When I was teaching economics and business studies to college students in the early 1990s – two decades before the smartphone was introduced – the internet was barely making a ripple for most learners, nor the wider workforce. I never envisioned the scale of the transformation the internet and technology would have. Our world has been irrevocably shaped by these changes, transforming the way we live, work and learn. Fast forward to today, we are at the beginning of a new dawn in technology, with AI set to revolutionise the way we work – and the skills we need.
Today, the Prime Minister has unveiled his AI Action Plan which will lay the foundations for how we will harness AI to turbocharge growth and boost living standards for all. The breadth of AI’s potential is something we should all be really excited about as we look to deliver our Plan for Change. It can revolutionise the public sector, including in education, helping our teachers save time and focus more on interactions in the classroom. AI can enhance productivity and help in our goal of driving economic growth and putting more money in people’s pockets.
But as Skills Minister, one of my key priorities is ensuring that our workforce is prepared for the challenges and opportunities it presents. That’s why we are already taking necessary steps to futureproof our workforce.
Through Skills England, we will build the highly trained workforce needed to deliver the national, regional, and local skills needs of the next decade, setting people up to succeed in an increasingly technology-driven world. It will develop a clear assessment of the country’s skills gaps and work closely with the Industrial Strategy Council to bring businesses, training partners and unions together with national and local government to plug these gaps. We will continue to support skills providers, including in higher education, to increase the number of AI graduates, teach industry-relevant skills and develop appropriate training.
This isn’t just about addressing immediate challenges, but about creating a long-term approach. That’s why we’re working with the British Academy to assess how a roadmap for AI skills policies in England could be developed – looking at historical parallels such as the digital and industrial revolutions as well existing and emerging challenges. We have hosted a roundtable bringing together experts in social science, economics and humanities to consider the future of AI and skills.
From that, we know that in periods of fast-paced change, learning can quickly become outdated, so adaptability and lifelong learning are key. As AI transforms the workplace, people will need to regularly update their skills to remain competitive. I am personally committed to ensuring that everyone, whether they are entering the workforce for the first time or seeking to retrain, has access to the support they need to succeed and thrive.
But everyone has to mean everyone. An AI skills roadmap must include underrepresented groups and confront the digital divide in society. As it stands, only 22% of people working in AI and data science are women, and we know true innovation is only possible when it draws on a broad range of perspectives, which is why I am today pleased to announce two new research projects as part of the British Academy’s Innovation Fellows scheme that will address disadvantage in AI. They will look at tackling inequalities in the field, setting out how we can ensure underrepresented groups are not left behind and have equitable access to opportunities to achieve and thrive.
AI offers us a chance to break down barriers to opportunity and unlock the potential of every person in the workforce. With the right skills, the UK can lead the way in harnessing this transformative technology to create jobs, boost productivity, and improve our lives. It’s fast-paced and everchanging, but I won’t take my foot off the pedal playing my part in ensuring people have the tools to succeed in a world powered by AI.
Clare Scattergood’s job title underplays the myriad roles she performs at her small independent specialist college in Birmingham – designated safeguarding lead, cake maker, pot washer, flood water mopper-upper, gardener, mental health first aider, fire marshal and budget holder, to name a few.
Her roles at Victoria College, which is part of a charitable federation with Cherry Oak and Victoria Schools, give her tremendous highs and heart-wrenching lows. Her learners’ medical challenges mean their lives are sometimes tragically cut short.
The college is one of about 100 specialist colleges providing education for the increasing numbers of young people with SEND against a backdrop of council cuts.
The sweet-toothed Scattergood, who has led Victoria College since 2018, ran a cake-making business and was an FE catering lecturer before specialising in SEND. She tells Jessica Hill what a busy Monday looks like for her.
Clare Scattergood, Victoria College
6am
I don’t sleep very well and might be awake in the middle of the night, calculating how many minutes of education a student has missed. My role is very much that of a swan gliding on water. I float around college trying to look calm, but my feet are furiously paddling underneath withflutters of anxiety. I can’t let my staff see that because then they will feel it, and students will feel it from them. So no matter what’s going on, I have to be that swan.
After checking my emails over a cup of tea I drive to work, bringing the cakes I made over the weekend with me to share with my staff. I phone my daughter for a chat on the way.
Clare Scattergood, Victoria College, writing on her board
7.30am
I arrive to find the binmen have made a mess while emptying the bins, and get the cleaners to pick it up.
I then make a note on my board of any staff absences I’ve been emailed about. I have an assistant head who is a qualified teacher, another teacher, five higher level teaching assistants and 12 teaching assistants. You could cut most of them in half and find Victoria College through the centre. They’re absolutely brilliant.
We teach 26 students aged 19 to 25, with another currently waiting for transport to be arranged. We’re working really hard to develop volunteering opportunities for them because our students aren’t of the skillset to enter employment when they leave. In their final year with us, they’re out on work projects.
Yesterday, a group got to sit in sports cars with VR headsets on at a careers conference. Sadly, the venue’s overhead hoist wasn’t working in the disabled toilets, so they couldn’t receive personal care. Accessible amenities are an essential part of a successful trip, but sometimes problems are out of our control.
Clare Scattergood having fun with a learner
7.45am
Leading a small college means I’m involved in everything from feeding students at lunchtime to jumping in our minibus for trips out. In our weekly hydrotherapy sessions, I help get students changed and do their personal care. My motto is never to ask anyone to do something I’m not willing to do myself.
The office phone starts ringing to inform us of staff and student absences. The first half of last term was horrific, we had six to eight staff off at a time. We can’t easily get supply in because we’re so specialised. A regular teacher can’t teach what we provide.
Lack of staff continuity has a huge impact on our students. We’re looking for the tiniest signs of communication from them – the move of an eyelid to tell you if they’re uncomfortable. If staff are not in that same lesson regularly, they don’t see it.
9.45am
My favourite part of the day is meeting students on arrival. They come from across Birmingham, Dudley, Wolverhampton and Warwickshire. Securing funding for placements is a big challenge. Birmingham City Council is effectively bankrupt and most local authorities are having to make quite severe cuts.
One student had been due to start in September, but the local authority wanted her to attend a cheaper provision for “better use” of their resources. Her family went to tribunal, and she joined us in November.
Last academic year, I had nine tribunals scheduled. Two months into this year, I already have five. The delays in the system are massive. I have tribunals already scheduled for next academic year – too late for the education these young people require this year.
In one case, a local authority suddenly reduced a student’s provision here from five to three days a week. It makes me really frustrated because I now see a very depressed young lady who is not communicating or eating, and I see the effect on her family.
She’s a higher-needs learner who communicates her feelings with her eyes. Adult social care is meant to meet her needs on the other days, but it isn’t available.
Clare Scattergood, Victoria College
10.15am
I cover a lesson for a teacher who is off sick. I love teaching. It’s a non-verbal drama class with predominantly visually impaired students. There is lots of tapping heads, squeezing shoulders and massaging hands to get the students familiar with their bodies and intensive interaction. If they’re vocalising, we vocalise back to build that communication up.
In senior leadership meetings, after we have gone through the drudgery of finance, the window of insight that my staff provides into our teaching and learning always makes me smile.
Clare Scattergood, Victoria College, gathering evidence for a tribunal
11.30am
I’m back at my desk, gathering evidence to write a witness testimony for an upcoming tribunal.
I make a note of the class size of the group that young person would be going into and what aspects of their needs we could meet, based on their education, health and care plan.
It’s not a copy-and-paste job; I have to be very precise. It takes about four hours to complete. The tribunal takes place online in front of a judge and two specialists. It’s daunting for me and for the families involved.
The paperwork for my last tribunal case was 232 pages long, which I read twice beforehand to prepare myself.
I advocate for my students a lot because, with the lack of social workers and SEND advocacy organisations closing amid lack of funding, some families don’t have anyone else for support. Much of the focus of SENDIASS (Special Educational Needs and Disability Information, Advice and Support Service) is on schoolchildren.
Clare Scattergood with her executive headteacher Gary Coffey, Victoria College
Victoria College memorial to remember students who died
12.30pm
I eat a salad with homemade hummus, cottage cheese and pumpkin seeds – it compensates for all the cake.
I meet a staff member who’s been off work to discuss the reasons and if they’re OK now, as part of the return-to-work process.
As it’s her second time off work this term, I have to then arrange her first formal attendance meeting.
I’m then focused on my admin duties, which might involve reviewing our quality improvement plan, preparing for a trustee meeting or doing an audit.
Displayed behind my desk while I work are the pictures of former students who have passed away. We also have a memorial garden to remember them. My job is so joyous, but it can be heartbreaking when students die. They’re still very much part of us.
2pm
I give some feedback to a teacher for a lesson observation I did yesterday. The lesson involved work experience on community land in Bournville that we’re maintaining for the Canal & River Trust, where canal boats park.
We’re planning to grow some vegetables there and make it into a beautiful community garden.
I can’t just observe lessons; I feel the need to get involved. So, yesterday, I had students feel worms in my hand. It was chilly, but the students told us through their communication switches (which they press to record a message) how much they loved being out in nature.
Exploring worms on a day out at Victoria College community land in Bourneville
2.30pm
We’re currently overdue an Ofsted inspection, so I’m preparing staff by stopping them in the corridors and asking them questions without forewarning. I love my job, but I have moments after Ofsted have been when I think: “I don’t want to go through that ever again.” When you’re leading a small provider, Ofsted criticism feels very personal.
We’re currently graded ‘requires improvement’, but we’re so close to good and have been making lots of improvements lately. A bad result affects not just staff but students, as the college could be closed. Where would those students go? It’s a very stressful prospect.
Clare Scattergood, reaching for the Ofsted handbook at Victoria College
3pm
Our nurse discovers that a student with diabetes has a blood glucose reading of over 22 mmol per litre so she needs to go to hospital. It’s a four-hour wait for an ambulance, and when it arrives the nurse goes with them to help with communication. One time recently, a hospital consultant wouldn’t let our nurse into the room with a student who can only communicate with their feet. Without the nurse’s help, the doctors couldn’t know what that student was saying. There’s a lack of understanding across society for our students’ needs. It’s horrific when people talk over them and just think that they don’t know anything because they’re not speaking.
Another staff member has to transport the student’s wheelchair to the hospital in our minibus because ambulances are not designed for their moulded wheelchair.
Staff wellbeing activity at Victoria College
7pm
I head to a body pump fitness class after work, then head home for dinner, a coffee and a catch-up on socials.
After watching Bake Off or perhaps a murder drama series (my favourite recently was Confession), I play a couple of games of solitaire online before heading to bed.
My job is so different to that of a large college principal who might be based in their office and in meetings all day. My days are incredibly varied. I can’t imagine ever doing anything else.
The government will release a chunk of the £300 million announced in the budget this academic year as a “one-off grant” to help colleges fund teacher pay rises.
Around £50 million will be made available to general FE colleges and sixth form colleges for the period April to July 2025, a message from the Department for Education to the sector today, seen by FE Week, said.
It comes days after FE Week revealed the Sixth Form Colleges Association had dropped its judicial review claim against the DfE over last summer’s pay snub after ministers “agreed to provide funding” to support a wage increase in 2024/25.
Today’s message to colleges said: “The autumn budget provided an additional £300 million revenue funding for further education for financial year 2025 to 2026 to ensure young people are developing the skills this country needs. Details on allocations will be made available later this term, and we are providing a high level outline of plans now.
“The government is committed to increasing opportunity for young people, and we know the population of 16 to 19 year olds in learning is increasing, so this funding will be distributed specifically in support of 16 to 19 student participation.
“Approximately £50 million of this funding will be made available to general further education colleges and sixth-form colleges for the period April to July 2025. This one-off grant will enable colleges to respond to current priorities and challenges, including workforce recruitment and retention.”
The DfE added that the remaining funding will be made available in 16 to 19 funding rates for academic year 2025 to 2026, with the “aim of ensuring that all 16 to 19 providers are funded on an equitable basis from 2025 to 2026”.
Last summer the new Labour government announced it would hand £1.2 billion to fund a 5.5 per cent pay rise for school and academy teachers, with nothing for standalone sixth form colleges or general FE colleges.
National Education Union members have gone on strike for seven days so far since then to protest.
The £50 million deal enabled the SFCA to increase its pay recommendation for 2024/25 from 2 per cent to 3.5 per cent for September 2024 to March 2025, increasing to 5.5 per cent from April 2025 onwards.
The Association of Colleges previously said its members can only afford a 2.5 per cent pay award this year. FE Week has asked the organisation whether this recommendation will be revised in light of today’s announcement.
‘A significant step in the right direction’
Bill Watkin, Chief Executive of the Sixth Form Colleges Association, said: “Following protracted discussions with the Department for Education we are pleased to have reached an agreement on future funding. As a result, we have agreed to withdraw our claim for a judicial review.
“Since the start of this process, it has been our contention that all colleges, irrespective of their designation, should be supported in the same way as schools and academies. All are state-funded institutions that educate young people and employ hard-working teaching staff that do an incredible job.
“While the additional funding we have secured for 2024/25 will not enable colleges to match the pay award in schools and academies, it is a significant step in the right direction.”
David Hughes, chief executive of the Association of Colleges, said: “Colleges will be looking forward to seeing the detailed information of what their allocation will look like in February before they make any decisions on how they will be able to utilise it for both this year and next. They will also be keen to know about any in-year growth plans and their adult allocation for next year.
“The £300 million is a welcome boost for 16 to 18 funding, but because of demographic growth it is clearly not enough to restore the funding lost since 2010.”
The DfE said it is now “preparing the operational detail” of the 16 to 19 funding rates and formula and the allocations timeline for the 2025 to 2026 academic year.
“We aim to publish more information as soon as we can and will provide a further update by 13 February 2025,” the department added.
For FE, the first six months of the new government were soured by our almost-immediate deprioritisation. With late confirmation of which qualifications would be defunded, the weak positioning of Skills England and ongoing VAT injustice, the snubs have come thick and fast. Leaving FE staff out of an above-inflation deal for school teachers prompted 11,000 to sign a petition just weeks after the election. Our sector’s influence on government is clearly lacking. So I suggest these five steps to fix FE pay:
1 Know our audience
Sadly, making an issue purely about public-sector pay right now is unlikely to move decision-makers. And, theoretically, colleges can pay what they want. The reason they can’t match schools is because pre-16s are funded on the assumption of 39 weeks of 32.5 supervised hours, while 16- to 19-year-olds are funded for just 33 weeks of 19.5 hours.
Students in school sixth forms benefit from cross-subsidisation from the funding of 11- to 16-year-olds, while the disproportionately economically-disadvantaged learners in FE colleges are short changed twice; first by their secondary schools using their funding to prop up uneconomic sixth forms they don’t get into, then by the government’s inadequate funding of 16- to 19-year-olds’ education.
In my experience, the education teams at the Treasury and at 10 Downing Street are keenly motivated by social justice (far more so than the listless DfE), so swapping out the ‘teacher pay gap’ language for ‘disadvantaged-student funding gap’ will find a more sympathetic ear.
2 Know the detail
Talking about a ‘pay gap’ is simplistic and allows an easy dodge. Most school-teacher contracts are for 1,265 hours a year, reflecting the pre-academisation standard conditions. Some academies have 1,500-hour contracts. FE contracts are often less than 900 hours a year, because of that gap in funded hours.
Crudely raising annual salaries would mean college hourly rates exceeding schools, which isn’t politically realistic. We need more funded hours in the 16- to 19-year-old sector. We’re an international outlier in how meagre they currently are, so let’s appeal to Whitehall’s international competitivity.
3 Make a business case
It’s a cliché that our academic year is structured around an outdated agrarian calendar. It’s more accurate to say it’s structured around the convenience of moneybags awarding organisations. We know the damage that learning loss does, and I haven’t met anyone who doesn’t think post-16 transition needs attention. But for the convenience of awarding organisations we insist that every summer from age 16 onwards is counted in months rather than weeks.
We need to put students first and insist that assessment deadlines and exam dates come in July, not May. The additional teaching hours would support transition, reduce learning loss, and would provide the funding to increase FE pay, with Treasury seeing a tangible return.
4 Remove easy excuses
Imagine the conversations that might be had between ministers and civil servants behind closed doors when the issue of equal pay between FE and schools arises.
“Do they have the same level of qualification?”
“Some.”
“Well can we just give a pay rise to those?”
“That would be a headache.”
“Ah well. We tried.”
I got my Qualified Teacher Status through an on-the-job route. With the availability of such routes and teaching apprenticeships, there’s no reason we can’t aim for FE teaching to become a level six profession and kick away another excuse on pay.
5 Be honest about choices
As a former Education and Skills Funding Agency man, I would confidently match former Academies Minister Lord Agnew and offer a bottle of champagne to any college where I couldn’t find an efficiency. I am also a former college manager and very familiar with the perennial requests for smaller class sizes. Wouldn’t it be refreshing if we could just be honest and say that the cost of smaller class sizes is teacher pay? The cost of inefficient timetabling, for example offering both Functional Skills and GCSE for study-programme resitters, instead of just GCSE, is teacher pay. The cost of excessive representative-body membership fees is teacher pay.
Even with these steps, there’s no quick win. Fundamentally, 16-19 education needs billions invested in significantly more funded hours. But I am confident that these steps would start addressing the real barriers behind closed doors. So let’s rebrand our placards and remind this Labour government that FE serves the working-class students they should be putting first.
Tracks is a CPD (continuing professional development) initiative that was launched at Barking & Dagenham College (BDC) in September 2023. The idea was to take a step away from a more traditional, potentially didactic CPD model, and introduce more autonomy and freedom for practitioners to develop their pedagogical practice through action research in a way unique to them and their learners.
Tracks invites teachers to focus in on one area of their practice and carry out a small-scale action research project to develop their practice through inquiry. Teachers have complete autonomy and are able to focus their efforts on any aspect of their practice they feel is most beneficial to them. The only requirement is that their project is focused on pedagogy and that by the end of this, they are able to record the impact that it has had on their practice, and on learners.
Teaching staff at BDC are split into ten Tracks cohorts who meet once a month to discuss their progress and barriers, and set themselves targets for the month ahead. Each Tracks group is facilitated by a member of the Teaching & Learning team. Facilitators provide support and guidance while also making connections between teachers where projects overlap, to create a more collective approach.
The findings
Tracks completed its first full cycle at the end of 2023-24 with 112 action research projects completed. Each project was initiated by staff individually and tailored by the practitioner to drive development and innovation.
Action research projects ranged from teachers developing their practice through the use of AI, experimentation with audio recorded feedback, embedding a ‘compassionate pedagogy’ with high-needs learners and community photography projects in which learners projected their photography coursework onto local landmarks and housing estates in their London borough. One project even saw 12 learners write and publish their own novels in just one week. With the support of external organisation White Water Writers, these GCSE English resit learners’ books are now proudly displayed in our English department and library.
The students felt motivated and encouraged after taking part. We had a book launch day which learners’ families attended and felt incredibly proud of their achievements.
Although most staff embraced the freedom and autonomy that Tracks provides some staff did find the autonomy somewhat overwhelming, finding it difficult to decide on a particular action research focus to fit their own practice. So we created opportunities for teachers to share their projects to the wider college community, including in weekly all-staff Teams calls and in various CPD events, to celebrate the work that was being done and model what Tracks projects could focus on. This became self-sustaining, as through sharing their work many teachers found encouragement and received feedback that grew their projects further.
Feedback from staff about Tracks as a CPD model and a concept has been overwhelmingly positive. Staff have reported feeling inspired by the freedom and autonomy inherent to Tracks and have made connections, both within BDC and externally, that would not have been made otherwise.
CPD impact
Tracks has had a transformative effect on CPD which is prioritised more than ever. Our monthly CPD events are embedded in the college calendar and curriculum areas cannot timetable classes to coincide with these time slots. Active engagement in CPD through action research is now woven into the fabric of what it means to be a teacher at BDC and development is synonymous with practice.
Furthermore, BDC is now much more integrated into the community of FE colleges who value action research as a viable professional development model. Closer links have been established with the ARPCE (Association for Research in Post-Compulsory Education) and the Research College Group (RCG). Through this, Tracks is extending beyond BDS. Practitioners from multiple colleges nationwide have signed up to take part in an external Tracks group, launching this month.
We want to continue growing Tracks, and promote action research as a CPD model which empowers staff to take ownership of their practice in a supportive and collaborative environment.
This article was co-authored with Dr Michael Smith, faculty director of apprenticeships & quality, Barking & Dagenham College
Professional Development Co-Director, EducationScape
Start date: January 2025
Previous Job: Senior Professional Development and Learning Manager, Skills and Education Group
Interesting fact: Jo is an adventurous soul who thrives on exploration. She’s crawled through Vietnam’s Cu Chi Tunnels before zipping through Ho Chi Minh City. She’s also journeyed across Sri Lanka, climbing Sigiriya Rock and riding “the world’s most beautiful train route” from Kandy to Ella.
Karen Plowman
Professional Development Co-Director, EducationScape
Start date: January 2025
Previous Job: Head of Professional Development and Learning, Skills and Education Group
Interesting fact: Karen has a flair for the stage, from her pantomime days in her youth to a surprise moment of fame on a cruise when a performance was unknowingly streamed across the entire ship.
David Phoenix
Vice Chancellor, The Open University
Start date: July 2025
Previous Job: VC and CEO, London South Bank University Group
Interesting fact: When not focused on helping create educational opportunities, David still maintains his research as a molecular engineer looking at the design and delivery of new drugs.
For the last decade, schools and colleges have worked to implement the Gatsby Benchmarks, a framework which provides structured, high-quality careers guidance to help young people make informed decisions, enhancing learners’ understanding of opportunities like apprenticeships and higher education. I think it’s fair to say that careers guidance in schools and colleges has been transformed as a result.
Independent training providers (ITPs) need to follow suit, following updates to the original benchmarks which include specific guidance for ITPs. As a head of careers with a vast background in the education sector, including working as a secondary teacher, I welcome this expansion of the Gatsby Benchmarks to ITPs. Providers need to support young people navigating pathways such as apprenticeships and vocational training by offering comprehensive, impartial and effective careers guidance.
This shift offers a significant opportunity for ITPs to elevate their role beyond training delivery, aligning their careers advice with the high standards established in schools and colleges. The updated Gatsby Benchmarks provide ITPs with a clear roadmap for delivering effective careers advice.
While some providers are already successfully using the benchmarks; some may find the idea of adopting them daunting. We have contributed significantly to the process of reviewing and updating the benchmarks by participating in Gatsby’s expert practitioner group, and we are proud to champion the implementation of the updated framework.
I think any careers professional would agree that CEIAG (careers education, information, advice and guidance) isn’t without it’s challenges, whether that’s parental engagement, resource constraints, or aligning to Ofsted requirements. But the benchmarks are there to give careers professionals confidence in what they are doing and something they can strive towards.
The benchmarks include eight standards that ITPs should meet. Key requirements include:
A well-resourced careers programme led by a dedicated head of careers or career leader. This role involves close collaboration with senior management and the board to guarantee all learners receive effective guidance.
Providing accurate, up-to-date labour market information. Learners must understand job market trends and career options to make informed decisions.
Tailoring advice to each learner’s unique needs. We must offer our learners personalised support that considers individual interests, aspirations, and qualifications.
Embedding career-related learning into the curriculum to further strengthen the link between studies and career opportunities. By discussing potential career paths related to their qualifications and the skills needed in the job market, learners can connect their education to their future goals.
Engagement with employers. Work placements, industry talks, and networking events help bridge the gap between education and employment. Learners gain real-world exposure to diverse work environments through apprenticeships, work shadowing or project-based learning. And providing insights into further study options ensures they can make well-rounded decisions.
Effective one-to-one guidance. Appropriately qualified careers advisers should be available to help learners explore options suited to their individual needs.
Meeting the Gatsby Benchmarks should no longer be optional. While some ITPs may face challenges such as limited resources or staff training needs, the framework offers a clear path forward. Our involvement demonstrates that progress is achievable.
By working towards the benchmarks, ITPs can enhance their provision and provide meaningful careers guidance with lasting impacts on learners. Gatsby’s new Good Career Guidance: the Next Ten Years report, which sets out the updated benchmarks, has been integral for us to develop our policy, strategy and action plan – all with the explicit backing of our senior leadership team.
We need to equip staff with the skills to deliver high-quality guidance and provide ongoing professional development to stay updated with sector changes. Building strong relationships with local and national businesses is also crucial for offering valuable career insights and experience of workplaces.
ITPs should begin by reading the report and assessing their current careers provision using tools like the Careers and Enterprise Company’s Compass, which helps identify areas for improvement.
Tracking the impact of careers provision is vital. Providers can measure outcomes through learner feedback, progression data, and recognised frameworks such as the Quality in Careers Standard and Matrix. Engaging learners in regular career planning sessions, workshops, and online resources further enhances outcomes.
Some providers may find the benchmarks daunting to adopt, but it is the right thing to do to support our learners to achieve their goals – not only benefiting them as individuals but also to strengthen your role in the educational ecosystem.
Just two out of nearly 200 government investigation reports on FE providers have been published over the past seven years, FE Week can reveal.
Figures obtained under the freedom of information act show that between 2017 and 2024, the Education and Skills Funding Agency recovered £49 million in public funding from colleges and training providers following 193 investigations into financial fraud or irregularities.
Experts have condemned the lack of transparency from the ESFA’s counter fraud and investigations team, which deals with allegations of financial misconduct and errors with education funding.
The agency’s policy over this period stated it would publish these reports “in all but the most exceptional circumstances” because it is in the “public interest”, but it has since been watered down.
Little is known about investigations that the team carries out into FE providers beyond headline figures published in the ESFA’s annual accounts.
Paul Bridge, head of further education at the University and College Union, told FE Week that failing to publish investigation reports means the ESFA is “essentially providing anonymity” to at-fault colleges and training providers.
“There are far too many examples of dodgy financial behaviour from further education bosses, which puts staff and students at risk, and the ESFA now needs to publish the outcomes of its investigations so these bosses can be held to account.”
‘Fair and transparent’
For at least ten years, the ESFA – an arm of the Department for Education set to close in March – has had a policy promising to be “fair and transparent” by publishing reports detailing findings of financial investigations “where it is appropriate to do so”.
But reports from several high-profile investigations are yet to see the light of day, including those into Weston, Brooklands and Strode colleges, as well as independent training providers such as 3aaa and four companies owned by Angela Middleton.
The most recently published report was into issues at Bournville College in Birmingham, published in July 2019.
Anne Murdoch, a senior advisor at the Association of School and College Leaders union, said publishing reports in a timely fashion would allow the sector to “learn from any mistakes that have been made”.
She added: “ESFA investigations encompass everything from incidences of major fraud to minor errors in relation to complex and regularly changing conditions of funding.
“If the outcomes of these investigations are not being published, it is difficult to fully understand the reasons why significant sums of money are being clawed back.”
In recent months spokespeople for the Department for Education have provided different reasons for failing to publish investigation reports.
Last year a spokesperson claimed that most investigations did not need to be published as they were “routine”.
But in November, the department told FE Week’s sister title Schools Week that publication of investigations were often delayed by an “overly protracted” legal process, that gives those criticised in reports the right to respond before publication.
Outcomes not findings
In December 2023, the ESFA updated its policy on publishing investigation outcomes after being berated by the public accounts committee (PAC) for failing to be “sufficiently transparent about the results of inquiries into concerns”.
The government has now promised to publish investigation reports within two months of their conclusion.
But it also quietly changed its policy to only publish investigation “outcomes” which are significantly shorter and less detailed.
PAC chair Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown has now raised “concern that the [publication] changes hinder transparency and do not align with the view of the committee” from its 2019 report.
Acland-Hood has been asked to set out how the department “considered transparency against other factors, such as timeliness, when changing [its] guidance to ensure evidence-based decision”.
He also wants assurances on how officials will “ensure sufficient information is available to the sector to understand gaps in practice and learn lessons with just investigation outcomes published”.
The DfE previously said its commitment was still met by publishing outcome reports, adding that doing so “enables the investigation team to publish the pertinent information from these reports without an overly protracted” legal process, such as allowing those criticised to provide a response.
This rule, known as the Maxwellisation process, after a case brought by the late publisher Robert Maxwell against the government, has “historically led to significant delay in publishing investigation outcomes”, the DfE added
The change also enables the government investigation team to “spend more time on its core function of investigating fraud and financial irregularity across the academy trust and further education sectors”.
As our lives become ever more online, social media platforms can be an invaluable way for people to connect with others, but these can also be spaces where information sharing goes unchecked and, increasingly, where disinformation can be consumed, believed and passed on.
We have known for years that social media employs algorithms to serve us tailored content based on our habits, beliefs and profiles. This can deliver us content that is helpful to us. But it is also open to increasing the creation, targeting and reach of fake news and disinformation. The dawn of artificial intelligence (AI) has only served to speed this process up, and it feels like we are at a crossroads at which we each need to proactively consider what we do in these spaces and choose our course carefully.
As education providers, we hold a crucial responsibility to promote constructive dialogue and truth, to embrace and enable communities to come together, and to ensure we support equality, diversity and inclusivity in everything we do. We each need to recognise the importance of ensuring our learners, staff, and broader community engage in digital spaces that foster respectful collaboration and learning.
WM College now turns its focus to other platforms that better align with its values. The college is committed to maintaining reliable and transparent communication with its community through these channels.
Our decision to step away from Twitter/X reflects our ongoing commitment to our principles of integrity, diversity, and social responsibility. We encourage all our partners, fellow educational institutions, learners, supporters, and friends to consider the role they play in creating and supporting responsible digital spaces.
But this is just one step.
We’re looking at how we can formally embed the spotting and checking of fake news into our curriculums
As colleges, we operate as hubs in our local communities, helping to challenge isolation and loneliness, bringing our communities together through social cohesion, and providing a physical and online space where people can learn, socialise, share – and challenge – views. We, and other adult learning providers across the UK, are in the perfect position to help people to develop the critical thinking skills that will support them to challenge and interrogate what they see, hear and read.
At WM College, our tutors are already having conversations with learners about how they can spot and check fake news, and we are now looking at how we can formally embed this in our curriculums, student and staff inductions, and community outreach
However, to tackle this challenge properly, institutions need more dedicated funding from government to offer widely accessible courses on misinformation. The more we educate our society on this issue, the better equipped we are to support unity, embrace diversity, and drive social and economic progress.
While this helps those already through our door, it is subject to a bigger problem. Research shows there is an education gap in misinformation and disinformation acceptance. The more education an individual has undertaken, the more likely they are to mistrust and interrogate the information they consume. However, access to education in the UK still lacks equality. As a nation, we are failing to reach those who are most distant from employment and community engagement.
We know adult learning has the ability to get people back into work, to increase aspirations and career progression, to tackle loneliness and improve health and wellbeing, but we now know it is also a critical touchpoint that increases skills and conversations to counter disinformation.
As well as reviewing our own digital presences, we need to find more ways to provide points of access and educational opportunities, together with a fair funding system to ensure all those who would benefit from education have the opportunity to do so.
This is a complex problem that we cannot solve overnight. But by recognising the important role we play and the actions we can take to arm and deploy adult colleges in the fight against disinformation, we can be an effective part of the arsenal against activity that can undermine all that we – as educators – are trying to achieve in building a cohesive society.
