Latest news from FE Week

HGV trainer’s route to an ‘exceptional’ grade

Ofsted released its first new-style inspection report cards this week. Anviksha Patel spoke with the boss of an ITP that was assessed, to learn what leaders can expect from the watchdog’s human-centred approach – and what’s needed to achieve the rare ‘exceptional’ grade

The first FE provider to achieve an ‘exceptional’ grade under Ofsted’s revamped inspection framework has revealed inspectors are laser-focused on evidence of sustained impact.

Carlisle-based independent training provider System People Limited was deemed ‘exceptional’ for its work with logistics-related skills bootcamp programmes, in an inspection outcome published this week.

Managing director Tony Higgins told FE Week that inspectors recognised his provider’s 30-year ties with employers in the area, its contribution to government priorities and its “transformational” impact on learners’ careers and employability prospects.

He also praised the watchdog’s communicative and open-door policy approach during its four-day inspection process, and inspectors’ priority of ensuring staff wellbeing.

“[I was] surprised how collaborative the whole thing was. It was noticeably different [to past inspections],” Higgins said.

Ofsted overhauled its inspection framework last year after Labour took power. Changes were also made amid heavy scrutiny of the watchdog’s approach following the death of school headteacher Ruth Perry.

Ofsted removed single-word judgments in favour of a five-point scale in 16 individual areas for FE and skills providers – including ‘inclusion’ for the first time.

Education providers are now awarded grades from ‘exceptional’, ‘strong standard’ and ‘expected standard’ to ‘needs attention’ and ‘urgent improvement’.

Ofsted’s baseline expectation is for providers to achieve the ‘expected standard’ grade.

Chief inspector Sir Martyn Oliver previously said the ‘exceptional’ grade would demonstrate exemplary practice nationally.

“Strong standard marks out excellent practice. Anything graded ‘exceptional’ is exactly that – truly among the very best nationally,” he said.

‘Step in the right direction’

During the November visit, most of System People’s learners were taking apprenticeships (345) while around 50 were on skills bootcamps. Most of its provision is in large goods vehicle driving and early years apprenticeships. It works with three subcontractors: Evri, JLD Driver Training and Viamaster Training.

The ITP received ‘exceptional’ in adult education achievements, ‘expected standard’ in four areas, as well as three ‘strong standard’ grades in curriculum and participation in bootcamps and apprenticeships achievement.

It was previously rated ‘good’ at its previous full inspection in 2021.

Higgins said his team was pleased with the inspection outcome but were initially disappointed by the ‘expected standard’ judgments as it was unclear to them what the grade meant.

“Actually, it is a difficult thing to achieve, especially with the ‘secure fit’ concept, which makes it more objective. I think it’s a step in the right direction”, he said.

Ofsted dropped the ‘best fit’ model it previously used to grade FE and skills providers in favour of a ‘secure fit’ model, which means each standard within each grade must be met before it can be awarded.

The watchdog has clarified that ‘expected standard’ is a “high bar” and inspectors will generally report on it positively, but there will be areas identified that “prevent” the ‘strong standard’ from being met.

When Higgins got the call, his first surprise, and biggest difference from last time, was inspectors arranging a planning meeting with senior leaders before arriving on site.

Higgins led the call, held in a Premier Inn, which lasted a couple of hours and demanded “a lot” of detail.

He said: “Inspectors wanted to know about what we did, how we did it, a quick overview of our data, what our strengths and weaknesses were, and those strengths and weaknesses were then used from the planning call to plan the first days of inspection.”

The six-strong inspection team examined the provider’s inclusion, achievement “in a big way” and safeguarding as soon as they knocked on the door, while simultaneously talking to employers, learners and staff.

Tony Higgins, managing director of System People

Higgins and his team consulted Ofsted’s FE and skills toolkit, which he found “very useful”, but they relied more heavily on the inspectorate’s handbook.

“I think if providers read all that documentation, it gives you everything you need to know, and it tells you exactly what, in our experience anyway, was followed to the letter.”

Regarding better communication from inspectors, a key commitment from Ofsted as part of its overhaul, Higgins was impressed.

“We felt it made life much easier. You really felt part of the team. Everyone was approachable. There was constant dialogue all the time and they kept us up to speed on where we were at,” he said.

“[I was] surprised how collaborative the whole thing was. It was noticeably different.”

If an inspector saw the provider was struggling to meet an ‘expected standard’, the team were nudged to talk about anything that would help them get there.

“We felt like they wanted us to do well and make sure at least that we could show our best bits and not lose anything to interpretation,” Higgins said.

Impact, impact, impact

Impact was a key focus of System People’s inspection.

In conversations with staff, learners and employers, Ofsted repeatedly asked what the impact of the ITP’s education provision was on them.

Skills bootcamps were introduced by the Conservatives in 2020, offering intensive training for 12 to 16 weeks followed by a “guaranteed” job interview.

Training providers are paid for bootcamps in three “milestone” instalments based on learners’ performance; the final is conditional on the achievement of positive outcomes, such as a new job.

System People has delivered large bootcamp programmes for the logistics sector for the last three years, with “high achievements” that triggered the ‘exceptional’ grade, Higgins said.

His explanation for achieving the rare grade was down to the firm’s deep relationships with local employers and “depth of understanding” of the sector.

“We have had relationships with them for years and years. We understand the challenges. We understand where the sector is going, how government policy is going to affect our sector, and then we look at the solutions for the employers to make them more profitable.”

Additionally, System People ensures there are jobs available with the employers they work with before getting learners to sign up to bootcamps.

“To train loads and loads of people to get an HGV licence, for instance, but you don’t have those outcomes, that’s just a waste of everyone’s time and money. It’s not just about people passing courses,” Higgins said.

System People’s Ofsted report confirmed his claim.

It said: “Training has a transformational impact on learners’ future careers and employability prospects, and on their employers’ businesses. For example, learners facing redundancy have rapidly gained the skills needed to secure employment in driving large goods vehicles.”

The report pointed out “exceptionally well” preparedness of large goods vehicle (LGV) apprentices and learners, adding that almost all progress into sustained employment.

System People reported a 74 per cent achievement rate in 2023-24, above the 61 per cent national average.

Higgins praised the move to an outcomes-based framework and said the removal of the single word judgment put “less stress” on an organisation but was “definitely more difficult” for marketing purposes.

His advice to providers in scope for an imminent Ofsted call: be ready to prove your sustained impact.

Top two City & Guilds execs placed on leave

City & Guilds’ chief executive Kirstie Donnelly and chief finance officer Abid Ismail will “be absent from work for a short period”, the awarding giant has told staff.

In an email this evening, seen by FE Week, employees were told that Andy Moss, chief customer officer of City & Guilds, and Konstantinos Andrikopoulos, vice president finance of new owner PeopleCert, will take over Donnelly and Ismail’s responsibilities.

The email did not give a reason for the sudden departure of the two executives and staff were asked not to “speculate or draw conclusions” about their absence.

Donnelly has served in senior leadership positions at City & Guilds for the last 14 years, first as managing director before being promoted to CEO in 2020. Ismail joined the organisation in 2023.

City & Guilds was sold by its charity owners, City & Guilds of London Institute to global certification company PeopleCert in October 2025.

The transaction has generated controversy in recent weeks, sparked after it was discovered new owners plan to reduce the staff headcount at City & Guilds, including moving some jobs to Greece, where PeopleCert is headquartered, where labour costs are lower.

Further scrutiny of the sale was triggered following reports just before Christmas of large post-sale bonuses being paid to Donnelly and Ismail.

Then, last Friday, the Charity Commission announced it had launched a statutory inquiry to investigate the information it had been given about the sale, which it was not required to approve, as well as the information trustees were provided with before signing it off.

Meanwhile, Dame Ann Limb, chair of the awarding giant’s charity, came under scrutiny having been found to have wrongly claimed to have held a PhD just after being appointed as a Labour peer by prime minister Keir Starmer.

Limb announced this week she will stand down as chair of the City & Guilds Foundation, the remaining charitable organisation, at the end of this month.

College teachers part of £200m SEND training scheme

College teachers will be expected to complete special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) training as part of government reforms, the Department for Education has announced.

Ministers have committed £200 million, to be spent over the course of this Parliament, on a new national programme of training courses and materials for staff in early years, schools and colleges to be rolled out from next year.

But the department stopped short of fully committing to teachers of learners and apprentices at independent training providers having access to the scheme.

An “expectation” will be written into the SEND code of practice, statutory guidance covering local authorities, schools, colleges and early years providers, which will “make sure every teacher nationwide is reached”.

The DfE said the training offer would include flexible online self-study and live, in-person sessions, alongside high-quality training materials developed with experts to support in-house SEND and inclusion training. The package also includes plans to invest in training for teaching assistants, developed in collaboration with the sector.

Skills minister Jacqui Smith told FE Week: “I saw the dedication of further education teachers myself when I visited Heart of Worcestershire college group.

“Their highly trained staff offer brilliant, specialised support so that young people with special needs and disabilities no longer have to travel for miles to access the excellent education that they deserve.

“Every young person deserves the same experience, which is why today we’re announcing the largest and most ambitious ever package of teacher training, from early years to colleges, to make sure every teacher, leader and member of support staff has the skills they need.

“Everyone working in education will know how to adapt to the needs of their students, make the most of technologies like speech-to-text dictation tools, and create inclusive environments in every college.”

In response to questions from FE Week, the department said it anticipated the courses and training materials would be available to ITPs and apprenticeship providers, but added that further detail on eligibility and application processes would be published “in due course”.

It said teachers and leaders working for ITPs and apprenticeship providers can already access SEND-specific training through the existing universal SEND service offer.

The announcement comes weeks ahead of a schools white paper which is expected to set out wide-ranging reforms to improve the performance and financial sustainability of the SEND system.

Officials said training for teachers on SEND and inclusion had been “inconsistent” and was concentrated around initial teacher education and leadership development instead of being available throughout a teacher’s career.

College leaders welcomed the programme.

David Hughes, chief executive of the Association of Colleges, said: “Colleges are highly inclusive and this substantial investment should help them to build on the brilliant work that they do.

“The timescale is realistic, and will allow the DfE to engage with colleges to make sure the training offer fits the distinct needs of college students, and the lecturers and support staff who work with them.”

Bill Watkin, chief executive of the Sixth Form Colleges Association, said: “Sixth form colleges welcome the government’s recognition of the need for additional support and funding to address the increasing number of young people with special educational needs and disabilities. 

“College teachers play a vital role in meeting the diverse needs of SEND students, and they will benefit from the government’s commitment to this agenda in developing both capacity and expertise.” 

Trustees reveal bonus ‘discussions’ as Charity Commission launches probe

The City & Guilds Foundation has revealed trustees considered, but later dropped, plans for executive incentive payments linked to the sale of its awarding business, insisting the proposals were “unconnected” to large bonuses paid by the new owner.

The charity, formally known as City & Guilds of London Institute (CGLI), faces a Charity Commission inquiry after it emerged new owner PeopleCert handed executives individual bonuses of up to £1.7 million soon after the awarding business was sold on October 31.

This week, City & Guilds Foundation admitted that in May there was “discussion” among trustees about the “possibility” of an “incentive payment” to executives to “help secure the greatest residual value to the charity for its future use”.

But the board “subsequently decided not to establish such an incentive” and claimed to record this decision in its October board meeting minutes, “principally because a higher sale price had already been achieved.”

A charity spokesperson said “no payments were made” under this proposed incentive scheme.

The foundation’s trustees have repeatedly insisted they “were not involved” in any pre or post-deal conversations about post-sale bonus payments made by PeopleCert, which were “unconnected” to their scheme.

However, it remains unclear exactly when trustees learned that their executives would earn big bonuses from the new owners or what steps they took to prevent conflicts of interest ahead of the sale.

The charity has also refused to confirm how much executives could have earned through its own aborted incentive scheme.

This week, City & Guilds Foundation also confirmed that its chair Dame Ann Limb, who inaccurately claimed she had a PhD, would step down at the end of this month “to take up [her] seat in the House of Lords”.

Big bonuses

The largest post-sale financial award is understood to have been handed to chief executive Kirstie Donnelly, who received a £1.7 million bonus alongside a £100,000 salary increase to £430,000, while finance director Abid Ismail reportedly received a £1.2 million bonus and 30 per cent salary increase to £300,000 per year.

A source with close knowledge of City & Guilds said they found the decision to sell off its business arm to PeopleCert “extraordinarily hard to understand”.

They called the bonuses “entirely disproportionate and questionable in their own right” and said executives in line for post-sale pay awards should have been held back from sale discussions to avoid “bias or misrepresentation”.

City & Guilds Ltd, the PeopleCert-owned subsidiary created during the purchase of the business, is also yet to comment on the accuracy of reports by Tom Bewick made in his The Skills Agenda substack that £5.1 million in bonuses was paid to executives in total shortly after the sale. Bewick is a former Federation of Awarding Bodies CEO, and Donnelly was FAB chair during his tenure.

City & Guilds Ltd’s spokespeople ignored repeated requests for comment from FE Week this week.

They previously told FE Week: “Any awards to employees are a matter for City & Guilds Ltd and are guided by commercial practice to ensure talent and expertise is retained.”

‘Misunderstanding and misreporting’

In response to a Daily Telegraph report that charity trustees discussed bonuses as early as July 2024, a spokesperson for the foundation claimed there had been a “misunderstanding and misreporting” of their statements.

They added: “CGLI can confirm that in May 2025 there was a discussion among CGLI trustees about the possibility of an incentive payment to members of the [executive leadership team] in order to help secure the greatest residual value to the charity for its future use.

“However, the board subsequently decided not to establish such an incentive (as recorded in the October board meeting), principally because a higher sale price had already been achieved, and no payments were made.

“The amounts under discussion were different to the sums that CGL subsequently decided to pay out post-sale and are unconnected.”

‘New information’ probed

The Charity Commission opened a statutory inquiry last week based on “new information” after initially accepting City & Guilds’ trustees’ “assurances” ahead of the sale.

Investigators will now scrutinise those assurances, trustee decision-making that led to the sale, and post-sale executive bonuses.

Trustees approved the sale in October after 30 months of “thorough consideration” that included “extensive input” from external advisors.

But multiple FE leaders have told FE Week they are unconvinced that the business sale was the best option for the charity.

The foundation has also refused to confirm exactly how much PeopleCert paid for the awarding business, claiming the terms were “commercially confidential”.

It is now understood to have £180-200 million in “gross assets” and a guarantee of rent-free office space for the next five years.

The charity said it would invest the profits to “produce a return” that can expand its role as a “social investor and change maker” in skills and education, such as bursaries for disadvantaged learners.

Student stalked staff and talked to their AI ‘deep fakes’

A college student who stalked two members of staff and filmed his victims to create deep-fake sexual images has been sentenced.

A court heard one staff member at Petroc college was left feeling “suicidal” while the other was signed off work with anxiety after Ethan Fenwick, 19, stalked them both physically and online.

Fenwick made “concerning” comments relating to race and misogyny and demonstrated “a hatred” for the LGBTQIA+ community, according to police. Officers also revealed the student used AI software to create virtual versions of the women, which he would talk to.

The teenager, of Swan Avenue, Tiverton, appeared at Exeter Crown Court for sentence on Tuesday after pleading guilty in September to two counts of stalking involving serious alarm or distress.

He was handed a three-year community order consisting of a rehabilitation activity requirement and 150 hours of unpaid work. The court also imposed lifetime restraining orders and a sexual harm prevention order.

Detective Constable Andrew Stacey, of Devon and Cornwall Police, said Fenwick’s behaviour was designed to “unsettle and ultimately terrify his victims”.

Judge Laura Collier said the student had a “longstanding diagnosis of autism”, and a psychological report described how the teenager was “unaware of how much knowledge you lack about normative and permitted social behaviour”.

The judge added Fenwick was “not someone who would cope well in a custodial environment” and decided a “lengthy community order is the most appropriate disposal”.

Petroc, now North Devon College, sits within the Exeter and North Devon Colleges Group following a merger with Exeter College this month.

A group spokesperson said they could not comment on individual cases relating to students or staff but added: “Safeguarding is paramount to us, and the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff underpins everything we do.”

Stalking began with prom request

The first victim reported Fenwick’s behaviour in July 2024, after he stopped her in a corridor and asked to take her to a prom. Fenwick, who was 17 at the time, was told the request was inappropriate.

When Fenwick turned 18 he asked the same woman on a date, who then caught him secretly taking a photo of her after she had again turned him down. He also sent her a friend request via social media.

The incident was reported to the college and Fenwick was instructed not to make further contact with her.

However, in November 2024, the victim received friend requests from two new Instagram accounts.

One account biography stated the person behind it was “planning on kidnapping” both victims to “make them mine”. The second stated the owner of the account wanted to “pin her against a wall to use her body”.

Police arrested Fenwick after suspecting the accounts belonged to him and seized multiple digital devices from his home.

Officers obtained records from Petroc college’s safeguarding lead that revealed Fenwick had made concerning comments about race and misogyny. Further records revealed he had been removed from another school and youth centre due to an “unhealthy obsession” with a teacher and youth worker.

Hidden filming and deepfakes

Police then spoke to other members of Petroc college staff. One told of Fenwick’s obsessive behaviour towards her, including deliberately moving chairs to position himself uncomfortably close.

The court heard Fenwick would “move to be near her” in the college common room and showed her “graphic and violent animé videos which caused her significant concern”.

The second victim in the case said she became aware of multiple occasions where Fenwick appeared to be filming the first victim.

Police said both staff members were left frightened and distressed.

One of the victims read a personal statement to the court, disclosing how the ordeal left her feeling “suicidal”. The second victim was prescribed medication for anxiety and depression and signed off from work.

Judge Collier told Fenwick: “Your behaviour has deeply affected the lives of two women during the course of their work.

“Women are entitled to go to work and feel safe and respected. No one has the right to take that from them.”

Investigators linked social media accounts used to message the victims to Fenwick’s home IP address. Officers also discovered Fenwick had attempted to conceal his activity by creating fake Instagram accounts and false persona email addresses.

Fenwick’s laptop was examined by a digital forensic unit which uncovered a “huge number” of pictures and videos featuring staff members and students aged 16 to 18.

A police spokesperson said: “Many of the images were digitally altered, collaged, and combined with pictures taken from social media.

“Particularly chilling examples involved the head of one of the victims being placed next to porn stars having sex.”

Police also found that Fenwick had secretly recorded his victims’ voices and used online tools to locate all social media accounts linked to them and others.

Using the covertly captured images and audio, Fenwick created AI-generated versions of his victims on a website that allowed him to interact with them through a chat function.

Det Con Stacey said: “Ethan Fenwick’s victims – who were simply trying to do their jobs – were left distressed and concerned by his behaviour which was designed to unsettle and ultimately terrify them.

“This investigation was highly digitally focused and employed a number of tactics to uncover a huge collection of images, videos and other digital evidence which were secretly captured, collaged and edited without the knowledge of the subjects.

“Fenwick used AI and other advanced software to manipulate the contents of his collections in a hugely concerning manner – including in a sexual way.

“We hope his victims can feel some closure and safeguarding from the sentencing and can now move forward with their lives.”

Chichester CEO Green unable to work, staff told

The chief executive of one of the country’s largest college groups has taken a leave of absence, with his deputy stepping in.

Chichester College Group boss Andrew Green has not worked since at least early December. It is not known when he will return.

Staff were told by email that Green, who has been CEO for four years, “had to take a leave of absence”.

Executive principal/deputy CEO Vicki Illingworth is covering accountable officer duties until further notice.

The nature of Green’s absence was not disclosed.

A college spokesperson told FE Week it was college policy not to comment on individual matters.

“As an employer we owe all employees a duty of privacy when it comes to leaves of absence,” they said.

“The group’s deputy chief executive, Vicki Illingworth, is covering statutory duties in Andy’s absence and arrangements are in place to ensure that the group continues to deliver high-quality services to the communities that it serves.”

Chichester College Group teaches nearly 25,000 students across nine campuses and has a total income of almost £120 million, with £89 million from public funding body grants, according to its latest 2024 accounts.

Chichester College group principal and chief executive Andrew Green

The group is judged ‘good’ by Ofsted and reported a ‘good’ financial health rating.

Green succeeded Shelagh Legrave as CEO, who left Chichester College Group in 2021 to become FE Commissioner.

He joined Chichester College in 2010 as deputy principal, and became executive principal at the institution in 2017 following a merger with Crawley College (formerly Central Sussex College).

Green was also interim chief executive of Greater Brighton Metropolitan College (GB Met) in 2020.

Illingworth joined Chichester College in 2001 as an associate lecturer in geography, travel and tourism.

She moved up the ranks to assistant principal before becoming principal of Crawley College in 2017. She was promoted to executive principal/deputy CEO of the college group in 2022.

Green was contacted for comment.

Accidental bosses risk undermining youth guarantee

Everyone in the skills sector is rooting for the government’s youth guarantee. Tackling the NEETs crisis isn’t just a moral goal; it’s an economic necessity.

But a rush to create opportunities for young people will fail if we don’t have the managers to support them. To make this work, we need to address three uncomfortable truths.

1. The line manager as the lynchpin

The success of the youth guarantee won’t happen in Whitehall. It will happen on the shop floor, in the office and on site. Line managers are the lynchpins.

To fail to manage new hires risks souring a young person’s relationship with work before it’s really begun. All too often a talented young person loses confidence and walks away because their first boss didn’t know how to manage them.

If we want young people to stay in the workforce we have to train those who lead them.

2. Scaling up the accidental manager

Critics often ask: If management apprenticeships are so great, why does the UK still lag in productivity? The answer is scale.

There are roughly 8.2 million managers in the UK. Yet, a staggering 82 per cent of them are ‘accidental managers’ – promoted because they were good at their technical job, but not given formal training on how to lead people.

We aren’t failing because management training doesn’t work; we’re failing because we’ve only just begun to scratch the surface of this deficit.

3. Business needs must come first

We cannot squander this moment by ignoring what employers actually require. While it’s right that we focus on industrial strategy sector priorities and ‘critical sectors’ such as health and construction, it shouldn’t come at the expense of management capability elsewhere.

The evidence for protecting management training is not anecdotal. Analysis led by chancellor Rachel Reeves’ economic adviser John Van Reenen found that 50 per cent of the UK’s productivity gap with the US is linked to management capability.

Closer to home, the latest Skills England assessment deemed management a critical occupation – accounting for 25 per cent of all roles in “critical demand”. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development echoes that view, linking the UK’s gap in managerial practices to lower productivity levels.

Independent research by Oxford Economics calculated that £120 million was added to GDP in 12 months (2023-24) by those completing management apprenticeships.

Beyond economic returns are the people undertaking these courses. Management apprentices gain the soft skills that are often the most challenging to master – team dynamics, handling difficult conversations and giving constructive feedback.

Learners overwhelmingly report that they feel more confident and competent, which allows them to take on additional responsibilities. Apprenticeships also drive social mobility, with around 60 per cent of learners coming from the UK’s most deprived areas, while 59 per cent of all apprentices are women.

The government cannot – and should not – be expected to fund it all. Business must step up and invest in its own people. However, the government sets the direction of travel.

This is why CMI has launched a new petition to the government . We are calling on ministers to heed the employers’ voice and ensure that as they streamline funding, they follow the evidence and protect the programmes that turn “accidental managers” into professional leaders.

Employers need a “both/and” approach. They want the agility of new short courses such as managing AI and short-term business priorities. But they also need the deep, behavioural transformation that a full apprenticeship provides.

Management provision simply cannot be sidelined. If we want to give young people the future they deserve, we have to give them managers who are trained to lead.

Deputy FE commissioner joins Ofsted board

A deputy further education commissioner has been appointed to Ofsted’s board.

Frances Wadsworth is one of five recruits to the watchdog’s governance team announced today.

Other new members include Ark academy trust CEO Lucy Heller, child safeguarding expert Sir Alan Wood, former academy trust boss and Department for Education civil servant Hardip Begol, and journalist Jo Coburn.

It comes after former Ofsted chief inspector Christine Gilbert was appointed last year as chair of the watchdog’s board.

It followed criticism in her review of Ofsted’s response to the death of headteacher Ruth Perry that the board’s role “appears curiously limited, apparently leaving some of Ofsted’s most critical activities outside of its control, unless Her Majesty’s chief inspector (HMCI) chooses to let it have some control”.

“This degree of autonomy and entitlement for HMCI does not make for effective governance,” the review said.

Wadsworth is a former teacher, college principal, interim chair of Ofqual and a serving magistrate.

She was appointed as a deputy FE commissioner in May 2018 and is due to complete her extended term next month.

Wadsworth was made a CBE for services to education in the Queen’s 2022 birthday honours.

The DfE said Wood had declared he was a member of the Labour Party while none of the other four new Ofsted board members declared any political activity.

Heller, Wood, Wadsworth and Coburn will serve for three years from February 1. Begol will serve for three years from August 1. They will be paid an annual salary of £8,292 for 20 days per year.

They join Gilbert and serving members Martyn Oliver, Ofsted’s chief inspector, and Martin Spencer, Laura Wyld, Jon Yates, Felicity Gillespie, Joanne Moran and David Meyer.

Day in the life with hairdressing lecturer Lisa Charles

Hairdressing lecturer at North East Surrey College of Technology (Nescot) Lisa Charles is basking in the glow of a double celebration. Just weeks after one of her learners, Reanna Chambers, was named the Association of Colleges adult student of the year, Charles, who leads Nescot’s hair and beauty department, was last month named the Pearson National Teaching Awards FE lecturer of the year.

Charles’s role these days is more about psychology than hair styling. She often has a long line of anxious young learners waiting outside her office door to talk, many of whom, like her, missed much of their schooling.

“We’ve all got an autobiography – but we have to rewrite our future,” she tells them.

Charles and her colleagues were left devastated last year by the suicide of a former student, and Charles wants to use the limelight of her award to raise awareness of mental health issues that many young people face, especially when they leave formal education and associated support networks.

Her own story began when, aged just 18 months, Charles was blinded in one eye by her father during a violent outburst. She and her mum went back and forth from the family home to different women’s refuges, until her mum remarried when she was 12. But her new husband was also abusive.

Charles credits her husband, whom she met when she was just 15, with saving her life by encouraging her to train as a hairdresser. Life at first was incredibly tough for the couple, who were only able to buy dinner if Charles made enough money in tips that day from washing hair.

A doctor gave them an oven after realising they were both suffering malnutrition. But after having her daughter at age 18, Charles trained to be an assessor, then a hairdressing teacher at Kingston College before starting at Nescot 15 years ago.

Here is what her typical day looks like…

5.30am

I get up and give my French bulldog, Rodney, a cuddle. Some things that students have told me the day before were buzzing around in my head through the night, so I didn’t sleep well.

Some learners who are more needy do gravitate towards me. Last year, a student who was very close with us all died by suicide after finishing her course. The whole team was devastated. I still think about her lots and how she shared that her time at college was so happy.

I’d love to use my award win to try to help young people who struggle when they finish college. Sometimes they lack the wider support and life skills they need, and there aren’t always jobs for them.

I worry that some young people aren’t resilient enough for this world. I feel very strongly that more needs to be done to support them.

7.00am

I check my phone to see if any staff are calling in sick that day, so I can arrange lesson cover. I’ll phone a learner to get them out of bed if that’s what I told them I’d do; it’s about being consistent. I don’t eat breakfast or lunch, as I don’t have time. And I drink too much Pepsi!

I’m responsible for 160 students on our hair and beauty courses, which is up 50 on last year. I put the increase down to us having the best team we’ve ever had.

But we haven’t been able to recruit enough teachers for all the new students, so I’m teaching more sessions myself. We’ve gone to market a few times, but it can be hard to recruit teachers and tempt people away from industry and salons.

8.30am

I arrive at college and after a quick chat with colleagues, I check my emails. They’re often from parents explaining that their young person is too anxious to come in.

Some of the young people who were in our 14-16 provision last year have moved onto our mainstream courses and need more hand-holding. The first couple of months are always difficult, with the jump they have to make from doing functional skills to English and maths GCSEs. Then you see them strutting down the corridors like they’ve been here forever!

Often these days, learners come in with ADHD, ADD or dyslexia. At Nescot, I am proud that we are inclusive of all of our learners. In fact, I think we’re all a little different.

But we are realistic with learners as to the expectations of what the employer is looking for so we can prepare them for the industry. It shouldn’t be about categorising and pigeonholing. Everybody’s individual, we just need to get to know each learner and how to support them.

I like to have a couple of lessons with my new students before I read their profiles from their previous place of learning, because I might build a different rapport with them than their last teacher did. It’s interesting; if you let a student read what’s been written about them previously, quite often they think it doesn’t describe them at all.

Some young people lack the course entry requirements, but I believe they still deserve a chance.

I remember on enrolment day in 2016 meeting Maria, a member of the traveller community who had no qualifications but who really wanted to become a hairdresser.

I was aware that there could be some unfair stereotyping given to this community and that the learner had no formal schooling, so technically didn’t meet the entry requirements for the course. But when I called the informal school that Maria had attended, her teacher was so complimentary about her that, with my manager’s support, we were able to accept her on the course.

Maria turned out to be an absolute angel. Five years later, I put her sister Reanna on a level one hairdressing course and in her first year she also passed her GCSE maths and English, which was unheard of. She now specialises in bridal hair for the traveller community.

I couldn’t be prouder of her winning the AoC’s adult learner of the year award. She’s opened the door for others, too. A positive has also been that our learners no longer stick to groups or backgrounds of culture, race or familiarity – they mix as one group of learners.

Lisa Charles with Reanna Chambers, after she scooped the Association of Colleges adult student of the year award

9.00am

It’s like a doctor’s waiting room with all the people sitting outside my office door. We have a great wellbeing hub downstairs that I work with, but sometimes learners I have a rapport with will come to me first.

Sometimes I just need a minute on my own, because some of what’s happening with these young people can be very upsetting.

I can’t turn them away, and if they’re very upset I end up sitting with them for some time. I always keeptwo boxes of tissues on my table and have lots of leaflets about coping with stress.

‘Anxious’ is the word that they use all the time to describe how they’re feeling, but sometimes it’s a word that’s overused. I’ll say, ‘are you anxious? Or are you just a little bit worried? And is that maybe not a bad thing that you’re a little bit concerned about whether you’re going to pass?’

I’ll work from home tomorrow, so I can get my schemes of work done without being interrupted.

Lisa Charles with Nescot’s principal Julie Kapsalis

9.30am

I meet with my principal, Julie Kapsalis, about getting a pop-up salon opened up in our main reception area, offering free haircuts for the homeless. The space is mostly empty, and opening a salon up would help us to provide much-needed work experience opportunities for our learners.

Work experience is a course requirement, but some learners feel awkward about going into a workplace straight away with people they don’t know, especially those who missed a lot of schooling. Some salons expect these kids to suddenly know how to talk to strangers, and they don’t.

This salon would give more vulnerable students a stepping stone by helping them build their confidence. I’d run it in the evenings – it has to be separate from college learning hours.

Lisa Charles demonstrating a hair technique to her students

1.30pm

I spend the afternoon doing performance reviews with staff or observing their lessons.

It’s lovely to see the rapport that a lecturer has built up with their students. The little bit of success that a learner has made that day can’t necessarily be tick-boxed. For some students, it’s a massive achievement just for them to be there.

I’ve found that having a learning support assistant working exclusively with a particular student can be problematic, because often they won’t utilise them. Many students have a learning need of some sort, but that’s not always defined on paper.

So, if you’ve got a learning assistant going around supporting everybody rather than focusing on a particular student, then that student who is deemed to need the help may actually take it. But if they’re homing in on them constantly, they refuse it. Nobody wants to feel singled out.

3.00pm

I have a meeting with a parent. I get parents in here all the time. I’d rather have a friendly chat with them first about behaviour issues and work with them before starting formal procedures. It’s important to manage parent/carer expectations as well as students’.

Sometimes there can be sensitivities around intimate treatments like Brazilian waxing. When a male learner, Craig, started with us on a beauty course, the mum of another learner wanted me to ask him to leave, and talked about going to the newspapers because she didn’t agree with having a boy in the group.

I said, ‘I’m really sorry you feel like that, but all students deserve an education’ and we are sensitive to all differences whilst being inclusive. After talking to the parent in person, they did not challenge any further. Craig is an absolutely beautiful therapist, and has now progressed onto our hairdressing course.

Lisa Charles being told on the BBC’s The One Show that she had won the Pearson FE Lecturer of the Year award

4.30pm

After classes, it’s my CPD time. I’m doing a colour degree with L’Oreal, and I’m working with them to get a new colouring qualification off the ground in colleges. I’ve been part of a steering group with six other colleges helping L’Oreal to tailor the course to our curriculums. We’ll be the first colleges globally to pilot this qualification, which is fantastic.

At Nescot, we have just started offering hairdressing apprenticeships, which is bucking the national trend. Apprentice numbers in hairdressing and beauty have dropped heavily, from 16,000 to 6,000 between 2016 and 2023.

A lot of salons don’t want the aggravation of paying an apprenticeship wage, and some young people think they can teach themselves how to do the job using social media. I think L’Oreal recognises that they need to work with colleges to maintain standards in the profession.

Lisa Charles with her National Teaching Award for FE Lecturer of the Year

6.00pm

I do some hairdressing for friends myself after work, because I think it’s important to keep my hand in the trade and it’s a way to socialise.

Being a hairdresser isn’t just about cutting hair; it’s about empathy. In our industry, we’ll often be among the first people that someone with a serious medical condition talks to about it.

I remember as a young hairdresser, one lady wanting wacky colours put in her hair. She’d just been told she had terminal cancer, and walked straight into our salon. When you go home at night, you think about those things.

You can’t always learn the soft skills that students need for those conversations in a college environment, so, once a month, I take our students to the Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton to provide haircuts and beauty treatments for children with cancer and their families.

When I first suggested going, a lot of the students were very apprehensive. But now they all want to go! Some get a real rapport with the patients, and find the experience very humbling.

7.00pm

I’ll normally put my laptop on when I get home, but I hoovered up and put Fleetwood Mac on instead! Otherwise, I’d be checking Google Classrooms to see photographs and films of the work our learners have done.

It was blow-dries today. I’m also interested to see what they’ve done in other people’s lessons. One clip was a student dancing. It’s lovely to see them enjoying themselves. We post the best pictures and videos on Instagram, which also helps us with our student recruitment.

Lisa Charles at the Pearson National Teaching Awards

10.00pm

I start to read – it’s normally what I call ‘no-think reading’ on my Kindle, and within 10 minutes I’m asleep.

When I was doing my teacher training, I remember experiencing snobbery from some other teachers who saw hairdressing lecturing as ‘not really teaching.’ I occasionally still experience prejudice in the form of lower expectations some people have of our learners.

A number of years ago, I heard a staff member in a meeting saying, ‘that’s a good group because they’ve got really good GCSEs, and this other group will be the naughty group’. I said, ‘if that’s how you feel about the students, we should be rethinking what our job is’.

I hope I can dispel those myths – it’s what the college does so well. My team works 24-7. This isn’t a nine-to-five role. But I feel very fortunate that I absolutely love my job.