A lack of movement is causing planning blight and eroding the skills landscape, writes Sue Pember
In January 2021, the long-awaited white paper setting out the government’s vision for reform of further education arrived. Along with it came a timetable for how the act would journey through parliament, starting in the Lords.
I wonder whether it was ever imagined by those directing the work of parliament that the Lords would relish the chance to talk about this bill in the way they did.
It was heartening to hear the lords and baronesses speak so knowledgeably and at length about the importance of lifelong learning, skills, apprenticeships and adult education.
Their ability to offer amendments was outstanding and relentless – they were determined to get us much out of this bill as they could.
We have yet to see what will stick, but in a way they have already done us all a great favour by raising issues the sector has long been trying to highlight. Mainly that the lifelong learning agenda is really important to this country in improving both productivity and wellbeing.
The main purpose of the white paper was to introduce a lifetime skills guarantee intended to enable people to gain the skills they need throughout their lives.
This guarantee looks like it will just turn into access to a loan for fees for level 4 and above and, we assume, a secondary loan for maintenance.
If it is as described, giving loans for modules and not just for full years, then it could open up the HE market to more students and be an exciting development.
But, one year on, I would have expected some movement on its introduction. Back in April 2021 we were told by the higher education minister that pilots would start in 2022; however, as yet there has a been little progress.
The white paper also set out plans to introduce local skills improvement plans (LSIPs), which will require colleges to work closely with employers in identifying local skills needs, and places greater emphasis on provider accountability for outcomes achieved.
There have been some pilots of LSIPs, but lots of teething problems too, with not all key players, such as local authorities, combined authorities and other key providers, around the table.
This was a lost opportunity and another year has gone by without achieving some really necessary local coordination.
Another year has gone by without really necessary local coordination
The focus on colleges in the white paper did also worry adult community education services and institutions. But these concerns were alleviated somewhat when the consultation document was published in July.
The consultation document clearly set out a role for adult community education services: “Grant funding of colleges and local authority education providers will be the main funding flow in our new system for adult skills.
“Alongside colleges, local authority adult educational services play a key role in meeting learner needs and supporting their communities, typically focusing on community learning and basic skills provision.”
With this statement, it was easier to envisage a future with adult education below level 2 being planned and coordinated by local authorities.
This leaves the higher-level courses to be covered in the new LSIPs. This is something we have been advocating at HOLEX, as we know learners prefer to learn close to where they live. Planning locally is the sensible option and allows place-based services to join up.
But going forward we need more assurances about the future.
We need progress on the three-year budgets and simplification promises that were proposed in the white paper consultation. And we need to see the response to supplementary consultations on areas such as level 2 and below.
This lack of information is causing a planning blight, eroding the skills landscape and reducing learner opportunity.
Next year, let’s up the pace. We must put in place a system that allows our learners to progress with equal financial support, whichever route they choose.
Colleges and universities are being set tougher outcome measures by the higher education regulator – with plans for “intrusive sanctions” like fines and funding restrictions on those who fail to meet targets.
In a consultation launched today, the Office for Students said it wants to use numerical thresholds for student outcomes (see table below). These thresholds will be set around students’ continuation, completion and progression of courses, including degree apprenticeships.
The thresholds are designed to target poor-quality courses and outcomes which are “letting students down”.
One consequence of the measures, as acknowledged by the OfS, is that universities and colleges might withdraw from partnership arrangements and be “disincentivised” to enter them in the future.
“These proposals mark a landmark moment in our work to tackle poor quality provision in English higher education,” said Nicola Dandridge, chief executive of the OfS.
“Students from all backgrounds deserve to be on good courses leading to qualifications which stand the test of time and prepare them well for life after graduation.”
Dandridge said that universities and colleges in England run high quality courses that deliver positive outcomes for students.
“The thresholds that we have proposed will not affect them. They are instead designed to target those poor-quality courses and outcomes which are letting students down and don’t reflect students’ ambition and effort,” she said.
The OfS is proposing to amend condition B3 of its regulatory framework to include the use of the new numerical thresholds.
These thresholds will be for full and part-time students at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. They will also be used for apprenticeships.
According to the OfS, they have been designed to set a “high bar” which takes account of a university or college’s individual circumstances.
The OfS said it will use its regulatory judgement to set numerical thresholds that represent the point at which they would consider intervening to ensure providers are delivering positive outcomes for each indicator.
In its consultation the OfS gave an example of what these thresholds might look like:
Source: The OfS
Consequences of not meeting requirements
The OfS said that universities and colleges who do not meet the thresholds – which will underpin requirements for minimum acceptable student outcomes – could face investigation, with fines and restrictions on their access to student loan funding available as potential sanctions.
These proposals will sit alongside the OfS’s other conditions of registration on quality in higher education.
“Alongside the thresholds, we are providing detailed information to universities and colleges that will enable them to assess their own performance, and to make improvements where quality is low – whether that is across the board, or for particular groups of students, or in certain subjects,” said Dandridge.
“But we are clear that we are raising our expectations of universities and colleges. Low quality courses which lead to poor outcomes for students are unacceptable, and we are determined to take action where students are recruited onto courses which offer few tangible benefits,” she added.
Partnership arrangements
The OfS admitted that the proposed measures could lead to some providers withdrawing from partnership arrangements rather improving outcomes for the students involved.
“If partnership arrangements that do not deliver positive outcomes for students are terminated, we do not consider that to be adversely limiting student choice,” the OfS said in its consultation.
“It is, however, also possible that some providers may withdraw or decide not to enter new partnerships because of increased regulatory scrutiny, regardless of the quality of the courses delivered and the outcomes achieved.”
The OfS said it did not expect a provider to “churn” courses or partnerships to avoid regulatory attention.
“If there is evidence that a provider is withdrawing from partnerships to do this, we may undertake further investigation to confirm that its management and governance arrangements for its partnerships are robust and effective and that decisions to work with other organisations are the result of a strategic approach rather than opportunism,” the regulator said.
It added that outcomes of such an investigation could “raise concerns” about a provider’s suitability to hold degree awarding powers that can be used in partnership arrangements.
A new national campaign that calls on skilled workers to take up a part-time teaching role in further education alongside their current job has been launched today.
The Department for Education, which promised such a campaign in the skills for jobs white paper, said there was a particular demand for FE teachers in construction, engineering and manufacturing, legal, finance, accounting, digital and health and social care.
Radio, TV, social media and a new dedicated website will be used to promote the ‘Teach in FE’ campaign to tackle the shortages.
Education secretary Nadhim Zahawi said: “There are a huge number of industry professionals that already hold the knowledge and skills to make them a great further education teacher.
“We want to encourage those with industry experience to share their skills to inspire and train up the next generation of workers in their field.”
The DfE added that industry professionals looking to take up a “portfolio career” can teach their trade, skill or subject in a “wide range” of FE settings without the need for a specific qualification.
Last year’s skills for jobs white paper promised “significant new investment” to improve the FE workforce in 2021/22.
DfE surveys of college staff, cited in the white paper, showed that more than half of college principals find recruitment difficult and teaching vacancy rates in “crucial” subject areas such as engineering and construction were as high as five per cent.
Today’s campaign is hoped to “reach millions” of prospective teachers. A new website is expected to signpost current vacancies and help existing teachers and lecturers find professional development opportunities.
A university technical college (UTC) in London has confirmed plans to close just four years after opening.
Sir Simon Milton Westminster UTC, named after the former Conservative politician, announced last May that it would pause student recruitment to consider its future due to low student numbers.
Chair Andrew Christie told the college’s 20 staff this morning that he was “saddened” to confirm the college was no longer financially viable. The college will close at the end of the 2021/22 academic year as a result.
He said: “Over the coming months, we will be working tirelessly with our students to help them secure the very best outcomes as they complete their courses. We will also be supporting our valued staff as they prepare for new roles in September.”
The UTC opened in 2017 and specialises in science, technology, engineering and maths. It has capacity for 550 students aged 14 to 19 but only had 150 on roll last year. This number has since dropped to 75. The college is also yet to be inspected by Ofsted.
According to its financial statements, the UTC recorded an operating loss of £486,000 in 2019/20 and required extra financial support from the Department for Education to stay afloat for the past two years. The college has also received almost £2 million in capital grants since 2017.
Its building is set to be taken over by Ada, the National College for Digital Skills, which opened in 2016 and has been in search of a new home for a number of years. The Department for Education wrote off over £3.2 million on a failed research and development building project for the college, according to the DfE’s 2020/21 accounts.
Christie said he was “pleased that technical education will continue to be delivered” on the UTC’s site through Ada.
“Moving to a technical education provider offering a sixth form and digital degree apprenticeships is a sensible and pragmatic evolution and will ensure the needs and aspirations of the young people of Westminster and the surrounding boroughs will continue to be met,” he added.
Ada’s co-founder and chief executive, Mark Smith, said the campus “will allow us to provide courses to more students that end in a meaningful career in tech”.
More than 50 UTCs have opened since they were launched in 2010 by former education secretary Lord Baker. Many of the colleges have, however, faced difficulties recruiting students and staying afloat financially.
Sir Simon Milton Westminster UTC will be the twelfth of its kind to close to date.
To mitigate low student numbers, a number of UTCs have begun recruiting students at age 13 or even 11, rather than their traditional starting age of 14. Many have also joined multi-academy trusts to ease financial troubles.
Sir Simon Milton Westminster UTC had previously been in discussions to join Fulham Boys School multi-academy trust, but the move fell through in 2020.
Christie said the UTC has had “may positives” over the past four years.
“Hundreds of young people have been supported by our talented and dedicated staff. You only have to look at the impressive list of employers and organisations our students have joined after they have finished their courses with us to see that they are adding real value to the workplace and wider economy,” he added.
The government will lift its recommendation that masks be worn in secondary school, college and training provider classrooms from tomorrow, Boris Johnson has said.
Rules requiring coverings are worn in indoor communal areas will no longer apply from Thursday next week (January 27).
The recommendation for face masks in classrooms was brought back in early January, while masks have been recommended in communal areas since late November.
Johnson addressed MPs today following a cabinet meeting this morning where ministers decided to allow plan B regulations put in place to tackle the Omicron variant of Covid to expire.
He said the latest Office for National Statistics data showed infections were “falling”, and while they were “likely to continue rising” in some places including primary schools, “our scientists believe it is likely that the Omicron wave has now peaked nationally”.
“From tomorrow we will no longer require face masks in the classroom, and the Department for Education will shortly remove national guidance on their use in communal areas,” he told the House of Commons.
Measures requiring self-isolation for those who test positive will remain in place, but Johnson said there would “soon come a time when we can remove the legal requirement to self-isolate altogether”.
He said self-isolation regulations were due to expire on March 24 “at which point I very much expect not to renew them”. He added that “were the data to allow I would like to seek a vote in this House to bring that date forwards”.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said the announcement would be welcomed “if it is supported by sound public health and scientific advice”.
But he warned of a “danger that we are heading once again for a situation in which the government gives the impression that the crisis is over when in actual fact there is huge disruption continuing to take place in education”.
He added that the situation in schools and colleges “remains extremely challenging with significant levels of pupil and staff absence because of Covid-19 as well as difficulties in obtaining supply cover because of high demand”.
Skills minister Alex Burghart and prisons minister Victoria Atkins answered questions from the House of Commons education committee this morning as part of its inquiry into prison education.
To date, the cross-party review has explored issues around how education can be embedded across the prison estate, how well prisons accommodate the needs of SEND prisoners and the practicalities of delivering apprenticeships in prisons.
The two ministers, alongside Phil Copple, director general of prisons and Louise Wright, deputy director for apprenticeships, participation and traineeships at the Department for Education, gave updates on the government’s plans.
Ministers still considering apprenticeships in prisons
Burghart told committee members that the government is still considering a scheme to allow prisoners to start apprenticeships in prison and then continue with them once they have been released.
“It’s a very interesting idea and one that we are currently looking into… there are a few things operationally that we need to work through, but we are hopeful that we will be able to find some way through,” he said.
Burghart explained there is currently no primary legislative barrier to prisoners becoming apprentices and so it should be possible – either for a scheme to allow prisoners on to apprenticeships or at least a modified form of an apprenticeship.
This might involve prisoners to go out on day release and take advantage of “existing funding streams”.
However, Burghart said that the DfE had only been doing provisional work on the issue and that no formal commitments had been made.
The government has been considering the question of prisoners doing apprenticeships for the past five years.
Personal learning plans to be piloted
During the session ministers were asked what they were doing to ensure that prisoners have some sort of continuity with their learning in cases where they are moved across the prison estate.
Copple told committee members that the government doesn’t currently have data on the number of prisoners who start courses and then move before they can complete them.
However, Atkins said that the government is piloting personal learning plans for each prisoner in four of their “accelerator” prisons.
“So that will be the model for the future… Having the plans follow the prisoner around the prison estate,” she said.
In terms of when the government is likely to roll out such as scheme, Copple said that they are going to link the evidence from the accelerators into the budget allocation decisions that are being made in the next couple of months. Officials will then use that information as they consider how to roll out provision over the next three years.
Plans for tech in cells moving forward
Last October, the Prisoners’ Education Trust called for a “major investment” into prison connectivity, whereby every prisoner has access to a digital device and the internet in their cell.
In-cell learning and investment into digital infrastructure in prisons was discussed during the session.
Atkins told committee members about a meeting she had with an experienced prison governor and how he was initially sceptical about in-cell tech.
“He was particularly worried about the security aspect and whether the technology would be properly looked after and so on,” she said.
“But he happily admitted he was a complete convert… because it had such good results through his prison.
“It will take a bit of time… but we want to push this forward and use it appropriately and securely, so that when a prisoner has the opportunity in their cell to do some learning, they are seizing that opportunity,” Atkins added.
Prisoners with SEND need more support
Ministers heard concerns that individuals with learning difficulties are not clearly identified in the prison system. And committee members asked what improvements will be made to make sure that prisoners with SEND are properly supported.
“We are recognising that governors need expertise and they need capability to be built in their prisons,” Copple said.
He explained that with the accelerator prisons the government are trialling senior neurodiversity leads to help support prisoners.
Prisons deemed by Ofsted to have an ‘inadequate’ educational offering
The committee heard that the last annual report by Ofsted revealed that only nine of the 32 institutions inspected were judged to be good with the vast majority requiring improvement or were deemed inadequate.
“We absolutely accept those findings, of course we do,” said Atkins.
“It is the very real intent to improve upon those findings that underscores both the spending settlement that we have secured from the treasury but also importantly, the prison strategy white paper.”
Skills minister Burghart told the committee that there are four big providers in prisons, that provide a range of services beyond what they do in prisons. He said that overall Ofsted have found them to be good providers.
“Where the Ofsted inspections of some prisons are not where we would like them to be, it tends to be because of things like curriculum planning or available space,” Burghart said.
“Some of that comes from the fact that we are only in the third year of the Coates review being implemented. I imagine some governors are still finding their feet, but there is already some very good practice out there.”
Colleges and training providers can claim back the cost of extra invigilators for this term’s vocational and technical qualification (VTQ) exams, the government has said.
An extension to the Department for Education’s exam support service (ESS) has been announced to support colleges, schools and training providers that have been hit particularly hard by staff absences during exam time.
The scheme was introduced last year but initially just to allow centres to claim back some of the costs of running exams in the autumn for students who opted to resit rather than accept their teacher assessed grades.
This included some reprieve for autumn exam fees, training costs for new invigilators and extra venues.
Some of these costs can still be claimed, such as for VTQ exams taking place this term which are still considered resits for students that received a teacher assessed grade in 2021.
The DfE has now said that they will extend the scheme to cover centres running exams and assessments for VTQs from this month until the end of March, even if they are not part of last year’s autumn series.
Around 300,000 students will be sitting exams that could be eligible under this extension.
However, the extended scheme will only cover the costs of additional invigilators that have been recruited by centres due to staff absence.
DfE staffing attendance data estimated that one in 25 FE college teachers and leaders were off on January 6 because of Covid. Despite this, no major disruption has been reported, with colleges telling FE Week that staffing reallocations and emergency planning was so far proving effective.
To access the exam support service, DfE guidance sets out that centres should “retain evidence of additional invigilation costs” and will expect to see evidence of why extra invigilators were needed.
A college previously accused of safeguarding failures has regained its ‘good’ rating from Ofsted less than two years after it was branded ‘inadequate’ by the inspectorate.
Shrewsbury Colleges Group was praised for creating “an inclusive culture where students, apprentices, and staff feel safe and welcome” in a report published today.
The sixth form college was given the lowest possible grade overall in March 2020 after inspectors expressed concerns that “not all students feel safe” and that some staff “did not feel equipped to deal with” these challenges.
The college contested Ofsted’s report at the time but failed to overturn the decision.
Commenting on the turnaround today, principal James Staniforth said: “The college team are truly fantastic, working incredibly hard on a daily basis to help our students achieve their goals, regardless of the very challenging circumstances we have all faced over the last two years.
“It is very pleasing to see this work being recognised by the education standards office.”
Today’s report shows Shrewsbury Colleges Group was ‘good’ in seven of the eight categories assessed, and deemed ‘outstanding’ for “behaviour and attitudes”.
Ofsted said students show high levels of respect for each other, staff, and visiting adults. They also “enjoy being at college with their peers following the disruption to their previous education and lives due to the Covid-19 pandemic”.
Students also gain valuable knowledge and skills in their subjects in high-quality facilities, and are “rightly proud of the work they produce”.
Ofsted praised teachers at the college for having high levels of subject expertise and experience and for helping students to secure their “knowledge and understanding through the effective support they provide in lessons”.
The inspectorate also judged that the college delivers a broad and rich curriculum that meets the needs of students, apprentices, employers, and local communities “very well”, while student services work with external agencies to provide guidance to learners across a range of areas, including mental health, preparation for independent living and finance.
Roger Wilson, chair of Shrewsbury Colleges Group, said he was “delighted” with the outcome.
“The experienced Ofsted team, which was drawn from across the country, completed a thorough and rigorous inspection of the college and we’re extremely pleased with the outcome that they have reached,” he added.
“The last 18 months have been particularly challenging in the educational sector with the Covid pandemic and therefore, I’m particularly gratified that the work of the college staff and students have been recognised.”
Sport is often forgotten in discussions of FE. But with Ofsted looking hard at ‘personal development’, the award-winning PE team at New College Pontefract appear to have backed the right horse
It seems fitting for a feature about fitness that when I visit New College Pontefract, I do an awful lot of exercise (compared to a usual news day, anyway).
First off, I take a wrong turn. Striding up one hill, the first two shops I come across in the Yorkshire town are a Chinese takeaway and the largest Haribo sweets shop I’ve ever seen (the factory nearby is one of the big employers in the area).
There’s a lovely market town square, but it’s not exactly the healthiest start. Then, having reached the top, I spot the college on a different hill.
Setting off up that hill instead, I reach the sixth-form college, which is even more impressive up close. A girls’ grammar school before becoming a college in 1987, it is flanked by spanking new astroturf football pitches on its lower slopes, and a rugby pitch on its upper slope.
A poster by reception proclaims it has a grade 1 Ofsted (but, I note with approval, the date of inspection is included for transparency: 2014).
Inside, huge numbers of teaching awards and silver sporting trophies bedeck the entrance. A giant map on the wall pinpoints all the schools whose students have chosen to study with New College Pontefract. The message is clear: we are popular, we are successful, and we are proud.
At the end of last year, the PE department won the ‘FE team of the year’ at the Pearson teaching awards. When I ask one staff member why they won, I’m told with typical, grinning Yorkshire self-effacement that “our grant writer is really good” – but it’s clear the team are playing themselves down.
Sport here is hugely valued, in a way that FE perhaps does not always deliver on.
Girls’ football
Josh Buxton, a PE teacher and sports coach, explains why PE is particularly special to an education setting, and different to many other subjects. It allows for a sense of community and close rapport with students, he explains.
“It’s something 90 per cent of the population can engage with – it’s an interest for so many people. It gives you something to have a conversation about. My students all know I support Liverpool football club, for example, so if they’ve lost, there’s that two minutes’ grief at the start of the lesson,” he grins.
Staff may even support, or play in, the same local teams as students outside of college life. Not many subject departments are so closely linked to their students’ interests and activities.
Cricket at the college
Sport also plays a special role in pastoral work, continues Buxton.
“For students struggling with motivation or confidence, the practical side is a chance to relieve stress, make friends. It’s so good for physical and mental wellbeing. Some subjects can offer that more than others, and PE is one of those.”
We’re standing on the edge of the astroturf football pitch now: myself, Buxton and director of sport Tom Shepherd. Buxton’s point about the community-building nature of sport is evident, as students cheer their peers from the sidelines.
“You get that instant result with sport,” says Shepherd later. “You see the crowd of students watching – they’re making friends, they’re making memories. It’s because sports is visible. Other subjects have their eureka moments too, but ours is in your face.” It’s a very good point.
It’s about making friends, making memories
Shepherd is, true to his name, herding me around the many facilities students have at their disposal, which appears to involve walking around half of Pontefract.
It’s partly because I’ve handily arrived on a Wednesday, which is competitive sports afternoon, and so everyone is out: there’s boys’ and girls’ rugby, boys’ and girls’ football, netball, basketball and cricket, as well as golf, badminton, table tennis, athletics, tennis and swimming.
That’s before you get on to the additional enrichment activities (all students must choose at least one when they start college), which include volleyball, wheelchair basketball and boccia (an ingenious sport like boules that allows disabled and able-bodied students to play together).
Learning boccia
But it turns out we’re also trekking about because the college does not have many facilities at its own location. The old grammar school site means space is limited and there is one modest sports hall and the rugby pitch. To offer such a variety of activities, the PE team have had to hustle.
Chelsea Branson, vice principal and a PE teacher, explains: “What we’ve got is links with the community.” The college rents the astroturf pitches and the swimming pool from Wakefield Council, for example, and also managed to secure subsidised local gym rates for students, and use of Pontefract’s squash and leisure centre too. “We’ve got a great relationship with that squash club and they’re really supportive of community activities,” says Branson.
Wheelchair basketball for both disabled and able bodied students
Shepherd takes me to all these sites, and by sheer luck the college’s team appears to have won whenever we turn up. The only one we don’t visit (over yet another hill) is the golf club, which the PE team recently got permission for students to use too.
“That’s really good for students learning about skill acquisition for the A-level paper,” explains Shepherd. “It’s a sport most of them will never have done, so they can study how you learn something from scratch.”
So rather than having the perfect site, the college has worked skillfully to make the local offer work.
The PE team also has the support of local families, says Branson. “I think the wider community puts a strong value on sport, and as a college we are reflecting that wider community,” she says.
Parts of Pontefract are in the top ten per cent most deprived areas of the UK, so having a good sports offer is not taken for granted by the community, adds Shepherd.
Josh Buxton, PE teacher and football coach with the sports trophy cabinet
It also helps to have the senior leadership team on board, he continues. The college is part of the New Collaborative Learning trust, whose chief executive, Richard Fletcher, came from the PE department, is into rugby, and is fully signed up.
Meanwhile, college principal Vicky Marks says staff who are sports coaches are paid, rather than expected to just add it to their other tasks (as is often the case in schools): “That gives it status.”
She is also a strong believer in “rich provision… College is not just about the classroom, it’s about the whole experience,” she says. “It’s not just about the interests students have when they arrive, it’s about inspiring them to try something new.”
The trick is to develop the very best sporting students but also to have plenty of sporting offers for those who may be intimidated by sport, says Shepherd.
“It’s the sport development pyramid. You’ve got to see to the best sports performers in the college. Students are impressionable, and there’s a portion who will follow them more than they will follow you. If you lose that top group, you lose the rest.
“But you also have to offer lots to people who think they might not be sporty. Everyone likes winning, and everyone likes celebrating a point.” That’s why it’s important to offer social netball as well as competitive netball, he explains.
Girls’ netball in the leisure centre
It’s nearing the end of my walk, and Shepherd takes me on a final tour to show me what he means. First, we walk down a corridor lined with sports shirts and leotards that have been signed by former students who progressed to national level, world championships and even the Olympics.
They were all supported through TASS – the national Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme. The scheme helps colleges to support athletically talented students with bespoke timetables, special guest speakers and peer support groups, so they can compete.
Tom Shepherd, director of sport, with the shirts of former high-flying sports students
Next, we poke our heads into the sports hall, where a chaotic game of volleyball is taking place.
“I don’t know what it is about mixed volleyball, but we’ve had so many students get involved who don’t like other sport,” grins Shepherd. “It’s great!”
The college’s competition manager, Andy Green, is integral to making these extra activities happen, he adds.
In FE conversations about policy or funding these days, sport seems to be rarely mentioned. The Association of Colleges runs its successful sports national championships, but the wider policy conversation around the importance of sport feels quiet.
There’s an old New Labour policy document on “the role of further and higher education in delivering the government’s plan for sport”, but little noise since then (even as schools continue to get sports premium funding).
But the team at New College Pontefract have backed the right horse: in 2019, Ofsted made ‘personal development’ a key area. It wants to know how a “provider’s wider work supports learners to develop their character […] and helps them know how to keep physically and mentally healthy.”
“We welcome that change of direction,” smiles Marks. “It matches our ethos.”
