Provider rated ‘inadequate’ after Ofsted finds apprentices training other apprentices

Apprentices at a digital training provider in Cheshire have been roped in to helping teach other apprentices and in turn suffered disruption to their own learning, an Ofsted inspection has found.

Code Nation Ltd, which had 79 apprentices in either level 4 software developer or cyber security apprenticeships, was given an ‘inadequate’ rating by the education watchdog following an inspection in March.

The report said: “Software developer apprentices, employed during the Covid-19 pandemic by the provider as ‘innovation developers’, have their learning disrupted. This is due to them being required to support instructors on the delivery of the same apprenticeship that they are studying.

“They frequently spend almost half of their working week assisting with training of other apprentices. This significantly impedes their learning.”

It added that there were “inconsistencies in the quality and timeliness of feedback,” by tutors, which had prompted new feedback measures to be put in place, and found that students did not understand what else they needed to do to improve their work.

Ofsted found that software developer apprentices relied on their own research to prepare for exams in specialist developer qualifications, and many did not complete their courses on time or required multiple attempts at passing.

The report also said that leaders and managers do not recruit all apprentices with integrity.

“A small minority of software developer apprentices are recruited following the completion of a self-funded digital bootcamp, which costs them many thousands of pounds. They are then expected to attend the same training, which is funded through the apprenticeship levy, from which they do not learn any further substantial new knowledge, skills and behaviours.”

Code Nation received £569,214 in levy funding and £379,432 in non-levy funding in 2020/21.

The findings leave the firm at risk of being removed from the register of apprenticeship training providers, in line with government rules.

A spokesperson from Code Nation said it had been in business four years, with three of those disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Apprenticeships are a part of our array of provision to tackle the skills gap, so we are desperately disappointed to have received an inadequate rating from Ofsted for this apprenticeship provision, which related mainly to the period leading up to, and including, lockdown,” the spokesperson said.

“Due to the challenges brought by the pandemic, many of our employers had to change their business models and move their staff to remote working, which resulted in increased staff turnover, high levels of sickness and absence, and the need to pause or terminate apprenticeships.”

Code Nation said it had a detailed improvement plan against the recommendations already in place and added that it was “working with Ofsted and the DfE on the areas highlighted in the report to safeguard the training of apprentices in learning with their employers”.

The company refused to be drawn on whether it had appealed against the rating.

Ofsted slams ‘inconsistent quality’ of apprenticeships at another university

A university has been criticised by Ofsted for “inconsistent” apprenticeship training quality caused by various faculties working in isolation.

The University of Chester has been told its apprenticeships ‘require improvement’ after the education watchdog visited May. At the time of the inspection there where 561 apprentices enrolled, mostly on level 6 programmes.

Police constable, chartered manager and social worker apprenticeships were among the most popular level 6 courses, as well as level 5 nursing and healthcare and level 7 senior leader apprenticeships.

Ofsted’s report said that many weaknesses identified at the previous monitoring visit in June 2019 remain, explaining that “the quality of education that apprentices receive is inconsistent across the university, with faculties working in isolation”.

Governors also do not receive the information needed to properly scrutinise the quality of education across the university. 

Ofsted said that “most of the senior leader apprentices have not completed their apprenticeship within the planned time,” although it did recognise action was being taken on that front.

The inspectorate added that all apprentices follow the same programme regardless of previous knowledge and experience on police and management courses, whereas nursing apprentices were found to have a more tailored programme.

The report also said that challenging targets were not set and most learner mentors did not carry out effective reviews of apprentice’s progress for those courses, which contrasted to nursing qualifications where learners’ prior skills are identified and progress monitored.

Elsewhere, Ofsted said management apprentices and employers “are not sufficiently informed about the assessment process. As a result, too many apprentices make slow progress and do not complete their apprenticeships”.

The university was rated ‘requires improvement’ in three of the five areas.

Ofsted controversially obtained powers in 2020 to inspect all apprenticeships – including those at degree levels 6 and 7 – taking over powers for that level from the Office for Students.

Chief inspector Amanda Spielman had voiced concerns multiple times that some universities were getting away with offering level 6 and 7 apprenticeships that are simply “repackaged graduate schemes”.

This isn’t the first time a university has been criticised for inconsistent quality of apprenticeship delivery: the University of Hull received grade three judgement after Ofsted raised similar concerns in December.

Helen Galbraith, pro vice-chancellor for student experience at the university, said she was pleased to receive good ratings in personal development and behaviours and attitudes, and said Ofsted had recognised its strengths in providing a safe and supportive learning environment and apprentices being well motivated.

She added: “For the areas of improvement identified in the inspection report, Ofsted noted that the university is already working to address these. For example, the report states that actions have already been put in place by the current leadership team to improve the quality of education, but at the time of the inspection it was too early fully to assess the impact of these. Similarly, the report notes that English and Maths functional skills support for apprentices is now in place.

“We are committed to the continuing development of our apprenticeship provision to address all issues raised, working in consultation with apprentices, employers and our governing body. We want to ensure that all our apprentices are able to make the most of their time at university, to excel in their studies and to progress to higher levels within their chosen career.”

Firm that took over Learndirect goes bust

The company that bought Learndirect, previously England’s largest training provider, has suddenly ceased trading after failing to secure enough skills contracts to clear “significant liabilities”.

Multiple creditors, including government departments, are on the hook for potentially millions of pounds after Dimensions Training Solutions Ltd (DTS) filed for insolvency this week.

The DTS board told FE Week the decision to close follows an unsuccessful attempt to win new government-funded skills contracts and a failed effort to refinance the business with external investment.

It comes just six months after the firm was sold by previous owner Wayne Janse van Rensburg to The Firebird Partnership.

Janse van Rensburg secured around £35 million worth of European Social Fund (ESF) contracts through the Department for Education and Department for Work and Pensions after buying Learndirect in 2018. The ESF contracts expire in March 2023.

The new DTS board refused to say how many staff will lose their jobs but latest accounts for the firm show 47 employees in 2021. It is also unclear how many learners will be impacted by closure of DTS.

Insolvency practitioners from James Cowper Kreston have been engaged to assist with the liquidation process.

In a statement the DTS board said: “When the business was acquired in January of 2022 it was in a precarious financial position with significant liabilities on the balance sheet, however we believed that because of the strength of the staff team and the quality of our service we would be able to win enough new tenders to rectify the historic position.

“Despite successfully winning three new contracts this has not been enough and therefore external investment has been sought, or new owners that could provide continuity of employment and learning for staff and young people. We received an offer of investment but unfortunately due to the political uncertainty and delays in awarding new contracts this offer was withdrawn this week and we have had no choice but to pursue this course of action.”

The board would not disclose the scale of the financial problems but latest accounts for the group of companies shows net liabilities of almost £15 million.

DTS was incorporated in 1998 and delivered a range of commercial and government-funded training.

It bought Learndirect from Lloyds Development Capital in 2018 shortly after the adult training and apprenticeship was dealt a fatal grade four Ofsted report following a High Court battle. The Education and Skills Funding Agency then stepped in and cancelled Learndirect’s contracts which were worth around £100 million.

Learndirect and DTS, under the ownership Janse van Rensburg but management of chief executive Pamela Rae Welsh and chief operating officer Andrew Niedzwiecki, managed to secure around £35 million in European Social Fund contracts from the ESFA a year later despite the fiasco.

DTS also bagged an adult education budget contract with the West Midlands Combined Authority in 2020/21 worth around £800,000.

Around £2.6 million of DTS’ skills contracts were subcontracted out in 2021/22.

FE Week understands that subcontractor payments have stalled in recent months after DTS’ financial challenges began to bite.

An email to suppliers from the DTS board said insolvency practitioners “will contact you in the coming days and provide you with further information including about how to make a claim with the company for money that may be owed to you”.

DTS was taken over by Stewart Lambert, Ian Finlay and Charlie Rigby, who are part of The Firebird Partnership, in January 2022.

DTS’ board said the firm’s directors and shareholders were “deeply saddened that they have had to take the decision to put the business into liquidation”.

“Our staff and supply chain partners have worked tirelessly in incredibly difficult circumstances over the last six months and during that time have delivered courses to thousands of participants with high success rates and satisfaction levels,” the board added.

“We are grateful for all of their efforts and are incredibly disappointed that we were not able to secure the future of the company despite our best efforts.”

After hearing that DTS had gone into liquidation, Janse van Rensburg said: “It is deeply saddening that the next chapter of the DTS business has not materialised and that the new owners and shareholders of DTS have had to make the difficult decision to put the business into liquidation. Our thoughts are with all learners, staff and suppliers.”

The DfE and DWP were approached for comment.

Revealed: Brooklands College resizing plans to ensure ‘financial security’

A college fighting for survival is selling off land and a historic mansion to make way for houses in a deal worth around £45 million, FE Week understands.

Leaders at Brooklands College, which has failed to file accounts for the past three years after being stung by a £20 million apprenticeship scandal, claim that the new venture will ensure the college’s financial security going forwards.

The college has teamed up with housebuilding company Cala Homes to undergo a “resizing” project which involves redeveloping its Weybridge campus.

The college has remained tight-lipped about exactly how much land and property will be released, but a spokesperson said most parts are ex landfill sites and surplus to requirements.

FE Week understands that the college’s three-storey, Grade II listed red brick Victorian mansion called Brooklands House, which was built in the late 1890s, is one property that will be redeveloped for housing.

The property used to house the family of Dame Ethel Locke King, who was behind the famous Brooklands racing circuit, previously dubbed the ‘Ascot of Motorsport’.

The college’s plans, put out for public consultation this week, say the mansion “has fallen into decline because it is not suitable for education use and the college cannot afford to maintain it to the standard necessary for a listed building”.

Brooklands College claimed that no staff will lose their jobs as part of the resizing project, and no course provision will be lost.

Principal Christine Ricketts said the partnership will allow the local community greater access to the college’s “beautiful woodlands”, as well as greater access to its sporting, catering and hair and beauty facilities.

She said: “We have considered our position in the community, our history of service and our commitment to education and skills training, knowing that in order to recover from past financial struggles we must refine our approach. 

“The resizing of the college is part of this process. Choosing to focus on offering our students and staff, greener, state of the art facilities means that we can continue to offer our local community the very best in vocational skills and training.”

The deal will provide funds to allow the college to revitalise its teaching spaces, including a new sports hall and “independent working hub” for the use of the college and wider public.

Brooklands College refused to say how much money it will gain from the project, but FE Week understands it will be in the region of £45 million.

As well as the deal with Cala Homes, the college also recently secured an undisclosed share of the Department for Education’s further education capital transformation fund.

Chair Andrew Baird said: “These proposals are the culmination of several years of work by the Brooklands leaders and their advisers.

“Governors were looking to reshape the College to meet the skills needs of the local community in the first half of the 21st century and we believe that this scheme achieves that aim, while recognising the College’s historic place and character in the community.”

Brooklands College was plunged into financial difficulty in late 2018 after an FE Week investigation exposed how it subcontracted out almost £20 million to a small private training provider called SCL Security Ltd in just three years.

The ESFA, FE Commissioner and Ofsted then stepped in to investigate, which led to the private provider, headed up by Andrew Merritt, being kicked out of the apprenticeships market.

Among other findings, the agency discovered that apprenticeship funding was being used to pay the wages for the 16-to-18-year-olds, which is strictly against the funding rules.

SCL Security Ltd filed for insolvency in October 2020.

The college has refused to divulge details relating to the £20 million clawback and its plan for payment to the ESFA.

The debacle led to the resignation of former principal Gail Walker and chair Terry Lazenby.

Ricketts took over as principal in May 2019 before Baird, one of the government’s paid national leaders of governance, was parachuted in to chair the college in October 2019.

The college has not filed accounts since 2018 or published board minutes since October 2021.

Andrea Jenkyns: 12 facts about the new skills, further and higher education minister

Andrea Jenkyns has been named as the new minister for skills, further education and higher education at the Department for Education.

Here is what we know about her…

1. Jenkyns was first elected as an MP in May 2015 for the Morley and Outwood seat in West Yorkshire. She defeated Labour’s former children, schools and families minister and shadow chancellor, Ed Balls, at that election by 422 votes.

2. Her promotion to the DfE is her first paid ministerial post, but has served as an assistant whip in the whips office since September last year and was a parliamentary private secretary in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government before quitting in 2018 to campaign for Brexit.

3. Prior to her life in politics, Jenkyns’ jobs have included working for Greggs, as a music tutor, and as a manager in a retail store.

4. Jenkyns is understood to be an operatic soprano singer, and released an album, Ilyis, in 2006 under the name Andrea.

5. She studied for two degrees – one in international relations from Lincoln University, and another in economics from the Open University. In an April 2018 debate on higher education she told the house she was the first person in her family to go to university.

6. Media reports suggest that her father sent her photo in to the Miss UK competition when she was 18, where she reached the finals.

7. Jenkyns has some HE experience beyond being a learner – she served as a director of the National Centre for Higher Education Policy at the University of Bolton from July 2019 until September last year, according to her Parliament register of interests. That saw her earn £25,000 a year for eight hours work per week.

8. Elsewhere on her register of interests, Jenkyns was an unpaid member of pro-Brexit group Foundation for Independence’s political advisory board from March 2021, and from May until September 2021 an unpaid member for the Foundation for Education Development National Ambassadors Group.

9. Among education issues she has spoken on in parliament have been the Kickstart scheme, mental health support for children in schools, minimising exam stress for SATs students, supporting sports provision in schools, clarity on the GCSE 1-9 grading system, and increasing college funding for 16 to 19s.

10. In March 2016 in a debate on apprenticeships, Jenkyns announced an ambition to create 50 new apprenticeships in 50 days alongside local businesses in her constituency.

11. In July 2019 she issued a tweet in which she reported to have suffered whiplash and concussion after an accident swinging around on her seat at a constituency meeting.

12. Jenkyns courted controversy last week after raising her middle finger to a group of protestors outside Downing Street on the day of the prime minister’s resignation. She later issued a statement that said she had been a regular victim of abuse and was standing up for herself.

Andrea Jenkyns named skills, further and higher education minister

Andrea Jenkyns has been named as the new skills, further and higher education minister in the Department for Education.

Jenkyns, Conservative MP for Morley and Outwood in the north of England, joined Brendan Clarke-Smith as new junior ministers in the DfE last week, but the exact nature of their roles were not made clear.

She announced this evening that she will take on the skills portfolio previously held by Alex Burghart as well as the joint FE and HE brief previously held by Michelle Donelan.

Jenkyns tweeted: “Thrilled to be appointed as skills, further and higher education minister @EducationGovUK.

“We’ll be powering ahead with ambitious plans to boost skills and opportunities for everyone, regardless of where they are in life, delivering for individuals, employers and the economy.”

Jenkyns – a Boris Johnson loyalist – was first elected in May 2015, and had been an assistant whip in the Whips Office since September last year.

Prior to that she had served on a number of committees.

The new minister has already attracted some controversy after footage emerged that showed her raising a middle finger to protestors in Downing Street.

Jenkyns has since issued a statement in which she explained that there was a “baying mob” outside the gates who were shouting abuse to MPs. She said she had “reached the end of my tether” following “huge amounts of abuse” over the years, adding: “I should have shown more composure but am only human.”

L-R: Will Quince, schools minister; Baroness Barran, minister for the school system; James Cleverly, secretary of state for education; Brendan Clarke-Smith; minister for children and families, Andrea Jenkyns, minister for skills, further and higher education

The new appointment follows a whirlwind week in British politics in which Prime Minister Boris Johnson was forced to resign after an exodus of junior ministers and the resignation of two of his top cabinet members – Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid.

Last week, then-education secretary Nadhim Zahawi was promoted to replace Sunak as chancellor, with then-joint HE and FE minister Michelle Donelan stepping up to fill the education role.

She sensationally quit after 35 hours, replaced late last week with Braintree MP James Cleverly.

In addition, skills minister Alex Burghart, parliamentary under secretary of state Will Quince and school standards minister Robin Walker all quit, before Quince returned on Friday in the higher role of minister of state.

Bassetlaw MP Brendan Clarke-Smith was appointed as a junior minister alongside Jenkyns. He has confirmed he will take the children and families brief, previously held by Quince before he resigned last week.

‘Stressful and exhausting’: Ofqual report exposes teacher grade woes

Half of school and college staff felt pressured from either senior leaders or parents and students to change teacher assessed grades (TAGs) last year, an Ofqual survey has found.

The exams regulator quizzed schools, colleges and students on how they found the TAGs process, after summer exams were cancelled in 2021 due to the pandemic.

Half of 1,500 staff said they felt “undue pressure” on their professional judgment, an increase from 31 per cent in 2020 when centre assessed grades were awarded.

Thirty-one per cent of respondents felt pressure from their senior leadership team (SLT), which was often “centred around reducing student grades to meet previous year’s grade profiles”.

Nearly half of those involved in internal quality assurance – where the school or college signed off results – said grades were changed. A third (119) said this was because of the prior attainment profile, where grades were not inline with past distributions. Generally grades went down.

Cath Jadhav, Ofqual’s director of standards and comparability, said last year that schools and colleges did not need to award grades to closely match previous years, or be “used to suppress results”.

Schools and colleges just had to explain why there were “substantial variances” when exam boards quality assured grades.

The survey also found a “slightly smaller, but still substantial” number of respondents said there was SLT pressure to increase grades.

“Both pressures conflicted with their professional judgement and the need to be fair to their students,” the Ofqual report said.

“They also mentioned having individual grading decisions checked and scrutinised by
management and the burden in having to justify decisions and the additional work
this sometimes required.”

‘Stressful, time-consuming and exhausting’

One in five (21 per cent) reported pressure from students and their parents, despite a warning this could amount to malpractice.

The most frequent words used to describe judging TAGs by schools and colleges were “stressful, time-consuming and exhausting”.

TAGs

The median time taken to decide grades was 15 days – over twice as long as for CAGs, likely because last year schools and colleges had to assess students on what they knew last year, rather than predict what they would have achieved should exams have gone ahead in 2020.

Nearly half (43 per cent) of respondents found the process of agreeing TAGs with other staff members easy or very easy, while a quarter (24 per cent) found it difficult or very difficult.

Most staff – 85 per cent – rated their confidence in grades at over 75 out of 100.

Last year, schools and colleges were handed masses of new guidance and resources for TAGs.

But 18 per cent said this was “unclear, vague and inconsistent or even contradictory”, with 41 per cent saying there was “inadequate support” from exam boards.

‘Too much time’ on TAGs assessment

Nearly two-thirds (57 per cent) of surveyed students felt that too much, or far too much, time had been spent on assessment.

The survey took place after TAGs were submitted, but before students got their results in August.

Ofqual’s chief regulator Dr Jo Saxton said teachers “worked incredibly hard to award grades in the exceptional circumstances” but it had an “additional burden” on schools, colleges and students.

“It’s great that exams and formal assessments have taken place this year, and again, I would like to thank teachers and pay tribute to the resilience of students.”

Doubt cast on government skills reform plan by public spending watchdogs

Warnings have been issued by public spending watchdogs that the government’s skills reform plans may be no more successful than previous attempts to provide the country with the skills it needs.

The National Audit Office and the Public Accounts Committee have said that education chiefs need to step up their efforts amid fears current policies for an employer-led system may not work.

The ‘developing workforce skills for a strong economy’ paper published today by the NAO has called on the Department for Education to put together an implementation plan outlining incentives for employers and learners, how central and local government will work together and metrics the government will use to measure progress.

It has also requested further thought on how barriers to skills training can be addressed and issues around reskilling or upskilling older workers who form a growing part of the UK workforce.

The NAO’s report said that the government “has a reasonably good understanding of current skills needs,” and recognised that “spending on adult education, apprenticeships and other skills programmes has been rising and totalled £3.9 billion in 2021-22”.

But it warned that the “DfE considers that the skills system will be most effective if it is led by employers, but there is limited assurance that the conditions are in place for this approach to be implemented successfully”.

It explained that the model will rely on employers having the capacity and willingness to become more involved in developing local plans, and evidence to date meant it was unclear what assurance is in place for that.

Gareth Davies, head of the NAO, said: “To help people achieve their potential in the workplace and drive economic growth, it is essential that government and employers support opportunities for learning and development.

“The government has taken sensible steps to address skills shortages in recent years, but the challenges it faces have increased.

“There is a risk that, despite government’s greater activity and good intent, its approach may be no more successful than previous attempts to provide the country with the skills it needs.”

Data in the NAO’s analysis indicated that nearly one in four vacancies were because of skills shortages, rising to more than one in three for the manufacturing and construction sectors.

It reported an 11 per cent fall in employers’ spending on training from 2011 to 2019, while the number of adults in government-funded education or skills training had fallen by nearly half between 2010/11 and 2020/21 – down from 3.2 million to 1.6 million.

The report said the decline was seen particularly in disadvantaged areas, with a drop of 39 per cent from 2015/16 to 2020/21, 280,100 people.

The Further Education Skills Index – the government’s proxy measure of the value of further education on productivity – has fallen by 46 per cent since 2012/13, the report said, largely as a result of a drop in learner numbers.

The NAO reported that employers and providers were struggling to navigate the growing and disjointed skills programmes – which can range from apprenticeships and skills bootcamps funded by the DfE, to the train and progress initiative for universal credit claimants and the new multiple numeracy programme led by the Department for Work and Pensions.

Meg Hillier, chair of the Committee of Public Accounts, said: “A properly skilled workforce is vital for the economy, yet training over recent years has fallen off a cliff. Once again, it is people in the most disadvantaged areas who are missing out on opportunities to upskill.

“The NAO highlights some recent positive steps by government, yet the workforce challenges of Brexit, an ageing population and the march to Net Zero are truly immense.

“In the face of this gathering storm, DfE must step up and provide better support to people and their employers on developing skills. It’s vital that they get this right to ensure the country’s workforce remains competitive.”

The DfE’s reforms come as part of the skills and post-16 education act 2022, which includes a commitment for lifelong loan entitlement, and ambitions for strengthened links between employers and further education providers to create courses designed to meet the needs of businesses and allow them input in designing courses.

It includes proposals to recruit more teaching staff, create LSIPs (local skills improvement plans) to respond to local labour market needs in key skills, and reform levels 4 and 5 technical education.

A flagship proposal is the lifetime skills guarantee which allows adults without a level 3 qualification to take a free course. But early data on this scheme found that it was struggling to boost enrolments.

A DfE spokesperson said: “We are investing in high quality training to deliver the skilled workforce employers need to grow and plugging skills gaps in our economy, helping more people into jobs.

“This includes rolling out new T Levels in fields like construction and manufacturing, while investing £2.7 billion by 2025 to support businesses to create more apprenticeships.

“We’ve also launched the Unit for Skills to focus future support and are investing £1.6 billion over the next three years, including on expanding our popular skills bootcamps and free courses for jobs offers.

“The NAO recognises the progress made but we know there is more to do.”

Caretaker Cleverly may soon find his department at the centre of the Tory battle

With billions of tax cuts promised, who will put their head above the parapet and demand some proper spend on FE? asks Tom Bewick

When the government is in full meltdown, Monty Python style moments of British humour are never very far away.

The new junior education minister, Andrea Jenkyns MP, it appears, gave the middle finger to a ‘baying mob’ outside Downing Street last week. She later apologised.

Of course, this rather predictably led to the ‘be kind’ brigade on social media calling for her resignation – in a manner not too dissimilar from the famous stoning scene in Life of Brian.

Shortly after, we saw pictures circulating of the uber Johnson loyalist, now at DfE and tipped to be skills minister, Brendan Clarke-Smith MP, wearing a face mask covering his private parts.

It all feeds into a rather chaotic narrative.

One akin to drift, dither and decay, of what is now the outgoing Johnsonian administration. 

Yet, the temporary changing of guard at Sanctuary Buildings could not have come at a worse time for FE.

Sector insiders will tell you, that ideologically-speaking, DfE officials have been offside with Conservative ministers in the post-Brexit mould for quite some time.

Leadership hopeful for next PM, Suella Braverman MP, perhaps neatly characterised the mood of large swathes of the card-carrying membership, writing in the Telegraph:

‘Napoleon derided Britain as a nation of shopkeepers. We’re in danger of becoming a nation of regulators.’

It will make uncomfortable reading for the new secretary of state, James Cleverly and his relatively inexperienced team of junior ministers.

Because the contours of the coming battles in the leadership contest are already marching over the hill.

For years, the Department and its phalanx of quangos have been gold plating policies and regulations with very little regard for the consequences.

The list of Stalinist-inspired manoeuvres began during the New Labour era; placed on steroids after the general election in 2017.

They include not only the growing intervention in the day-to-day running of the nation’s 24,000 schools (e.g. usurping the role of local authorities via academisation); but the curious takeover of England’s further education colleges as well.

Ian Pryce, principal and chief executive of Bedford College Group, warned his colleagues in a recent opinion piece that they were displaying a kind of Stockholm syndrome:

‘There is a real danger we might sleepwalk into a reversal that might look superficially attractive. Government can be a charming seducer when it comes to presenting captivity as the solution to our current woes’, he said.

And we all know the captivity he is referring to.

Not since the 1870 Balfour Act has government, in effect, set up a national state backed awarding body in FE, as it has done with the roll-out of T Levels.

Whatever the real merits of a qualification that at least tries to address the underlying weakness of our technical education system; it is this very un-conservative ideology that these and other recent policy interventions represent that could increasingly become a battleground.

Nadhim Zahawi, former education secretary and now chancellor, with former universities minister Michelle Donelan

Because the real problem when the government starts taking ownership of things (qualifications, FE colleges etc.) is that it then has to sustain these newly acquired ‘assets’ it owns in the public sector borrowing requirement.

In practice, that means more civil servants to manage things; higher taxes to pay for them; additional statutory and regulatory instruments; particularly as politicians look to assert control over what they see as part of their domains.

The proposed new regulatory scheme planned to approve funding of level 3 qualifications in future (in England), as outlined in the Skills Act, is just one tiny example of where ministers have unwittingly written a blank cheque out to “the machine” in future.

You don’t have to be a political genius to see that the next prime minister is probably going to call time on this ever-expanding model of the corporatist state.

Particularly when the wages bill in Whitehall is currently running at over £100 billion per annum.

Even the former education secretary, Nadhim Zahawi – now the chancellor – has backed a Conservative pressure group’s charter calling for more than £46 billion worth of tax cuts.

Of course, all this is red meat to Tory party members – the only people at present who can decide our next prime minister.

But this may also lead to some real ideological battles over the summer affecting the whole future of post-16 education.

We know that by the end of this spending review period (and accounting for higher inflation) FE will receive around a billion pounds less than it did in the period ending in 2010.

It makes you wonder: which candidate is going to put their head over the parapet and demand some restorative spending on FE?

And when the exam results are published in August, showing how ‘grade inflation’ is perhaps inevitably entrenched in the post-pandemic awarding system; you can bet the frothing-at-the-mouth education traditionalists will cry out (again): “Oh no, academic standards are falling!”

When you add all the other skirmishing going on at the moment in the so-called ‘culture wars’, you really start to see why the whole conduct of education and skills policy in this country maybe about to get a real serious kicking.