A college in Tameside is delaying its wider reopening after being “strongly advised” to do so by its local authority in light of new Covid-19 infection rate data.

Tameside College told FE Week today it is planning to follow recommendations from Tameside Metropolitan Borough to postpone face-to-face contact with more students until at least June 22.

Pressure has been put on the college to revisit the government-recommended reopening date of June 15 after Public Health England found that the regional R (reproduction number) rate for the north west has risen above the “critical” threshold of 1 – after which the number of cases is said to increase exponentially – as well as “local information that infection rates remain higher and health services are stretched”.

After receiving this data on Friday, Tameside Council director of public health, Dr Jeanelle de Gruchy, wrote to all schools and colleges in the area urging them to delay their wider reopening until at least June 22.

Tameside College is understood to be the first general FE college in the country to announce it will not begin its wider reopening on June 15 in line with government guidance, following a rise in the R rating.

Neighbouring Ashton Sixth Form College announced on its website on Friday that it will also delay reopening until at least June 22.

Jackie Moores, principal of both Tameside College and Clarendon Sixth Form College, told FE Week: “Tameside College is following all the required guidance and the senior leadership team are currently assessing the best and safest options for wider opening. 

“We will now be recommending to the college’s governing body that the safest option will be to delay wider opening until the June 22, subject to further public health advice.”

She added the college had been ready to open on June 15 as originally planned but senior leaders are “working closely” with public health colleagues in the local authority and have considered their advice.

Its board are meeting on Friday to review the latest Covid-19 data for the region and make a final decision.

A spokesperson for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority said decisions relating to colleges in the city-region should be taken at the discretion of principals, chief executives and boards.

He added that throughout the coronavirus crisis the mayor “has repeatedly called for flexibility in the dates set for the wider re-opening of schools and colleges to reflect the shifting nature of the pandemic”.

Steve Rotheram, metro mayor of the Liverpool City Region, told FE Week his view is that the loosening of the lockdown “came too soon for the north west” and he has “asked government to consult on the reopening of schools and colleges”.

He added that the decision on whether or not to open should be taken by councils, in consultation with head teachers and college principals.

“We have asked government to publish more extensive localised information at a local authority level to inform those decisions. We are still in a very fragile position and protecting public health should always be paramount.”  

De Gruchy’s correspondence to schools and colleges in Tameside, a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, said: “Members of SAGE (Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies) and the Association of Directors of Public Health advised caution and concern about the too rapid easing of lockdown and the increased risk of a second pandemic wave.

“Balancing this concern, the national R number being between 0.7 to 1.0 and estimated at 0.73 in the North West and the importance of having our children back at school, I supported the limited increase in the number of children attending planned in the Borough from Monday 8 June.

“However information released at 2pm today estimates the R value is now above the critical value of 1 for the North West, at 1.01.

“Because of this change in R, and despite the excellent work undertaken, I am therefore strongly advising all schools and childcare settings to delay wider opening until at least 22 June for us to be more assured that the rate of infection is reducing and R is firmly below 1.

“All settings should continue to remain open for vulnerable children and the children of key workers as they have been since the start of the national lockdown.”

The situation will be monitored and reviewed on a weekly basis, with plans for the director of public health to write to all education settings again this Friday with a further update and advice on wider opening.

All colleges across the country are currently still being advised by the government to begin their wider reopening to 16 to 19 students on the first year of a study programme, as well as apprentices and adult learners in some cases, from June 15.

Prime minister Boris Johnson said face-to-face contact for year 12 and equivalent students could begin after this date when he announced that the government’s “five tests” for easing lockdown were all being met on May 28.

The Department for Education is drafting in a group of new policy experts as it gears up for “revolutionary” changes in FE.

Job adverts for 16 senior advisers to “craft a wide range of policies” within the department’s “higher and further education group” are currently live with annual salaries ranging from £49,000 to £60,000.

It comes as the DfE continues its work on a new White Paper for the FE sector, to be followed by legislation.

Education secretary Gavin Williamson said in May that the reforms could be “revolutionary”, and FE Week previously reported that one key option being considered is to bring colleges in England back into public ownership.

Work on the White Paper is being led by Keith Smith, who was redeployed from the Education and Skills Funding Agency in April. He reports to Paul Kett, director general for higher and further education at the DfE.

The 16 policy adviser adverts include five “heads of policy” and 11 “policy leads”.

The successful candidates will be deployed to the DfE’s higher and further education group to work in directorates including careers and further education; further education reform; career learning, analysis, skills and student choice; international; higher education, STEM and tertiary providers; transformation and digital.

Responsibilities will include “leading the delivery of innovative policy reforms”.

“In the role you will quickly familiarize yourself with detailed knowledge to enable you confidently brief ministers and manage relationships with the educational sector,” the adverts add.

The Education and Training Foundation is handing out 100 discounts worth £500 each to boost the number of FE lecturers with Advanced Teacher Status (ATS), whilst also softening the scheme’s eligibility criteria.

It currently costs participants £750 to undertake ATS, meaning those that receive the discount will only have to pay £250.

The qualification was first launched in 2017 and recognises lecturers who can demonstrate “mastery” of the profession. It is described as the “gold standard practitioner status in the FE sector” by the ETF.

Around 100 individuals have attained it so far. Those who are awarded ATS are additionally granted with Chartered Teacher Status by the Chartered College of Teaching – the recognised professional body for teachers in England.

Martin Reid, director of the Society for Education and Training (SET), part of the ETF, said the “bursaries” have been made available to make ATS “accessible to a wider group of highly-skilled and experienced practitioners for whom financial barriers may be issues”.

Up to 100 are on offer and preference will be given to those applicants who “present a strong case for requiring a bursary”, which they will have to do by “making a statement explaining how a funded place will support both themselves and their organisation, focusing on three key areas of the ETF professional standards: values and attributes; knowledge and understanding; and skills”.

The eligibility criteria for ATS have also been changed, with the requirement for applicants to already hold Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) status or Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) “no longer a prerequisite”.

Instead, “advanced” teachers and trainers who have “held their initial teaching qualification at level five or above for at least five years – rather than the four required of QTLS and QTS holders – and who meet all of the other eligibility criteria relating to access to teaching and coaching, can also apply”.

All applicants must be members of the SET, which oversees ATS.

The discounts will be available to those joining the next cohort to work towards ATS, which will begin in October 2020.

The ETF said although the eligibility criteria have been updated, the ATS programme “has not been changed in any way” and participants will “carry out the same tasks and portfolios will be assessed with the same rigour they always have been”.

Reid added: “We know from listening to our members that ATS is seen as a highly-valued badge of professionalism that demonstrates a commitment to the highest standards of teaching and learning. It is also an important aspect of the work we are doing to drive up the professionalism of the whole sector, with those who achieve ATS telling us that its positive impacts are not just on them personally, but also on colleagues and their institutions.

“These ETF-funded bursaries, alongside changes to the eligibility criteria, will make ATS accessible to a wider group of highly-skilled and experienced practitioners for whom financial barriers or a lack of opportunity to undertake QTLS early in their careers may be issues. 

“We hope that more people in the sector will now be able to embark on their journey to ATS and achieve Chartered Teacher status.” 

The window for applications for the next cohort of the ATS programme is open until 13 September 2020.

The chief executive of one of England’s largest college groups has been announced as the next president of the Association of Colleges.

Sally Dicketts, who heads up Activate Learning, will take over the role from Steve Frampton on August 1 when his two-year tenure is up.

She said she was “delighted” to be appointed and pledged to “work hard to promote the FE sector and ensure our learners are given the best opportunities to succeed”.

“As we move into a post-Covid world, we will need to unite as a sector to ensure we have the funding and support we need to continue to help our communities and be the engines of social mobility that we have been for so long, and I recognise both the pitfall and benefits of the proposals set out in the government’s White Paper,” she added.

“The global pandemic has shone a light on a lot of the things we do as education providers, and I think there are lots of opportunities for us to change and adapt our approaches to meet our learners needs in the future.

“I want to create a united voice for the FE sector, where we collaborate with clear values of respect, empathy, and understanding of different communities we serve.”

Frampton said his two years in the role of AoC president have been “two of the best of my life”.

“It has been a genuine honour to represent the sector I love and I’ve had experiences and opportunities that I will never forget,” he added.

Each year a college principal is elected by AoC members to be president. Their term of office runs from 01 August to 31 July, with a maximum two-year tenure.

The AoC said the president “acts as an ambassador” for the membership organisation and the further education sector, “driving policy formation and raising the profile of colleges with ministers and external stakeholders”.

Dicketts has worked in further education since 1985. Since 2013, she has been chief executive of Activate Learning, bringing together in one group, three FE colleges, three university technical colleges, two 11 to 18 secondary schools, a studio school, an apprenticeships provider, and a specialist engineering training provider.

She is a board member of the Education and Training Foundation, Pearson’s board and deputy chair of the LEP skills board.

Dicketts was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Honours List in July 2013.

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused a great deal of disruption across education, including cancelled exams and campus closures to most learners, the impact of which is expected to be felt into the next academic year and likely beyond.

Education leaders and policy experts discussed the anticipated ongoing impact on 16-to-24- year-olds, adult learners and apprenticeships at an FE Week roundtable debate on Tuesday, in partnership with NCFE.

Watch the roundtable here:

It followed the joint publication of a discussion paper by NCFE and Campaign for Learning, education policy consultant Mark Corney, and director of policy at Holex adult education network Susan Pember, which warns of a “very different September” to the one Whitehall had planned for.

One key area of concern is safe travel and social distancing on transport for younger learners as they move to and from their college or training provider.

Principal of New College Durham, John Widdowson, told the roundtable this is a particular problem for rural areas and he is considering a shortened college day, for example, between 10am and 3.30pm, to lessen pressure on public transport at peak times.

“We know that only half capacity will be allowed on each bus that comes in because of social distancing, we know that they are going to prioritise people coming to work, so we’re thinking about maybe a differently timed college day,” he explained.

Widdowson added that his college is also “thinking about potentially having – instead of trying to plan a curriculum on a linear basis, September through to June-July – to modularise it, so we’ll do complete units of learning, which is something we’ve not really done before, but that then gives them something in the bank”.

David Robinson from the Education Policy Unit touched on the topic of calculated grades being awarded to students this summer following the cancellation of exams. He warned that, as teacher assessment “tends to be biased” against disadvantaged learners, it could prove an additional challenge to post-16 institutions to match them to a programme of study, so there “may be more adjustments needed in those early stages”.

Corney tabled education select committee chair Robert Halfon’s idea of an “apprenticeships guarantee” (see here) after prime minister Boris Johnson said he would “look at the idea” last week and mentioned it again during his coronavirus briefing on Wednesday (see here).

Corney cautioned against this potential “overpromise” and instead recommended the expansion of funding for 19-to-24 full-time places at FE colleges, maintenance support to complete level 3 qualifications and a T-level “guarantee”.

Robinson challenged the latter, arguing the rollout of the new technical qualifications is already “relatively slow”, with capacity concerns within the sector, and that this could put it at further risk.

The Association of Employment and Learning Providers’ chief policy officer Simon Ashworth suggested traineeships as an alternative established programme to help young people develop their skills to enter the jobs market, which he said could be a “useful vehicle” if flexibilities are introduced in the long term.

However, Brenda McLeish, chief executive of Learning Curve Group, said there are “big concerns” over the provision of work placements due to Covid-19 and staff redundancies, as well as the ability to recruit new apprentices during this period.

She added: “What we need is definitely a skills training programme, and a funding guarantee for these people.”

Turning to the needs of adults, Stephen Evans, chief executive of the Learning and Work Institute, claimed: “We really need a much bigger scale of ambition and action and urgent action to get proper help and support to [furloughed workers] as well.”

McLeish talked about the success of her provider’s #EducateWhileYouIsolate campaign, which had received 28,000 expressions of interest in online courses within its first six weeks, but lamented that there was “no funding pot there to sustain it… [or] any increase in the adult education budget”.

She added that there will be a “fear factor” for adults returning to work or participating in groups, so believes it will be necessary to offer a “blended model” for the foreseeable future.

The final discussion point of the roundtable was the impact on apprenticeships. Corney proposed a single education and apprenticeship participation budget for 16-to-18-year-olds to switch between different types of provision.

Ashworth called the idea a “no-brainer” but said it should be funded by government rather than the levy.

Robinson questioned whether there was a need to “triage” sector demands to those which would make the most impact due to the number of industries asking for support, concluding it“needs to be simple and broad, rather than lots of small sector asks”.

In contrast to the view of Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute, that apprenticeships were not “near the top of [universities’] concerns at this time”, Ashworth said some higher education institutions see them as an “opportunity to supplement or refill some of the income they might lose from other traditional streams”.

Pember, who “didn’t want to be doom and gloom”, concluded the roundtable was underestimating size of unemployment in autumn, and doubts that employers will offer apprenticeships to level 2 and 3 learners rather than existing employees at higher levels in the next 18 months.

Apprenticeship providers have been left shocked after the Education and Skills Funding Agency ignored their own coronavirus deferral policy and sent out contract termination letters, FE Week can reveal. 

The business-ending intervention for failing the minimum standards for achievement rates comes just weeks after the ESFA wrote to providers claiming they would postpone decisions until as late as October, to take account of the “continuing challenges” relating to Covid-19. 

One provider that did not wish to be named, with hundreds of apprentices, shared with FE Week a letter it received this week that said the agency was providing “notice of termination” on July 31. Access to all funding would then end and the training firm would be removed from the Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers. 

The letter went on to say all new starts must cease immediately and the provider must “do its utmost to minimise disruption caused to apprentices”. 

The provider shared the reasons for their underperformance with the ESFA in February and thought the matter was closed as they had not received the deferral letter sent to other providers last month. 

When FE Week challenged the Department for Education on the unexpected interventions this week a spokesperson said there had been no change relating to deferrals but that in a small number of cases contracts are being terminated at this stage. 

The DfE refused to comment further on why the ESFA was ignoring their own published deferral policy by taking action during the global pandemic. 

As previously reported, overall national apprenticeship achievement rates dropped 2.2 per cent points last year to just 64.7 per cent. 

The achievement rate for the new apprenticeship standards were particularly low, averaging just 46.6 per cent compared to 68.7 per cent for frameworks. 

Providers have to have more than 40 per cent of their cohort on frameworks and standards above a 62 per cent achievement rate to achieve the minimum standard. 

The contract termination letter said that in coming to their decision the ESFA had taken account of the evidence submitted by the provider along with “the scale of underperformance against the minimum standard threshold for 2018 to 2019 and your organisation’s track record relative to the minimum standard in previous years”. 

In an FE Week webcast at the end of April, apprenticeships and skills minister Gillian Keegan expressed concern at historic “low-quality” apprenticeships delivery. 

She said: “I was quite shocked at some of the lower quality delivery that happened in the first stages of the levy being introduced and I never want to go back to those days…I’ve met people on the doorstep who’ve actually said to me this is a load of old rubbish. We have to make sure that every apprenticeship is quality.” 

Once a notice of contract termination has been issued, the DfE said the ESFA works with the provider to ensure that the apprentices and their employers receive advice about how to successfully complete their learning. This, they said, could include finishing with the same provider or transferring to a new provider, and that in practice, this depends on the time left to complete the learning activity. 

The spokesperson went on to say that the ESFA will continue to talk to and monitor all providers who have failed minimum standards for all aged apprenticeships in 2018 to 2019, as part of their management of further education.