Latest news from FE Week

Movers & Shakers: Edition 555

Councils call for more bailouts as SEND deficits to top £10bn

Ministers must be prepared to write off SEND deficits accrued over the next two years, councils have warned, after predicting they will rise to £10 billion even after historic debts are wiped.

The government is wiping 90 per cent of deficits built up by April 2026 in return for approved local SEND reform plans.

Analysis by FE Week’s sister title Schools Week shows this could cost the government nearly £6 billion, which will be paid later this year.

But councils will then continue to build up deficits until 2028, when the government will take responsibility for cost pressures in the system.

Ministers said in March they would continue to take an appropriate and proportionate approach, but that support would not be unlimited.

Today, the County Council Network warned deficits could hit a record £10.4 billion in just two years. The Office for Budget Responsibility previously forecast deficits over the next two years would total more than £9 billion.

‘Financial catastrophe’

The CCN said councils had seen a “sharp increase” in applications for education, health and care plans (EHCPs) since government SEND reforms were announced in February.

Reforms propose that EHCPs be reserved for pupils with the most “complex needs” from 2035.

The number of pupils with EHCPs rose by 13 per cent between January 2025 and January 2026.

A survey by the Association of Local Authorities Treasurer Societies of 89 councils found that even after accounting for the write-off of historic deficits, councils believe the shortfall could reach £4.8 billion by March 2027 and £10.4 billion by March 2028.

The network said the DfE should give a “cast iron commitment” to wipe out deficits accrued until March 2028.

The CCN said “anything less” than removing 90 per cent of remaining debts by 2029 will cause “financial catastrophe” for many town halls. Even then, one in 10 surveyed councils said this support may not be enough to avoid bankruptcy.

‘Not out of the woods’

Linden Kemkaran, SEND spokesperson for the CCN, said while the bailout is a “lifeline” for councils, they are “not out of the woods”.

“Despite this, we have little clarity from government on how much support we will receive, and when.

“If councils are left carrying billions of pounds of SEND debt, it will not just be a problem for local authorities. Taxpayers and local communities will ultimately bear the consequences as councils face impossible choices about how to protect frontline services while managing debts that have accrued through no fault of their own.”

A government spokesperson said: “We inherited a SEND system under immense strain, and have always recognised that both deficits and EHCP applications will continue to rise before our reforms are fully rolled out.

“On top of grants to pay off 90 per cent of council deficits, we’re investing billions to make sure every community has easy, early access to specialists like speech and language therapists, and so councils can deliver their tailored local reform plans.”

The spokesperson said government will reveal details of further support by March 2028.

City & Guilds staff to vote on strike action over return-to-office plans

Hundreds of staff at awarding giant City & Guilds are set to vote on strike action over plans to require employees to work from the office at least two days a week.

Unite the Union claimed the “vindictive” policy is being used by the company’s new owner PeopleCert to force workers out of the business.

City & Guilds bosses rejected the allegation and accused the union of “misrepresenting the situation”, while describing the policy as a “reasonable and carefully considered” move designed to improve collaboration, performance and service delivery.

It comes months after 75 City & Guilds roles were put at risk of redundancy, prompting threats of legal and industrial action from the union. Sixty-four redundancies were ultimately made.

Unite claimed “all” staff have been instructed to work from the office for a minimum of two days a week, and more if required, despite “many” having remote-working contracts and working from home since “well before” the Covid pandemic.

It said interim CEO Andy Moss had previously encouraged flexible location contracts as a strategy to overcome recruitment difficulties.

Unite added that City & Guilds was refusing to cover travel and overnight accommodation costs for staff who live long distances from their designated offices, in some cases hundreds of miles away.

Parents are also facing “significant difficulties” arranging and paying for day and overnight childcare, the union added.

But City & Guilds said the policy applies only to the 990 employees whose contractual place of work is an office. Around 150 staff contracted to work from home are not affected, it said, while reasonable adjustments, flexible-working requests and individual circumstances will “continue to be considered fairly and appropriately”.

In response, Unite said City & Guilds has failed to commit that they will not impose future changes to the number of days workers need to work from the office without negotiation. A spokesperson added: “This means that all workers are at risk of having their number of office days changed without any warning.”

Around 800 City & Guilds workers are Unite members.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “This is a blatant and unfair attack on the workforce to try and make redundancies on the cheap.

“City & Guilds workers can see straight through PeopleCert’s attempts to cull its workforce with this totally unjustifiable and vindictive policy. Unite will not stand for it – these workers have their union’s total backing.”

A spokesperson for City & Guilds said: “We’re disappointed that Unite has chosen to misrepresent the situation and ballot members on what is a reasonable and carefully considered policy that is in the best interests of learners and customers, as well as being equitable for all our colleagues.

“Many colleagues already attend their workplace regularly, and we believe greater consistency across the organisation is reasonable and fair.”

They added that the company has engaged “constructively and extensively” with Unite on these arrangements, holding eight meetings before and since the policy was announced, as well as extending the timeframe for those discussions to allow “proper debate”.

The return-to-work implementation date was originally set for 28 September but was extended to 19 October.

Office working to improve C&G ‘competitiveness’

PeopleCert bought City & Guilds’ awarding and commercial business from the 148-year-old charity last October for around £166 million.

The controversial sale has been the subject of three separate investigations involving the Charity Commission, PeopleCert itself and the City & Guilds Foundation.

In May, PeopleCert put 6 per cent of City & Guilds’ then 1,250-strong workforce up for redundancy. Unite threatened but did not pursue legal and industrial action, after accusing the company of advertising jobs in Greece during the negotiations, and failing to involve staff early enough in the redundancy process.

The dispute also followed a leaked PeopleCert business plan which proposed cutting around a third of City & Guilds’ workforce through “natural employee churn”. The plan included moving some roles to Greece, where personnel costs were said to be “up to 50 per cent lower”.

Unite accused PeopleCert of unlawfully withholding key information during staff transfer consultations.

The union said a consultative ballot of around half of Unite members at City & Guilds found 97 per cent in favour of industrial action over the return-to-office “diktat”.

Unite national officer Peter Storey said: “Thanks to the collective strength of the workforce, Unite forced PeopleCert to backdown from its previous dishonest plans. But we warned at the time that Unite would remain vigilant and we have been proved right.

“There has been no serious meaningful consultation or negotiation from PeopleCert about fundamental changes to people’s working arrangements and work from home policies. PeopleCert needs to backdown because its current plans will blow up in its face.”

A spokesperson from PeopleCert said Unite’s comments “mischaracterise both PeopleCert and our ambition for City & Guilds”.

They added: “We are a UK-headquartered global business serving thousands of organisations, government agencies and partners across more than 200 countries, with the UK being our core market.

“The policy is designed to improve City & Guild’s competitiveness and performance in a highly contested market and form part of a wider transformation programme to unlock its potential and build a world-leading organisation that is fit for the future.”

DWP question time October 2026: Live blog

City & Guilds Foundation pulls plug on Blackledge CEO hire

Trustees at the embattled City & Guilds Foundation have withdrawn Ben Blackledge’s chief executive job offer just days before his planned start next week.

Blackledge will now continue as chief executive of WorldSkills UK after its board agreed to let him withdraw his resignation. He had been due to leave today after 12 years at the organisation, which had already begun recruiting his successor through an executive recruitment agency.

The reversal comes a year after the controversial £166 million sale of the foundation’s awarding and training business to PeopleCert, which remains the subject of a Charity Commission statutory inquiry and a separate investigation commissioned by the foundation following pressure from its members.

The foundation appointed learning tech-firm boss Jessica Leigh Jones as its new chair in April. Blackledge’s appointment, announced the following month, was to give the charity its first permanent chief executive since the sale.

The foundation, formally called the City and Guilds of London Institute, said trustees have now decided not to proceed with appointing a new chief executive at this stage.

A spokesperson said: “The institute is undertaking a wider review of its future strategy, organisational structure, and operating model to ensure it is best placed to deliver its charitable mission in the years ahead. Trustees have decided it would be more appropriate to complete this work before making a permanent leadership appointment.

“Existing interim leadership arrangements remain in place, and the organisation’s day-to-day operations, services and commitments continue as normal.

“As part of the review process, trustees will consider a range of evidence and stakeholder feedback before determining the timing of a future recruitment process.

“The trustees and team have enjoyed working with Ben Blackledge during his preparation to join the Institute and thank him for his contribution during this period and wish him every success for the future.”

The foundation’s website lists Barbara le Fleming, its executive director of finance and operations and secretary of the institute, as acting chief executive.

Announcing his appointment on 12 May, Leigh Jones praised Blackledge’s “exceptional track record” and said: “Ben’s leadership will be vital as we deepen our impact.”

The role was advertised with a salary of around £130,000 and responsibility for an annual grant-making budget of £3 million to £5 million, alongside policy work and developing a long-term strategy.

FE Week has asked the foundation what changed after the appointment was announced, why Blackledge could not lead the review, and whether either investigation into the sale informed its decision.

Back to Blackledge

WorldSkills UK had already begun recruiting Blackledge’s successor through recruitment firm Starfish Search. Final interviews had been scheduled for 15 and 16 October.

Marion Plant, chair of WorldSkills UK’s trustees, said: “The WorldSkills UK board has agreed a request from Ben Blackledge to withdraw his resignation and continue as chief executive.

“Following Team UK’s success in Shanghai alongside exciting developments in our workforce development activity, and the continued opportunity to support young people into the world of work, we are delighted that Ben will continue to lead WorldSkills UK.”

Blackledge said: “I am delighted to be continuing as chief executive of WorldSkills UK.

“There is so much to look forward to as we meet for our national finals in Wales next month and begin the next international cycle for WorldSkills Aichi 2028.”

Blackledge has led WorldSkills UK as chief executive since May 2023, having previously worked as its deputy chief executive. He stayed on to lead the organisation through Team UK’s participation at WorldSkills Shanghai last month.

Investigations continue

City & Guilds Foundation trustees agreed to sell the City & Guilds awarding and training business to PeopleCert in October 2025.

Reports of million-pound bonuses paid to senior executives involved in the transaction prompted scrutiny from the regulator.

The Charity Commission opened its statutory inquiry in January and is yet to report. It is examining information the charity supplied about the sale and trustees’ decision-making, including the information they considered before agreeing the transaction and a coexistence agreement with the new company.

The regulator had sought assurances before the sale, although the deal did not require its approval.

City & Guilds Foundation members voted for an independent inquiry at their annual meeting in April. Following a campaign, the charity agreed in June to commission a King’s Counsel-led investigation into the reasons for the sale and its governance processes.

That inquiry has begun but is also yet to report. The foundation previously said its findings would be shared with its advisory council this autumn and published.

Meanwhile, PeopleCert has claimed it is seeking to recover almost £3 million in bonuses paid to former City & Guilds chief executive Kirstie Donnelly and finance chief Abid Ismail after an internal investigation concluded the payments were “unauthorised”.

Donnelly and Ismail “categorically rejected” the allegations and previously said they would present evidence to the courts that “overwhelmingly demonstrates” all bonus payments were “approved, documented and implemented” as part of the transaction process.

ASCL council passes no confidence vote in Ofsted’s leadership

The Association of School and College Leaders’ union has said it has no confidence in Ofsted’s leadership to “address the damage being done by the new inspection system” following a vote of its ruling council.

The union has also agreed to survey members “on whether to hold an indicative ballot on industrial action if change is not forthcoming”, calling for a pause to inspections so Ofsted can “review the inspection system as a matter of urgency”.

Around 60 school and college leaders are meeting in the Midlands this week to discuss key matters of education policy.

The vote comes amid mounting tensions between Ofsted and teaching and leadership unions following growing reports of adverse impact on leaders’ health.

In a statement issued today, ASCL council said it had seen “no meaningful progress on the part of Ofsted to address significant wellbeing issues caused by inspections, and that it is increasingly concerned about the welfare and morale of members”.

Introduced last year, the new inspection framework was supposed to decrease the pressure placed on leaders and their teams.

It scrapped headline grades and now gives FE providers one of five ratings in up to 16 judgment areas.

Ofsted-commissioned research, released today, found three quarters of FE providers said their inspection had negatively affected their, or their staff’s wellbeing, with one third saying the impact was ‘a fair amount or a lot’. Most responses, however, were from independent training providers.

An Ofsted press release highlighted that most education providers said inspections had been conducted respectfully, while more than six in 10 said their inspection would help improve their setting.

Oliver said the research showed the watchdog was “on the right track”, sparking backlash from unions, who branded the findings “damning” and Oliver “out of touch”.

Pepe Di’Iasio, ASCL’s general secretary, said: “This motion reflects the strength of feeling among our members. It is not a step we have taken lightly but only after our repeated attempts to resolve our concerns through discussion and negotiation have hit a brick wall.

“Ofsted’s warm words about recognising wellbeing pressures on school and college leaders have not been matched by the action necessary to dial down the incredibly high stakes of an inspection system which is damaging people’s health and driving them out of the profession.

“School and college leaders agree with the importance of having an inspection system which gives parents information and assurance and works in the best interests of children and young people.

“But the current system is not fit for purpose. It is an overbearing mess and urgently needs to be reviewed.”

Ofsted was approached for comment.

ASCL’s statement in full

ASCL has no confidence in the ability of Ofsted’s leadership to address the damage being caused by the renewed inspection framework.

We have seen no evidence of meaningful progress on the part of Ofsted to address the significant workload and wellbeing issues caused by the framework, and are increasingly concerned about the welfare and morale of our members.

The evidence is clear that schools serving disadvantaged communities are penalised by the methodology being used in inspections and we are not convinced that enough weight will be placed on similar schools comparisons to take school context into account. Neither are we persuaded that report cards are clear and helpful to parents given that they can only be properly understood by reading the toolkits provided to inspectors.

Furthermore, we fear that the disproportionate stress and anxiety exerted by the inspection system will lead to leaders deciding to leave their posts with a consequent impact on schools, children, and young people.

Repeated attempts to resolve these matters through negotiation have not been productive and ASCL does not believe that genuine change is achievable within the current culture of the inspectorate.

We call upon the government to pause inspections and review the inspection system as a matter of urgency in order to allow these issues to be properly examined and acted upon in the best interests of families, schools, and colleges.

Inspections are harming wellbeing, FE staff tell Ofsted

Three quarters of FE providers inspected under Ofsted’s report card regime said the process affected staff wellbeing, according to the watchdog’s own research.

Meanwhile, a similar proportion said the inspectorate worked to minimise stress and anxiety.

Ofsted said the survey proved its reforms were “on the right track” as providers across early years, schools and FE “were generally positive about their inspection experience under the renewed education inspection framework”.

But union leaders criticised chief inspector Sir Martyn Oliver for his “rose-tinted portrayal” of Ofsted’s new framework, claiming he was “completely out of touch”.

The survey was based on 699 responses, including 57 from further education. It comes as education secretary Lucy Powell hinted at potential further changes of Ofsted’s approach, just a year after the report card system was launched.

Mental health impact

The survey, by IFF Research, polled education providers inspected from January and whose report cards were published before the end of May.

Of the 57 FE and skills respondents, three quarters said their wellbeing – or that of staff who took part in an inspection – was negatively affected ‘at least a little’.

Almost one third (32 per cent) said mental health was impacted ‘a fair amount or a lot’.

Survey results finding provider rating of mental wellbeing impact, Source: Ofsted

Less than half (46 per cent) agreed the workload caused by an Ofsted inspection was manageable.

However, 77 per cent praised inspectors for taking action to minimise stress and anxiety, compared with 62 per cent of schools.

The vast majority (86 per cent) of FE providers agreed with a statement that the inspection team worked collaboratively with them to identify areas and priorities for improvement.

Survey results finding provider rating of workload impact, Source: Ofsted

Small-scale poll

Researchers warned of differences in the FE findings. Some questions were not asked of all respondents as the base size of 57 providers was too low to “report robustly” in some areas.

Ofsted’s own data shows 151 FE and skills providers were inspected from January, with reports published by the end of May. There were 1,142 school inspections published during that period and over 3,000 for early years settings.

The survey response rate among FE and skills providers was 37 per cent. Most responses came from independent learning providers.

Jonathan Childs, Ofsted’s post-16 director, told ITPs in June that the first eight months of the new inspection process was not a “representative view” of the sector.

Of all education providers in the IFF survey, three quarters said the inspection process was collaborative and inspectors had taken account of their unique provision.

Simon Ashworth, deputy chief executive and director of policy of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, said the overall findings “broadly” reflected what members had experienced.

“Many describe a more consultative process, with greater opportunity to discuss the evidence and a clearer understanding of how their provision is being judged,” he added.

David Hughes, chief executive of the Association of Colleges, said it was difficult to read into the results as the number of college responses “seems low”.

“I have written to the education secretary asking her to include college concerns in any review or reforms she has in mind for Ofsted,” he said.

“We are very concerned about how context and inclusion operate within the renewed inspection framework and support the need to put stronger emphasis on understanding the progress students make in colleges, rather than inspection simply becoming a box-ticking exercise.”

‘Out of touch’ Oliver

Oliver said the data showed “we are on the right track” with Ofsted reforms but acknowledged that workload and wellbeing “continue to be challenging”, adding “I don’t take that lightly”.

Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, argued the findings should be “ringing alarm bells” instead of the “positive” way in which the watchdog presented the data.

“Three-quarters of FE and skills providers said inspections have negatively affected their wellbeing, and less than half said the workload caused by their last inspection was manageable,” he said.

“These are hugely alarming numbers that reveal inspections are clearly still having a hugely damaging impact on the FE workforce and should not be explained away as ongoing challenges.”

Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, added that the survey was a “rose-tinted portrayal” of Ofsted’s new framework and “could not be further from the truth”.

“Sir Martyn Oliver remains completely out of touch,” he said. “The new inspection framework is no better than the previous, and in many respects has worsened. Workload has increased. The sense of dread remains.

“Ofsted is a key driver of fear, anxiety and stress. Lucy Powell has indicated a readiness to review. We want to see a new system that is more supportive, but also fair and effective. It is what the profession is crying out for.”

Following union warnings that the new system was “even more stressful” than the old framework for school leaders, Powell last month said that she would work “to make sure we get this Ofsted framework, but also the culture and the whole regime, right”.

According to The Guardian, Powell is poised to tell Ofsted to “go back to the drawing board”, after becoming concerned the framework is causing too much stress.

Pathway to devolution test delays adult learning courses

Councils are scrambling to spend extra adult education funding that was previously delivered by independent training providers and overseen by Whitehall officials.

At the start of this academic year, the Department for Work and Pensions handed Adult Skills Fund grant increases of up to 60 per cent to 19 local authorities chosen for the government’s ‘pathway to devolution’ programme.

Officials say the scheme, now in its second year, is designed to test whether local authorities are “better placed” to address their local skills needs than central government by using funding that was previously spent in their areas via the nationally procured adult education contract launched in 2023.

But in September, several of the councils involved told FE Week they were still deciding how they would distribute the funding, and some contracts had not yet been awarded.

One council said it declined to join the programme due to the “limited timeframe” offered by DWP officials.

The uncertainty around how extra adult education and skills funding will reach learners this academic year has raised questions about whether councils on the programme are sufficiently resourced to manage larger budgets at short notice.

Last week, the government confirmed 29 more councils would join the programme as its nationally managed ASF contract, which funds ITP delivery in non-devolved areas, will expire at the end of this academic year.

Procurement delays

This week, Leicester City Council, where allocation grew 39 per cent to £5.8 million, said it was still “currently reviewing applications” from potential subcontractors.

In response to a freedom of information request, the East Midlands council said it could not launch a procurement exercise until it had received the funding in August – a claim the DWP contests.

West Sussex County Council told FE Week it recently completed tender evaluations for the additional £700,000 it received from the DWP but that contracts had not yet been awarded by its legal team.

In June, East Sussex County Council said it was still “determining how best” to use the funding and issued a call for expressions of interest from independent training providers in late July. A spokesperson said they were unable to provide any update when approached this week.

Essex County Council, whose grant grew £1.8 million to £9.9 million, said “no formal decision” had been made on the funding as of June and its strategy was “still in early discussions” internally. Its media team did not respond to requests for comment.

‘Very real commercial impact’

A leader of an established training provider, who asked not to be named, said that while they supported the move towards greater local control of adult skills, “the delays and uncertainty” during the transition were having “a very real commercial and operational impact”.

They added: “In the majority of cases we have experienced, procurement processes have not delivered against the original timescales.

“There have been repeated delays to tender outcomes, changes to anticipated start dates and, in some cases, opportunities being withdrawn altogether after providers have already invested significant time and resource in preparing bids.”

The delays have impacted decisions about staffing, premises and recruitment, and “contributed directly to restructuring and redundancies”, they told FE Week.

Simon Ashworth, deputy CEO and director of policy at the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, said: “In adult skills funding, access to provision highly depends on commissioners’ capacity and expertise, which has been inconsistent in the first two years.

“Local authorities need resources, guidance, support and realistic lead-in times, with a mechanism to draw on areas already managing devolved adult skills funding. Rewiring responsibilities must deliver opportunities wherever people live.”

Some councils on track

Portsmouth City Council, which received an extra £171,000 through the programme, said it signed a contract with an external provider starting in mid-September.

A spokesperson for Hampshire County Council, which joined Portsmouth, Southampton and the Isle of Wight councils in a combined authority this summer, said it decided not to join the pilot “due to the limited delivery timeframe”.

The new combined authority is due to receive devolved skills funding from the 2027-28 academic year, they added.

The pathway to devolution does not require the same level of preparation for local authorities as full adult skills devolution.

Full adult skills devolution usually requires authorities to submit detailed plans to central government officials showing their “readiness”, including a strategic skills plan with supporting evidence and an implementation plan for commissioning.

Meanwhile, several local authorities, including Cheshire East, Brighton and Hove, Milton Keynes and Westmorland and Furness, all told FE Week they had direct delivery and contract or grant agreements in place with local providers by the start of the academic year in August.

Thurrock Council, which decided to directly deliver its £1.6 million budget, which increased 24 per cent this year, said the additional money was “long overdue” since funding had been frozen for “at least” 15 years.

Milena Bingley, Thurrock’s cabinet member for education, skills and children’s services, said: “Thanks to this funding, more residents of Thurrock will be able to take up the opportunity to gain skills and achieve qualifications that will help them get jobs, better paid jobs and improve their and their families’ health, wellbeing, and daily lives.”

Councils’ decision to make

DfE officials first approached the pathway to devolution authorities in November last year and confirmed allocations in April.

In their initial email in November, they told councils the funding could not be spent on tailored learning. It could be managed by single local authorities, or by one on behalf of a group.

The government also allowed up to 15 per cent to be used for “preparatory funding”, to be released between April and August, covering costs such as staff recruitment and procurement expenses.

Decisions on how to spend the funding, such as grants to local colleges, direct delivery or contracts with ITPs, were “entirely [the council’s] decision to make”, officials said.

However, they recommended that local ITPs “could be a useful partner” for the pilot and in future.

Councils can choose whether to directly deliver their ASF grant, deliver it in partnership, award a grant to another provider such as a college, or to subcontract.

Sue Pember, director of policy and external relations at adult education provider body Holex, warned against “criticising councils” for failing to have commissioning infrastructure in place when many councils will soon see some of their grants transferred to strategic authorities.

She added: “The pilots are a rehearsal for devolution: the real test is whether we learn from them and transfer that knowledge and capacity so the new strategic authorities are ready to commission effectively without destabilising successful existing provision.

“Readiness isn’t simply about whether a council can spend an allocation.

“It is about having the commissioning, provider-management and assurance arrangements in place to get money to the right provision quickly, transparently and without disrupting learners.

“The fact that councils are at different stages should not automatically be interpreted as evidence that local government isn’t ready for devolution.”

A DWP spokesperson said: “This government recognises that local leaders are best placed to understand the skills needs of their area, and that is why where possible we are continuing to move decision making powers away from Westminster.

“The pathways to devolution programme is part of this wider work, and its purpose remains improving local training opportunities based on informed decision-making and local need.

“We are continuing to work with local authorities on this pilot alongside reforms to the skills system to build a skilled workforce ready for the demands of today, and the future.”

The DWP did not respond when asked whether it was carrying out an evaluation of the programme.

ESOL waiting lists and duplication tackled by GLA

A pilot to tackle weak coordination and long waiting lists for English language lessons has been launched by the Greater London Authority.

Funded with £185,000 from the GLA’s £7.5 million Adult Skills Fund management budget, the 18-month programme will fund two English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) coordination services, one working across seven west London councils and the other at a borough-level in Camden and Islington.

The GLA plans to “test and learn” from the ESOL coordination services so it can develop best practice and later “scale an informed approach” across the capital.

The move comes amid funding cuts to adult education nationally, accusations of vague government promises to improve access to ESOL, and a lack of national strategy on how it should be delivered.

London’s pilot will include a £70,000 grant for a “single point of contact” service for employment and skills, including ESOL, run by the West London Alliance, a partnership of seven councils.

The GLA will also grant £65,000 to Camden Council for its borough-level ESOL Advice Service. The remaining £50,000 will fund an evaluation of the outcomes of the pilot which should be complete by May 2028.

According to a GLA decision report approving the funding, London’s ESOL offer is complicated by a mix of providers including local authorities, specialist institutions, civic organisations and FE colleges, not all of which are Adult Skills Fund financed.

It said: “Weak coordination in the ESOL ecosystem makes it extremely difficult for learners to navigate.

“For some potential ESOL learners, this is an added barrier to entering the labour market and socially integrating – as they may already be experiencing social isolation; may not have a fixed abode; and may not know how to access London’s ESOL offer.

“Weak and inconsistent coordination can result in providers’ processes and provision being duplicated – adding to pressure in the ESOL workforce.”

Services that the pilot will fund for learners include outreach and advice, assessment, registration, and “signposting” to FE and skills provision.

The pilot will also run provider networks and focus on “improving ESOL access and reducing administrative duplication”.

London’s needs

The GLA said ESOL demand is likely to “keep growing” due to high migration levels to the capital, labour market demand for English skills, and changes to visa and settlement rules requiring a higher level of English.

GLA officials selected the West London Alliance, one of four multi-council regional partnerships in the city, because it is the only one to already include ESOL in its GLA-funded ‘no wrong door’ initiative for advice on employment, skills, health and support services.

Camden and Islington’s ESOL advice service was chosen as it had been operating for eight years but faced a “financial sustainability challenge” that threatened its operations.

About 50,000 learners participated in GLA-funded ESOL courses in 2024-25, the majority (42,170) enrolled at entry level. These learners account for about a quarter of learners on London’s Adult Skills Fund courses.

FE Week asked the GLA how large London’s ESOL waiting lists are but did not receive a response.

Felix Norman, ESOL curriculum manager at WM College, said the college consistently faced a waiting list of more than 300 people for initial assessment.

He added: “In my opinion, the greatest challenge is about how we might create a standardised initial assessment and [information, advice and guidance] process that all providers could agree on.

“If there were a way that learners could be interviewed and assessed by a service such as Camden Advice Service, and then this information could be shared with providers in a way that is easily interpreted by providers, this could help to reduce workload and cut down on duplication of processes.”

Last year, the government’s immigration white paper promised to cut net migration by about 100,000 by demanding higher English language levels for people applying to extend visas or settling permanently.

But its promise to make it “easier” to access English language lessons was branded “vague” by ESOL leader Paul Sceeny, amid ongoing cuts to adult education funding and the lack of a national strategy.

Although there is no official data on ESOL spending nationally, an investigation by news outlet Hyphen found £183 million was spent on the courses in 2024-25, a 40 per cent real-terms cut since 2009-10.

The outlet also found that waiting times for ESOL courses in West Yorkshire can last up to two years.

Sceeny, co-chair of the National Association for Teaching English and other Community Languages to Adults which has been calling for similar single point of contact services in Lambeth and Hackney, also welcomed the GLA’s support for ESOL coordination.

He said single points of contact prevent learners from being “shunted from pillar to post”, such as through multiple initial assessments or being enrolled on provision that doesn’t meet their needs.