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Inside FE’s lifeline for under-16s: Stepping in where schools fail

Charlie used to carry a knife to school for protection. If he had not secured a place at Leeds City College’s 14+ Academies, he believes he probably would have ended up on the streets.

“They’ve taken their time to actually help me,” he says. He received not only help for his dyslexia that had been unavailable at school previously, but also anger management support.

Increasing numbers of young people, many of whom have stopped attending school altogether and been classed as ‘electively home educated’ (EHE), are rediscovering the value of classroom-based education through their local FE colleges.

Our analysis of college data found that three-quarters (74 per cent) of the 50 biggest colleges by learner numbers currently teach 14-16 year olds. Of these, over half offer EHE pathways, and over a third ‘school links’, in which young people study vocational courses part-time at college while still enrolled with a school.

‘EHE’ placements doubled from 2,410 to 4,800 in just seven years up to 2023-24, Association of Colleges (AoC) research found. And 14 colleges, including Leeds’ provision for 14-16 year olds, offer full-time direct-entry placements.

Some see colleges’ 14-16 provision as a key solution to rising levels of young NEETs (not in employment, education or training) and ongoing school attendance challenges.

Yet young people like Charlie are often invisible in government policy, because data on college 14-16 placements remains fragmented and obscured. EHE and direct-entry placements come via 16-18 funding, but the DfE does not hold data on the number of 14-16 year old EHE students enrolled at colleges, nor on those placed there by schools or local authorities.

Learning at South Gloucestershire and Stroud (SGS)’s 14-16 provision, SGS Create

Cultural differences with schools

Colleges tend to take a more relational or trauma-informed approach to 14-16s than many schools.

There are no strict uniform policies (learners are sometimes distinguished from others by different coloured lanyards), and teachers are often referred to by their first names.

14+ Academies headteacher Niki McKenna says his provision tries to “remove all barriers to education”, and “reflect what being an adult in the world of work is like; I don’t call my boss ‘sir’”.

“They know we’re teachers and we’re in charge, but it doesn’t need to be forced on them.”

Where school class sizes average 25 to 28 for that age, South Gloucestershire and Stroud College (SGS)’s Create provision has no more than 22 learners in a class. Leeds’ and South Devon College’s 14-16 classes run with around 20.

A survey of Leeds’ students found that 94 per cent did not enjoy attending their previous school, and 76 per cent felt unsafe there. By the time they left Leeds, all reported feeling safe and 95 per cent cared more about their education.

“A teacher might be playing the ukulele and singing a song to teach, which seems completely bizarre but it works because it’s memorable,” says Charlie.

However, deputy head of South Devon’s 14-16 ‘high school’ James McCauley says he has toinitially “bust a lot of myths” about 14-16 provision. Some young people arrive thinking it will be “more chilled” and they will just be “building brick walls all day”, he explains.

“It is more informal, but that doesn’t mean lower standards.”

Plumpton’s principal Jeremy Kerswell says their 14-16 provision has become more school-like over time.

“We really took a step back and thought about how we need to totally approach this differently. We appointed people into school-like roles and adopted policies more akin to school policies and ways of working with assemblies, a house point system, heads of year and pastoral tutors.”

From disruptive pupils to anxious ones

Colleges used to be seen as places where schools sent their most disruptive pupils. But since Covid, leaders say they are now predominantly taking on socially anxious young people with a history of low school attendance, which they often put down to being bullied.

Alun Francis, chief executive of Blackpool and the Fylde College (B&FC), has “reservations” about 14-16 provision, having previously seen some “terrible” provision used as “a sink option for schools’ naughty children”.

But he says B&FC’s ‘school links’ programme, still in its first year, is “quite carefully managed…to make sure there is progression and improved performance”.

B&FC has led work withMyerscough College and five schools in Fylde Coast Academy Trust to develop a curriculum for “disengaging” young people, giving them a “stepping stone towards a vocational option post-16”.

Francis is willing to take a gamble on the provision. Half the town’s school leavers fail their GCSE English and maths. But he would be “worried if the government started to wholesale go into the 14-16 route without really thinking through what that should mean”.

Bradford College has provided 14-16 alternative provision for almost 15 years, growing from 80 to 200 learners in the last five years alone.
Head Tracy Wilkinson says a “growing proportion” present with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs, emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD), and SEND needs. They are supported by her team of pastoral and intervention officers, academic intervention officers and on-site safeguarding and wellbeing staff.

Selective entry as demand grows

College 14-16 provision is generally in high demand, and colleges can be selective in which learners they recruit.

North East Surrey College of Technology’s website explains its 14-16 provision only accepts those with an education, health and care plan who “are home schooled, have lost their confidence or are unable to attend school”. It says it is not for those “more suited to a pupil referral unit”.

Similarly, Capital City College says its home education hub programmes “may not always be suitable for young people with significant behavioural issues”.

When EKC governors questioned in a meeting if its 14-16 ‘direct entry’ junior colleges were viewed by local schools as alternative provision, its director said they are “making it explicit to headteachers that junior colleges are not alternative provision to try to avoid this misconception”.

14+ Academies at Leeds City College has been oversubscribed every year since its second intake in 2014. This September, it increased its year 10 intake from 120 to 140 learners, with one in five applicants successful in securing a place. Learners come from as far as 20 miles away.

“We try to select the ones that we feel can help the most,” says McKenna. “If they’ve gone through some sort of trauma that we know of, we’ve got a specialist and the wellbeing team to support them. If they’ve got the desire to change…then great. But if they just say, ‘well, I just can’t get out of bed’, unless we can really delve down and figure out why, then we’re not sure we can help them.”

Similarly, Hull College can only offer one place for every six applicants, despite expanding its provision to help keep pace with demand.

Darlington College is poised to open a new £2.6 million pre-16 learning centre to cater for an additional 50 under-16s on top of the 100 it currently teaches, while Bolton College is hoping to introduce 14-16 provision from September.

But some colleges are hamstrung by lack of available capacity, at a time when demand for 16-19 provision is also rising. One FE leader in an area with a rapidly growing population of young people said he “would be happy” to take on more 14-16 year olds, but explained: “We haven’t got anywhere to stick them.”

Darlington College which is expanding its 14-16 provision

College asks applicants for videos

A rigorous application process helps colleges pick the right learners for their programmes.

Applicants for SGS Create must not only write a “handwritten personal statement” but also produce a “short to camera video, demonstrating why they want to come to SGS”, says its head, Thomas Beer. Some are “absolutely incredible…One did a Kill Bill style movie.”

Beer’s team then sits down with officers from the local authority to corroborate the information young people have sent, and whether there has been social care involvement to “help us build a picture”.

Last year Plumpton College was “flooded” with over 60 applications for its EHE provision in the first 20 minutes of it going live on the website”, and “probably could have filled every space we had three times over”, says its director of education pathways and foundation learning, Scott McCue. This year they have provided a “four-week window” and “made it clear” to families that it is not offered on a “first come first served” basis.

Plumpton College’s ‘hub’ for 14-16 learners

Electively home educated

Nationally, the number of young people opting out of the school system has risen dramatically since Covid. In the two years to 2024-25, EHE numbers rose by 38 per cent from 80,900 to 111,700. Meanwhile ‘children missing education’ (CME) rose 59 per cent from 24,700 to 39,200. Ofsted described these figures as a “significant concern”.

Many colleges have increased their EHE provision to meet rising demand. EHE placements at Plumpton went from 145 in 2022-23 to 216 this academic year.

Wigan & Leigh College’s EHE provision was launched in 2023, after the number of EHE in the borough shot up from 80 to over 400 after Covid.

Some learners lacked friendships due to having not attended school for many months or years. Principal Anna Dawe recalls that the morning the provision opened, her vice principal was “sat in a car with a parent trying to coax a young man into class”. But strong friendships between learners soon formed, and parents “made a community amongst themselves”.

Dawe admits setting it up was “a risk” as Ofsted “might come in and question the quality. But we do what’s right for our community.”

“It’s hugely labour-intensive. But it’s also one of the most rewarding things I’ve done, and has worked phenomenally well for these young people.

“Otherwise they would literally have been in their bedroom for two years, then land in college at 16 with the very same issues they’d had at school.”

Paying for SEND support for a college’s EHE learners is at the discretion of the local authority.

SGS is named on education, health and care plans by the three local authorities it works with, and is “funded quite effectively” for SEND needs.

Plumpton does not get this funding from East Sussex Council. So it has to be “explicit” with parents that learning support assistants cannot be provided, says McCue. But Plumpton tries to provide other resources, such as “overlays for dyslexia” that a learner might need from its own pocket.

Stopping schools treating colleges as ‘dumping grounds’

School link programmes allow pupils to attend college part-time while remaining on a school roll, with SEND support following the learner.

But one education leader said some schools seek to use colleges as “a dumping ground” for disruptive pupils. They now send out a guidance document to schools explaining what the college can and cannot provide.

While colleges appear to have scaled back on alternative provision commissioned by local authorities or schools where the college is that young person’s only form of education, many now provide this school link pathway instead.

In October 2025, Northumberland College launched a 14-16 engineering academy with a local school to teach engineering design and manufacturing.

Catherine Sezen, the AoC’s director of education policy, sees potential for the school links route to be expanded further.

AoC’s submission to the Milburn review on young NEETs suggests colleges piloting day release programmes for small groups of young people as transition support for those leaving schools.

The number of colleges offering direct entry provision, where learners attend college full-time, declined from 19 in 2017-18 to 14 this year.

Some colleges pulled out due to affordability concerns. Schools receive a base funding rate of £6,113 for their 14-16 pupils, but colleges get the lower 16-18 year old rate of £5,105 for for 2025-26.

Gemma Simmons-Blench, Luminate Education Group’s deputy CEO for quality and curriculum, says the timeline for payments is the “more fundamental issue”. Schools receive this funding from September, while colleges delivering 14-16 provision must wait until April.

“We therefore have to deliver and cover expenditure for over six months with no income.”

Some colleges have grown the size of their direct-entry provision. In September 2025 East Kent Colleges Group (EKC) opened a new “junior college” on the Isle of Sheppey, providing direct-entry placements. EKC provides junior colleges across four of its colleges, where 14-16 year olds take specialisms such as catering, sport or digital studies.

Some schools fear having to compete with colleges for 14-16 placements in their local areas.

McCauley says South Devon College has an agreement with one local school to only take up to 30 of their year nines. “We’re not seen completely positively by the schools but we are seen very positively by the local authority and that’s where the support comes from,” he says.

Bradford College’s 14-16 learners on a barbering course

Attendance a major challenge

Colleges create separate spaces on their campuses for direct-entry provision, but other 14-16 pathways deploy various methods to keep their under-16s safe and, in many cases, separate from older cohorts of learners.

Plumpton invested “significant funds” to create a 14-16 hub with its own common room, which is “consistently staffed throughout the week with members of our pastoral team”, explains McCue.

Some colleges insist their 14-16 cohort remain on campus. For others, going off-site at lunchtime is a privilege which can be taken away, according to the AoC’s 14-16 reference group minutes.

East Sussex’s alternative provision students are “escorted by a mentor at all times whilst on campus, including break and lunch times”. They are “able to have five minutes out of lessons if they need space to regulate their emotions”, the college says.

As most 14-16 year olds in college did not previously attend school regularly, boosting their attendance can be an uphill struggle.

Attendance for this cohort in colleges was on average 66 per cent in 2023-24, according to VLE Support’s data on college registration systems.

McCauley describes attendance as “the single biggest challenge” for his 14-16 provision.

But when attendance rates are viewed in comparison to that young person’s previous school attendance, it has often improved significantly – even if it is not hitting the 90 per cent standard.

“For the kids who have not been in school for two years, getting up to 50 per cent attendance is remarkable,” says Beer.

Last year, Wigan & Leigh’s EHE maths and English GCSE cohort achieved an 89 per cent attendance rate. That compares with a 24 per cent average while those students were at school.

Some staff less keen to teach 14-16 than others

Learners arriving at college vary from those who have always been home educated to those who withdrew from school more recently. Catering for students with “such different journeys” involves SGS being “adaptive and flexible” with curricula, says Beer, adding that “making up for lost learning is quite challenging in their first year”.

A big incentive for colleges providing 14-16 provision is the pipeline it creates for future 16-19 programmes.

But “a consistent approach” is “harder” to achieve in vocational subjects.

McCauley says South Devon’s 90 per cent retention rate into 16-19 provision “is significantly higher than our next best feeder school”.

Attracting suitably experienced teachers can be challenging too, when colleges pay less than schools to teach the same cohort.

Finding a suitable science teacher has become “one of the banes of my life”, McCauley says. Meanwhile, some vocational teachers are more on board with 14-16 provision than others. “Some start their career in FE because they had a career in a school previously and didn’t like it, and want to just teach those older students.”

Pressure for school-based provision

Despite the success of college 14-16 provision in turning young lives around, many more young people not in school are still being left with no (or poor quality) educational provision. Political pressure is therefore building for schools to bring EHE young people back into their settings.

Myerscough College recently said that “after extensive discussions with our local authorities regarding the future of home education, it is clear that the government is focused on prioritising the reintegration of many home-educated young people back into mainstream education”. It was therefore altering its EHE pathway to instead focus solely on school-funded alternative provision.

Reaseheath College is ceasing its EHE pathway from September for the same reason.

“There is an open dialogue with the Department for Education and local authorities, and we will take guidance as to how this may develop in future,” it said.

More oversight, standardisation and time limits for unregistered alternative provision are also expected to be introduced by the government soon. Colleges with alternative provision will be eyeing these reforms closely to see if they affect them.

Ofsted has warned that alternative provision should be “viewed as a fixed-term intervention, not a long-term solution”, and said it is “concerned that high numbers of children do not attend school on a full-time, permanent basis”.

Such reforms may impact the flexibility colleges currently have to adapt their provision to learners’ needs.

Beer describes college 14-provision as “transformational” for some young people.

“Schools are doing a great job for lots of young people, but they don’t work for everybody. We have the flexibility and the freedom to be able to offer something different.”

Stronger learners start with supported educators

Better outcomes start outside the classroom.

Further Education (FE) and skills professionals show up every day to change lives. They problem-solve, multi-task and can carry the weight of rising expectations with resilience and creativity. But this often leaves little time to pause, reflect, connect and grow. The FE and skills sector is driven by the power of learning. Yet the uncomfortable truth is that continuous professional development (CPD) often slips to the edges of the working week. And when that happens, everyone misses out.

Without a strategic, embedded approach to professional development, it becomes even harder for teachers, support teams and leaders to deliver the best for learners. Small problems can fester and grow. Inefficiencies linger and valuable opportunities for shared learning falls through the cracks. Worst of all, learners miss out and their learning outcomes suffer.

The missing ingredient: a structure that makes learning stick.

Most colleges and training providers are deeply committed to developing their people. What’s often missing is a structure and framework that makes professional development part of the routine. If the goal is better learner outcomes, stronger staff retention and organisational performance that can withstand pressure, the answer is clear: adopt a strategic, long-term approach to professional development.

Put simply: professional development should not be a box to tick. It should be built into the fabric of every college and training provider. That’s why the Education Training Foundation (ETF) developed ETF Partnership: a structured approach to organisational development that raises standards, retains great people, and delivers better outcomes for every learner.

Building a culture of learning at York College

York College & University Centre supports around 4,000 students each day across academic and vocational routes. “Our students come to us with very high aspirations,” explains Victoria Lindberg, Director of Quality of Education. “Our job as teachers is to support those aspirations and help them make brilliant next steps.”

York College’s strategy was not a quick fix. Instead, the focus was on building a culture where professional development is consistent, supported, and taken seriously. That is why the college committed to ETF Partnership, which helps leaders and educators make professional development part of everyday practice.

“We have a moral purpose to invest in our teachers,” says Luke Zwalf, Head of Teaching and Learning. “If we’re able to support our teachers correctly, ultimately the knock-on impact is for our students.”

For Victoria, the value was immediate and practical. “Partnering with ETF has opened up a whole world for us, connecting our teachers with others across the sector.” Victoria links that investment directly to learner achievement: “We’re absolutely delighted that our ETF Partnership has led to improved outcomes for our students and apprentices. Teaching is now better, more students achieve their ambitions and more get higher grades.”

Partnering with ETF has opened up a whole world for us, connecting our teachers with others across the sector,” Victoria Lindberg, Director of Quality of Education, York College.

Read the full story: How investing in teacher development boosted achievement at York College.

Where culture change begins: ETF Partnership

As the professional body for FE and skills, ETF stands up for workforce development. We set the standards, provide the development and recognition, and build a thriving community and skills system.

ETF Partnership draws on all ETF has to offer to help colleges and training providers build professional development into their culture. In practical terms, ETF Partnership provides a model for professional excellence, including:

national standards that build confidence: using national teaching and training standards helps your team gain confidence and credibility.
CPD that sticks: embedding high-quality CPD and tools into day-to-day practice alongside peer-mentoring turns progress into a habit.
recognition that grows careers: Providing routes into professional status recognition including Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS Status) and Advanced Teacher Status (ATS) support educators to grow their impact within your organisation, at every stage of their careers.
community that connects: connecting your teams to the wider FE and skills sector through our inspiring membership community, where ideas thrive and best practice is shared.

Quick health check: is CPD built into your culture?

If professional development is not truly embedded, it usually shows up in a few familiar ways. Which of these symptoms do you recognise?

CPD depends on a handful of champions, not a shared approach
Great practice stays in silos instead of spreading
Training days deliver a “sugar rush” of energy, but little changes afterwards
Recognition is patchy, so progress feels invisible
Confidence dips, and retention becomes harder
Improvement feels like just “another initiative”

If any of this feels familiar, reach out to the friendly ETF team to learn more about ETF Partnership.

FE and skills professionals are already changing lives every day. ETF Partnership exists to support their development and help colleges and training providers build a culture of learning and success. Together, we can unlock the full potential of a professional FE and skills system. Learn more about the Education Training Foundation at etfoundation.co.uk.

UCU staff to stage 11-day walk out over alleged ‘trade union victimisation’

Nearly two-thirds of University and College Union (UCU) staff are set to walk out next week in another row between the union and its own staff.

Over 130 Unite members who work for the teacher’s union claim they will strike for up to 11 days in support of one employee who it said has been subject to claims of “unlawful” trade union victimisation.

Staff will down tools from February 12 to protest an investigation opened into Marie Monaghan, the staff union’s health and safety representative, following allegations of gross misconduct. Unite allege the investigation has only been launched because of her activity as a trade union member.

UCU said the accusation is “categorically untrue” and the investigation has no connection “whatsoever” with any voluntary role taken up by Monaghan in the staff union.

Monaghan works as a regional support official with UCU in the north west team.

Unite said she was targeted by managers and “suddenly” became subject to “unjustified and unlawful” treatment after raising safety complaints on behalf of UCU staff in her capacity as Unite health and safety officer.

Complaints of workplace stress, as well as workplace racism and alleged breaches of collective agreements, have been part of the industrial dispute that has embroiled the two parties since March 2024.

Trade union laws prohibit employers from subjecting trade union members to detrimental treatment because of their union activities.

Such treatment could include victimisation from an employer, dismissal, being chosen for redundancy or refusal of work, all on the grounds of trade union activity or membership.

A UCU spokesperson said: “The position of UCU, which we can evidence and have made very clear to both the UCU Unite branch and the individual concerned, is that this accusation is categorically untrue.

“Given that information has been made public by the staff member and Unite, we can confirm that a member of UCU staff is currently subject to an investigation under UCU’s employment policies, which are agreed between management and trade unions.

“It is possible that the investigation could lead to disciplinary proceedings, but that is not the case at present and has not yet been determined.”

A Unite spokesperson said: “Our member has been subject to unlawful treatment on the grounds of trade union victimisation for the last year. UCU’s recent escalation is now a direct risk to their ongoing employment.

“While we recognise UCU’s own internal processes, on this occasion we do not feel that they have been followed in an acceptable manner. We have called on UCU to enter talks to resolve this matter. Disappointingly UCU has rejected our offer for talks.”

UCU added that the case is being handled by an external investigator who will make recommendations on the way forward.

UCU’s spokesperson said: “It is vital that UCU, as an employer, implements agreed policies and procedures consistently and effectively, and that those policies are applied to all staff without exception. We cannot and will not implement a two-tier approach to staffing that treats union reps differently from everyone else.

“Everyone is bound by the same rules and expectations that apply to all staff. The current investigation has no connection whatsoever with any voluntary role in a UCU staff union. Any assertion to the contrary is completely untrue.”

Lost in transmission

Monaghan’s team of nine in the northwest will begin their strike action from February 9, while the other 126 Unite staff members will walk out from February 12.

The discrepancy in strike action start times is due to an “administrative” error in which the trade union employer was not served the legal two-week notice of industrial action until last Friday.

UCU said last week that it was only made aware of the strike from FE Week and social media posts made by Unite UCU.

A Unite UCU spokesperson said the dispute will continue until UCU leaders stop “union busting” and come to the negotiation table.

“Across the trade union movement there is one thing we are all united on: that we do not act unlawfully towards our own,” they said.

“This issue will now bring together all voices across our movement and Unite will be shouting the loudest and with the strongest voice. The victimisation of our health and safety rep and the threat to their job and livelihood must end immediately.”

The staff dispute with UCU has been ongoing for nearly two years, which began over complaints of “institutional failings” over UCU’s alleged disproportionate treatment of black staff.

A walkout was staged during UCU’s national congress in May 2024, which led to the cancellation of the HE and FE sector conferences.

Next week’s strike represents the first industrial action from the branch since March 2025 when staff walked out as part of a “threat of sustained action” lasting for 20 days over six weeks.

University-owned awarding org fined for ‘negligence’ by Ofqual

A university has been fined £150,000 by the exams regulator for failing to closely monitor a music qualification test centre and “negligence” in handling an independent audit.

An Ofqual notice issued today says University of West London (UWL), which awards music qualifications, let an unnamed third-party test centre design, deliver and award 224 students’ assessments without sufficient monitoring between January 2020 and November 2022.

The regulator said about 40,000 students received certificates from the centre while it was not “adequately” supervised, and that the failures posed a “significant risk” to students and public confidence in exams.

UWL’s breaches of Ofqual’s general conditions of recognition for awarding organisations also included 4,300 students not receiving certificates promptly and an absence of any appeals process for nearly three years.

The university’s board was also “negligent” for failing to provide an independent auditor with a document that clearly set out the allegations that should be investigated, the notice also said.

Ofqual’s executive director of delivery Amanda Swann said the £150,000 fine reflects the “serious nature” of UWL’s failures.

She added: “Students must be able to trust that awarding organisations are properly overseeing how their qualifications are delivered.

“These failures by UWL also had a real impact on thousands of students who were left waiting for certificates they had earned and would have been unable to appeal their results.

“This action is necessary to deter UWL and other awarding organisations from similar failings in future.”

How it came about

UWL, a university based in west London and Reading, has been delivering Ofqual-regulated music qualifications at levels 1 to 7 under its London College of Music Examinations brand since 2010.

An anonymous former employee of UWL first blew the whistle about the breaches in 2022, after becoming concerned about a “verbal agreement” between the test centre and a former senior manager at the university that had begun during the Covid-19 lockdown.

The Ofqual notice said the arrangement, agreed without the senior manager’s colleague’s knowledge, meant qualifications were delivered on UWL’s behalf without its awareness or assurance that assessments were “fit for purpose”.

In total, 4,330 students reported not receiving their certificates in time.

Furthermore, after the issues came to light, UWL’s relationship with the centre “deteriorated” and it was prevented from accessing information needed to resolve the issues.

Negligence

Ofqual also concluded that the university was “negligent” for failing to provide the independent auditor appointed to investigate with a document known as a “statement of reasons”.

As a result, an initial audit report was “substantially more positive” than a second that the regulator forced UWL to produce, containing “no or limited evidence of non-compliance”.

The Ofqual notice said it was “clear and unambiguous” that the statement of reasons should be provided and noted that the university had made a “conscious decision” not to disclose it.

UWL later created “the impression” that the auditor had read the reasons by appending a copy to its submission of the first audit report on the regulator’s online portal.

The exam regulator ultimately accepted the university’s claim that it was acting on the advice of its financial controller, that the statement of reasons could “potentially prejudice” the independence of the audit and had no intention to “mislead or avoid scrutiny or sanction”

The notice said UWL accepts that its breach was a “product of negligence by its board” by failing to exercise the level of care, skill and diligence expected of it under Ofqual’s special conditions.

In deciding the £150,000 fine and £10,000 investigation and enforcement costs, the regulator said the university had co-operated fully during the enforcement process and had no adverse regulatory history.

However, Ofqual balanced this with the need to deter other awarding organisations from similar failures, the need to promote public confidence and previous fines it has issued.

A spokesperson for the university said: “UWL accepts Ofqual’s decision on this matter.

“UWL regrets that its oversight of this centre fell short of the standard required and apologises to the candidates affected by these failings.

“Since the relationship with the third-party was terminated in 2022, UWL has undertaken a thorough review of its oversight processes and has implemented new controls to ensure future compliance.”

First college report cards flag dropout risks and GCSE weaknesses

Ofsted inspectors have warned against high 16 to 18 dropout rates and weak GCSE resit progress among the first FE colleges to be inspected under the inspectorate’s renewed framework.

The watchdog handed multiple ‘needs attention’ judgments to one college and raised concerns at another, after publishing new-style inspection reports for three FE colleges this morning.

Inspectors urged college leaders to strengthen their use of in-year risk indicators to spot learners at risk of dropping out, “rapidly” improve GCSE English and maths teaching, and “sharply” focus on improving the progress learners make from their starting points.

St Helens College received one ‘strong standard’ and eight ‘expected standard’ ratings but also five ‘needs attention’ judgments across its 16 to 18 provision and adult learning programmes, alongside a further ‘needs attention’ rating for leadership and governance, following an inspection on December 9, 2025.

Sandwell College was awarded two ‘strong standard’ and 12 ‘expected standard’ ratings, but also a single ‘needs attention’ judgment in the achievement category of its 16 to 18 provision, while Gloucestershire College met the ‘expected standard’ in all 15 inspection areas.

Ofsted released the first batch of reports last month, which awarded one independent training provider (ITP) with the coveted ‘exceptional’ grade.

Following a consultation last year, Ofsted abandoned overall headline grades in favour of a five-point scale in 15 individual areas – including inclusion for the first time.

Education providers will now be graded from ‘exceptional’, ‘strong standard’ and ‘expected standard’ to ‘needs attention’ and ‘urgent improvement’.

Ofsted expects providers to achieve the ‘expected standard’ grade as a baseline. Anything below will be deemed ‘needs attention or ‘urgent improvement’, and above will get a ‘strong standard’ or ‘exceptional’ grade.

Drop-out risks not identified quickly enough

Achievement rate data is now visible on report card pages for individual colleges and providers.

Inspectors said leaders at Merseyside-based St Helens College, which enrols over 5,500 students and apprentices, do not identify “quickly enough” why students leave their courses early or do not achieve.

The finding triggered a ‘needs attention’ grade for leadership and governance.

The report said “appropriate” measures were taken to improve the quality of provision since the previous inspection in 2023, when it was graded ‘requires improvement’, but added that managers’ “oversight” of in-year risk indicators “lacks precision”.

This was after the inspection visit identified “too many” young and adult students leave their courses early or do not achieve on completion.

Inspectors criticised the varied achievement across St Helen College’s course provision and highlighted many students on GCSE English and maths courses do not make progress towards achieving a higher grade.

“[They] often achieve less well than they did at school,” the report card said.

All three inspection areas under the 16-18 programme category and two out of three inspection evaluation areas under adult programmes were deemed ‘needs attention’ by the watchdog.

Interventions to improve GCSE resit provision did not have the “desired impact” and the quality of teaching was found to be poor “in some cases”.

Inspectors urged GCSE resit teaching to be “rapidly” improved at St Helens College as well as interventions to increase retention and better in-year monitoring of indicators of risk “across all courses” to identify potential dropouts.

Inspectors pointed out in Gloucestershire College’s report that while its GCSE resit pass rates were low, most do make progress by “at least one grade” from their starting points.

At 7000-strong Sandwell College, the report found entry level, level 1 and level 2 learners often make “better than average” progress towards achieving the GCSE English qualification, with around a third receiving at least a grade 4 when they resit the exam.

But “too many” learners at level 3, who study A Levels or vocational qualifications, do not make enough progress from their starting points.

“Too many learners at level 3 do not continue to the second year of two-year courses,” inspectors added, leading to a ‘needs attention’ grade in the achievement inspection area.

The watchdog made a recommendation to “focus sharply” on improving the progress that learners on level 3 courses make from their starting points so they “achieve at least the grades of which they are capable”.

“We are always ambitious for our learners and our strategy ‘your future our focus’ is all about progression to their next stage,” said Sandwell College CEO and principal Lisa Capper.

“We continue to go from strength to strength with good achievement and progression, and a great ethos embracing learning, diversity and well-being.”

Sandwell College was also found to be delivering inclusion and meeting skills needs to a ‘strong standard’.

Attendance ‘persistently low’

Ofsted found two colleges struggling with attendance at GCSE resit lessons.

St Helens College learners’ attendance at GCSE English and maths, and “a few vocational lessons”, was “persistently low”.

They also criticised managers’ lack of support for adult students to attend, though it found that the college has improved “wraparound support” to vulnerable students on English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) courses so they are “fully supported” to attend and achieve.

At Gloucestershire College, attendance at GCSE English and mathematics sessions is “typically lower” than vocational and technical lessons.

Meanwhile, Sandwell College achieved ‘expected standard’ in the participation and development of 16-18 programmes.

Inspectors found staff put in “suitable” plans for learners when they are absent or their performance falls.

St Helens College declined to comment.

Essential skills are the missing test of the skills white paper

The skills white paper set out the government’s plans for skills reform to deliver increased productivity and a skilled workforce. So what does it mean for people who could benefit most from the opportunity for a second chance in learning?

The white paper recognises that 8.5 million adults have low essential skills, like literacy and numeracy. It notes that 15 per cent of the working-age population don’t hold a level 2 qualification.

There is much talk of ‘joining up’ the employment and skills system. There might even be a better chance of this actually happening. Bringing together high-quality teaching of essential skills, employment support and employer engagement could be a gamechanger for those looking for work.

The adult skills fund (ASF) supports most essential skills, including literacy, numeracy, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and digital skills. Essential skills provision is often funded on the basis of supporting people into work. But it doesn’t always include specific features of employment support, such as helping people understand the local labour market, or connections with local employers.

Adult skills is moving into the Department for Work and Pensions’ remit. The government wants the ASF better joined up with support provided through Jobcentre Plus (JCP), which can include use of the flexible support fund to access locally run training.

It makes sense to use touchpoints like engagement with the benefits system and employment support to identify people with low essential skills gaps. People with low essential skills are less likely to be in work. Support can then be offered, including referrals into learning provision where appropriate.

The trick will be to develop more effective ways of making it happen. Conflicting priorities between JCP and training providers have long been challenging to align. Flexibility in funding and provision, and strong relationships between JCP staff and providers, will be key.

The white paper promises that the government will review their offer on adult essential skills. There are few details on what this will mean, bar a specific and sensible commitment to update the essential digital skills standards to reflect the latest developments in everyday digital skills.

Skills minister Jacqui Smith has said that the statutory entitlements to fully funded English and maths qualifications up to Level 2 remain. Although there is no commitment to additional investment to support delivery, this is still a welcome indicator of priority, helping ensure that essential skills provision is not consigned to a future of short-term programmes and projects.

While the white paper positions essential skills as primarily relevant to employment, there is strong evidence for good essential skills supporting social outcomes too, like better health and stronger communities. The white paper omits any mention of this wider role for adult learning, including ESOL and other essential skills, in college and community settings.

Beyond that, it’s not clear if this review – or the announcement of new level 1 English and maths qualification for use in 16-19 programmes – will mean a full-scale redevelopment of adult essential skills standards, curriculum and qualifications. Functional skills qualifications were last substantially revised in 2018, and ESOL skills for life in 2014. National standards and the adult literacy, numeracy and ESOL curriculum have been relatively untouched since the turn of the century.

Sorting all this out is a big job. But it is one that is also becoming more urgent, as the old infrastructure for essential skills provision is increasingly creaking and dated. It’s important that teachers have up-to-date and relevant curriculum content, materials and assessments to work with.

Ultimately, addressing the nation’s essential skills needs is going to take more than this, though. The central challenge of engaging more adults in essential skills learning won’t be helped by a new curriculum and qualifications alone. Adult participation in essential skills learning has declined by over 60 per cent over the past decade.

If we want at least nine in ten UK adults to have good essential skills by 2035, it requires an extra 3.5 million adults to gain them, as our Ambition Skills research has shown.

This means that the government and metro mayors need to choose to invest in essential skills, alongside employers. It requires a concerted effort across the state, employers and in communities to identify people who can benefit from improving essential skills – and to find new ways to support them.

A top football coach gives us lessons to learn – and avoid

On one of my commutes to work, I started thinking about the similarities between teaching and football. As I write this, Arsenal are still clinging to the top of the Premier League table. Much has been made of their success with set pieces this season, with numerous goals coming from corners and the beautiful head of Gabriel Magalhães in particular.

Manager Mikel Arteta is a friend of the Los Angeles Rams coach, and has perhaps learnt from the set play tactics commonly used in the US National Football League. Arsenal have evolved their game to include more dynamic set pieces, or what we might see as little creative fire-crackers. They are deeply controlled and rehearsed moments, which explode into light, confusion and movement. And above all, goals.

Learning as a flow of thoughts

It’s not enough to plan the most brilliant set pieces, though. In teaching, we too can see learning as either set pieces or open play. I have always felt that only 50 per cent of teaching is planning. The other 50 per cent is responding.

Learning is not like a ladder you can steadily climb up, on a pre-ordained route to success. Once released, it is more like the sea – the students respond in different and surprising ways, and the current changes. The energy flies this way and that, and misconceptions emerge that you hadn’t thought of. Brilliant questions are asked which make you stop, stagger back and reflect.

Learning becomes a flow of thoughts, with students moving in different directions. Your job as teacher is to respond, adapt and change route. It’s to pass the learning around the classroom in the mould of a creative midfielder, to keep that momentum going, and keep everyone involved and thinking.

We have our dead ball moments

Yet we also have our set pieces. Our dead ball moments, so to speak, come at the starts of lessons and at transition points. These are strategies we prepare, practise and distribute through lessons knowing we have a formula we want to deploy.

There’s the Do Now, designed to get students thinking as soon as they enter the room. Starter activities which throw back (retrieval practice), or warm up (for new learning). Quizzes to assess, using tools like Kahoot. Polls to gauge, using Mentimeter. Project briefs for group work. Structures for asking questions like Pose, Pause, Pounce, Bounce. Exit tickets for plenaries.

In many ways these are the safe parts of the lesson – the stepping stones we jump to and hold onto, especially when we are early in our careers. There is a danger they can start to feel formulaic, though. So the goal (no pun intended) is to ensure that they remain dynamic, and that we shuffle our pack, remaining creative and purposeful. It’s that we use them to create light and movement, rather than predictable passes.

Open play: the part we learn on the ride

As for open play, this is the part of teaching we learn on the ride. It’s about listening and watching, feeling the vibe in the room, and being prepared to abandon the plan when needed. It’s about noticing the expressions on our learners’ faces, on asking the right questions to drill down, rather than assume. It takes confidence, flexibility, humility, and the willingness to allow students to direct the learning too.

It’s this bit that comes with experience, where we learn through feeling the surprises and the chaos how to help learners make meaning of it all. This is adaptive teaching in action. It’s something we have been working on at South Bank Colleges. As the American ventriloquist and educator Ignacio Estrada said: “If they can’t learn the way we teach, we need to teach the way they learn.” And the better we know our students, the more equipped we become to anticipate the challenges and misconceptions.

But there will always be surprises. As teachers, we don’t have the capacity to bring fresh legs off the bench through substitutions. We still need to be able to respond though to new currents, unexpected barriers, and faces which say, “we don’t get it”. Or, “we get it already – let’s move on”.

V Levels ambition will outrun reality unless we slow down

There is a sense of déjà vu over having yet another new set of proposed reforms and different post-16 qualifications at Level 3 and below to understand.

The government is looking through sector feedback around the planned design and implementation of new pathways announced in the skills white paper.

We know that previous proposals have often been fleeting, and at the mercy of changes in administration or party leadership (does anyone remember the Advanced British Standard?) But I’m more optimistic this time that the changes will be progressive and will actually happen.

The proposed landscape is an improvement on what was originally in the Review of Qualifications at Level 3 and below. There’s hope it will provide better pathways than those outlined previously. At Level 2 in particular there’s a more coherent qualifications offer for all learners. This is a vital change, especially given the challenges with the T Level foundation year.

V Levels: A seismic shift

The introduction of V Levels would be another seismic shift in the qualification landscape and is reflective of how the speed of change is increasing. A Levels were first introduced back in 1951, and we’re now due to see both T Levels and V Levels launched within a decade of each other.

However, the intended launch date for V Levels of September 2027 is overly ambitious. I’ve yet to meet anyone who thinks otherwise. There’s a risk to the successful implementation of this new qualification. It would make life incredibly difficult for both the learners planning to take them and the educators delivering them. Providers need time to understand the new qualifications, and to pivot to a different delivery model, where learners will take multiple V Levels simultaneously or alongside A Levels.

Introducing a year later in 2028 would allow more time to develop the new qualifications. It would allow more time to explain them to students, parents and employers, and for providers to get ready to deliver them. Allowing for greater preparation time with any qualification reform should lead to better outcomes for learners.

There have been some encouraging words from Skills Minister Jacqui Smith this week, which hint at delayed implementation in response to concerns she has heard.

What we don’t yet know on V Levels

There is still confusion over the purpose of V Levels, though. We know that they’re for students who haven’t made up their mind on which occupation they would like to pursue. There are additional calls for the qualification to help students progress either into employment, or further learning.

A Levels and T Levels have clear outcomes. While we know who V Levels are intended for, what will they enable learners to do? We hope to see more clarity about their purpose and expected progression routes, so that we, and other awarding organisations, can design them to be fit for purpose.

The expectation that V Levels will be delivered in 360 hours also signals a significant change in patterns of teaching and learning. More than 540 guided learning hours was the norm for more than half of Level 3 learners aged 16 to 19 last year, according to Individualised Learner Record data.

Sixth forms typically offer A Levels, which are 360 GLH qualifications, at scale. As such, they are well set up to deliver V Levels, as they will slot in neatly alongside A Levels. However, for many colleges, the proposed new landscape is significantly different from what’s currently in place.

Extra pressures on estates, staff and timetabling

Many colleges will not be used to combining multiple small qualifications as part of a study programme. They will need to prepare for a different delivery model, which will put pressure on estates, the demand for suitably experienced teachers, and timetabling. Teachers will also need time to understand and prepare to deliver the new qualifications.

There’s clearly a demand at Level 3 for medium and large qualifications, so we must make sure we aren’t over-simplifying the landscape to the detriment of learners. Whilst simplicity is desirable, it shouldn’t come at the expense of ensuring qualifications work. There may be a good case to offer double-sized V Levels in some subjects, such as hair and beauty, to ensure students reach a level of occupational competence to secure a job.

We can reshape things for the better

We certainly support any changes that make life better for learners and educators. But as we enter this next phase of qualification reforms, there are still many improvements the government can make to its proposals.

With the right approach, these latest reforms do have the potential to reshape things for the better.

Poorer students miss out on a golden ticket. We can fix that

Imagine being offered a ‘golden ticket’ that pays you a salary, hands you a debt-free degree, and fast-tracks your career with a blue-chip employer. For students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, degree apprenticeships are exactly that: a transformative engine for social mobility.

Yet not enough economically disadvantaged young people are signing on the dotted line.

Some 25.7 per cent of UK students are eligible for free school meals, but they make up a measly 5 per cent of degree apprentices, according to research by the Sutton Trust, a social mobility charity. This representation index of 0.19 should be a wake-up call.

So, why the gap? In my 20 years as an educational leader, much of it as head of year 13 or sixth form, I found that for many disadvantaged young people, the application process is confusing and intimidating.

Last July, I left my teaching post to set up the Degree Apprenticeship Project. It’s a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to improving access to degree apprenticeships for students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Some 60 per cent of students who express an interest in degree apprenticeships don’t complete a single application, according to the Universities and College Admissions Service (UCAS). If they do apply, it’s fiercely competitive too.

Less than 1 per cent of applicants are reported to have secured places at a bank a few years ago. Compare that to even the University of Oxford, where are 14 per cent of applicants secured places in 2024. For the University of Cambridge, it was around 16 per cent.

That’s not to say the odds are 100:1, though. Application and success rates will vary from company to company. Many candidates will apply for more than one degree apprenticeship. But it does gives you an idea of what students are up against.

To close this gap, we need to move beyond just telling students about these opportunities. We must help them become “degree apprenticeship-ready”. So how can we support students in navigating this complex landscape? We have to tackle the experience gap.

Many disadvantaged students don’t have the professional networks to land a week of work shadowing at, for example, an architecture firm or an investment bank. We should point them towards virtual work experience. Platforms such as Springpod offer unlimited-access simulations with world-class employers. It’s a low-barrier way to beef up a CV and demonstrate interest in a sector.

We need to teach our students about the power and importance of professional networking. Students from poorer backgrounds often lack the “insider knowledge” that more privileged peers obtain through family connections, as the same Sutton Trust research put it.

We should encourage students to treat LinkedIn as their “shop front”. They can use the platform to find current degree apprentices, and ask them for advice on the application process. These professionals possess insider knowledge that students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds can otherwise find hard to access.

We also need to help students “upskill” in their spare time. Free courses from, for example, FutureLearn and Open Learn can set a candidate apart. When a student from a non-selective state school shows up with a digital badge in cybersecurity or data analytics, for example it speaks volumes about their ability and desire to take the initiative.

The recruitment process itself usually involves a myriad of assessments. Almost all of these will be unfamiliar to students from less affluent backgrounds. They can include everything from gamified tests to AI-judged pre-recorded video interviews, from situational judgement tests to networking events. Many applicants fail to excel because they go into assessment days and interviews “cold”. Teachers and careers advisers need to better understand the hoops students need to jump through, and prepare them accordingly.

Finally, we should encourage the “degree apprenticeship champion” model. Every school has someone who oversees UCAS applications, so this is not a big ask. These champions can help students through every stage of the recruitment process, from filling out online applications to CV writing, and from networking to interview preparation.

Degree apprenticeships shouldn’t be the best-kept secret of the middle class. By providing direct, expert guidance, we can ensure our most talented students from every background get a seat at the table.