Swamped TRA capacity questioned ahead of FE expansion

The expansion of the teacher misconduct agency’s power to issue lifetime bans to include teachers in the FE sector has been called into question amid longstanding “failures” to address stale cases going back up to eight years.

Hundreds of thousands of post-16 teachers and assessors will fall under the scope of misconduct investigations through the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) for the first time under laws being introduced through the children’s wellbeing and schools bill.

FE leaders have welcomed the move to help colleges and providers with the “most complex” cases, but sceptics warn the TRA cannot handle the extra powers as it struggles to manage its current caseload, leaving teachers “in limbo” for two years on average.

An investigation by FE Week’s sister publication Schools Week last year revealed that Covid backlogs caused two teachers to be left in the lurch for eight years, suffering “psychological damage” and a “fear of public humiliation”, as they waited for their misconduct cases to be concluded. 

The TRA also recently admitted to breaching a headteacher’s human rights by taking six years on her case.

The agency’s latest accounts show that 31 per cent of its 1,042 active cases were first referred more than two years ago.

The TRA said that it had injected more funding to recruit staff and spent £4 million more on legal services to shave waiting times down from 113 weeks on average in 2022-23 to 102 weeks in 2023-24. It still failed to hit its target to conclude cases within 52 weeks from receiving the referral.

Andrew Faux, of Lawyers for Teachers, whose caseload includes cases dating back five years, told FE Week: “Given their given failure to deal with some very stale cases, it’s surprising that they’re choosing to expand their remit at this moment.”

“I’m sceptical about the capacity of the organisation,” he added. “It’s going to be a bit of a mess, isn’t it?”

The agency has also been bogged down with rising numbers of parents making complaints. Last year it received 1,684 teacher misconduct referrals, mostly from the public. The agency subsequently dismissed 1,059 of the referrals.

Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders union, called for a “better mechanism” for handling parents’ complaints and clearly distinguishing between cases for the TRA to investigate, and those that should go through a college’s own complaints procedures.

Faux added: “They should target better and concentrate on serious misconduct the public would expect to be acted on, and not waste time on more trivial allegations, because they’re not going to get more money, I don’t imagine.”

What does the TRA do?

The TRA is an executive agency of Department for Education that investigates cases of serious teacher misconduct and issues sanctions, including lifetime bans known as prohibition orders.

Once the TRA receives a referral, a professional conduct panel carries out public hearings on whether there has been unacceptable professional conduct, such as sexual harassment, failure to protect pupils’ safety, fraud or violent behaviour. They then recommend whether to issue a prohibition order.

The prohibition order bans individuals from carrying out teaching work, usually for life. Their name would also appear on the “prohibited list” for employers, local authorities and teacher supply agencies to be able to check.

Outcomes of the TRA’s misconduct panels are made public, even when no prohibition order is made.

FE teachers haven’t been regulated since 2012, when they were under the remit of the Institute for Learning (IfL) and their compulsory requirement to register as an IfL member was repealed. Independent reviewers at the time called for an “appropriate government body” to take on the responsibility of keeping a register of FE misconduct.

What does the schools bill propose?

The Department for Education revealed two years ago that it planned to extend TRA powers to post-16 education and training “when a suitable legislative opportunity becomes available”.

The changes seek to protect and safeguard all students under the age of 19 by the teacher misconduct regime.

About 200,000 teachers in FE colleges, independent training providers, specialist SEND colleges and online providers are to fall in its scope.

The draft law also seeks to extend powers to cover individuals who commit serious misconduct “when not employed as a teacher, but who have at any time carried out teaching work” as the current legislation only allows investigations into current teachers. 

Clare Howard, chief executive of Natspec, a membership association for specialist providers to students with learning difficulties and disabilities, said she agreed with the move to include specialist college teachers “in principle” but her concern would be about “the timeliness of such investigations”.

“It will need considerably more resources if it is to be able to take on cases from the FE sector as well – and deal with them in a timely fashion,” she added.

The Association of Colleges’ senior policy manager, David Holloway, told FE Week that college HR teams might welcome external support, “especially with the most complex cases”.

He added: “Whilst the bill is clear that colleges will fall within the scope of existing TRA processes, it is unclear how this expansion of scope will be managed, so we hope that DfE will engage with colleges to make sure that the detail is right for what is, after all, a very different sector.”

The Department for Education was contacted for comment.

Administrators called in after DfE and MCAs end provider’s contracts

A training provider has gone bust after the government and several mayoral authorities terminated their adult education contracts – leaving unemployed learners in the lurch without certificates.

Some adults who trained at Free To Learn (F2L) after a referral by JobCentres have been waiting for more than a year for proof of their qualification achievement and now fear the worst.

The company, which also owns a separate apprenticeship and FE loans provider called British Academy of Jewellery that appears to not have been affected by the collapse, had more than 100 staff and has secured about £20 million in public funding for Adult Education Budget (AEB) courses since 2019.

F2L’s insolvency, posted on Companies House last month, follows an ‘inadequate’ Ofsted judgment in which inspectors found some teachers “coach” students to pass assessments.

Inspectors also sounded the alarm after finding “too many” learners who completed a pre-employment course to get into the security industry “do not receive the required licence for working in the sector, despite this being their reason for joining the course”.

There were 235 adult learners at the time of the inspection. Several adults who recently completed their security guard course at F2L told FE Week that communication about expected certificates dried up last month.

F2L was one of fewer than 60 private providers to land a national AEB contract with the Department for Education in 2023’s controversial tender. The contract, worth £1.5 million, was granted a one-year extension for 2024-25 before being terminated in October.

The company also held AEB contracts with the West Midlands and South Yorkshire combined authorities. Both funders have now ended their agreements.

The British Academy of Jewellery (BAJ), a subsidiary of F2L, is a registered apprenticeship provider that also advertises diplomas, and a degree in jewellery design and manufacturing.

Over the past two academic years the BAJ received £2.4 million in advanced learner loans.

Certificates ‘being dealt with’

The company’s ultimate owner, Free To Learn Group Ltd, which is controlled by Damian Gherscovic, and the BAJ, remain solvent.

Chief operating officer Gabriel Gherscovic told FE Week that F2L’s bankruptcy would “definitely not” affect BAJ’s operations or publicly funded contracts.

However, he declined to comment on the cause of the bankruptcy.

Gherscovic said he was “not aware” how many students were waiting for certificates, or how long some had been waiting.

“I’m not dealing with operations, but I’m perfectly aware that it’s being dealt with. It’s taking time, but it’s being dealt with,” he added. 

The businessman said the company was in “a normal process” of winding down and suggested that learners would receive their certificates “in the correct manner”.

In a separate email, company spokesperson Sahad Azad said a single “dedicated staff member” is still working on processing certificates “with care and urgency”.

Learners waiting

Online reviews of F2L suggest that issues emerged with learners not receiving contracts as early as 2021.

Speaking to FE Week, Elena Georgiou, 42, said she took an AEB funded security guard course in Hackney, which started in September and should have lasted five weeks but “dragged on” until November.

Her class has only received first aid certificates and has not heard from the company since December 20 – three days after its bankruptcy notice was published.

She said: “I’m absolutely fuming – we all need to apply for jobs and we’re still waiting – it’s definitely affected me financially.”

Brian Bellot, 52, said he was left “disheartened” after a south London JobCentre referred him to what he believed was a forklifting course at the company’s Hackney office in 2023.

But when he arrived, he claimed he was told he would first need to study three courses with “no relevance” to forklift operating, such as level 2 customer services, for which he has never received a certificate.

He told FE Week: “It was disappointing that I did something I didn’t want to do and didn’t get the certificates to say I actually achieved it.”

Matt Bromley said his son, who has special needs, completed an online Construction Skills Certification Scheme course with F2L in 2023 but waited nearly a year before he was booked on a test.

He said: “I don’t think he’d ever have heard from them again. They never contacted us. I was contacting them and making complaints.”

His son, who he has asked to remain anonymous, was eventually booked on to a test after his father complained to the JobCentre that referred him to the course.

Who is F2L?

The company was set up in 2010 and grew its turnover – which includes BAJ’s finances – to more than £11 million by 2022-23. 

F2L bought BAJ, formerly known as Holts Academy of Jewellery, in 2016.

Its income appears to have come from a combination of FE college subcontracting, before it secured direct contracts in 2019.

F2L went on to earn at least £20.6 million from the DfE, the Greater London Authority and several other mayoral combined authorities for the next five year to deliver adult education courses.

A spokesperson for Buckinghamshire College Group said it had had a “long-standing” subcontracting relationship with F2L – worth £1.4 million last academic year – but began winding this down “in early 2024”.

The spokesperson added: “Whilst Free To Learn has now gone into administration this does not affect the administering of the final certificates to learners, which Free To Learn is still working through.”

The DfE declined to comment on whether BAJ’s skills contracts could be at risk, given that it is run by the same owner of F2L.

The Department for Work and Pensions, which manages JobCentres, was contacted for comment.

Possible extension for national skills bootcamp contracts

Training providers that hold national skills bootcamp contracts could be in line for an extension.

The previous government committed half a billion pounds to subsidise the short courses between 2022 and 2025, with funding set to run out in March.

Labour ministers previously announced that there would be no further procurements for national delivery. They plan to fund the programme directly through mayoral combined authorities (MCAs) and local areas in the long term.

However, skills minister Jacqui Smith has now hinted that some national contracts may continue beyond their current end date.

Lord Clement-Jones submitted a parliamentary question before Christmas to ask whether the government had considered “giving short-term contract extensions for high-performing skills bootcamps providers that can demonstrate their ability to meet milestones and deliver outcomes by 31 March 2025”.

Smith said in response to the Liberal Democrat peer: “We will provide further information on contract extensions and variations in due course.

“We will encourage providers to work with their local MCA or local enterprise partnership to find out more about how they can work with them to deliver adult skills training.”

The Department for Education confirmed to FE Week that it would soon write to providers with national contracts to set out further information, but it could not offer a timeframe for final decisions.

It is understood that it is unlikely that all national contracts will be extended, and officials will instead decide each one on a case-by-case basis.

Funding to continue bootcamps through both local and national contracts is likely to be a decision for spending review discussions between the Treasury and DfE.

But providers will be desperate for an urgent decision on national contract extensions to avoid a planning nightmare as they begin to wind down their current allocation.

The Skills Network secured one of the largest national bootcamp contracts – totalling almost £7 million over two years to deliver in areas such as digital, cyber security and project management.

The company’s chief executive Mark Dawe said: “We get fantastic feedback from our learners, and recently Ofsted recognised that many get positive outcomes. An extension for existing contract holders would be a sensible move, but we need to know the details as soon as possible to be able to plan now what resources will be funded for the next 12 months.”

Skills bootcamps last up to 16 weeks and combine training, work experience and are supposed to include a guaranteed job interview.

Providers are paid in three “milestone” instalments based on learners’ performance and the job interview. The final payment is conditional on whether positive outcomes, such as a new job, have been achieved.

The DfE’s director of apprenticeships, Kate Ridley-Moy, told providers in November that there is “definitely a future” for skills bootcamps. One option on the table, she said, is to allow the courses to be fundable through Labour’s upcoming growth and skills levy.

DfE hones in on dodgy directors in ‘high risk’ provider policy update

Provider directors, shadow directors or governors deemed by the government to have acted “dishonestly” or in “breach of ethical standards” could see their funding terminated through a beefed up performance management policy.

The Department for Education has refreshed its ‘Funding higher-risk organisations and subcontractors’ rules to include an enhanced list of offences and breaches that it can use to take action against colleges, independent training providers and employers with Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) contracts.

‘Inadequate’ Ofsted ratings, financial instability and contractual non-compliance remain in the policy, which was last updated in 2022, as reasons for the department to consider a provider high risk.

However, the new policy, nearly 1,500 words longer than the old one, now lists additional grounds for penalties based on the actions of “connected persons” to the provider.

This not only includes anyone with significant control of the provider, but now any director, trustee, governor or other person with “representation, decision, influence, management or control including through a blind trust, partner organisation or parent organisation”.

A company with a connected person who is subject to an ongoing investigation or has been subject to action from a previous investigation will be considered a high-risk provider.

 Simon Ashworth, deputy chief executive and director of policy at the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, said the updated policy “strengthens the DfE’s position on ensuring providers consider the circumstances of individuals they work closely with”.

He added: “This serves as an important reminder for providers to carefully evaluate their partnerships and conduct through due diligence to ensure that associated individuals are not only credible but are also not associated with any concerning past activities.”

Newly listed grounds for identifying high-risk providers also include any connected person found to have committed “professional misconduct”, tax-related misconduct, labour market misconduct, such as offences related to modern slavery, or who poses a threat to national security.

The refreshed policy adds that a provider will be considered high risk if any connected person has a prohibition order against them from the Teaching Regulation Agency unless “compelling” evidence convinces DfE public funds are not at risk.

Legislation is currently going through parliament to extend the remit of the Teaching Regulation Agency, which has powers to issue lifetime bans from teaching in cases of serious misconduct, to the further education sector.

If the DfE deems a connected person to have “engaged in professional misconduct which brings into question the providers’ or the connected person’s integrity”, the provider that the person is connected with will be considered high risk.

The policy defines “professional misconduct” as “dishonesty, impropriety, or a serious breach of ethical or professional standards.”

Connected consequences

Actions the DfE can take once a provider has been identified as high risk are largely unchanged from the previous version of the policy, however who is in scope has been clarified.

For example, provision delivered through contracts with devolved authorities and providers that only deliver skills bootcamps are not in scope. But independent training providers, colleges, employer providers, and their subcontractors that deliver post-16 education and training, including apprenticeships, are in scope.

Through the policy, a provider identified as high-risk can be refused funding contracts, excluded from allocations, have payments restricted or have one or all contracts terminated.

Before that, providers have the right to make their case against any action proposed against them, unless the offence warrants an immediate termination set out in the relevant funding contracts.

In coming to its decision, the policy states that the department will consider “the level of risk associated with the provision of funding to the provider” and “information that the department has from its own knowledge or intelligence from records it maintains”.

Appeals will not be accepted, but the department will hear complaints about process.

Level 2 business admin apprenticeship standard approved

Proposals for a business administration apprenticeship standard at level 2 have finally been approved after five years of campaigning from employers and training organisations.

The assistant administrator standard was given the nod by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) on Monday with an aim for the remaining assessment and funding approval hurdles to be cleared in time for teaching to begin at the start of the 2025/26 academic year.

IfATE has consistently rejected the proposed apprenticeship since the old-style business administration apprenticeship framework was due to be switched off in 2020. The quango has until now argued that the proposed apprenticeship standard failed to meet its requirements around duration and quality, and overlapped with its level 3 equivalent.

Persistence on the part of the employers and training organisations making up the business and administration trailblazer group appears to have paid off.

The standard, previously criticised for being too public-sector focused, has been revised following input from large private-sector organisations on the IfATE trailblazer group, including Sainsbury’s, Amazon and Coca-Cola. More than 900 private and public sector organisations took part in a survey informing the trailblazer group of the skills and behaviours needed from the standard and get it over the line.

The trailblazer group overseeing the standard can now develop its proposals for the end-point assessment and funding band, which it aims to complete in March.

Back to business

In an email update sent to the group, co-chairs Lisa Shepherdson and Sharon Blyfield said the approval of the assistant administrator standard was “a reflection of the collective commitment we all share to shaping the future of apprenticeships and the importance of that first rung of the ladder for everyone”.

Shepherdson told FE Week the new standard would meet the required 12-month minimum duration and highlighted how the standard had been informed by businesses.

“We’ve now included more to address [business] needs, such as remote working and sustainability, those types of things and a lot more. The duration could be well over the 12 months. Some [learners] that come from the hardest-to-reach areas may need longer.”

Prior to 2020, the level 2 business administration framework was one of the most popular apprenticeships available, clocking up thousands of starters, particularly among women and under-19s.

As frameworks were replaced with standards, the then Institute for Apprenticeships rejected several attempts at a replacement level 2 business administration standard. Employers argued the apprenticeship was needed as a “vital entry route” to careers and social mobility for young people unable to progress to level 3.

Among those leading the charge has been NHS apprenticeships lead Lucy Hunte. Hunte posted on social media earlier this week she was “absolutely delighted” the standard had been approved.

“Thank you to all the employers, colleges, ITPs and AOs who have supported our endeavours for the past five years,” she wrote.

November resits: GCSE English pass rate plummets

The proportion of students passing GCSE resits in English fell dramatically in the November series.

Results published by the Joint Council for Qualifications this morning shows 34.9 per cent all English resit participants achieved the standard pass of grade 4 or above in England.

It marks a stark 5.4 percentage point drop from last year, when 40.3 per cent secured at least a standard pass and marginally higher than pre-pandemic 2019, when the pass rate was 32.3 per cent.

A quarter (25 per cent) more students registered for a GCSE English resit in November 2024 than the year prior. A total of 69,973 students retook English, up from 56,147 in November 2023.

It follows increasing numbers of school-aged pupils who failed to achieve a grade 4 “pass” in the subjects during their GCSEs this summer – 175,898 for maths and 181,682 for English.

The government’s resits policy mandates students who have not achieved a grade 4 pass in English and/or maths GCSE by age 16 to retake these qualifications as a condition of their places being funded.

The drop in GCSE English resit pass rates could stem from an exam boards’ controversial decision to “significantly” hike up the grade boundary for a resit exam earlier this summer.

Pearson Edexcel received numerous complaints and threats of legal action after it unexpectedly raised the grade 4 pass mark for its 2.0 English language exam from 73, used in both the June and November 2023 series, to 84 in summer 2024. Students who sat the exams in November 2024 needed 82 marks to achieve a grade 4.

“We expected the Pearson 2.0 results to be lower than the November 2023 sitting due to the standards set in summer 2024, however, the proportion of entries to Pearson 2.0 amount to less than 25 per cent of all entries in English Language,” said Catherine Sezen, director of education policy at the Association of Colleges (AoC).

“The results for GCSE English need further scrutiny, but it needs to be remembered that entry approaches differ from college to college and year to year,” she added.

Meanwhile, pass rates for GCSE maths resit exams improved marginally. The data showed 24.1 per cent of resit entrants achieved a grade 4 pass or above, a nudge higher than last year’s 22.2 per cent pass rate for November.

The rate is still lagging behind pre-pandemic levels, when the pass rate was 26.4 per cent in 2019, and 24.2 per cent in 2022.

Entries for GCSE maths resits entries rose by 13 per cent from 60,951 in November 2023 to 69,139 this year.

Sezen added that colleges have “once again managed dramatic growth in retake numbers” this year.

“It’s positive to see that the proportion of students who have gained a grade 4 in maths has increased from 2023,” she said.

“AoC has consistently called for a review of both English and maths qualifications at Key Stage 4 and post-16, and we are hopeful that the ongoing curriculum and assessment review will shine a light on what qualifications are appropriate for this cohort of students to ensure they can go on to succeed in life beyond college,” Sezen added.

Why 2025 is a critical year for FE funding

2025 will be a pivotal year for FE. With a new government in office and a Spending Review on the horizon, decisions in the coming months will shape the funding landscape through to 2028. These will reveal how the government intends to balance its ambitions to improve education against public finance constraints.

Our latest report on education spending in England shows how FE has faced some of the deepest funding cuts across the education system. This reflects a persistent historical trend: when overall spending increases, FE tends to receive smaller boosts, and when budgets are tightened, it often bears the brunt of the reductions.

The data tells a stark story. Between 2010–11 and 2019–20, funding per student in colleges dropped by 14 per cent in real terms, while school sixth forms saw an even sharper decline of 28%. Although extra money has been allocated since 2019, funding remains well below 2010 levels. Funding per student in FE colleges is 11 per cent lower than in 2010-11, while sixth form funding has fallen by 23 per cent.

In last year’s Autumn Budget, the government announced a £300 million cash-terms boost for colleges and sixth forms in 2025–26. However, rising student numbers and inflation mean that, even if the entire amount were directed to 16–19 education, it would only maintain funding per student at current levels in real terms.

Adult education and skills funding tells a similar story. Total spending on adult skills and apprenticeships is around 23 per cent below 2009–10 levels, even after accounting for recent funding increases. Classroom-based adult education has experienced some of the sharpest reductions, with real-terms funding levels over 40 per cent lower than in 2009–10. Learner numbers have fallen dramatically alongside these reductions, dropping by 60 per cent over the same period.

Although apprenticeship funding has been more stable over time, it has increasingly shifted towards higher-level apprenticeships. This raises important questions about access for younger and less-skilled learners, who may find fewer pathways available to them.

Adding to existing financial challenges is the ongoing growth of the student population. Since 2018, the number of 16- to 18-year-olds has grown 13 per cent, by 230,000 with a further 5 per cent increase anticipated by 2028. If participation rates remain unchanged, this means an extra 60,000 students in colleges and sixth forms.

They will need to expand capacity, hire more staff and maintain facilities. To keep funding per student at current levels in real terms, the government would need to increase annual funding by almost £200 million in today’s prices by 2027–28 just to keep spending per student constant in real-terms. Without this, a real-terms freeze in total funding would mean a 4 per cent drop in per-student funding.

Many providers are already feeling the financial strain. In 2022–23 (the latest year for which data is available) 37% of FE colleges reported operating in deficit – a reminder of the challenges already faced by many institutions as they attempt to alleviate rising costs.

Meanwhile, the pace of policy churn shows no sign of abating. Implementation of the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) has been continually debated. The apprenticeship levy is being turned into a growth and skills levy to subside a wider set of training activities. ‘Skills England’ has been created to provide strategic oversight of the post-16 skills system and future skills needs. The government has chosen to continue funding many level three qualifications for the next few years, but without making it clear how existing level three qualifications and T levels will coexist in a fractured system over the long-run.  

This year’s Spending Review will be a critical moment for FE. With public spending dominated by competing demands – including health and defence – FE funding will likely remain constrained. The outcomes of the review will determine the sector’s ability to meet rising demand, implement ambitious reforms, and secure its long-term financial stability. For providers, students and employers, the stakes could not be higher.

1 in 6 apprenticeships taken by uni graduates, research finds

Calls to ban graduates from publicly funded apprenticeships have resurfaced after new data revealed over £400 million in levy funds was spent on people who already held a bachelor’s degree or higher last year.

Freedom of Information request figures show that one in six apprentices (56,000) were university alumni in 2023/24, including 14,000 people with a master’s degree. 

Almost a third of these starts were on level 7 apprenticeships – courses which ministers are now planning to axe from public subsidy.

Tom Richmond, a former adviser to education ministers who obtained the data, estimates that £431 million, almost of fifth of the Department for Education’s total apprenticeship budget, was used to fund apprenticeships for graduates last year. Around £182 million of this was for level 7 apprenticeships.

In a report for the Social Market Foundation, Richmond said spending this amount on graduates is “not tolerable” if the government “wishes to ‘break down barriers to opportunity’” considering starts at lower levels have collapsed since the levy came in, and there are almost one million young people not in education, employment or training.

He believes the figures support his recommendation, first made in 2023, that the government bar graduates from all publicly funded apprenticeships.

His report states that this restriction should be imposed instead of a blanket levy ban on all level 7 apprenticeships.

Richmond said the apprenticeship money spent on graduates “should be redirected towards new apprenticeships for young people leaving school or college, particularly those from the most deprived backgrounds, who should be prioritised for the finite funding available for apprenticeships”.

He added: “University graduates have already had huge sums of taxpayers’ money invested in their education, so it is only right that young people who do not attend university are given the same level of investment and support to kickstart their careers.”

But Simon Ashworth, deputy CEO and director of policy at the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, warned that limiting these individuals from accessing apprenticeships would be a “huge backward step” for the programme, considering “around half of the working population already hold a degree”.

He said that the workplace skills that people need will “change as the economy develops – technological advances and AI will only speed up that process”, and added: “As labour market needs evolve, it’s vital to keep the apprenticeship system open to people throughout their careers, whether that’s for upskilling or reskilling.”

While most apprentices who are graduates are on higher level courses, more than 14,000 were also taking level 2 and 3 apprenticeships. This could indicate that graduate apprentices may have retrained in a new sector, like in adult care, where their employer trains new hires through apprenticeships.

Richmond also used his new Social Market Foundation report to call for management apprenticeships to be removed from the levy and funded instead as non-apprenticeship training within the upcoming growth and skills levy.

The level 7 apprenticeship with the second-largest number of starts in 2023-24 was the senior leader standard (7,140) – which controversially started life with an MBA included before it was stripped out by the government in 2020.

The SMF report reiterated past concerns that other management and leadership courses have been “rebadged as apprenticeships.” 

It includes an example that the level 3 ‘team leader or supervisor’ apprenticeship is eligible for £5,000 of levy funding and attracted 13,760 learners in 2023/24, making it the second most popular apprenticeship in England.

However, if a person were to study the comparable CMI level 3 diploma in ‘principles of management and leadership’, it only costs £1,400 for a part-time, 12-month course combining in-person and online learning.

Richmond said that management courses for existing staff have become so prevalent that they used up an estimated £150 million of apprenticeship funding last year.

His report urged the government to reclassify management apprenticeships at all levels as non-apprenticeship provision within the growth and skills levy – which is currently being designed by Skills England – and set funding for this training at market prices.

A DfE spokesperson said: “Ensuring people have the skills they need for the future is crucial to this government’s number one mission to grow the economy.

“We’re restricting funding for level 7 apprenticeships to ensure apprenticeships support those who need them most, while also meeting the needs of individuals, employers, and the economy.

“Further details will follow, informed by Skills England’s recommendations on priority skills needs.”

It’s Education’s Time to Shine: Celebrate your Education Community in 2025!

At the Teaching Awards Trust, we know teaching is so much more than just a job. Educators inspire and encourage the next generation every single day and we believe it’s important to celebrate their dedication.

These awards, televised by the BBC are the “Oscars of the teaching profession” and offer you the chance to shine a light on the heroes in your community. By nominating you can give education the recognition it truly deserves, boost morale and highlight the profound impact educators have on learners, colleagues and communities. 

In 2024, the Pearson National Teaching Awards achieved a media reach of 60 million, thanks to media partnerships with BBC’s The One Show, Schools Week, FE Week and The Sunday Times. Your nomination could be part of this incredible celebration of teaching, showcasing their achievements to the nation, highlighting their dedication and inspiring countless others across the country. 
 
Enter Now

Watch the 2024 Highlights Video

Why Your Nomination Matters 

Every nomination lifts up not just an individual but their entire school community. As one past winner said: 

“I don’t think people can underestimate the value of this—not only on a personal level but for your community, for the school, for parents, and of course, for the children.” 

By nominating, you’re helping to acknowledge unsung heroes whose work often goes unnoticed. 

What Makes the Pearson National Teaching Awards Special? 

A Moment in the Spotlight 

The Pearson National Teaching Awards celebrate individuals and teams across 16 categories, from early years to further education. Whether it’s a phenomenal teacher, a dedicated teaching assistant, a behind-the-scenes office star, or a compassionate lunchtime supervisor—everyone matters. 

This year’s Gold winners at our glittering awards ceremony in London shared incredible stories of innovation, passion, and dedication. From surprise celebrity visits on BBC’s The One Show to emotional moments of celebration, the awards highlighted the profound difference that educators make in their communities. 

Past winners, like David Kershaw, who was honoured for his 60-year career, or Ciara Mulholland, winner of the Outstanding New Teacher as a role model for young scientists, remind us of the diverse and extraordinary achievements within the profession. 

How to Nominate 

Nominating is easy and free: 

  1. Visit the Pearson National Teaching Awards website www.teachingawards.com. 
  2. Fill out a quick online form sharing details about your nominee, their background, and the incredible impact they’ve had. 
  3. Submit by 5.00 PM on Friday 28th February 2025 .

We’re looking for stories that showcase how your school, college or colleague has made a difference—whether it’s through organising extracurricular activities, building partnerships with local organisations, or helping students achieve their potential. 

A Journey of Recognition 

All nominees will receive a Certificate of Excellence, recognising their hard work and dedication. 

  • Silver winners will be revealed on National Thank a Teacher Day in June and invited to a celebratory tea in London. 
  • Gold winners will be announced later in the year, with a VIP experience at the annual awards ceremony in November, including a glamorous overnight stay, a four-course dinner, and a trophy to commemorate their achievements. 

Imagine your colleague being celebrated on national television during The One Show’s special week-long feature, joining educators such as: 

Could 2025 Be Your Year? 

While we celebrate the inspiring winners of 2024, it’s also time to look ahead. Entries are now open for the 2025 Pearson National Teaching Awards. Could one of your colleagues be among this year’s teaching heroes? 

Let’s make it happen! Help a deserving colleague receive the recognition they deserve—nominate today.