Latest news from FE Week

Local government needs powers to tackle ‘fragmented’ post-16 system – report

Local government should be given powers to tackle “cold spots” of specialist FE subjects caused by fragmented and inefficient education systems, according to a report.

This includes combined and local authorities commissioning area reviews, pushing for mergers, encouraging providers to share teaching and timetabling, and supporting new specialist subject “hubs”.

The Association of Colleges (AoC) funded report, conducted by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), analysed data for 16 to 18-year-old exam entries per provider to work out the range of subjects available and class sizes.

The study, published today, found cold spots in local authority areas across the country, where certain A Levels and vocational qualifications in 23 subject areas including creative arts, social sciences, languages and performing arts are not offered by any provider.

It also found “fragmented” markets with smaller providers such as school sixth forms that deliver marginal subjects in “inefficient” class sizes.

Having large numbers of school sixth forms appears to “undermine” nearby colleges’ economies of scale because it is “harder” for them to sustain marginal and specialist subjects, the report argued.

It added that this results in a narrower overall range of subject choices in those areas, because colleges are more likely to withdraw more marginal courses in areas with more school sixth forms.

David Hughes, chief executive of the AoC, said the report shows that a marketised approach “does not result in a high quality, broad and complete offer of courses and institutions that are accessible by every young person”.

He added: “The system we have requires providers to compete for students and plan independently of each other, inevitably leading to a strong offer in some areas and insufficient capacity in other areas. Overall, this means many young people cannot access the learning, training and education which best suits them and which motivates and engages them.”

‘Real consequences’

Researchers looked at 2023-24 exam entry data across 151 local authority areas and found 23 cold spots “scattered across the country” where 15 or more of the subjects were not offered.

While core subjects such as history, geography and sociology A Level were offered in most areas, music technology was not available in 79 areas, dance was unavailable in 73 areas, and A Level German was unavailable in 31 areas.

Cold spots included urban areas such as east and south west London, Greater Manchester, and Portsmouth, as well as more rural areas such as Herefordshire, Cumbria, and the Isle of Wight.

To address this “excessive market fragmentation” and ensure broad subject choices are available for all students, the paper suggested five policy options at “varying degrees of intervention”.

These include the Department for Education (DfE) handing strategic authorities delegated powers or strengthened mandates to “broker collaboration” between schools and colleges around their subject offers and specialisations.

Local government should also “convene” schools and colleges to explore shared provision and timetabling arrangements, as some schools may currently feel “compelled” to offer marginal subjects that attract students despite low enrolments.

Combined and local authorities could also take a more active role, such as commissioning areas reviews “where appropriate” to encourage schools and colleges to merge into “larger, more resilient” institutions that can offer a broader curriculum.

Other measures could include supporting local specialisation through designation of specific providers as “subject hubs”, particularly in creative and performing arts

However, the report also calls for more research into the most effective collaboration models and what drives student and parent choice, as the current evidence body “remains scant”.

The government should also strengthen its oversight of school sixth form expansion to ensure “efficiency and sufficiency” aren’t undermined by having too many small local providers.

The DfE could update its guidance to local authorities and regional directors to make considering system-level impacts of new sixth forms an “explicit consideration”, the report suggested.

At present, new school sixth forms are typically approved or rejected based grounds of quality or viability, with a 200-student rule of thumb.

Young people’s potential limited

Luke Bocock, research director at NFER, said restricted subject options due to fragmented post-16 education systems have “real consequences” for some young people.

He added: “The subjects available to them at this stage can shape what they go on to study, and the opportunities open to them later in life.

“Coupled with this, post-16 education providers face bigger challenges to delivering courses efficiently where the provision in their area is relatively more fragmented - too often in these areas small, inefficient class sizes are the norm.

“Without better coordination across the post-16 education system, these gaps risk limiting young people’s potential and creating inequalities.”

Hughes said: “Every student should have a wide and varied choice that they are able to access. To achieve this, we need a more co-ordinated approach to planning the capacity for the full range of 16-18 provision and institutions locally. Doing this will achieve greater efficiency (with fewer students dropping out and starting again and fewer very small class sizes) and sufficiency (covering the whole range of learning, training and education) while being sensitive to local contexts.

“For vulnerable subjects such as performing arts and languages, the college-based subject ‘hubs’ are well worth trialling. These could preserve and extend access to these subjects, reduce ‘cold spots’, inefficiencies or duplication.”

75 roles at risk at City & Guilds as new owner confirms restructure

City & Guilds’ new private owner has put 75 roles at risk of redundancy.

PeopleCert has today launched a formal consultation to restructure the awarding and training business, with around 6 per cent of its 1,250-strong workforce impacted.

It follows a “detailed review” undertaken by City & Guilds’ senior leadership team and comes weeks after CEO Kirstie Donnelly and chief financial officer Abid Ismail were exited. The pair are now preparing legal action.

The restructure proposals are intended to “simplify how the organisation operates, strengthen accountability and governance, reduce duplication and support continued investment in technology, operations, customer service and learner experience”, a PeopleCert statement said.

“The proposals are also intended to create greater clarity in decision-making, improve quality and consistency, and enable teams to work more effectively together.”

The majority of roles at risk are within “central support functions” but the company refused to name specific positions.

The statement added that there will be no disruption to any of our learners, including students currently working through their assessments, or to the delivery or quality of qualifications during this process – claiming that the changes are designed to further “strengthen and enhance the reliability and overall quality of qualifications and services provided to learners and partners”.

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

The sale is the subject of a live Charity Commission inquiry, with the regulator examining “trustees’ decision making” and large bonuses paid to senior executives after the transaction. PeopleCert itself has also launched its own probe into the conduct of top City & Guilds executives during the sale. Neither inquiry has reported yet.

Months after the acquisition, PeopleCert drew up plans to cut City & Guilds’ workforce bill by around £19 million over the next two years.

According to a presentation to investors the savings will be made from “personnel cost synergies”, with “optimisation” to be driven through “natural employee churn” – affecting hundreds of jobs.

One third of the vacant roles would be made “redundant” due to “overlapping functions”, another third would be relocated to Greece where costs are “up to 50 per cent lower,” and the remaining third rehired in the UK, the presentation suggested.

‘This will be a difficult and uncertain time’

A PeopleCert spokesperson told FE Week today that the company hopes to reach agreements on ways to “avoid dismissals, reduce the numbers affected and mitigate impact”.

A statement to the press said: “The proposals are focused primarily on enabling functions, where duplication and inefficiency have been identified. Approximately 75 roles (6 per cent) are likely to be impacted by the proposals.

“No final decisions have been made. The organisation is now entering a formal consultation process to gather feedback, consider alternative approaches and ensure all perspectives are reviewed before any outcomes are confirmed.

“City & Guilds and PeopleCert remain focused on supporting learners, partners and employers, while continuing to modernise and strengthen long-term capability across the organisation.

“We recognise this will be a difficult and uncertain time for colleagues whose roles may be impacted and are committed to handling the process with care, fairness and respect.”

As well as the awarding business, City & Guilds runs three training providers – Gen2, Intertrain and Trade Skills 4U – which also transferred to PeopleCert but remain under the City & Guilds brand.

Starmer to ‘go much further’ on apprenticeships and SEND after election losses

Keir Starmer has pledged to “go much further” on investment in technical education, SEND and apprenticeships following Labour’s losses in last week’s local elections.

In a speech in London this morning, the prime minister acknowledged “frustration” in his leadership and committed to proving his “doubters” wrong through “urgency and pace” in his government’s agenda.

Echoing his September party conference speech, Starmer described technical education and apprenticeships as central to his “hope” agenda.

He said: “When I say every child should have the opportunity to go as far as their talent or effort takes them, I mean every child.

“I mean the kids who are growing up in poverty, the kids who have special educational needs, the kids who can’t get a job, and the kids who are ignored, frankly, because society often only puts those who go to university on a pedestal. We don’t really see anything else as success, and that is wrong, deeply wrong.

“So we will go much further on our investment in apprenticeships, in technical excellence colleges, in special educational needs.

“And we will make sure that kids whose talent lies with their hands, kids who go to college, kids ignored by the status quo because politicians’ kids don’t go there. They will finally get the respect that they deserve in a stronger, fairer Britain.’

Broken promises

Since Starmer described further education as a “defining mission” for the government, ministers have published the post-16 education and skills white paper, which introduced new vocational qualifications, apprenticeship units and level 1 English and maths courses.

But in March, “betrayed” college leaders accused the government of breaking its white paper pledge for real-terms funding rises for 16 to 19 year olds after it was announced the national funding rate for 16 and 17 year olds will only increase by 0.5 per cent in academic year 2026-27.

Education secretary Bridget Phillipson later told FE Week there was a welcome increase in the numbers of young people in education post-16, and the government will have “more to say” on funding.

This morning’s speech comes days before the state opening of parliament where the King’s speech reveals the legislation the government plans to introduce over the next 12 months.

It’s not clear whether Starmer’s latest commitment to technical education, SEND and apprenticeships will be among the legislation announced. Number 10 has been approached for comment.

ITPs squeezed out by pre-devolution pilot

National adult skills contracts will shrink from September as a portion of funding is handed to 20 local authorities for the second year of a pre-devolution trial.

The government’s “pathway to devolution pilot”, launched this academic year, is testing an “alternative approach” to formal devolution and helping councils prepare for full local control of Adult Skills Fund (ASF) cash by boosting their grant allocations.

Independent training providers holding national ASF delivery contracts have been told the pilot means their allocations will be reduced and they can no longer deliver in the 20 areas.

Officials said the funding reductions to national contracts, currently held by 45 ITPs, are needed to “avoid duplication” of delivery in the regions covered by the pilot, and to ensure value for money for taxpayers.

The national contract has halved from £77 million when it was first procured to 57 providers in 2023-24, to £37 million this academic year.

So far, 11 local authorities have been handed uplifts averaging 27 per cent, or £931,000, to their usual ASF allocations. Most of those areas are covered by combined authorities that will have devolved adult skills budgets from August this year.

ITP bosses told FE Week that while they supported giving local areas more control over adult education spending, handing additional funding to small authorities that lack skills commissioning expertise could result in a “waste of resource”.

Procuring adult skills contracts has caused headaches for both local and national government, often leading to legal disputes.

Future not clear

There is uncertainty over the future of central government commissioning of adult education.

ITPs holding a national contract are understood to have received indicative allocations for the 2026-27 academic year.

But the national delivery contract, launched in 2023 and thrice extended by one year, stipulates that its final possible extension is summer 2027.

It is unclear whether the government will try to use procurement rules to extend it again.

Last year, the Department for Education said ministers were contemplating re-procurement or taking an “alternative commissioning approach”. But its estimated March deadline for publishing a potential new tender passed by without an announcement.

The number of providers delivering a national contract has dropped from 57 in 2023-24 to 45 this year, with allocations of up to £2.5 million available per provider.

FE Week understands that ITPs still holding a contract have seen their allocations decrease by up to 90 per cent since the first year.

Luke Muscat, CEO of Leep Group, said some local authorities involved in the pilot may lack skills expertise for handing the extra funding.

He added: “It’s a couple of hundred thousand pounds given to an area and they’re asked to do something with this. I don’t think they are all equipped to manage it very well.

“In principle, I agree with the concept, but when it gets to a certain scale there is a question over whether it’s efficient for an individual entity or area to procure.

“How small or low should those allocations be allowed to get before it becomes a waste of resource?”

‘Business-as-usual’

Limited information has been published about the pathway to devolution pilot policy, as officials said they are allocating the funding through “business-as-usual processes”.

But a spokesperson for the Department for Work and Pensions, which now controls adult education policy, told FE Week the 20 councils in next year’s wave of the pilot were selected based on either their “proximity” to full devolution or their experience of procured adult skills delivery.

Local authorities involved will have the same autonomy to spend funding as with their current grant allocations, which usually involves direct delivery, partnerships or subcontracting arrangements.

The councils will not be required to meet the same detailed “readiness” criteria as newly devolved areas and will not have legal powers such as altering the government’s standard ASF rules, regulations and legal entitlements.

Analysis suggests that 15 of the councils involved in the pilot’s second year have joined, or plan to join, five new combined authorities over the next two years.

But five of the local authorities are yet to agree combined authority plans – with councils such as Milton Keynes, Luton, and North Northamptonshire still locked in a debate over which will “buddy up” to form a combined authority.

Leicester City Council is set to receive a 39 per cent budget increase to £5.8 million through the pilot.

According to figures set out in cabinet papers this month, West Sussex County Council has been offered an indicative increase of 39 per cent to £4.2 million, although a spokesperson claimed this figure was no longer accurate.

Most of the 11 local authorities involved this academic year told FE Week they were able to launch new delivery contracts by the start of the academic year in September.

They praised the pilot for helping them build a local supplier network, diversify the curriculum offer, and said it “strengthened alignment” with local labour market priorities.

All but two – Norfolk County Council and Suffolk County Council – have finalised adult skills devolution deals in place.

The government wants England to have a “complete national layer” of strategic authorities across England, which should include local control over adult skills.

Under confirmed devolution plans, 20 areas will control about 77 per cent of England’s £1.4 billion adult skills fund budget by the next academic year.

Cheating now worst in functional skills exams

Functional skills exams suffered more malpractice penalties than any other vocational or technical qualification after cases of cheating doubled in three years, figures reveal.

Meanwhile, plagiarism in non-academic courses has soared due to misuse of artificial intelligence – making it the joint most-common type of student malpractice reported for vocational qualifications alongside mobile phone misuse.

The findings were uncovered through ‘malpractice in vocational and technical qualifications’ statistics, published this week by Ofqual for the first time since 2021.

A spokesperson said “renewed interest” in the data, combined with the development of an updated methodology, prompted the exams regulator to resume publication.

Dysfunctional skills

Ofqual’s figures cover malpractice for the three academic years from 2022-23 to 2024-25 across “higher stakes” vocational qualification types, including those featuring in performance tables (PTQs) – comprising 720,000 certificates last year, and functional skills (FSQs) – comprising 326,000 certificates.

Student malpractice cases for PTQs fell from 1,345 in 2022-23 to 1,195 in 2024-25.

But cases of cheating in FSQs – alternative qualifications to English and maths GCSEs – soared from 610 to 1,385 in the same period.

Ofqual’s methodological change to the dataset means figures now relate only to malpractice cases that resulted in at least one penalty.

It is likely the figures don’t reflect the full extent of cheating, as some instances are not discovered, while others may have been investigated but did not result in a penalty due to a lack of evidence.

Pens down

‘Breach of examination rules and regulations’, which can refer to a student not following instructions such as continuing to write after being told to stop or not sitting in their designated seat, has consistently been the most common cause for FSQ penalties – accounting for 495 cases last year.

But the share is dropping. The percentage of student malpractice cases in this category fell from 61.7 per cent in 2022-23 to 35.5 per cent in 2024-25.

The spike in overall FSQ penalties has been fuelled by cases where students ‘fail to abide by the conditions of supervision designated to maintain the security of the examinations’, such as leaving an exam early or removing scripts from the examination room. Such cases rocketed from 20, or 2.9 per cent, to 480, or 34.6 per cent, over the three-year period.

Meanwhile, the inclusion of “inappropriate offensive or obscene material in scripts, coursework or portfolios” was also a rising cause of student penalties in FSQs, rising from 10 to 25.

The findings chime with an FE Week investigation from 2024 that found soaring numbers of suspensions and permanent exclusions in colleges due to a rise in challenging behaviour post-pandemic.

Ofqual said it does not hold data on the reasons behind trends in malpractice but added that increased reporting doesn’t necessarily mean more malpractice is occurring, and may reflect improvements in detection.

Rise of the robots

Mobile phone misuse continues to be the most common reason for student penalties in PTQs – accounting for 420 cases last year – but the proportion fell from 40.6 per cent of all student malpractice in 2022-23 to 34.3 per cent in 2024-25.

Plagiarism also surged to account for 34.3 per cent of cases last year, up from 4.8 per cent three years ago.

Ofqual provided a breakdown of plagiarism that includes and excludes the “misuse of artificial intelligence” for the first time.

Of the 420 cases in PTQs last year, 320 (77.2 per cent) were due to AI abuse. For functional skills, misuse of AI accounted for 92.7 per cent (50 cases).

Malpractice involving mobile phones for FSQs hit 135 cases last year, up from 105 in both prior years.

Ofqual’s chief regulator Sir Ian Bauckham this week urged students not to take mobile phones or smart devices into exam halls as the summer 2026 exam series begins, warning that doing so puts their qualifications at “serious risk”.

“Do not become one of those statistics and risk your qualification and your future prospects. Keep your phone out of the exam hall,” he said.

Debarment department

The most common type of penalty issued to students in PTQs last year was ‘loss of marks’, accounting for 515 cases, a fall from 570 in 2022-23.

For functional skills, ‘loss of aggregation or certification opportunity’ accounted for most penalties – 735 cases last year compared to just 115 three years prior.

Loss of aggregation or certification can include “debarment”, which was applied to 10 FSQ students last year. Most cases, 710, resulted in disqualification from an FSQ unit.

Malpractice what you preach

Penalties handed to staff for PTQs fell significantly from 280 in 2023-24 to 180 last year. The number of malpractice cases involving whole centres (individual colleges and training providers) for PTQs also dropped from 155 to 130 over the same period.

But malpractice cases involving functional skills staff increased from 45 to 50, and penalties for FSQ centres rose from 30 to 45.

Staff and centre penalties for both qualification types were mostly driven by maladministration, which generally constitutes mistakes or poor process where there is no intention to do harm.

No time or money for overseas activity, say colleges

College leaders have warned they are too stretched to deliver on the government’s £40 billion international education ambition.

FE colleges risk being unable to sustain international activity due to funding pressures, red tape and staff shortages, according to research from the Association of Colleges.

The AoC’s annual international survey covering 2024-25 found 69 per cent of the 80 responding colleges carried out some form of international work, up from 51 per cent the previous year.

But over half of colleges cited lack of funding as the single biggest obstacle to international activity, followed by accommodation availability and staff capacity issues.

The proportion of colleges actively employing dedicated international staff tumbled from 80 per cent to 64 per cent in just one year.

International activity includes overseas visits, attracting foreign students, running summer and winter schools, and operating campuses overseas.

The findings come months after the government published a new international education strategy, which aims to grow UK education exports to £40 billion a year by 2030.

The strategy removed targets on international student numbers in the UK and aimed to ditch recruitment barriers to students coming and leaving the UK and obstacles to market expansion.

But the AoC warned that policy restrictions are stopping colleges from investing in their international growth.

FE’s share of education exports accounts for £0.32 billion of the £32.29 billion in total UK exports.

Soaring cost of funding trips

The report also found oversubscriptions to the Turing international placement programme, which is soon to be replaced by Erasmus.

FE colleges have consistently sent more disadvantaged students on trips through the Turing scheme than schools or universities.

But the report said high demand had placed a strain on accommodating disadvantaged students and those with additional needs.

“For many colleges, it is becoming increasingly challenging to cover costs of flights and accommodation with the funding allocated,” the AoC said.

The report also noted a year-on-year decline in engagement with the British Council, the Department for Business and Trade and student recruitment agencies that colleges rely on for in-country support.

Funding challenges were further aggravated by the 2022 reclassification of colleges into the public sector which meant they could no longer privately borrow money.

The college membership body also said disparities still exist between students on level 4 and 5 technical and vocational qualifications, who are not offered the same teaching hours and student work permissions as those on degree-level courses.

The report warned Brexit had made recruiting staff from abroad “more expensive and complicated”. Colleges made just 93 hires across the entire sector using the skilled worker visa route.

“Further complications could arise from the government’s proposed ‘earned settlement’ scheme …which significantly risks recruitment of skilled support staff within colleges,” the report said.

Nina Chorzelewski, policy manager at the Association of Colleges, said: “We know that colleges continue to feel exposed in a volatile market where risks may outweigh the benefits that come with international work.

“This work is important because there is a risk that this increasingly complex and challenging environment will discourage participation in international activities, which will not only hinder achievement of the export target set out in the International Education Strategy but will limit the wider benefits that global engagement brings.

“As we live in an increasingly globally connected but politically turbulent world, creating and maintaining opportunities for international engagement has never been more important. International engagement fosters cross-cultural understanding, enhances employability skills and enriches learning through opening up diverse perspectives.”

The government was approached for comment.

Scheme digs foundations to woo builders into FE

Two million pounds has been pumped into the test phase of a scheme to recruit construction workers as part-time FE college teachers.

Thirteen combined authorities are participating in a pilot for the government’s FE Teacher Industry Exchange Programme (TIE) ahead of its full £20 million rollout set to take place over the next three years.

A “test and learn” phase that runs until July is being staged in devolved areas such as London, York and North Yorkshire, and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

Combined authorities are expected to broker partnerships between colleges and construction employers and facilitate up to 90 teaching days from industry experts.

The project seeks to tackle FE’s worsening recruitment crisis, particularly in high-demand subjects such as construction, and support the delivery of the government’s 1.5 million homes.

Nearly one in 10 construction teaching positions were vacant in 2022-23. College pay was at least 3 per cent lower than that of construction industry professionals in 2021, and has probably fallen further behind since then.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves committed £20 million last March to “form partnerships between colleges and construction companies” as part of the government’s wider £600 million construction skills package.

Ministers also pumped £100 million into 10 FE colleges with construction ‘technical excellence college’ status to train 40,000 workers by 2029.

The TIE pilot marks the first launch of the two-way exchange between industry and FE, which was first floated in the skills for jobs white paper in 2021 but never materialised. The idea resurfaced in last year’s skills white paper.

The Department for Education issued £2 million to the 13 combined authorities to test the programme.

Ministers will then distribute £6 million annually over the next three years via several funding streams.

Seven combined authorities have been awarded allocations until the 2028-29 through integrated settlements, totalling an annual £1.4 million.

DfE is set to confirm funding for non-integrated settlement mayoral and strategic authorities in due course.

Construction technical excellence colleges in non-devolved areas will also be allocated money to act as brokers in their areas.

DfE did not provide a published breakdown of the non-devolved funding.

Pilot takes off

The Greater London Authority received £223,212 for the test pilot. A “significant” proportion of this will be spent on mobilising relationships to support getting construction workers into FE settings.

The authority also awarded an additional £80,000 to New City College, the city’s construction technical excellence college, to coordinate employer brokerage across the region, and £40,000 to a careers hub to scale up its existing FE teacher industry placements.

It will also pay employers around £275 per day to “reflect local wage differentials” and engage businesses to release employees for training.

The London pilot is aiming for 90 teaching days to be delivered by July.

York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority accepted £186,881 from the DfE while Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) was handed £137,907.

CPCA said it would use the pilot to link the TIE scheme with its own construction industry placement programme, which takes on interns for six weeks at building sites. The combined authority said it would also “embed industry expertise” by seconding a construction expert.

CPCA has targeted 72 teaching days for construction professionals to receive teaching masterclasses and mentoring sessions.

The “exchange” part of the pilot will coordinate construction site visits and industry update sessions for existing FE construction teachers in the district.

The DfE has not yet published a full grant determination letter or programme guidance document.

Unions win planning time for sixth form teachers

Sixth form college teachers have secured a contractual right to ‘planning time’ following union negotiations.

The National Education Union (NEU) said planning, preparation and assessment (PPA) time had been added to sixth form teacher terms and conditions, despite the protection existing in schools since 2005.

FE Week understands that though there will be no set percentage figure, during PPA time teachers should not be asked to carry out other duties and may be able to work away from the college site where appropriate.

Other principles the NEU and NASUWT have agreed with the Sixth Form College Association (SFCA) include a ‘rarely cover’ provision and parameters around the use of ‘directed time’.

Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said the “improvements” would address college workloads which have “steadily ticked upwards” and are a significant driver of the education sector’s retention and recruitment challenges.

He added: “New workload principles will go a long way toward ensuring that teacher workloads are fair and balanced, whereas the enshrining of directed time in colleges at a time in which it is under threat in schools is an important step in the right direction for the sector.

“This workload win is down to the resolve of NEU sixth form college teachers to stand firm until their conditions improved, as well as a mark of the success of the effective dialogue between unions and employers that the sectoral collective bargaining structure in sixth form colleges facilitates.”

The agreement on workload conditions comes as part of the 2025-26 pay round. Negotiations over next academic year’s pay are due to start this summer.

The ‘rarely cover’ principle limits the level of cover teachers can provide for absent colleagues to ‘only rarely’ and in circumstances that are ‘not foreseeable’ where it is not possible to bring in a supply teacher.

An NEU spokesperson told FE Week the ‘directed time’ principles set out how the 1,265 hours of directed time that teachers are subject to should be calculated and includes a list of what should be included, such as meetings outside the college day and “trapped time”.

The union said PPA had existed in schools since 2005, but although some colleges have varying amounts of ‘desk time’ there has never been a national equivalent across sixth form colleges.

‘Rarely cover’ provision has existed in schools since 2009, they added.

Graham Baird, director of HR services at SFCA said: “SFCA is pleased that college and union representatives have worked closely together and succeeded in agreeing a way forward that both addresses the workload demands on teachers and protects the learning needs of students.

“Colleges across the sector fully engage with the issue of teacher workload and working time and continue to make every effort to support teachers and support staff in delivering a high-quality education for their students.”

Baird added that the newly agreed set of principles reflect colleges’ “commitment” to addressing the concerns and needs of hard-working teachers.

Staff to strike at UK’s biggest exam board

Staff at the UK’s biggest exam board have voted to strike this summer over pay as AQA say results will not be delayed.

UNISON said staff at board were angry bosses had “failed” to deliver a promise for pay deals that “compensate for years of wages failing to keep up with living costs”.

Seventy-seven per cent of members who took part in a vote on whether to strike voted in favour of action. The ballot closed on 23 April.

The union warned that students could face a longer wait for their GCSE and A Level results this summer if the strikes went ahead.

But the AQA accused it of “attempting to alarm students, teachers and parents, for their own purposes”, and said it would “not allow results to be delayed”.

Jane Warburton, UNISON’s north west regional organiser, said staff “don’t want to have to take strike action”, but “they’re not prepared to let bosses break promises they’ve made over pay”.

“After years of watching their wages fail to keep up with the cost of living, they want things to be put right.

“There’s still time for the AQA to avoid any disruption. But they need to swiftly change tack and start talking to staff about how to get these issues resolved.”

AQA ‘disappointed’

A spokesperson for the AQA said it was “disappointed” that the union had threatened to strike, and that it had had “open and constructive negotiations with them since last autumn”.

“We will not allow results to be delayed – indeed, we can assure those sitting AQA qualifications that the summer exam series will be delivered smoothly.”

They added that it awarded all staff a “generous pay increase” above inflation last April. Ninety per cent received a rise of at least 4 per cent, which the AQA said was “a good offer given that we are a charity”.

They said fewer than 20 per cent of staff overall voted in favour of a strike, “meaning that the vast majority agree that this a fair pay increase”.

Assessors, exam paper authors and customer service staff will take part in the strikes, which will affect the exam board’s Manchester headquarters, as well as its offices in Guildford and Milton Keynes. The dates have not been formalised.

AQA staff previously went on strike on GCSE and A Level results days in 2022.

The AQA sets more than half of GCSE and A Level papers taken in England, with about 1.4 million students sitting their qualifications every year.