Pre-T Level course flops in first year

Just one in seven of the first students who studied a course designed to prepare them for T Levels chose to progress on to a full T Level, FE Week can reveal.   

English and maths requirements, a lack of suitable work placements and more attractive qualification offers have all been cited as factors in the low transition rate.   

It comes as the government ploughs ahead with controversial plans to defund alternative level 3 qualifications, such as BTECs, that overlap with T Levels, from 2024.   

Ministers have been urged by unions to reverse the “rash” cuts to alternative T Level courses amid the “very concerning” figures.   

But college leaders, along with the Department for Education, insist it is too early to write off the course and blamed Covid-19 for the low transition rate.   

Just 14% of pre-T Level students move on to full T Level

The T Level Transition Programme (TLTP) is a one-year post-GCSE study course aimed at students who would like to do a T Level but are not quite ready for its academic and technical demands. The programme’s primary purpose is to move students on to a full T Level.   

Figures obtained by FE Week following a freedom of information request show that 847 students started a T Level transition programme in 2020, of whom 118, or 14 per cent, went on to start a full T Level the following year.   

A further 277 students from the first TLTP cohort chose to progress on to other level 3 courses, such as BTECs, or an advanced or higher-level apprenticeship.   

The transition programme was rolled out in parallel with the first three T Levels – in construction, digital and education, and childcare – in 2020. Thirty-two colleges and schools delivered the TLTP in 2020/21 and it is currently being delivered by around 70 providers this academic year.   

Colleges that spoke to FE Week, most of whom did not want to be named, said the academically rigorous nature of T Levels, namely requirements around English and maths, was the key reason for why students opted to not go on to study a full T Level.   

Students were originally required to achieve either a grade 4 in English and maths GCSE or level 2 in functional skills to pass their T Level programme. But this exit requirement was removed mid-way through the first cohort, in November 2021, after the DfE “consistently” heard of some students being put off taking a T Level because of the rule.   

T Level students are now only required to work towards the attainment of maths and English if they have not already achieved grade 4 at GCSE, as they do on other 16-to-19 programmes.   

Colleges are free to set their own entry requirements, but research has found that many require students to already hold a grade 4 in English and maths.   

One of those colleges is HCUC (Harrow College & Uxbridge College). The college had 52 students complete the T Level transition programme in 2020/21, but only one chose to move on to a full T Level. The rest opted instead for a BTEC in digital, and an apprenticeship or one-year level 3 alternative in early years.   

An HCUC spokesperson said the college’s aim with the transition programme was to enable students “to develop the widest skills-set available, based on their individual talents and challenges, to ensure their progression options are as flexible as possible and meet their needs as closely as possible”.  

Numerous other colleges reported that transition students opted for more practical courses with less focus on exams, partly because of the Covid-19 pandemic.   

As part of the TLTP, students are expected to undertake “appropriate work experience activities” to prepare them for the mandatory 45-day minimum industry placement component of a full T Level.   

Research conducted by the NFER on behalf of the DfE was published this week and reported that “very few” students were able to secure placements in the first year of the transition programme because of Covid, which put them off going for a full T Level.   

‘We cannot judge the programme on the basis of one year of data’ 

Catherine Sezen, senior policy manager at the Association of Colleges, said: “Given the impact of Covid on the first cohort of students embarking on the T Level transition programme, it is too early to write off the programme.”   

She added that the AoC believes overall progression from the transition programme was “positive” and recommended that progression outcomes “are evaluated over the next couple of years as more T Level are being introduced”.   

But Jo Grady, general secretary of the University and College Union, said the government should find the figures obtained by FE Week “very concerning”.   

“It is yet more evidence that the government has made a rash decision in stripping away funding for tried and tested level 3 qualifications like BTECs,” she added. “If the government cares about student choice and opportunity, it needs to reverse the BTEC cuts and stop dictating disastrous policy that runs against the advice of the sector.” 

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said the data shows that embarking on a T Level requires a “very big commitment from the student concerned”.   

“We are sure T Levels will be a very good option for students confident about their future careers, but this is not the case for many young people, and this is why we have repeatedly argued that a full suite of BTECs and other applied general qualifications should be retained to give young people a range of options,” he added.   

The DfE agreed with Sezen: “We cannot judge the programme on the basis of one year of data. The first year of delivery is likely to have been atypical for a number of reasons. This is a new programme, T Levels themselves are new, and providers will still be learning what works in supporting students to progress on to T Levels.   

“It was also introduced amid the pandemic, which will have impacted on students and the delivery of the programme. Progression to T Levels may not therefore be representative, and we will continue monitoring T Level progression for subsequent cohorts.” 

AoC raises college staff pay recommendation – but only to 2.25%

College staff should be given a 2.25 per cent pay rise next year, the Association for Colleges has recommended.

This is the highest pay recommendation since 2014, but well below the call from unions for a 10 per cent rise.

The joint trade unions – University and College Union, National Education Union, Unison, Unite and GMB – have rejected the offer, calling it “insulting”.

AoC, which negotiates with unions representing staff on behalf of college, said it recognises that a 2.25 per cent salary increase is not sufficient to address the impact of the cost-of-living crisis.

But the association said it could not recommend a higher rate for 2022/23 due to the “enormous funding pressures” facing colleges amid surging inflation.

The AoC and the unions are set to reconvene in June to continue talks.

‘Colleges want to pay their staff more’

AoC chief executive David Hughes wrote to education secretary Nadhim Zahawi earlier this week to plead for emergency funding so that colleges can increase their pay offer.

After making a 2.25 per cent pay recommendation, Hughes said: “Colleges want to pay their staff more, and they absolutely would if they could, but it is clear from discussions last week that they are experiencing enormous challenges dealing with inflation, and particularly spiralling energy prices, as well as increases in national insurance and pension contributions and other costs.

“The impact of this is that pay – which has lagged for many years behind schools and industry – is now resulting in major difficulties in recruiting and retaining the people needed to even maintain delivery, let alone grow the offer.”

He added: “Colleges are reeling from a decade of cuts and are now being hit by soaring inflation which has eaten away at any recent uptick in funding.”

The gap between school and college teachers currently stands at around £9,000.

The AoC has repeatedly recommended a 1 per cent pay increase for staff over the past five years much to the protest of unions which have in turn launched numerous strikes.

Last year’s spending review announced that the DfE will be investing an extra £1.6 billion in 16-to-19 education and training by 2024/25, compared with the 2021/22 financial year. This includes an up-front cash boost which will see the rate of funding per student boosted by over 8 per cent in 2022/23.

Hughes said these funding decisions for 2022/23 assume 2 per cent inflation for 16-18 courses and 0 per cent for everything else (adult education, apprenticeships and higher education) which is some way off the current 9 per cent inflation.

But after receiving this latest pay offer, the joint unions said: “The employer body has chosen not to use significant increases in core central government 16 – 19 funding to invest in college staff, despite unions campaigning alongside AoC to secure it.

“The unions have unequivocally rejected the offer from AoC and informed the employer body that they plan to move to ballot.  

“AoC have been encouraged to return with a much improved offer to ensure college staff are not forced to take industrial action this Autumn term. The unions agree that they will continue to engage in negotiations while making plans for action.”

Gerry McDonald, chief executive of New City College, who leads discussions on behalf of colleges, said: “We fully recognise the financial difficulties faced by staff across the sector alongside the funding crisis of the sector itself.

“I am pleased that both sides have agreed to continue face to face talks in June to build upon the offer. We have also made a commitment to strengthen recommendations regarding the Living Wage and to workload.”

Controversy as Liverpool City Region hands adult education budget contracts to ‘out-of-area’ providers

The mayoral authority in Liverpool has defended the outcome of a recent adult education budget (AEB) tender after receiving complaints that many “out-of-area” providers won contracts.

Sixteen training providers won procured contracts in the Liverpool City Region’s latest AEB competition, which concluded last week and was worth £70 million in total over the next five years.   

This is a reduction on the 19 training providers with procured contracts in the last bidding round in 2019, but still equates to the same level of funding – £14 million per year.   

However over half of the current providers, who were successful in the previous tender, have not been awarded contracts this time. A network of providers for the area said the results “throw into very sharp focus some worrying trends and concerns for learning providers locally”.   

The Greater Merseyside Learning Providers Federation (GMLPF) claimed that only eight of the 16 winning providers are “headquartered here or have strong local roots” in a statement to Liverpool mayor Steve Rotheram (pictured).   

GMLPF chief executive Ian Lomas said the results reveal a “worrying reliance on, and shift towards, contracting with larger, national and out-of-area learning providers”. The loss of local knowledge and expertise will, his federation believes, erode the Liverpool provider base and the region’s ability to respond to local skills needs – the opposite effect of what devolution of the AEB was intended.   

His analysis alleges that some of the winning providers are traditionally placed in areas like Birmingham, Manchester and even as far as Barking, London.   

One training provider in Liverpool who lost their AEB contract in this tender, who did not wish to be named, told FE Week they are now having to shut down and make 22 local people redundant.   

‘The main goal of devolution is to put local people in the lead’

Sue Pember, the policy director at adult education provider network HOLEX, warned that using out-of-area providers “is a major issue and undermines localism and the levelling up agenda”.   

She told FE Week: “The main goal of devolution is to put local people in the lead and building and strengthening local infrastructure and institutions. The key to strengthening localities is government funding should stay in the intended area, that it goes to fund local salaries, local services and businesses and, if there is a delivery gap, local institutions are supported to capacity build and fill that gap.”   

Defending the tender outcome, a spokesperson for the Liverpool City Region said their officers carried out a “fair, rigorous, and transparent procurement process, as required by law, using anonymised bids, skilled evaluators, and a robust moderation process”.   

The spokesperson said the “majority” of the 16 successful providers have a history of delivery in the Liverpool City Region through either devolved AEB funding, Department for Work and Pensions funding, ESFA funded provision or other funding streams such as skills bootcamps.   

“The combined authority has a limited pot of money to spend on skills and must award contracts to the organisations that submit the best bids, demonstrating the best value for money for local people,” they added. “Unfortunately, the nature of procurement exercises of this scale means that some applicants will not be successful.”   

The spokesperson also said the combined authority expects some of the unsuccessful bidders to continue to deliver training in the city region as subcontractors – a practice that central government and other AEB devolved areas like London are trying to significantly reduce.   

Lomas said his federation has already heard of successful out-of-area providers contacting unsuccessful local providers to help deliver their programmes on a subcontract basis – pointing out that subcontracting often comes with a high management fee cost that diverts funding from reaching local residents.   

Liverpool City Region took control of the AEB for its area, worth over £54 million annually, in 2019. The remainder of the budget is allocated to grant-funded training providers like colleges. 

Sue Pember

It was one of six combined authorities to join the Greater London Authority in securing the first devolution deals for adult education funding. 

Pember said that going forward, combined authorities should only use out-of-area providers where they can “demonstrate that local institutions cannot fill that gap”.   

This way, she added, funding “stays in the area and goes to support local salaries, institutions and businesses, which in turn will help build and sustain strong communities and grow the local economy”.   

But Jane Hickie, chief executive of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, defended the use of national providers within combined authority areas.   

“Commissioning for devolved adult education budgets should be about establishing which providers can best meet local need and have a strong track record of delivery – regardless of where they are primarily based,” she said.   

“By their very nature independent training providers are agile in their approach and can quickly meet the needs of learners and employers in the locality.” 

List of Liverpool AEB tender winners:

Vocational Skills Solutions Limited

Realise Learning and Employment Limited

The Growth Company Limited

Genesis Training Group

Crosby Management Training Ltd

Innovative Alliance Ltd

Back 2 Work Complete Training

NetCom Training Ltd

PeoplePlus Group Ltd

Total Training Provision Ltd

Northwest Education & Training Ltd

Aspire Education Academy Ltd

The Learning Foundry

Women’s Technology Training Limited

St Helens Chamber

Waltham International College Ltd

Who’s deciding the future of BTECs? Secrecy surrounds DfE’s ‘independent assessors’

Ministers have been criticised for refusing to publish details about a team of “independent assessors” who have been tasked with deciding the future of thousands of BTECs and other level 3 courses.   

The first provisional list of qualifications that the Department for Education deems to overlap with the first ten T Levels and face being defunded was finally published earlier this month. 

In total, just 160 vocational and technical qualifications – including 38 BTECs – of a possible 2,000 courses that were evaluated now face being axed, from 2024. More courses will be removed in future years.   

An impact assessment report showed there are 66,000 enrolments on the courses, 27 per cent of which are students deemed to be the “most disadvantaged”.   

Appeals guidance for awarding bodies revealed that the DfE commissioned “independent assessors” to evaluate the qualifications against three “tests”. But no other information has been released about exactly who these independent assessors are, who are making huge decisions on qualifications sat by tens of thousands of students.   

Vicky Foxcroft MP challenged skills minister Alex Burghart on this issue in the House of Commons this week, asking him to “confirm who these assessors actually are”.   

But the minister refused to say anything other than telling the MP that the DfE has a “range of independent assessors who are going through the processes”.   

The DfE told FE Week that six “experts” have been recruited to evaluate the qualifications in total. A spokesperson said the independent assessors were “selected based on relevant experience and expertise, such as qualification design, development, delivery “and assessment approaches”.   

But the department refused to say anything further or commit to publishing details about their experience, jobs or how they were recruited.   

Sector leaders have called for more transparency due to the “significant” public interest.   

Bill Watkin, chief executive of the Sixth Form Colleges Association, said: “It is asking a lot of six individuals to review hundreds of qualifications across a range of sectors in what was likely a very constrained timeframe. This process should be practitioner-led, with input from staff in colleges that have a recent, successful track record in qualification delivery.   

“We would be happy to suggest practitioners who would be willing to support the department’s independent assessors in making these high-stakes decisions, particularly as determining overlap with wave 3 and 4 T Levels will be an even bigger and more complex task.”   

Tom Bewick, who heads up the Federation of Awarding Bodies, has written to Burghart on the issue.   

In his letter, seen by FE Week, Bewick said: “I hope you would agree, the department needs to build maximum trust and public confidence in this process. Not least, the provisional list is subject to appeal, so it is reasonable for awarding organisations, employers and wider sector stakeholders affected, to want to understand how a particular decision has been arrived at and by whom.    

“Without this kind of information being made freely and publicly available, it is hard to see how the public can be fully confident in the process.”   

The three tests that qualifications needed to meet to be deemed to “overlap” with T Levels were:   

  1. Is the qualification technical, in that its primary purpose aims to support entry to employment in a specific occupational area(s)? 
  1. Are the outcomes of the qualification similar to those set out in an occupational standard covered by a T Level? 
  1. Does the qualification aim to support entry to the same occupation as a T Level?   

The DfE said independent assessors not involved in the original decision will consider any appeals made by awarding bodies to “maintain the objectivity and independence in the process”.   

Awarding organisations have until July 8 to submit appeals. 

City and Guilds-owned apprenticeship provider falls two Ofsted grades

A large apprenticeship provider for the engineering, nuclear and manufacturing sectors has been downgraded by Ofsted from ‘outstanding’ to ‘requires improvement’ after going more than a decade without inspection.   

Gen2 Engineering and Technology Training Ltd, which was bought by the City & Guilds Group in 2017, received the judgment in a critical report published this week that found too many learners were “dissatisfied with their training”.   

The provider’s board was criticised for being primarily focused on financial outcomes instead of holding leaders to account and improving the quality of education.   

Gen2 is based in West Cumbria and was established in June 2000 by five international companies, for which it now provides training as well as for the wider Cumbrian business community.   

At the time of the inspection, there were 1,265 apprentices studying levels 2 to 6 apprenticeship standards. There were also 11 adults on level 2 traineeship programmes studying teaching assistant and business administration specialisms.   

The provider was last inspected in 2011 and achieved a grade one at the time. Ofsted this year began inspection of ‘outstanding’ providers for the first time since 2010 after an exemption was lifted.   

Inspectors found that quality has worsened for Gen2. “Half of the young people on access to apprenticeship programmes told inspectors that they feel their course was disorganised,” the inspection report said.   

“They do not know when they will complete the work experience part of the programme, know what progress they are making or if they are on target to achieve their qualification on time.”   

Apprentices, who demonstrate positive attitudes to their learning, are unhappy with “frequent changes” of teachers, and those who know they are behind on their learning feel tutors have not supported them to catch up.   

Senior leaders were praised by Ofsted for developing a “clear strategy to meet the skills requirements of the employers they serve and those needed in the region” and for designing a curriculum that “allows most learners and apprentices to progressively develop new knowledge, skills and behaviours”.   

But inspectors found that leaders and managers have ultimately not ensured that all learners and apprentices receive “consistently high-quality training”. This is because leaders “do not have sufficient oversight of the quality of education for most learning programmes”.   

Staff do have appropriate skills and experience to carry out their roles but leaders do not focus enough on the development of teachers’ teaching skills, Ofsted warned.   

The watchdog also found that information on Gen2’s e-portfolio system “is inaccurate” and leaders do not ensure “effective assessments” are carried out at the start of their programme to determine their level of prior learning.   

Inspectors also reported that assessors do not sufficiently plan and coordinate on- and off-the-job training for apprentices.   

Additionally, governance arrangements are “not effective” as leaders are “not held to account for the quality of education they provide”. The board’s focus “has been primarily on finance as opposed to improving the quality of education for learners and apprentices”.   

Leaders have now put in place a new governance board.   

Amanda Towers, Gen2’s managing director, said her provider is working “swiftly to address the areas for improvement identified” by Ofsted.   

She claimed that Gen2 has “very high success rates”, with an apprenticeship achievement rate of 79.1 per cent and over 90 per cent of learners progressing directly into employment or further/higher education. These results “buck the national trend, with Gen2’s achievement and progression rates rising during the pandemic, in the face of a substantial fall nationally ̶ something we are extremely proud of”.   

Towers added: “Our customers and learners, and their families, can rest assured that we continue to be committed to delivering excellence in everything that we do and that we will work swiftly to address the areas for improvement identified by Ofsted.” 

80 winners scoop silver at the 2022 Pearson National Teaching Awards

Outstanding teachers, support staff and school and college leaders from across the UK have been honoured for their commitment to changing the lives of their pupils.

A total of 80 winners have scooped silver awards in the annual Pearson National Teaching Awards. The names have been announced to coincide with national Thank a Teacher day.

The silver award winners (full list below) will now be shortlisted to win one of 16 gold awards.

The winners of the final will be announced in the autumn on The One Show, in a week-long celebration of education which sees famous faces honour award winners every night in the run up to the ceremony.

Education secretary Nadhim Zahawi said the work that education staff do across the country “has never been more important, and so it is only right that we take this day to celebrate them”.

“The incredible educators who support our children and young people to achieve their potential are some of the finest in the world and I feel privileged to work with them.

“I want to thank them all for everything they do for their students, their communities and for the country as a whole.”

Dame Helen Mirren, David Walliams, Dame Joanna Lumley, Edith Bowman, Rob Biddulph and Emilia Fox are among those calling on the country to pay tribute to school and college staff today.

Michael Morpurgo, the author and president of the Teaching Awards Trust, said: “For so many of us, it was someone at school who changed our lives, was at our side through hard and difficult times, who lifted us up when we were down, helped us find our voice, gave us confidence when we needed it most, and set us on a path that we have followed ever since.

“No matter who we are, school has touched our lives and played a central role in our childhoods. School is about so much more than learning, and we see that now more than ever before. Schools really are the beating heart of our communities.”

Here’s the full list of silver winners.

The Award for FE Lecturer of the Year, supported by the Department for Education

Dominic Whelan, Sandwell College

Ivor Neill, North West Regional College

Jacqueline Turner, North West Regional College

Sean Patterson, Farnborough College of Technology

Steph Lee-Vae, The Bedford College Group

The Award for FE Team of the Year, supported by the Department for Education

The Additional Learning Support (ALS) Team, The Oldham College

The Motor Vehicle Team, The Bedford College Group

The NWRC Level 3 Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma in Health Studies Team, North West Regional College

The Award for Teacher of the Year in a Primary School, supported by Randstad Education

Abi Hopson, St Nicholas Church of England Primary School

Amy Earl, Newport Primary School

Kira Redmond, St. Peter’s C E Primary, Farnworth

Melanie Burgess, Lincoln Birchwood Junior School

Nicola Richards, Caegarw Primary School

Nicole Alexandru, Millbrook Primary School Nursery Class

Philippa Jovanovic, Coughton CofE Primary School

Rebecca Murton, Castercliff Primary Academy

The Award for Teacher of the Year in a Secondary School, supported by Nord Anglia

Caitlin Hayward, The Hertfordshire & Essex High School and Science College

Cathy Bowen, Woodkirk Academy

Esmeralda Salgado, King’s Ely

Michelle Butler, Hockerill Anglo-European College

Sarah Maile, Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College

Susan Sharpe, Southam College

Tara Hall, Fir Vale School

The Award for Headteacher of the Year in a Primary School, supported by Hays Education

Helen Stott, Allerton CE Primary School

Hilary Cook, Highfields Primary School

Steven Brown, Clwyd Community Primary School

The Award for Headteacher of the Year in a Secondary School, supported by Hays Education

Andrew O’Neill, All Saints Catholic College

Andy Johnson, Maiden Erlegh School in Reading

Ann Webb, Ysgol John Bright

Grainne McLaughlin, The Gateway Academy

Homeira Zakary, George Eliot Academy

John Weir, Holywell High School / Ysgol Treffynnon

The Award for Lifetime Achievement, supported by the Department for Education

Angela Williams, Huddersfield New College

Carolyn Robson, The Mead Educational Trust

Jackie Gray, Outwood Primary Academy Ledger Lane

Neville Beischer, Wright Robinson College

Nicholas Capstick OBE, Drove Primary School

Sukhbir Farar, Hamstead Hall Academy

The Award for Unsung Hero

Bill Charnley, St Joseph’s RC High School

Carolynn Southcombe, Cottingham CofE Primary School

Christan Upton, Tarleton Community Primary School

Juliet Demetriou, Woodpecker Hall Academy

Matt Sanderson, Highlees Primary School

Nicki Burgess, Welland Park Academy

Rachel Andrews, Lordswood School

The Award for Outstanding New Teacher of the Year, supported by the Department for Education

Jack Andrews, Middlestown Primary Academy

Rebecca Spence, West Kirby Residential School

Sarah Walker, Carlton Mills Primary formerly Lister Primary School

Simon Wheatcroft, Outwood Academy Adwick

The Award for Teaching Assistant of the Year

Arlene Dilloway, Latton Green Primary Academy

Danielle Aubrey, Moorcroft School

Esta Bernardini, University Academy Keighley

Margaret Mullan, St Mary’s Grammar School

The Award for Making a Difference – Primary School of the Year, supported by PiXL

Marshfield Primary School, Bradford

Port Ellen Primary School, Isle of Islay

St Mary’s CE Primary School, Stoke on Trent

The Award for Making a Difference – Secondary School of the Year, supported by PiXL

Alperton Community School, Wembley

Limavady High School

Northampton Academy

Our Lady & St. Patrick’s High School, Dumbarton

Regent High School, London

The Award for Impact through Partnership

Inspiring Change: Collaboration between Whitefield School, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust & Royal Central school of Speech and Drama – Whitefield School

KYRA – Mount Street Academy

Royal Opera House: Create and Dance Partnership in Coventry – Earlsdon Primary School

VI6 – Clacton County High School

The Award for Excellence in Special Needs Education

Andrew Sanders, Moorcroft School

Ben Rowe, Chiltern Way Academy Prestwood Campus

Helen Shepherd, Royal School for the Deaf Derby

Janice Mitchell, Appleford School

The Award for Digital Innovator of the Year, supported by Nord Anglia

Alex More, Shaftesbury School

Cheryl Shirley, Cheam Common Junior Academy

Fiona Mossman, Mearns Primary School

Jenny Hinton, Parkdale Primary School

Kalam Neale, Barnsley College

Sarah Clark, Queen Anne High School Dunfermline

The Award for Early Years Team of the Year, supported by the Department for Education

The Early Years Team at Dollymixtures Nursery

The Early Years Team at Over The Rainbow Day Nursery

The Early Years Team at Redgate Community Primary School

The Early Years Team at Wellfield Infant and Nursery School

The Forest School Team at Watermead Day Nursery

Williamson provided wine and mince pies for DfE lockdown Xmas party

Fifty staff were invited to “festive drinks” in the Department for Education canteen during lockdown two years ago, with then education secretary Gavin Williamson providing wine and mince pies.

At the time, London was in tier 2 lockdown, where gatherings of two or more people indoors continued to be prohibited unless an exception applied. For instance, where the gathering was “reasonably necessary for work purposes”.

A report by senior civil servant Sue Gray says that in early December 2020, DfE began planning an event to “thank members of staff who had been working in the office during the pandemic”.

Sue Gray

It was discussed between “senior officials” in the DfE and Williamson, who asked members of his private office to make arrangements.

Gray says the event was going to be held in the private office working area, but officials decided to move it to the canteen on the basis it is a “well-ventilated space that would permit easier social distancing”.

On December 7 at 3.52pm, an email was sent from Williamson’s private office internally, inviting “approximately 50 staff” including private office and departmental officials and special advisers.

The email said: “Hi all, We’re planning on having some ‘socially distanced’ festive drinks in the canteen on Thursday. It would be great if you could join us. This is open to Private Office staff and ministers if they are around……

“For those working at home…there are plans for a Christmas Divisional where
people will be able to dial in and have a Virtual Festive gathering….”

About 20 to 30 staff gathered in the canteen at about 5pm on December 10. The report says staff had been invited to bring their own refreshments, including a suggestion to “bring their own bottle”.

However, at the event “there was wine, some of which, along with mince pies, was provided” by Williamson and his private office.

It says Williamson “thanked staff at the event, leaving shortly afterwards to
travel back to his constituency. Some people remained in the canteen for a short
period. The event lasted around 60 minutes.”

Covid-19
Acland-Hood

Susan Acland-Hood, DfE permanent secretary, told MPs last year that it was “to some extent” an organised event.

She confirmed that if any staff were found to have broken rules, they would face disciplinary action. This would include Acland-Hood herself, she said.

The Metropolitan Police did not investigate the party as it was “not considered to have reached the threshold for criminal investigation”.

Although not specifically mentioning DfE, Gray said many of the events, including several at Number 10, should “not have been allowed to happen”.

She said: “Many will be dismayed that behaviour of this kind took place on this scale at the
heart of government.

“The public have a right to expect the very highest standards of behaviour in such places and clearly what happened fell well short of this.

“It is my firm belief, however, that these events did not reflect the prevailing culture in government and the civil service at the time.”

Open University to partner with colleges to fill higher technical education cold spots

Colleges are being sought to partner with The Open University to plug higher technical education cold spots across England.

Under the scheme announced today, The Open University will work with colleges that do not currently offer higher technical education, or want to expand the range of courses they offer.

The government has backed the initiative with £10 million – cash which will be used to “increase the capability” of around 10 to 12 colleges to provide those higher education courses and accredit them.

“For too long, people have had to look beyond their hometown for higher education courses,” said minister for higher and further education, Michelle Donelan.

“The government is backing The Open University with the funding and support to partner up with local colleges to offer high-quality higher education and training, targeting cold spots across the country, so everyone can upskill wherever they live.”

The DfE said new courses created through the scheme will be shorter than a traditional three-year degree, offering a mix of blended, face-to-face and on-line learning.

The scheme aims to help more people to secure high skill, high wage jobs to help tackle the cost of living.

It comes ahead of the introduction of the lifelong loan entitlement in 2025, which will give adults access to flexible student finance for different courses throughout their lifetime.

“The OU has strong name recognition nationally, and colleges have the reach and the local reputation to engage adults from every community,” said David Hughes, chief executive of the Association of Colleges.

“Working with the OU they will be able to offer a wider range of courses to the people that need them most. Together, these partnerships will help more people get the skills they need to succeed in the labour market.”

Unit for Future Skills

The announcement comes as the government launches its new Unit for Future Skills – which will provide “high-quality and accessible data” on skills and jobs from across government.

As a first step, new data is set to be published today that shows the jobs, sectors and regions people work in after gaining a qualification.

The DfE said this is the first time the government has brought together data on higher education and further education, making it “easier for people to see where their training can take them – for example, showing the routes young people take through high-quality technical education to get good jobs where they live”.  

More data is expected to be published in the autumn.

Colleges set to benefit from funding

The government said that colleges and universities are also set to benefit from up to £32 million of additional funding as part of the Higher Technical Education Skills Injection Fund.

This money will be used to invest in equipment and facilities that will support technical studies, and boost training opportunities with businesses in key areas such as digital, construction and health care.

The funding follows an £18 million investment last year, which supported 100 further and higher education providers to invest in new equipment, such as virtual reality goggles and air quality testing equipment.

Staff say overcrowding hampered bomb scare evacuation at DfE’s Sheffield office

Staff at the Department for Education’s office in Sheffield struggled to evacuate following discovery of a “suspect package” because of overcrowding, civil servants have told FE Week.

Workers at the offices in St Paul’s Place, Sheffield, were ordered to evacuate at around 1.55pm on May 18, the same day that DfE permanent secretary Susan Acland-Hood visited.

The department has asked staff to work from their offices more often, but the Sheffield building has nearly double the number of desks than staff.

But it resulted in queues in the building’s stairwell and to get off upper floors, staff reported, due to the volume of people working in the building.

FE Week spoke to two civil servants and understands several more have complained about the incident.

We revealed last week how staff at DfE offices had been forced to work in corridors and canteens after the government’s return-to-the-office edict because of a shortage of desks.

Figures obtained by this newspaper show Sheffield staff outnumber desks at St Paul’s Place by almost two-to-one, with just 790 workstations for 1,489 staff. It is not known how many worked from the office on Wednesday.

DfE admits evacuation ‘quite slow’

In a message to Sheffield staff after the incident, the DfE said the evacuation was caused by a “police incident due to a suspect package”. South Yorkshire Police was unable to find a record of the incident when contacted by FE Week, however.

The DfE said it understood the evacuation was “quite slow as we needed to push building occupants to evacuate at the front of the building and away from the incident”.

Staff were asked to re-enter the building “approximately 10 minutes later, following the direction from police”, the DfE said.

However, one civil servant, who asked to remain anonymous, said they had not managed to make it out of the building by the time the order to return came through.

“There was that many people in the building that no one could exit. I didn’t even get more than 15 steps from my desk before the crowd of people in front meant there was nowhere for me to go.

“The stairwell was full of people and it did not move, we were trapped. There were fire wardens stuck on each floor not able to get out and direct people away from the building.”

They described the incident as “really scary”, adding: “We had been told to evacuate and yet couldn’t do it. There was an air of panic.”

Top DfE boss visited the same day

Another staffmember said the building was particularly busy on Wednesday, as DfE permanent secretary Susan Acland-Hood was visiting the office that day.

However, staff said the incident was not brought up in a subsequent all-staff meeting.

The order to return to the office follows pressure from the efficiency minister, Jacob Rees-Mogg, and comes after the DfE came last in a leaked list of department occupancy last month, with just 25 per cent of staff working in the office.

One staffmember said the DfE was “only interested in their position in the cabinet office league table”.

“We as a department do not have the appropriate infrastructure in place to cope with the return to office arrangements as they stand. There is not enough space for us all, we cannot be accommodated safely and it’s having a devastating impact on morale and mental health.”

Some staff missed evacuation order

FE Week understands the order to evacuate was also not heard by some staff because the tannoy system did not work in all meeting rooms.

“There is a heath and safety disaster waiting to happen,” a staffmember said. “Imagine how panicked everyone would had been standing still on a staircase trying to evacuate if there was a smell of smoke, or visible signs of smoke.

“There would have been a stampede, a crush which would have led to many people loosing their life due to inadequate evacuation plans, poor planning and an office that has too many people in it for the infrastructure to cope with.”

The DfE’s message told staff to familiarise themselves with fire and security plans for the office, “including the location of the evacuation assembly points”.

“Any staff trained as fire wardens should support and clear the floors as part of their role.”

The message also called for feedback from staff and fire wardens to “support the team in improving the management of future incidents”.

The DfE declined to comment on the incident when approached by FE Week.

However, it did explain it had asked staff to “start by looking at” spending 80 per cent of their working time in the office, but claimed it had given managers “flexibility” to adjust that to between 60 and 80 per cent.

These arrangements “can include even more flexibility in exceptional circumstances due to issues like caring responsibilities or health concerns”.

The DfE claimed the approach “fits with the amount of desk space we have, gives us full and vibrant offices but also retains flexibility to work in different ways when needed”.