From EHCPs to work, our internship scheme is changing lives

During my time in my previous career as a school leader, I witnessed first-hand how students with SEND, leaving education, struggled to gain access to meaningful work, especially in fields they were passionate about. Forward2Employment was created in Medway and Kent to change their outcomes, by helping them gain employment through our supported internship programme.

This supports young people aged 16 to 24 with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) who are based in Kent and Medway.  The programme runs for 38 weeks, following a similar term structure to schools.  Each week, interns attend the workplace for four days and spend one day improving their employability and independence skills.  The aim is to support young people into paid employment by the end of the programme, either within their placement or through references and work experience added to their CV.

From humble beginnings

Forward2Employment started in 2018, with a pilot year of three interns and one job coach.  We worked closely with one business, the medical and dental supplier Henry Schein, who partnered with us during this pilot.  It was such a success that they hired many of the interns from that year’s placement and have continued to support us by taking on supported interns each year.

From this pilot, it was clear that we were onto something significant.  We expanded further, with more businesses joining to help us on our commitment to improve the chances for our young people with SEND.  The programme has grown rapidly, with the 2024-2025 cohort reaching 38 interns and being supported by eight job coaches.

We have also further expanded our provision to include a supported employment programme, where we support people aged 18-64 with SEND into employment.  This is by helping them with job searches, improve their CV, and even provide interview support. This programme is bespoke to each client, where we offer as much or as little support as needed.

Our success has been recognised with a ‘good’ rating in both our Ofsted and British Association for Supported Employment (BASE) inspections. However, the most rewarding aspect for myself and the team is the success of our supported interns and Supported Employment clients.  Since our pilot, we have seen 33 interns and Supported Employment clients gain paid employment, with more expected to achieve this by the end of this academic year.

No plain sailing

While we have seen significant success from our programmes, there have been challenges.  One of the biggest was the Covid pandemic.  During lockdown, many businesses limited the number of workers due to social distancing which meant that many of our interns had to stay at home.  However, my brilliant team ensured that the interns continued to gain experiences by using their hobbies to improve their work and independence skills, as well as strengthening their CVs and helping them apply for jobs.  Fortunately, when lockdowns were lifted most businesses we worked with continued to support us and take on supported interns.

Throughout my years in education I have seen how people with SEND can be stereotyped, and this became even clearer when starting Forward2Employment. When we began reaching out to businesses and even some young people, there was a belief that they could only achieve work in specific areas, such as labouring.  An important role of Forward2Employment has been to debunk these beliefs and encourage businesses and interns to expand their horizons regarding what people with SEND can achieve.

We’re in this together

While there is still a way to go to get more people to understand that individuals with SEND can achieve their goals (sometimes with just a little bit of help), we can see that the narrative is changing.  Schools and colleges are encouraging their students to dream about their careers, and businesses are starting to promote inclusivity in their workforces to include people with SEND.  We hope to see this expand further and are excited to see where Forward2Employment goes on its journey to improve the outcomes for people with SEND.

All aboard the cruise industry for our new wave of employer engagement

One thing I absolutely love about education is the opportunity to inspire our students, opening their minds to what could be next after college. We want them to think “Why not me?” as they explore career options and leave us not only prepared for the future, but excited by it.

Employer engagement is a key part of this, working across business and industry to give our students hands-on experiences, mentorship, and potential routes into careers they’ll love. Our hair and beauty team work with Toni & Guy, for example, where students gain work experience, attend workshops at their academy and get backstage access at London Fashion Week. Similarly, our motorsport vehicle maintenance and repair course prepares and inspects a real racing car, with students attending track days at circuits like Brands Hatch. This work is always collaborative, industry-responsive and transformative for learners.

The springboard

Our latest initiative, with the cruise industry, is close to my heart. I’ve recently returned from another unforgettable trip. And I’ve always felt this was a sector full of opportunity – not just on board, but across the expansive network of shore-based roles that keep the industry moving.

I was so excited when Edwina and Matthew Lonsdale at Mundy Cruising invited us to join their brilliant Cruise Career Springboard programme, which is supported by key industry figures investing in the next generation. A group of our travel and tourism students dipped their toes into a potential career in the sector, visiting five ships (from luxury liners to river vessels), hearing from industry leaders and seeing shoreside roles in action.

We had extraordinary support, which I’m so grateful for. Representatives from the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and many operators including Royal Caribbean, NCL, MSC and Silversea were involved. Our students were also mentored by Jo Rzymowska, former MD and VP of Celebrity Cruises, now an inspirational speaker and non-executive director at Hays Travel. People at the top of their game shared their time and expertise. Their insights were invaluable.

Take-aways

One student told me she was surprised by how many people work behind the scenes, keeping everything running without stepping on deck. She hadn’t considered the cruise industry before, but it was now firmly on her radar. That’s the power of employer engagement. It doesn’t just inform, it inspires. Another student had a job interview with a cruise company last week and I’m excited for a positive outcome…

The course ran over nine weeks and included learners from St John Bosco College in Battersea and Itchen College in Southampton. One of its core aims was to improve diversity and inclusion in the sector, so bringing together learners from a wide range of backgrounds was key to that.

The programme ended with a final presentation, where students pitched career pathway ideas to senior professionals from the cruise industry. It tested their knowledge and boosted their confidence. The presentations were incredible, including TikTok content, photo montages from visits and reflections on personal journeys. Based on its success, we’re planning to embed the learning more formally and hope to launch a Level 4 travel and tourism qualification with a cruise pathway in the near future.

All aboard

What’s compelling about the cruise industry is its global scope and career longevity. Young people might begin on board, but often move into shoreside roles which offer more flexibility as their priorities evolve. For some, it’s a passport to see the world; for others, a gateway into logistics, operations or customer experience. Wherever their talents lie, there’s a place for them. We all know that university isn’t the right fit for everyone, especially as costs rise and job markets shift. Nescot is committed to offering a range of alternatives, from apprenticeships to direct-to-industry routes, all supported by excellent employer relations and progression routes

The Cruise Career Springboard has shown what’s possible when employers and educators work hand in hand. By exposing students to real-world careers in a structured, supportive, and aspirational way, we’re opening doors many didn’t know existed.

I’m looking forward to Nescot being part of this programme again next year. Innovative employer engagement isn’t just about employability – it’s about showing our students what’s possible and helping them believe they belong there. I’m fully on board!

What ancient runners teach us about AI and education

Technology obviously does transform society and the economy, and it obviously does make certain skills more or less valuable in the workplace.

Think about marathon-running. Ancient Greek ‘day-runners’ like Pheidippides, the original marathon runner, were a vital part of the functioning of Greek city states. Their aim was to get a message from A to B as quickly as possible, and in a world with no combustion engine or telegrams or internet, if you needed to send a message you needed a day-runner.

Nowadays that is obviously not the case. If you need to send a message to a friend 26 miles away, you’d probably send a text message. If they needed a particular physical set of documents, you still wouldn’t hire a day-runner – you’d hire a taxi driver instead.

And yet, running marathons is incredibly popular and more people run the London marathon every year than there were ever day-runners. None of them run it to courier a message. The vast majority run it for reasons of personal development. A tiny fraction do run it to gain economic benefit – not from being messengers, but from winning races and providing entertainment which spectators are willing to pay for.

The difference between ancient Greek marathon runners and today’s marathon runners is at the heart of so much confusion about AI and its role in society and education.

  • Students are baffled by teachers who want them to deliver a message via a marathon run when you could just send a text message.
  • Teachers are baffled by students who want to get a taxi round a marathon course and expect a medal at the end of it.

So partly, this confusion is about what you think the purpose of education is.

  • If you think the point of education is for students to develop their human potential, then the teacher is by definition right. In order to develop your human potential you can’t get someone or something else to do it for you!
  • If you think the point of education is to get a job, you will probably be more open to using technology in education.

Education for personal development

However good AI gets at writing, there is always going to be a personal development use case for writing which is analogous to running.

That is, even if the direct economic value of being a good writer gets completely obliterated by technology, the general life value of being able to write will remain. 

Being able to run a mile or two without getting out of breath is good for your general health and fitness, and that’s why lots of people choose to go out running even though there is no direct economic benefit in it for them. Likewise, I suspect that people will value being able to read and write complex texts even if they can’t make money out of it.

One reason I think this is because writing has so many underappreciated benefits. Often, we assume the main purpose of writing is communication, as though it works like this: I have a series of well-worked out and complete thoughts in my head; I write them down; other people can read them.

That is certainly one way we use writing, and the one that generative AI is perhaps best placed to help with. If you have a series of thoughts in your head, you can speak them into a voice memo and get AI to polish them up into a perfect paragraph or series of paragraphs. A good example is where you have a relatively simple decision to make – perhaps whether to say yes to an invitation or not – you make the decision, and then you struggle to communicate it. Generative AI can be helpful in these cases.

But there is another important function of writing which generative AI is less well placed to help with: writing helps extend working memory and is a tool for thinking. A lot of the time we don’t have complete and well-worked out thoughts in our head. It is only by writing our thoughts down that we discover the gaps and the flaws in them. “If you’re thinking without writing, you only think you’re thinking.”

This process is obviously important if you are doing some kind of deep academic work, but it’s still important in everyday life – if you are writing an email to friends with the logistics for a day out, or a memo to colleagues on the decisions that have to be taken at your next meeting. Generative AI might already be a better writer than you in terms of being able to quickly draft readable and error-free texts. But is it better than you at working out what you actually think?

Cars are faster than humans, but we still teach PE at school. Similarly, even if generative AI totally outstrips humans at writing, I think we will still teach it because it is a valuable tool for life.

One of the reasons I love the work of The Writing Revolution is that they explicitly make this link between thinking and writing, and design lessons and curriculum sequences that teach writing as a tool for thinking right from the start. The resources we’ve developed at No More Marking follow this approach too. 

But what about education for the job market?

Of course, personal development is not the only purpose of education. Another important purpose is to get a job, and here it would seem the advocates of generative AI are on stronger ground. If AI is going to be used extensively in the workplace, surely it should be used extensively in the classroom too?

I am not so sure. Even if you are solely concerned with the economic function of education, and even if you don’t care very much about the personal development aspect, there are still strong reasons to avoid the excessive use of generative AI in education. 

This post was originally published on the No More Marking Substack here. You can subscribe for free to read future posts in this series.

College staff scholarships announced to tackle antisemitism

At least one hundred college staff will be offered a scholarship to train up on tackling antisemitism – after the government finally awarded a delayed contract.

An ex-labour MP’s new think tank and the Union for Jewish Students (UJS) have been handed millions to develop and deliver the long-awaited Tackling Antisemitism in Education (TAE) programme.

The procurement, worth around £7 million, was carried over from the Conservatives 2023 autumn statement but was put on ice in March 2024 after concerns from smaller Jewish or Holocaust education groups the format and style of the procurement favoured larger organisations.

Education secretary Bridget Phillipson resumed the search after allowing the contract to be delivered by one or more suppliers last October, on the first anniversary of the October 7 terror attacks.

The TAE programme will be delivered over three years and deliver training, scholarships and the development of resources, including around the Israel-Gaza conflict.

Antisemitism scholarship for colleges

Cross-party think tank and research institute Palace Yard has won £1.5 million to develop and deliver two scholarship programmes.

Palace Yard was founded in 2022 by former Labour MP Natascha Engel who lost her North East Derbyshire seat in 2017.

Engel was previously a panel member of the all-party parliamentary groups (APPG) on antisemitism and ex-deputy speaker in the House of Commons. She was also formerly chair of the APPG on youth affairs and a trustee of UK Youth Parliament.

Around 1,500 staff are to be offered scholarships – half of which will be from schools and colleges while the other half will be from universities.

The Department for Education said it expects at least 13 per cent of the 750 participants from the schools and college group to be made up of college staff.

The National Union of Students (NUS) has been named as a subcontractor to recruit and engage schools, colleges and universities.

Partakers will be able to take a domestic “study visit” to learn about the Jewish faith and will get involved in role-play discussions and seminars on how to tackle antisemitism in their respective education settings.

Palace Yard will also set up an “action learning network”, where scholarship participants can share resources.

The contract documents added the training should not replicate content already available through existing Holocaust education.

“It’s important that the TAE scholarship focus is to actively tackle antisemitism today,” it said.

Jewish student union to ensure ‘smooth rollout‘

The UJS has been given a £1.1 million budget, aimed to increase the confidence in student union staff in recognising and tackling antisemitism and to inform university policies.

The UJS, which represents 9,000 Jewish students in the UK and Ireland, will have to collaborate with school, college and religious representatives to ensure a “smooth rollout” of the programme.

The union will have to deliver a minimum of 600 face-to-face sessions, at least 80 per cent of universities must receive at least six sessions. 

The training programme, which is expected to start on September 1, will involve developing strategies on how to respond to antisemitic abuse, as well as learning to facilitate “difficult” discussions on Palestine-Israel and helping students to stop mis- and dis-information.

UJS has also been asked to prioritise universities with incidents of antisemitism.

Last year, more than a dozen student encampments were set up at UK universities to protest Israel’s offensive in Gaza, which the UJS reportedly said at the time created a “hostile and toxic atmosphere” on campus for Jewish students.

DfE to approve all content

DfE has set up a TAE content advisory group made up of up to five unnamed people plus the department itself to approval all content in the next six weeks. 

Government officials will have ultimate sign-off, but the content advisory group will have to consider the department’s existing quality assurance process for material for the Educate Against Hate (EAH) website, rather than replicate it.

Within a month of signing the contract, the suppliers will have to produce a detailed delivery plan, which is subject to DfE approval.

Meanwhile, the DfE has published another procurement for a tackling Antisemitism in Education Innovation Fund this summer.

It intends to hand out £4 million worth of grants to facilitate small-scale initiatives and larger, strategic projects.

A market engagement event on the proposal is taking place on July 23.

Palace Yard and UJS were approached for comment.

NUS declined to comment.

Where’s adult education in the NHS prevention plan?

The new NHS 10-year plan is ambitious on prevention and on shifting services to community level. But where is the investment in adult learning crucial to achieve this?

We know adult learning supports people with their health & wellbeing providing essential information on topics like nutrition, exercise and managing mental health. Studies show the actual process of learning is beneficial of itself. Our learners tell us that courses change their lives – and the data proves it.  The WEA’s impact report last month revealed that almost half – 47 per cent – of adult-education learners with a long-term physical or mental health condition saw their course as a means of managing the side effects of their condition. 

Almost three-quarters of the 1,690 learners questioned said adult education had helped them to reduce or manage stress. Eighty-four per cent of those with pre-existing mental-health conditions said that taking an adult-learning course had improved their wellbeing.   

And 35 per cent of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged learners said they had made fewer visits to health services since beginning an adult-education course.

Signposting to adult education courses is already established in social prescribing, where GPs suggest non-clinical approaches to help patients manage their conditions (especially around mental health). And most adult education is hyper-local. It is already based in community venues with learners travelling no more than a mile or two to their courses. Making it perfectly aligned to deliver the closer to home goal of the NHS plan.

However, cuts to adult education budgets are forcing a reduction in what’s available. And with funding devolved across mayoral combined authorities and local authorities access to tailored learning, whether socially prescribed by your GP or not, is a postcode lottery which as ever usually negatively impacts the most disadvantaged. And as the most recent ONS data reconfirmed, people living in the most deprived areas have significantly lower healthy life expectancy.

We would love to be part of the solution to the UK’s health crisis by providing more tailored learning and social prescribing courses to support wellbeing. Courses that help to deal with life’s challenges, from healthy cooking on a budget to building confidence and resilience, to debt management and financial literacy. We think they should sit side by side in learning centres, connecting communities and responding direct to local needs. But it’s not a priority for local and national funding.

Just a few weeks ago, skills minister Baroness Jacqui Smith told MPs in the final session of the education committee’s inquiry into FE and skills that reduced adult education funding has been focused on providers that can deliver “the biggest bang for the smaller amount of buck that I’m afraid there has to be for adult skills funding”.

The current government continues to fail to recognise the true depth and breadth of adult education. It is compounding the chronic underfunding of post-19 learning with a 6 per cent cut to the adult skills fund and missing the opportunity for cross-cutting solutions across multiple government agendas; specifically, the reduction of NHS waiting lists. The reality of this short-sighted and neglectful position will result in the closure of courses that support people’s mental health and wellbeing, increasing the likelihood of them requiring more NHS support. It’s an own goal. There are ways and means to avoid it, but the government urgently needs a more joined up approach.

Increasing investment in more provision through the health budget, coupled with reversing the planned 6 per cent cut to adult education in the education budget, would help the new NHS Plan achieve its goals. So why isn’t the government connecting the dots?

Schools and colleges ‘need more funding’ to hit 2030 tech target

School and college leaders have said more funding is needed if they are to hit new government tech targets by 2030.

The Department for Education recently consulted on plans to introduce five-year technology targets for schools and colleges, to help “end the postcode lottery in access to tech that has left too many pupils behind”.

It has now committed to moving ahead with the six standards, covering broadband internet, wireless networks, network switches, digital leadership, plus cyber security, and filtering and monitoring to keep pupils safe online.

DfE minister Stephen Morgan said: “For too long, we’ve seen a postcode lottery where some pupils thrive with cutting-edge technology whilst others are held back by outdated equipment. 

“Meeting our six digital standards will ensure that by 2030, all schools and colleges have the digital provision they need.”

In a consultation, schools and colleges broadly supported the aims but called for more funding.

Around one-third (30 per cent) of the 108 schools that took part said they already meet the four proposed new standards, while 42 per cent said they could meet them by 2030. But a further 29 per cent said “we can’t meet them by 2030”.

The government noted “the concerns from a significant minority of schools and colleges” who do not currently think they can meet the standards.

“We acknowledge the financial pressures schools and colleges face, as well as other barriers around expertise and technical knowledge. We will prioritise work to further understand the barriers and provide support over the coming years to prepare them for 2030,” it said in its response.

More funding needed

Julie McCulloch, director of strategy and policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “While we recognise that the Department for Education is putting in place some support, we are not convinced it goes far enough in providing the level of investment that is clearly required to ensure equitable access to digital technology.”

National Education Union general secretary Daniel Kebede added: “If we want schools and colleges to prepare students for life and work, the lack of technology infrastructure is a problem and the government must provide to new funding to help alleviate the problem and support them to use technology in cutting edge ways.”

DfE accounts 2025: Apprenticeship ‘failures’ and minister payouts revealed

Millions in apprenticeship provider “failure” write-offs, the skills minister’s salary and payouts to senior officials all feature in the Department for Education’s accounts this year.

The department’s annual report for 2024-25 was published this morning, as were the Education and Skills Funding Agency’s final accounts following its merger with the DfE in March.

Here’s what we learned…

Hefty cash losses from apprenticeship ‘failures’

The department suffered £24 million in losses and claims that were waived or abandoned in more than one thousand cases that were not linked to student loans.

Several apprenticeship providers and one college were named individually where the value of the written off funding clawback by the government hit over £300,000.

This included Vocational Skills Solutions, which closed down in 2023 and left the taxpayer £633,000 out of pocket.

Debts totalling £6.6 million were written off after the “corporate failures” of six apprenticeship providers: Vista Training Solutions, ARC Academy UK, Apex Management Consultants, Insight Development & Consultancy, People and Business Development, and Hair and Beauty Industry Training.

Vista Training Solutions cost the DfE £2.2 million. The company’s director, Shakar Habib has since received a six-year ban, as reported by FE Week in January 2024.

The department also waived £2.016 million owed by ARC Academy UK Ltd, which was judged ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted before closing.

The remaining providers had less than £1 million waived. 

Most debts related to “overstated funding claims” that the DfE seeks to reclaim where possible, “but in some cases the provider has failed”, the report said.

The department also recorded a loss of £510,000 to Lambeth College this year, which merged with London South Bank University in 2019.

Meanwhile, £1.6 million was also written off for Weymouth College, which merged with Kingston Maurward College in 2024.

And UTC Warrington also had £825,000 written off for un unspecified reason.

Smith’s salary revealed

The department paid skills minister Jacqui Smith an £86,804 basic salary in the 2024-25 financial year after she started part way through the financial year in July, equivalent to an annual salary of £117,851.

This is a higher yearly wage than education secretary Bridget Phillipson’s £67,505, although Phillipson also receives an MP’s salary of equivalent to £91,346.

As a member of the House of Lords, Smith does not receive a salary and has never claimed a £342 daily attendance allowance, according to latest data that goes up to February, although she claimed £800 in secretarial expenses in September last year.

Bumper pay rise for top boss…

DfE permanent secretary Susan Acland-Hood saw her salary band rise to between £180,000 and £185,000 pounds last year, up from between £170,000 and £175,000. Her pension benefits also increased from £108,000 to £137,000.

It means her pay and benefits rose by 12.3 per cent, compared to a DfE staff average of 5.2 per cent. 

…and big increase in exit packages 

The DfE and its agencies and arms-length bodies paid out £3.9 million in exit packages to 64 departing staff in 2024-25. In 2023-24, it had paid £1.27 million to 30 people.

Two of the exit packages last year were worth between £150,000 and £200,000, while six were between £100,000 and £150,000.

Exit packages are for staff who are made redundant or retire early. It does not name which staff the payments relate to.

The DfE also sometimes makes special “severance payments” when employees or contractors resign, are dismissed or reach an agreed termination of contract.

In 2024-25, it made 23 payments totalling £1.3 million up from two payments totalling £115,000 in the year prior.

The highest payment was £142,186.

£17k payout for Keegan

Ministers get severance payments when they leave office, regardless of whether they resign, are sacked or voted out as MPs.

The report shows former education secretary Gillian Keegan received £16,876 last year after losing her seat, while departing schools minister Damian Hinds and skills minister Luke Hall got £7,920. Former children’s minister David Johnston received £5,593.

The document also shows £7,920 was also paid out to Nick Gibb and Robert Halfon, who both resigned as ministers in late 2023.

£234k to Keegan’s husband company, £21k to Smith’s consultancy

It’s not just axed ministers getting pay days.

The report details related-party transactions, spends by the DfE with organisations linked to ministers and board members.

It shows £234,000 was spent with Centerprise International Holdings Limited, an IT provider of which former education secretary Gillian Keegan’s husband is a non-executive director.

Jacqui Smith

Meanwhile, £21,000 was paid during the year to Jacqui Smith Advisory Ltd, a company owned by the current skills minister Baroness Smith. And £14,000 went to Steve Crocker Consultancy Ltd, run by DfE board member Steve Crocker.

The accounts do not state what the payments are for but a government spokesperson told FE Week the extra payment to Smith relates to her time as the DfE-funded independent chair of Sandwell Children’s Trust, which she stepped down from before joining government.

Fraud and audit

The ESFA’s counter-fraud team claims to have detected £20 million in fraud and prevented a further £71 million being paid out, from the £79 billion in public funds it distributed.

During the year it recovered £10 million, which includes amounts from cases in previous years.

It also carried out funding audits of 79 FE colleges and 91 independent training providers, although it did not specify how much funding was clawed back.

The number of new allegations the counter-fraud team handled increased from 142 to 246 in 2024-25, with 118 cases relating to ITPs and 41 to colleges.

However, more than 200 of these allegations did not proceed to a formal investigation as they did not meet the threshold, were referred to other bodies, or concluded with “advice” to colleagues.

Contrary to its own policy, the ESFA has only published two reports detailing counter-fraud investigations, despite carrying out nearly 200 full investigations between 2017 and 2024.

But the DfE’s annual report says merging with the ESFA will “ensure a more cohesive approach” to investigations, positioning it “at the forefront of counter-fraud efforts across government”.

£13.6m Ecctis repayment

The DfE’s counter-fraud team, separate to the ESFA’s, secured a £13.6 million repayment from its contractor Ecctis, which runs the UK’s official agency for recognising international qualifications and running language tests.

Earlier this year, permanent secretary Susan Acland-Hood said a “very hard” review of Ecctis found that the company had failed to reinvest profits from the not-for-profit contract back into the service as promised.

The accounts say the department has now “strengthened” contractual management arrangements.

Loans rise

The DfE’s total amount loaned to FE providers increased from £170 million to £256 million.

It lent a total of £103 million during the year and received £44 million in repayments.

Following public sector reclassification the DfE has faced growing demand for financing from colleges, which have lost the freedom to take out commercial loans in most cases.

During the year nine colleges received £25 million in emergency funding or loans, which the DfE says protected 61,000 learners.

A further £91 million was loaned to 24 providers, most of which were FE colleges, according to the accounts.

£600m ‘irregular’ grant spend identified by auditor

The DfE paid out £88.3 billion in resource grants and £5.5 billion in capital grants in 2024-25.

Gareth Davies, the comptroller and auditor general to the House of Commons, said he identified irregular grant spend in several areas. 

Within the core department, he identified estimated irregular grant spend of £61 million relating to various grant streams. 

“I also identified an estimated £588 million of irregular spend within ESFA and £63 million of known irregular spend,” he added.

No further details on which grants were irregular and how was provided.

MP criticises college group after another campus sale

A large midlands college group has left a local MP “very disappointed” after closing a college campus in their local town that was opened 50 years ago. 

On June 4, Warwickshire College Group’s (WCG) board signed off the decision to close its Evesham New College campus at the end of this academic year after a “comprehensive public consultation”. 

Motor vehicle, hair and beauty, construction, art ESOL and apprenticeship provision will move from the campus in Evesham, which opened in 1970, to Pershore College, a rural campus that is a 5.5 mile drive away, or fifteen minutes by public transport. 

WCG claims the move is needed to address longstanding issues of “underutilisation, financial inefficiency, and limited facilities”. 

The Evesham campus has about 200 full-time learners and operates at a “marginal surplus” of £100,000 per year, the college argued. 

Nigel Nuddleston, MP for Droitwich, Evesham and the villages said: “I remain very disappointed by the decision to close Evesham College, and I know many constituents are understandably concerned about the impact on students, staff and the wider community. 

“While I appreciate the financial pressures faced by the college, I believe it is important that where possible proceeds of the sale are properly re-invested into the Pershore campus for the benefit of my constituents who would otherwise miss out.” 

Students at the Evesham campus will be offered free transport for all existing learners and September 2025 starters for “at least the full academic year”, the college said.

What will be lost? 

WCG describes the Evesham campus as a “small and friendly” FE college that provides “essential” adult part time courses in its workshops, salons, studios and “fully equipped Energy Training Centre”. 

In 2020, it celebrated the site’s 50 year anniversary, praising the “key role” it has played in thousands of people’s lives. 

The college argues it has now committed to “over £1.5 million” of investment in the Pershore College campus to “accommodate the transition”, including a “new Construction Academy”, upgraded workshops, and “new wellbeing spaces”. 

Regarding the future of the Evesham site, WCG told FE Week: “Options for the site’s long-term future are still to be considered by the corporation, and at this stage, even if a sale is the option taken, then it would not be commercially appropriate to comment on proceeds.” 

A controversial chapter 

The closure marks the end of two college sites that were adopted by WCG in a merger with South Worcestershire College in 2016. 

Earlier this year, the college group confirmed it has finally sold its Malvern Hills campus to pay off government funding clawbacks and debts after winning a controversial legal battle with the local council two years ago. 

Both the Evesham and Malvern Hills sites were previously part of South Worcestershire College, but merged with WCG in 2016 with the promise of “significant benefits”. 

At the time, then-WCG principal Angela Joyce claimed her college would provide “a broader curriculum”, a wider range of specialised facilities and “an enhanced overall student experience”. 

‘Asset stripping‘

Local Lib Dem councillor Dan Boatright-Greene, a former FE teacher, said the loss of the Evesham college will have a “huge impact” on local young people due to the additional distance they will need to travel. 

He said: “I will never forgive Warwickshire College Group for asset stripping the former South Worcestershire Colleges sites. 

“Despite their protests I am adamant that their plan was always to do this ever since they took over the colleges. 

“My personal view remains that all proceeds from any sale should be used to invest in the relevant location and not used to prop up their sites in Warwickshire. 

“Bigger is clearly not always better and economy of scale has clearly not worked.” 

A WCG spokesperson questioned whether Boatright-Greene had engaged with the consultation process and offered to show him around the Pershore College campus. 

‘The end of an era’ 

Sara-Jane Watkins, principal and chief executive of WCG, said: “We recognise that this change marks the end of an era for Evesham New College, and that many people will feel sadness and concern.  

“But this is also the beginning of a stronger, more resilient future for learners and ensuring one sustainable and vibrant college within Wychavon. 

“We are protecting all current courses, expanding what we offer, and ensuring that every learner, including those with additional needs, receives the support and opportunities they deserve.” 

Gill Clipson, chair of the WCG board of governors, said: “This has been a thoughtful and considered decision, taken with care and compassion. 

“We have listened carefully to the feedback and responded where we could. 

“By consolidating provision at Pershore College – just four miles from Evesham – we can deliver a higher-quality learning environment, invest in future skills, and ensure long-term educational sustainability.” 

Let’s try to solve the FE recruitment crisis from within

I’ve been delivering accounting skills for over 20 years, and while staffing challenges have always been present, the sector is approaching a crisis. Cancelled classes and delayed cohorts are unwelcome consequences of tutor shortages – and it’s not just affecting accounting.

The National Audit Office’s recent report shows that in 2022-23 there were 2,500 unfilled teaching posts in the FE sector, with forecasts estimating the need for an additional 8,400–12,400 FE teachers by 2028–29. Sadly, the government’s response feels insufficient, meaning that recruitment and retention is the number one concern among sector leaders, with 18 per cent identifying it as the most pressing future challenge.

As learner numbers continue to rise and private providers lure tutors with favourable pay and conditions, it’s time to consider a more organic, sustainable solution.

 ‘Grow Your Own’

Building your team of AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians) tutors not only increases capacity for learner numbers, but also reduces pressure on other staff members, positively impacting attendance, morale and work-life-balance – something we can’t afford to ignore if colleges want to retain the brilliant tutors they already employ.

I’m a strong proponent of the ‘grow your own’ approach – because it works. It is the path I took when I was studying accountancy as a career changer over 20 years ago, and I’ve seen the benefits first-hand, both for accountants-turned-tutors and for the colleges who support them. With a shift in mindset and structured support, it can deliver real, long-term impact.

Being open to recruiting brand new teachers empowers your AAT tutors, allowing them to harness the potential they see in learners, colleagues or professional contacts, and train them in ways that compliment your college culture.

It also helps to avoid the uncertainty associated with hiring external candidates: will they be a good fit for your team; will they be disruptive? Then there are expensive agency fees, a lengthy hiring process and the need to re-advertise hard-to-fill roles. And let’s face it – AAT tutor roles sit firmly in that category.

Learners approaching the end of their studies are a great starting point for recruitment, but don’t discount those who are already established accountants – perhaps even currently working in your college’s own finance team. I know a number of fantastic tutors who have a foot in both camps, teaching alongside their ‘day job’ in industry. They relish the opportunity to inspire others and learners benefit from seeing their subject brought to life in an authentic way.

An AAT qualification doesn’t have to equate working in accountancy

Many AAT learners simply don’t consider teaching because their focus is firmly on becoming an accountant. But as tutors, we’re in the perfect position to plant the seed.

Mentioning teaching pathways during course inductions or classroom discussions can make all the difference. I look for learners who support others, making explanations or sharing their work experience, and encourage them to continue; it helps them learn as well as helping the student that they are supporting.

Presenting yourself as an attractive employer is key. Flexible hours, blended delivery and support with lesson preparation can all go a long way in helping potential teachers see this path as a viable, exciting next step.

There are few professions as deeply rewarding as teaching. I still get a buzz when I see a student embrace their potential. The sense of fulfilment, from helping someone transform their future, is what keeps me going. In my experience, learners are passionate about accounting and want to share their knowledge. 

How to support interested learners

Reassure them that it’s not a complicated process. These days introductory teacher training courses are delivered online, so basic teaching skills can be obtained more flexibly. 

Don’t underestimate the importance of support in the staffroom. Shadowing or guidance from established tutors in their team can provide valuable ‘on the ground’ insight to life in the classroom.

Ready to rekindle the joy of teaching?

I didn’t go into FE because it was easy. I went into it because it changes lives. And although it’s had its challenges, I’d do it again without a second thought.

By nurturing talent from within, we’re not just addressing a staffing crisis. We’re building a future-ready teaching workforce that knows our learners, understands their journey, and is already invested in their success.