Kirsty Evans has been appointed as the Education and Skills Funding Agency’s new acting director of further education.
She takes over the role from Peter Mucklow, who became the agency’s director of apprenticeships last month when Keith Smith left to join the Department for Education as its director of post-16 strategy.
As director of further education, Evans (pictured) will be responsible for oversight of FE providers and colleges, including implementing early and formal intervention strategies to “prevent or remedy institutions’ poor performance in finance, quality or governance”.
She will also be in charge of funding and performance management of sixth forms, colleges and training providers for 16 to 19 year olds, the adult education budget, non-levy apprenticeships and the European Social Fund.
Eileen Milner, ESFA chief executive said today: “Kirsty Evans, currently deputy director in the funding directorate and is responsible for the implementations and delivery of our funding systems, will become acting director of further education, taking over from Peter.
“Kirsty has 25 years’ experience working in the education and skills system. Previously she was responsible for ESFA’s adult funding operations, and most recently led the co-ordination of ESFA’s response to Covid-19.”
Evans has been the ESFA’s associate director for adult funding operations since April 2018, leading on the implementation of adult education budget and loans facility funding policy.
Prior to that, she worked as deputy director of funding policy implementation for the then Skills Funding Agency, having previously held roles as director of area relationships, and regional skills director.
Before joining the civil service, Evans worked for Oldham Chamber and Merseyside Training and Enterprise Council.
A local council’s adult education department has launched a range of free virtual sewing workshops to make medical scrubs for key workers.
The initiative by Kent County Council aims to alleviate the shortage of protective clothing being experienced by hospitals and care workers in the area.
Specialist tutors are running online courses to provide their expertise and assistance to members of the public sewing the much-needed garments for NHS staff and carers.
It has had more than 100 enrolments in the scheme so far, with Sewing For Carers workshops running three to four times a week.
Alison Cutts, curriculum leader and sewing tutor for Kent Adult Education, told FE Week: “The response we have had to the classes has been brilliant, they have filled up very quickly and the students are all pleased to be able to do something to help and feel that what they are producing is made to a good standard.
“Some students have been sewing to fulfil orders placed through the Kent Scrubbers Facebook groups and others are making PPE for family, friends and neighbours who are key workers.”
Supplies made by those following the real-time online step-by-step demos on Zoom include scrub tops, trousers and gowns.
Kent County Council has also bought and distributed 300 metres of fabric for local groups, which can make around 85 sets of scrubs.
Specific help, with, for instance, the neck-facing, inserting pockets and attaching sleeves, is available.
The council’s adult education division has sent out over 40 free resource packs of fabric, thread, patterns and instructions, and are also supplying fabric to relevant Facebook groups to distribute to their members as orders come in from each hospital.
This week it is fulfilling an order for the Darent Valley Hospital Core Midwife team, who need 20 sets of scrubs with their team name on to identify them.
A cash-strapped college’s merger plans have been delayed owing to the coronavirus pandemic.
Cheadle and Marple Sixth Form College, which was told by FE Commissioner Richard Atkins last year that it could not survive as a standalone due to its “terminal” finances, had scheduled to join the Trafford College Group by August.
A consultation on the move was run at the end of March and while both parties are still committed to it, they have pushed back the date for completion to October 30.
In a joint statement the colleges said: “In light of the ongoing Covid-19 situation and the impact this will have on the due diligence process, the merger transition board, along with the Education and Skills Funding Agency considered the July 31, 2020 merger date and agreed that it was sensible to reschedule the merger date for October 30, 2020.
“This not only allows more time to ensure the merger process is completed but also allows both colleges to recruit and enrol at the start of the academic year as well as get students inducted and on to their study programmes as the main priority.”
The merger is reliant on additional funding being fronted up by the ESFA.
Minutes from a Trafford College board meeting in January stated that principal Lesley Davies “reminded members of the red risk and that the group would not proceed with the merger if funding was not made available”.
“The ESFA representative commented that it was important that the ESFA were clear on what the funding requirement was and its justification.”
The college told FE Week it is still working with the ESFA on funding models and options, which cannot be assessed until all due diligence has been completed.
They would not provide a figure of how much funding has been requested.
A number of other college mergers are planned for August 2020 and remain on track despite the disruption caused by Covid-19. These include Peterborough Regional College joining up with New College Stamford, and Swindon College merging with New College Swindon.
The Grimsby Institute and East Riding College are also currently scheduled to merge in August, but a spokesperson said they could not comment on whether this was still the case.
Atkins’ report on Cheadle and Marple revealed how the college had generated “substantial” deficits since 2013-14, and said it was “unlikely” the college could continue alone.
Merging Trafford College Group and Cheadle and Marple Sixth Form College would create a single college group working across the existing college sites.
Trafford College already merged with Stockport College in April 2018, a move that required a £30 million bailout from the Department for Education.
Lesley Davies
The merger will have to be finalised without Trafford principal Lesley Davies, who is stepping down from the role on July 31 after leading the college for four years.
“I am immensely proud to have led The Trafford College Group and its amazing staff for the past four years and it has truly been a highlight in my career,” she told FE Week.
“It has been incredibly rewarding to work with so many fantastic colleagues, supporters, stakeholders and our communities in Trafford and Stockport.”
Davies added that while she is leaving her full-time job, she will be continuing with a number of non-executive board roles.
She started her career in education and training 30 years ago as a college lecturer and has since held senior roles in the Adult Learning Inspectorate, the Learning and Skills Council, the Association of Colleges and Pearson.
James Scott, the vice principal of curriculum and campus principal of Stockport College, has been appointed as acting principal and chief executive of the group while it recruits a permanent replacement.
Exams regulator Ofqual has released a few more details about its grading plans this summer, ahead of the publication of its consultation (due “shortly”).
Here’s our speed read of what you need to know.
1. 12-day window to submit teacher grades
It’s been confirmed the window for all schools and colleges to submit their teacher-assessed grades and student ranking will be between June 1 (the same day schools and colleges are supposed to open to more pupils) and June 12.
2. Grades will be standardised by subject, not by college
Ofqual will run its standardisation at subject, not school and college, level. This means standardisation of maths GCSE, for instance, won’t affect that of A-level maths. But, it does mean schools and colleges will probably see different levels of adjustment in different subjects.
A school or college’s historical results and prior attainment of current students will be used to judge whether centre-assessed grades are “more generous or severe” than predicted.
For AS/A-levels, this will include historical data from 2017, 2018 and 2019. For GCSEs, data from just 2018 and 2019 will be considered.
Schools and colleges are expected to submit grades for private candidates (where they feel they have enough evidence to do so). But the model will “make sure” private candidates don’t affect the grades of other students.
3. Likely all schools and colleges will ‘see some adjustments’
Ofqual said because of the speed of the arrangements, it wasn’t possible to roll out national training to award grades. They warned this means it’s “likely that all centres will see some adjustment to their centre assessment grades, however carefully they have made their judgements”.
4. Review data over up to five years to meet equality laws
The regulator has also published further guidance today for how schools and colleges can ensure objectivity in their grade awarding.
This states to avoid unconscious bias, schools and colleges should “reflect on and question whether they may have any preconceptions about each student’s performance”.
That includes “halo effects” (viewing a particular aspect about a pupil that overly accentuates their actual knowledge), recency effects (giving undue weight to the most recent interaction), or confirmation basis (only noticing evidence about a student that fits with pre-existing views about them).
To “understand” these, schools and colleges could look back at previous years’ data to check for indications of “systematic under- or over-prediction for different groups of students”.
Looking back over the past two to five years of data is suggested. An example of this was discovering that in previous years the school or college routinely under-estimated the predicted A-level maths grades to UCAS compared to achieved grades.
Such reviews would help “assure” schools and colleges they have fulfilled duties to promote equality and avoid discrimination as set out under the Equality Act 2010.
Jennifer Bramley, Chief Operating Officer, Babington
Start date: May 2020
Previous job: Executive Director Customer Engagement, Babington
Interesting fact: Actively hosts and participates in various fundraising events, ranging from 20 mile riverside walk to five-a-side football in support of local charities
Peter Mucklow, Official Delegate, WorldSkills UK
Start date: May 2020
Concurrent job: Director of Apprenticeships, ESFA
Interesting fact: Peter has supported Aston Villa for 50 years
Craig Wade, Sector Manager Health and Science, NCFE
Start date: February 2020
Previous job: Curriculum Manager for Health and Social Care, New College Durham
Interesting fact: Craig has 10 years’ military experience having served in the Royal Navy as a registered nurse
Lakes College in West Cumbria has opened its doors to some canine students, though currently closed to most of the human variety.
The college has allowed Cumbria Police dogs Jovi, Dot and Lola to undergo specialist training on their campus after the dogs’ usual training venues became unavailable during lockdown.
College estates manager Andrew Sisson said there was “no hesitation” in their decision to help out.
“The police, and their dogs, play a vital role in keeping us all safe, and it’s great that we’re able to support them, especially through these challenging times,” he said.
Sergeant Aidan Bew of the Cumbria Police dog section said: “We’ve been using this location to perform essential training with our three new dogs, as well as follow-up training with our other specialist roles.
“It has proved to be an ideal setting to put the dogs through their paces, and extremely valuable with the current restrictions.”
He thanked the staff for being “extremely accommodating.
Police dogs have to be trained in a variety of environments to prepare them for the conditions they will be placed in during live jobs.
Lakes College principal Chris Nattress said he was “delighted to help” the police force.
“It was a perfect opportunity for the dogs and trainers to use our estate to sharpen their skills and help keep us all safe. Always happy to help here at Lakes.”
Copeland Mayor Mike Starkie also praised the partnership.
He said: “It’s great to see Lakes College stepping up to offer the site for Cumbria Police to use during the lockdown.
“The college is an important part of the West Cumbrian community, and the willingness of staff to help out in this difficult time is an excellent example of the area’s resilience when faced with challenges.”
The response to the pandemic recession must centre on supporting those who are finishing their education and those who are struggling to find work, says Tom Richmond
Given the controversy surrounding the apprenticeship levy before the outbreak of Covid-19, it is unsurprising to see calls for the levy to be reformed as part of the government’s response to the economic crisis. In our EDSK report at the beginning of this year, we found that the introduction of the apprenticeship levy in 2017 had already contributed to a steady fall in the proportion of apprenticeships being provided to young people compared to older learners.
If the objective is to prevent young people suffering financial hardship in the coming months, a major package of direct and temporary measures will be required to overcome the challenges posed by Covid-19. Minor policy tweaks and good intentions will prove entirely insufficient. There are three tools that the government has at its disposal – all of which could be implemented relatively swiftly.
First, the government should introduce a temporary ban on new apprenticeships being offered to learners aged 25 and over until, say, the end of 2020. It is often forgotten that “adult apprenticeships” did not exist until 2007, yet they have subsequently swamped the apprenticeship system. In a time of crisis, this cannot be allowed to continue. To cushion the impact of this change on older workers, the government could bring forward some of the funding earmarked for the upcoming National Skills Fund to support those who need to retrain or upskill during this period.
Second, the government should ban apprenticeships for learners who are not new recruits to their employer. The latest Department for Education survey of apprentices showed that 61 per cent of “apprentices” were already employed by the employer with whom they started their apprenticeship, and 42 per cent were working for their employer for at least 12 months beforehand – thus illustrating the amount of funding that could be freed up.
The same survey found that 84 per cent of apprentices aged 25+ were already employed before their apprenticeship began compared to 47 per cent of apprentices aged 19-24 and just 28 per cent of those aged 16 to 18. This means that any restrictions on the use of apprenticeships for existing employees will disproportionately benefit the youngest learners.
Third, the government should rekindle the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers (AGE). In 2012, when over a million young people were unemployed, this grant of £1,500 was given to employers who took on up to three apprentices aged 16 to 24. Eighty per cent of the grants went to businesses that employed up to 25 people, and 85 per cent went to employers that had never had an apprentice before.
The government should reintroduce a more generous version of AGE as part of their Covid-19 response. Small and medium-sized employers would receive £5,000 for every newly recruited apprentice aged 16 to 18 and £2,500 for new apprentices aged 19 to 24. Additional grants of £5,000 would also be given to any employer that has never recruited an apprentice before or has not done so in the past 12 months. There is nothing to be gained by timid action on this front, particularly when employers’ training capacity in terms of staffing and resources is likely to have been seriously curtailed by recent events.
Although such spending might feel like a luxury, England is in fact remarkably stingy when it comes to encouraging employers to take on apprentices (even in the good times). In Austria, companies have received government grants for each apprentice since 2008 equivalent to as much as three times an apprentice’s gross wages. In France, organisations employing apprentices for at least one month can benefit from a tax credit of €1,600 per apprentice per year. In the Netherlands, a subsidy for employers was introduced in 2014 of up to €2,700 per apprentice per year.
While there is no perfect policy waiting to be plucked off the shelf, the response to Covid-19 must revolve around supporting young people who are finishing their education throughout the rest of this year as well as those who are struggling to find work. There is nothing wrong in principle with upskilling the existing workforce, but it would take a brave politician to argue in the current climate that people who already have jobs are more important than those who do not.
This crisis has shown how well we can make transitions in order to protect students’ interests, says Julie Mizon
According to Dutch historian Rutger Bregman, crises bring out the best in us. And while it will take some time before we can assess the success of the rapid changes we’ve seen across the sector, there’s no doubt that, despite the physical distancing, the resolve for sector stakeholders to work together to protect students’ interests has surged, allowing us to make significant transitions in a short space of time.
QAA’s Access to HE Diploma has had to change fast too. We’ve moved swiftly to an estimated grade model. Getting there required collaboration with Ofqual, the Department for Education, and Access Validating Agencies (AVAs), and we consulted extensively with Access students. And now that we’ve developed an Extraordinary Regulatory Framework (ERF) (‘extraordinary’ is the regulatory term – we’re not trumpet blowing) to make sure the principles for assessment are consistently applied, we’re talking to Access providers and students to make sure everyone knows what we’ve done and what’s going to happen.
Consulting providers and students through webinars has been a great way to get a direct sense of what the key concerns are. Above all, course tutors want to make sure the grades they award are fair and that their students are as prepared for their transition to higher education as possible.
The basic roadmap is clear. Students who plan to complete their Access to HE Diploma by July 31, 2020 will now receive estimated grades for all remaining assessments with submission dates after March 20, 2020. AVAs will ask course tutors to generate those estimated grades based on their professional judgment. Those really are cornerstones of the model: professional judgment and evidence. The evidence will include the student’s prior attainment, formative assessments and any other records of student performance. The course tutor will review all the grade indicators that have been given for a unit and will then determine the final grade for the unit using the existing method of establishing the midpoint of grades in the unit grade profile.
This is the fairest solution, as ultimately tutors are best placed to judge the likely performance of their students. QAA and AVAs will do everything they can to make sure grades awarded this year are as fair as possible. Grades will be subject to quality assurance processes, including internal moderation, external moderation and standardisation.
We have to make sure that student awards and results have been quality assured and approved. They must also be ready around the same time as in previous years, to allow timely transfer to UCAS and higher education providers. That means grades will reach UCAS by July 27, 2020, and should reach students around the same time.
Occasionally, students may feel their grade doesn’t accurately reflect their performance. That’s a risk of any estimated model. In such cases, students will have the opportunity to appeal, or may choose to sit their assessments at the earliest reasonable opportunity. The latter may, however, impact their ability to progress to higher education in September – and it’s down to us and to course providers to make those choices clear. We’ve hosted webinars for students too – and there are more coming up this month.
Last week we published further detail for students continuing their studies after July 31, 2020. There are three key considerations for providers after the summer. Firstly, the challenge for tutors and students in a full or partial move to digital delivery. Secondly, we have to be alive to the possibility that there may be changes to the way work is assessed. And finally, the possibility that, depending on provider and AVA arrangements, assessments won’t happen as or when originally planned.
We’re encouraging continued learning, where possible, because it’s critical for students to be as prepared as possible for their transition to higher education. And we have to be open to other options too. The ERF provides a structure and rules around who is eligible for estimated grades, which is particularly helpful for students on flexible learning pathways. We are working with AVAs and providers to provide information about other options for students, for example, breaks in learning. AVAs are also working with providers where students are due to complete close to, but after, 31 July 31.
Ultimately, we have to be open to the possibility of continuing change too. Through collaboration and solidarity, we’ve got to a place where we can offer the best possible outcome for students. If the pandemic context changes, collaboration will be important again.
Rationalisation needs to reconcile three very different types of college – and the grey areas in between, says John Cope
It is almost impossible to identify when this was said: “Commissioners cannot repeat too often that they have been impressed with [the] technical knowledge of the masters and managers of industrial establishments on the Continent”, unfavourably comparing us with Germany. Was it the Roberts Review in 2002? Tomlinson in 2004? Wolf? Sainsbury? Ney? Augar? Nope. It’s from an 1884 Royal Commission on technical instruction. Predating even the appointment of Nick Gibb as schools minister.
In an echo of history, Gavin Williamson announced last year, “Today, I am setting a new ambition. To super-charge further education over the next decade with an aim to overtake Germany”. Colleges have been braced for a skills “white paper” ever since, and as revealed by FE Week, it is now imminent and potentially explosive.
Most dramatically of all, it looks like the government is set to bring colleges back into the public sector. This could be interpreted in many ways. At the tinkering end, it could change the ability of colleges to borrow, some DfE intervention powers, and the role of the FE Commissioner. At the revolutionary end, we could be about to see what lay behind the overlooked Augar recommendation for the “rationalisation of the [college] network” to “establish a genuinely national system”. This isn’t entirely new territory, the government’s area review has led to more than 60 mergers since 2015, with more in the pipeline. But pushed to its maximum, it is radical.
It’s hard to argue rationalisation isn’t needed, but it can’t be narrow and top down. It needs to cover more fundamental questions on what a college actually is, where do sixth forms fit in, should universities keep creeping into apprenticeships, and does the academisation of schools into large groups offer lessons for a similar process with colleges.
The huge scope of an increasing number of college groups couldn’t be clearer to me as a new non-exec director of the Activate Learning group, which includes colleges, higher education, apprenticeships, UTCs, academies and sixth forms. This is the first of three types of college – massive in scale and educational offer. With nearly 20,000 learners, it’s a similar enrolment to the Universities of York or even Imperial. It’s groups like this I think the department has in mind as a “new normal”.
A second type of colleges are the converse – small and hyperlocal. They tend to be in struggling communities and towns, scraping by financially, and are outcompeted by sixth forms and universities on funding and prestige. I vividly remember a college principal despairing that having attracted enough students for courses to break even, a massive new sixth form was approved just down the road.
The third type are more specialist institutions. Not necessarily large or with thousands of students, but with a unique specialism, usually related to the local economy or a sector in which the UK is a world leader, allowing it to leverage private investment and prestige.
“Rationalisation” therefore needs to reconcile these three very different groups and the grey areas in between, such as independent training providers. In doing so, the government must learn the lessons of academisation. Setting out in 2010 to rationalise secondary schools into 20 or 30 super school groups with 100-plus schools each, the system has ended up more fragmented, with LA schools, single academies, tiny and huge trusts all existing a decade later. They have also struggled to grow the pool of effective leaders and the strength of governance needed to sustain groups that could feasibly oversee £1 billion of public money.
So if Williamson is serious in his ambition on colleges, there can be no half measures: rationalisation of the whole system needs huge cash incentives for mergers and support for college leaders to oversee huge institutions. And when the inevitable pushback comes, the department has a compelling case to the sector, parents, and learners (backed by a long-term funding settlement and cross-party support) so the reforms don’t become a toxic distraction or top-down reorganisation, but a stable settlement that will last for decades.
