manifesto confirms Labour’s pledge to “deepen” devolution settlements for existing combined authorities and widening devolution to more areas by encouraging local authorities to come together.

However, the party also pledged to review governance at combined authorities to “unblock decision making” and ensure they can deliver – with central government support – “where needed”.

In line with current ‘trailblazer’ devolution agreements, combined authorities that show “exemplary” management of their funding will also have “greater flexibility” with financial settlements.

There will be a new legal requirement for “local growth plans” – aligning with the national industrial strategy – covering towns and cities across the country that bring employers, universities, colleges and industry bodies together. It’s unclear whether these new growth plans would be in addition to, or replace, local skills improvement plans.

Supporting people into work

On employment, Labour said Jobcentre Plus and the National Careers Service will merge so they are more “responsive” to local employers and services.

The party will devolve funding so local areas can “shape a joined-up work, health and skills offer”.

Policy costings revealed £85 million of the £1.5 billion raised from applying VAT to private schools will be spent on a “guarantee” of two weeks’ work experience for young people and improved careers advice in colleges and schools.

UCU’s own staff to strike for 5 more days

Fresh strike days have been confirmed in an ongoing industrial dispute between the University and College Union (UCU) and its unionised staff.

Unite the Union, which is said to represent 80 per cent of UCU workers, plans to strike on five days between June 26 and July 11, targeting meetings the UCU’s general secretary Jo Grady is planning to hold with members across the country.

Unite members will also begin an overtime ban and work to rule action, where members will strictly adhere to their contracted roles, working hours and break times.

ACAS assisted talks are understood to have taken place on June 10 and are also scheduled for today and June 17.

But Unite said it has scheduled the new strike days ahead of further talks on June 17 to “really focus the minds of senior managers” on the need for “real change” for staff.

The dispute centres around complaints of what Unite calls “a culture of racism”, breaches of a collective agreement and “broken industrial relations”.

A spokesperson for UCU said both sides met through ACAS on June 10 discuss a “series of proposals” and made a “firm agreement” to meet again.

They added: “We are committed to ongoing talks to find solutions and create the best possible working environment for our staff.

“We remain hopeful that a positive outcome will be achieved and are disappointed that mentions of further strike action have been made before further agreed discussions have taken place.”

Dispute not taken ‘seriously’

A spokesperson for Unite said senior managers at the UCU have “not taken this dispute seriously” so far, even after a strike two weeks ago that disrupted the second day of the education union’s national congress.

At the time, UCU secretary Grady said her staff were doing “everything possible” to reach a settlement.

But Unite accused UCU senior management of failing to enter “meaningful talks” about calling off the conference strike, claiming this was a betrayal of the “whole union movement”.

At the conference, members passed motions calling for an independent investigation into “dysfunctional workplace culture”, for UCU to respect Unite’s recognition as the recognised union for collective bargaining and an independent review of “institutional racism” at UCU.

Examples of racism allegations are reportedly use of “disproportionate” use of dismissal related procedures against black staff.

It blames concerns about how the organisation is run, including “toxic workplace behaviours” for “eye-watering” levels of stress related absences.

This follows a ‘notice of contravention’ of health and safety laws issued by the Health and Safety Executive last year over a “lack of suitable and sufficient risk assessment” to deal with work related stress.

According to a letter from HSE, published by Unite on X, formerly known as Twitter, last year, there was a “significant increase” in absences reported due to “mental ill-health”. However, UCU bosses have said they “firmly reject” complaints of disciplinary measures against black staff being disproportionate.

FAB names IfATE delivery chief as next CEO

The second-in-command at the government’s apprenticeships and technical education body has been named the new chief executive of the Federation of Awarding Bodies (FAB).

The trade body representing UK awarding organisations has appointed Rob Nitsch, currently delivery director and a former chief operating officer at the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, who will take the reins in August this year.

Nitsch has been a central senior figure at IfATE since its inception, overseeing its expanding role in developing and overseeing standards in apprenticeship and technical training.

Charlotte Bosworth, chair of FAB’s board, said: “Rob’s understanding and experience of the education and skills sector will strengthen the voice of awarding and assessment organisations across all four nations. With the upcoming general election and future reforms facing the sector, having a strong and respected leader is critical, and we are thrilled that Rob will be leading FAB through a time of change.”

This comes following the sudden resignation of FAB’s previous chief, Kion Ahadi, who stood down in April after just two months in the role. The post has been filled on an interim basis by John McNamara, making Nitsch FAB’s third chief executive since Tom Bewick resigned in September 2023.

Before joining what was then the Institute for Apprenticeships in 2018, Nitsch served in senior British Army roles including personnel director, colonel commandant in the education and training service, chief of staff and commander of 102 Logistics Brigade and Gutersloh Garrison.

He was made a CBE in the 2014 new year’s honours list military division under his full title: Major General Robert Malcolm Bowstead Nitsch.

Nitsch said: “I am hugely grateful to the Board for putting their trust in me and I look forward to working for the benefit of all FAB’s members and making a difference. It is a really exciting time to be joining FAB and to have this opportunity to work even more closely with the talented and committed membership.”

Election 2024: Apprenticeships top of education priority list

Increasing the number of apprenticeships is the joint most important education issue for voters in the lead-up to the election, a new poll suggests.

But there is limited backing for the apprenticeship policies put forward by both main parties.

And while a third of voters believe the quality of FE colleges has got worse since 2010, investing more in colleges ranked almost last.

The poll, carried out by Public First, was taken from a nationally representative group of 2,011 adults.

It found that boosting the number of all-age apprenticeships ranked top of the priority list when it comes to education, joint with Labour’s pledge to hire 6,500 more teachers – both scoring a net positive score of 30 per cent.

However, the Conservatives’ plan to remove funding for “low quality” degrees to pay for 100,000 more apprenticeships by 2029 scored just 5 per cent.

Labour’s plan to widen the apprenticeship levy to fund other forms of training also proved to be low on the priority list, scoring -5 per cent.

Simply increasing the number of apprenticeships was particularly popular among swing voters, beating recruitment of teachers to first place with 39 per cent popularity.

Of the spending priorities for post-18 education, offering more apprenticeships was top of the list, with 44 per cent support.

Abolishing single-phrase Ofsted judgments in favour of a report card achieved a score of -9%, while the Advanced British Standard sat at -6 per cent.

Public First said it used a technique called ‘MaxDiff’ to ask respondents to compare a randomly chosen pair of policies, without telling them which party they came from, to create ranked lists that show which are “relatively popular”.

When asked which public services the government should spend more money on, apprenticeships came 11th out of 20, with only one in ten voters placing it in their top three spending areas. Top of the list was the NHS, while schools placed seventh.

Further education colleges and adult learning was the least popular out of the list of areas the group wanted to see more money spent on, with only 4 per cent prioritising it.

The poll also asked respondents to say whether they thought the quality of different types of education setting had increased or decreased since the Conservatives came to power.

About a third of respondents said they thought the quality of further education colleges has got somewhat or much worse, with only 15 per cent feeling they had got better.

Meg Price, senior policy manager at Public First, said: “Despite apprenticeships themselves being hugely popular, especially with key voters, changes to apprenticeship policy and FE funding is not a top priority for most.

“This comes as no surprise given the broader challenges facing the country – such as NHS waiting times and the cost of living – as well as the higher profile of challenges facing the education sector more broadly such as the teacher recruitment and retention crisis.

“Despite FE funding not being seen as a priority, aspects of the FE offer, like training and courses for working-age adults, was declared a priority by 31 per cent of people.”

City of Wolverhampton College announces new principal after financial turnaround

A college that was recently freed from government intervention after 12 years is set to change principal.

City of Wolverhampton College’s deputy principal Louise Fall will take over from Mal Cowgill, who has led the organisation for the last six years, this summer.

The news comes shortly after the college exited the longest-running intervention in the sector. It was taken off the FE Commissioner’s list of colleges with a financial notice to improve in April after a record-breaking 12 years.

Fall, who has worked at the college since 2014, said she is “absolutely delighted” to be appointed principal and promised to continue developing courses and apprenticeships that meet local demand.

Cowgill said he is “confident” about handing the reins to Fall after working alongside her for a number of years.

He originally joined the college as interim principal in 2018, taking over from Claire Boliver, before being handed the role permanently.

The college was under the longest-running financial notice to improve, first imposed in 2012, before the intervention was withdrawn.

Key to this was a long outstanding £10.7 million loan from Barclay’s bank that the college struggled to repay.

The Department for Education has now taken on £6.1 million of the debt, with the remainder to be paid off through the future sale of City of Wolverhampton College’s Paget Road base for housing.

But the Paget Road sale, originally agreed in 2016, did not go through due to delays in the planning and construction of a new £61 million campus home for the college – City Learning Quarter – being built by City of Wolverhampton Council.

However, the most recent accounts for 2022/23 show the college had an overall deficit of £931,000, down from £2.4 million the previous year.

Mike Hastings, chair of the college, said: “The board of governors is very pleased to have appointed Louise Fall as our new principal and chief executive. Louise has been a key member of our leadership team since 2014 and an integral part of our ongoing college developments. We look forward to continuing to work with her on delivering our vision of outstanding student experience and success for all.”

Specialist arts college strikes the right chord with Ofsted ‘outstanding’

A specialist arts college for learners with special educational needs and disabilities that was founded by musician Sir Richard Stilgoe has been rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted.

Orpheus Centre trains and supports about 60 people aged 18 to 25 with conditions such as Down Syndrome, autism and communication needs to live “independent and fulfilling lives” through an arts-focused curriculum.

In a grade one report published today, inspectors said the college has a “highly ambitious” project-based curriculum of training in arts, creativity, and enterprise alongside personal development.

Ofsted raised the centre’s overall effectiveness rating from ‘good’ to ‘outstanding’ for the first time, noting the quality of teaching and progress learners make.

“Learners develop, practise and master creative, technical and academic skills successfully to prepare them for their future working lives,” inspectors said.

They added that from the start of their time at the centre, learners “thrive due to the exceptionally well-planned and implemented transition activities that prepare them well to move from school to college”.

Orpheus principal Chloe Smith said: “This recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the staff, students, supporters and our entire college community.

“Our mission has always been to empower the students to achieve their full potential, and this outstanding rating confirms that we are succeeding in our goals.”

A key focus of the centre – which boasts a theatre, art studio, sensory room and recording studio – is to ready learners for their “future working lives”.

Activities to help them do this include staged performances, exposure to associated roles such as catering and administration, gaining qualifications and careers guidance.

Outstanding progress

Inspectors praised the “outstanding progress” learners make through tailored activities that incorporate core skills such as English, maths and employability.

They also praised leaders and trustees for their ongoing quality evaluation and challenge from “exceptionally experienced and specialist trustees”.

The Orpheus Centre, which is run by a charity, was founded in 1997 by songwriter and musician Sir Richard Stilgoe.

Stilgoe is best known for his work on the Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals Cats, Starlight Express and Phantom of the Opera.

Based at his former family home, the centre has 21 purpose-built flats for learners to live on site.

The centre’s new rating marks a significant improvement for the centre since Ofsted rated it ‘requires improvements’ in 2016 and 2014, and ‘inadequate’ in 2007.

A spokesperson for the college told FE Week it has worked to achieve disability confident leader status and about a third of its staff are disabled.

Chief executive Rachel Black said: “With these brilliant young people, we are working to influence society to remove the obstacles in their paths so that they can plan for a brighter future.

“We want to grow to welcome even more learning disabled students in the future and rise to the challenge of welcoming more diverse cohorts in the years to come.”