Training providers can now bid to deliver T-levels in the second year of their rollout, the Education and Skills Funding Agency has announced.

Guidance, published today, invites expressions of interest from providers who want to deliver the new technical qualifications in 2021/22, and sets out the criteria they will need to meet.

The ESFA has continued with its desire to select a “relatively small number” of providers for year two of T-levels “so we can continue providing the right level of support in the early stages of rollout” but it’s not clear how many it wants.

The agency has, however, slightly “developed” the criteria to select providers for delivery in 2021 compared to 2020 to “recognise providers delivering technical education to a large number of students”.

Providers can be colleges, independent training providers, university technical colleges or schools that currently deliver relevant ESFA-funded 16-to-19 education to at least 10 qualifying students per T-level subject area level they are applying to deliver.

They must also have at least 100 qualifying students across all pathways they are applying to deliver.

But for those providers in the Department for Education’s “opportunity areas”, they are only required to currently deliver to a minimum of 50 students across all T-level pathways they are applying to deliver.

All providers must be rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted and must have at least ‘satisfactory’ financial health.

Skills minster Anne Milton said: “This is a truly exciting time. I’m absolutely thrilled at the progress we have made to deliver new T-levels.

“I would absolutely urge further education providers that meet the criteria to consider applying to be the first to teach the next wave of T-levels from 2021. It is a fantastic opportunity to be part of education history and help change lives for the better.”

The ESFA said in the event that there is “significant interest” from providers, it will “increase the minimum student number set out in the criteria to help us establish a manageable number of selected providers”.

The guidance includes a list of commitments that the chosen providers will need to make, including “comment on the content developed for the T-level routes for delivery in 2021 to 2022”, and work “collaboratively with employers to offer a substantial industry placement with an employer, away from the students’ learning environment”.

They must also act as “champions of T-levels by positively promoting them, to build momentum and maximise student take-up on roll out”.

Today’s guidance states that the ESFA reserves the right to “exclude any provider where a Financial Notice to Improve is in place, where a provider is at risk of financial difficulty or where there are any other known issues that could prevent or affect quality delivery”.

The T-level qualifications to be taught from 2021 include health, healthcare science, science, onsite construction, building services engineering, digital support and services and digital business services.

The closing date for applications is midnight on 28 February 2019.

The skills minister Anne Milton delivered a keynote speech to the Sixth Form Colleges Association winter conference this morning, in which she spoke about the Raise the Rate campaign among other hot topics in FE.

Here’s her planned speech in full.

 

Thank you Bill for that kind introduction and for inviting me back this year to speak to you all.

This is a chance for me to thank you for all you do, to celebrate your successes and reaffirm the key role you all play in transforming the lives of so many.

I know for many of you it might seem strange that Sixth Form Colleges come under my remit as  ‘Minister for Apprenticeships and Skills’, but I truly believe that there is much that links the work of all Further Education institutions. Whilst you are the leaders in providing a strong academic education, all further educational institutions are linked by their key role in providing direction to young people; helping them grow in maturity through their crucial years; allowing them to develop outside of a school environment; and giving them the aspiration to achieve in whatever field, job or career they go in to. 

That focus means you have some different challenges from the General FE colleges. But what unites the college sector is more important than what divides it: the best colleges – whatever sign they have above the door, and whatever curriculum they offer – are focused on the needs of their communities, they have expert and committed leaders and governors, and they have educational excellence at their core.

Sixth Form Colleges and 16-19 Academies are truly some of the brightest beacons in our education system. You are key to our work to tackle social mobility, taking in a higher proportion of disadvantaged students than school sixth forms – indeed, these are one fifth of all of your students. Almost 90% of these disadvantaged students go on to achieve higher results and progress to sustained education, apprenticeships or employment than students in secondary school sixth forms.

Over a third of sixth form colleges and almost half of 16-19 academies are rated by Ofsted as outstanding – this compares to 15% for all FE and skills providers. And this is in spite of what I know have become increasingly challenging financial circumstances. This is down to your hard work, and I applaud you for what you do.

I know that a number of you act as quality improvement partners through Strategic College Improvement Fund. The SCIF supports colleges to improve the quality of provision and helps to mobilise and strengthen improvement capacity within the FE sector. The fund is a catalyst for collaboration. If you have not done so already, use this opportunity.

I want to congratulate you on the successful implementation of the reforms to A-levels over the last few years, with the first wave of exams in 13 new subjects in 2017 and a further 12 last year. The reforms will continue to roll out over the next two years, with the first exams in a further 20 new A-levels in summer 2019 and another 13 in 2020.  Exam reform is never easy in the last 30 years we have had four significant reforms to A-levels – the introduction of the Advanced Supplementaries, Curriculum 2000 which introduced the AS/A2 structure, the introduction of the A* grade a decade ago and the demodularisation this time.

Getting out visiting colleges is always the best part of my job. I get up early, work on a train, feel a bit weary as it’s often at the end of the week. However, what greets me at the door is an amazing and infectious enthusiasm – a dedication to the job, an overriding desire to do good, to stand by students and to mould them into young people who will have great opportunities ahead. Any weariness I might have felt melts away.

When I visited Oldham Sixth Form College last year, I was impressed by the breadth of their offer – encompassing both A-levels and Applied General Qualifications – and by the support offered to students to help them progress to either university or apprenticeships. And I particularly enjoyed hearing from a teacher describing how fundamental to their life choices the College was for them – so much so that they returned there to teach! You do an amazing job.

Last year when I spoke to you I was particularly moved by some of the experiences you shared with me about caring for those under your care who were experiencing mental health issues.

£1.4 billion has been made available across the education sector for mental health. to transform services and increase access to specialist mental health services by 2020-21.

Every school and college will get free training for a Designated Senior Lead for Mental Health. New mental health support teams will provide a trained workforce which will be linked to schools and colleges, with oversight from NHS staff to meet the needs of children and young people with mild to moderate mental health issues. We believe that these teams have the potential to reduce the significant burden that you have been facing.

You also told me last year of the concerns you had over the creation of new 16-19 Free Schools and the approvals process for academies to create new sixth form provision along with representations from a few MPs, I have taken this seriously. There is no point in helping out colleges who have financial difficulties due to falling learner numbers with one hand whilst opening additional post 16 places with the other.

We have strengthened the criteria we use to assess new school sixth form proposals. We have set a clear requirement to all schools that apply to open a school sixth form for all local sixth form colleges and FE colleges to be consulted prior to a business case being submitted. Furthermore, during the last free school application wave, we were explicit that all applications for new 16-19 provision must provide evidence of need for additional places in the area and that any request is likely to be approved by exception only. Lord Agnew, the Minister responsible for free schools and academies, and I have been working very closely together on this. I am confident you will see the impact in future waves of free schools.

I know that Lord Agnew has also held a roundtable with a number of you about your concerns surrounding becoming an academy and working with your local RSCs. I hope you have seen or will see a difference and are working in partnership with your local Headteacher Boards. If there is more that either he or I can do please don’t hesitate to ask, either by contacting me directly or indeed by speaking to the Association.

I know, and you know, that there are significant challenges being faced by the sector. I have made it a personal priority to understand the constraints and the impact of these over the last year. I want to thank you all for being so open and forthcoming to me and my officials on a number of visits and roundtables we have undertaken this year.

Of course you’ll expect me to point out that we have at least protected the base rate for funding for 16-19 year olds to 2020. But, I understand that this is against the backdrop of previous reductions and the impact of inflation.

So congratulations to you on your campaign ‘Raise the Rate’ and the wealth of stakeholder support you have managed to get behind the campaign. The level of correspondence sent to the department has resulted in Further Education funding being a top subject for 8 weeks at the end of 2018.

Please continue to highlight the challenges you are facing, as well as the outstanding work you are doing, and remember to please, please reach out to your local MP to invite them to visit once a year.

I applaud you for the great things you are all doing even within the backdrop of increased funding constraints and I understand your frustration about what you can – and cannot – do with the money currently available. I hope you know I will continue to be your advocate both within and outside of the department, and will make the case for your students in the forthcoming spending review. I know you will carry on doing the good work you do which only strengthens the case for additional investment. 

[You will also know that a new insolvency regime for the FE sector comes into force shortly.  We expect that it will only need to be used rarely but it does provide important protection for existing students of the FE body as a whole if the worst should happen. I cannot emphasise enough how important it is for you to get in touch early with the ESFA if there are any signs of financial difficulty so they can support you to resolve issues at the earliest opportunity.]

We are currently focusing on the introduction of T levels, I am pleased to see that there are nine sixth form colleges and 16-19 academies among the adopters starting in 2020 (that’s next year!). As you will know, we are putting in additional funding to support the roll-out of T levels – an important recognition of their importance and costs they will introduce, but of course we know this is not the answer to the wider challenges you face.

Our focus on these reforms does not eclipse how crucial the academic curriculum also is.

You will shortly hear from Amanda Spielman, who I know has spoken on your behalf to the Select Committee regarding the base rate for 16-19 students.

It is a testament to you that you have maintained your standards and the offer to your students. As we move into a potential spending review, your ability to do this is key evidence for me and Lord Agnew to together be your champions, showing just how much more you could be doing with more resources.

Amanda will be talking about Ofsted’s proposals for the new Education Inspection Framework. I am pleased that this event was chosen to launch it. It helps in rebalancing the scales to give greater weight to the FE sector. My department has worked closely with Ofsted as it has developed its proposals – I encourage you all to respond to the consultation, and take this opportunity to shape the final framework.

In conclusion, I want to return to where I started, talking about many of the things that tie us together. I want us to keep working together. Our young people deserve a choice about how and what they go on to study post-16, and you are key in delivering that. An opportunity to learn, mature, develop new skills outside school and find potential that might not have otherwise emerged.

Sixth Form Colleges and 16-19 Academies are known for their outstanding commitment to their students and wider communities, and you are known for your continued dedication to raising standards. I’d also like to recognise how vital your establishments are to the continued prosperity of the country. Through you, your students acquire the independence and the skills they need to go on to do great things: in the workplace, at university and in society as a whole. Keep up that good work, and thank you.

Ofsted is looking to put “less emphasis” on achievement rate data in its proposed new inspection framework.

The education watchdog will today launch its consultation on a refreshed inspection framework for further education and skills providers, as well as schools and early years settings.

Scrapping the current “outcomes” grade and introducing a new “quality of education” rating will be one of the key areas of change.

It is part of a move away from the over-reliance on data such as achievement rates, to a greater focus on progress and destinations.

Speaking to FE week ahead of the consultation’s release, Ofsted’s deputy director for further education and skills Paul Joyce said: “Data remains an important part of the inspection process and it is vital that providers continue to use it effectively.

“However, as part of the new ‘quality of education’ grade, less emphasis will be placed on achievement rates alone.

“Having said that, as part of looking at the impact of the curriculum, we will place greater emphasis on progress and destination data.”

Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman summed it up as: “The curriculum occupies a far more central place in all remits, and in data a lesser place.”

She continued: “The new quality of education judgement will look at how providers are deciding what to teach and why, how well they are doing it and whether it is leading to strong outcomes for young people.

“This will reward those who are ambitious and make sure that young people accumulate rich, well-connected knowledge and develop strong skills using this knowledge.

“This is all about raising true standards. Nothing is more pernicious to these than a culture of curriculum narrowing and teaching to the test.”

Ofsted is seeking to move away from an accountability system which is over-dependent on performance data, as inspectors believe this is a barrier to further improvement.

Far too much time, work and energy are being spent defending and managing outcomes, in the watchdog’s view, and the culture has been extended to providers defending against and trying to manage Ofsted inspections and expectations.

AELP’s chief executive Mark Dawe said his association “strongly supports the emphasis” on curriculum, education and training.

“Data is important for day to day monitoring but shouldn’t be the only thing that Ofsted look at and so we approve of the new approach being adopted,” he added.

“But we all must be mindful of the risks of relying  on inspectors’ opinion and qualitative judgement rather purely quantitative evidence. Ofsted are very aware of this and they need to ensure they have the appropriate expertise for each type of inspection.”

One practice Ofsted is seeking to curb with the move to a “quality of education” judgement is where colleges offer courses that are popular, like arts and media, rather than those likely to lead the learner into a job.

Ms Spielman attacked colleges which did this at the Association of Colleges conference in November, saying there is a “mismatch between the numbers of students taking courses and their future employment in the industry”.

Under the new framework, there will be a reduction in the types of FE provision that will be inspected.

Instead of the six that are inspected currently, Ofsted would only look at education programmes for young people; apprenticeships; and adult learning programmes.

Education and training for people with special educational needs and disabilities and high needs will be inspected under the relevant type of provision, rather than separately.

Ofsted is also proposing to split the current judgement of personal development, behaviour and welfare into two separate judgements: one for behaviour and attitudes, and the other for personal development.

Meanwhile, colleges given a grade three in their Ofsted report will be given longer to improve after the last inspection before their next one: from 12 to 24 months to 12 to 30 months.

Two things that will not be in the inspection framework are T-Levels, which are due to be introduced in September 2020, and campus-level inspections.

In an interview with FE Week in November, Ms Spielman ruled out introducing campus-level inspections in the new framework.

Its exclusion can be blamed on a lack of performance data for individual campuses from the Department for Education.

In her interview, the chief inspector said: “It’s still very much on the list of things we’d like to do, but looking at the logistics, looking at when the data, the campus-level data that’s needed to do it is going to become fully available, it just doesn’t fit with the timing of this framework.”

The consultation is open until April 4 and the consultation document, online survey, and draft handbooks can be accessed from 10.30am on January 16 at www.gov.uk/ofsted.

Education secretary Damian Hinds said: “I welcome this consultation as Ofsted reaches out to teachers, lecturers, early years providers, parents and leaders though the most comprehensive framework development in Ofsted’s history.”

The new framework will be rolled out from September this year.

The Department for Education is consulting on plans to provide extra funding to cover the estimated £80 million rise in pension contributions for FE colleges in 2019-20.

It was announced last year that the amount colleges and other public-funded FE training providers must contribute to staff pensions is to rise from the current rate of 16.48 per cent to 23.6 per cent from September.

The DfE has now launched its promised consultation on plans to fully fund the increase in its first year – which it estimates will cost £1.1 billion across the whole education sector.

The pledge will cover the 2019-20 year, after which any further funding would rely on the government’s spending review.

The DfE is proposing to cover the initial £80 million cost to FE providers, which covers FE colleges, sixth form colleges, specialist post-16 institutions and adult and community learning providers.

Its consultation says: “The department know colleges are in a financially challenging environment.

“Although by 2019-20 the funding available for apprenticeships in England will have risen to over £2.5 billion and the adult education budget protected in cash terms since the last Spending Review.

“We want a financially sustainable sector, which is why we have already invested in restructuring of colleges.

“The government recognises that not funding the increased employer contributions would increase financial pressures that could undermine investment already made and influence, for example, colleges’ ability to recruit and retain the teachers they need.”

The DfE has confirmed in its proposals that it won’t cover the rise for private schools or the higher education sector. It said while it “values” these sectors and is “committed to seeing them thrive”, schools and colleges are in “high levels of need for additional support”.

FE providers have until February 12 to give their feedback.

The DfE has previously said changes to the teachers’ pension scheme will cost colleges an extra £142 million a year in employer contributions after 2019-20.

Julian Gravatt, deputy chief executive of the Association of Colleges, previously said the figure amounts to approximately two per cent of college income.

As colleges already spend an average of five per cent of their income (£350 million) on contributions to the teacher pension scheme, this will take costs up to approximately £500 million, or seven per cent of total income, by 2020/21.

The outcome of a valuation of teachers’ pensions was released in August, which the Treasury undertakes every four years, and said public sector workers would get improved benefits from 2019.

A London college previously at the centre of controversy involving the Grenfell Tower has received its fifth consecutive grade three rating from Ofsted.

Kensington and Chelsea College was inspected in November and was considered to require improvement.

The inspectors wrote in their report: “A recent period of uncertainty in the college’s history led to a swift turnover of senior leaders and governors.

“This turbulence compounded the weak financial position of the college, the lack of clarity in its strategic direction and the slow progress to improve the quality of provision.

“Following an aborted merger with another college in January 2018, senior leaders and governors successfully established an interim management team.”

Their comments refer to the attempted merger between Kensington and Chelsea College and Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College.

This was scrapped following a campaign by groups representing the survivors of Grenfell Tower, which is in the vicinity of Kensington and Chelsea College.

Last year, the college apologised for the “shameful” selling of its Wornington Road site for housing in 2016 after an outcry from the Save Wornington College Campaign.

Kensington and Chelsea College’s new principal, Andy Cole, took the reins in February last year from Dr Elaine McMahon, who served as the college’s interim principal when Mark Brickley resigned with immediate effect in 2016 – who was the man responsible for the sale.

“These managers have started to address the financial predicament. They have also begun to identify strategic options for the future, strengthened the capacity to make more cogent and well-informed strategic decisions and renewed the focus on quality improvement,” according to the report.

Mr Cole said: “While we acknowledge this challenge, we are also pleased that the report highlights many positives and examples of effective work taking place at all levels in the College.

“In particular, we are pleased that achievement rates have improved and are above London averages. In GCSE English and Maths, for example, achievement rates far exceed sector averages.”

Until recently, three or more grade three Ofsted reports in a row would automatically have qualified the college for an ‘inadequate’ rating.

Ofsted’s chief inspector Amanda Spielman told FE Week in November that she had changed this rule when she took on the top job at the inspectorate in January 2017 “because I thought it was flawed in conception”.

“The job of inspection is to report on what we see when we inspect,” she said.

“To artificially say that something is ‘inadequate’ and trigger all the consequences that we know go with grade four judgments, because we want to heap up pressure, I don’t think that’s the right thing for us to do”.

Despite teachers at Kensington and Chelsea College being qualified and experienced in their subject matter, their lack of clarity in explaining activities leaves learners confused and struggling to make progress, according to today’s report.

Inspectors said there was too little progress with improving on weaknesses identified at the last inspection in January 2017, including attendance, punctuality and in the quality of teaching, learning and assessment.

The college was given a grade three in all areas, except for personal development, behaviour and welfare, where it was rated ‘good’ and about which inspectors wrote: “Staff are particularly experienced in supporting learners with emotional or mental health problems.

“This has been especially important in helping learners and staff deal with the aftermath of the local Grenfell Tower tragedy.

“Several staff have received specialist training in mental health first aid.

“Support staff also have good links with more specialist external agencies, such as Mind.

“As a result, learners with personal and emotional issues receive the support they need to help them remain on the programme and succeed.”

The college’s managers were commended for their diligence in strengthening relations with the local Islamic centre and the Save Wornington College Campaign.

The college had 4,893 learners in the past year, but no apprentices since it ceased to offer such courses after the last inspection.

In 2018, four learners on access to higher education courses secured places at Oxbridge and other learners on level three or four creative courses have gone on to design and art-related university courses.

The inspectors added: “Many alumni, for example from the millinery course, have progressed to very successful careers, often working for high-profile employers, celebrities and royalty.”

Ian Valvona, the chair of the KCC board who replaced Mary Curnock Cook last year, said: “Over the last few months the College has strengthened its ties with the local community, both with outreach work and with courses provided directly through community organisations.

“The board and leadership of the college remain determined to do everything possible to ensure that KCC’s future is a bright and successful one.”

A top government academies official has been appointed as the Education and Skills Funding Agency’s new director of funding.

Kate Josephs (pictured), currently director of national operations for academies and regional delivery at the Department of Education, will start in the new role in April.

She will head up a new funding “operations centre of excellence” team. Plans for the new team and role, the first to preside over the DfE’s entire £63 billion budget, were first revealed by FE Week over the weekend.

Ms Josephs, a former Treasury official who also worked in delivery at Downing Street, will take charge of delivering the national funding formula for pre-16 schools and the post-16 funding agenda, including apprenticeships and T-levels.

The job description said the ESFA was “moving towards a single funding operations centre of excellence, bringing together and improving existing functions”.

Eileen Milner, the chief executive of the Education and Skills Funding Agency, said: “Kate will report to myself and be part of the ESFA’s Executive team.

“She will lead and oversee the creation and operation of a single funding centre of excellence that is solely responsible for all schools, academies and post 16 funding.”

The new single funding operations centre of excellence will “bring together existing functions to deliver an excellent and expert funding service”, Ms Milner said.

It will be responsible for the “development, implementation and maintenance of an ever more efficient system across the agency with potential to grow and develop the scope of work undertaken still further”.

However, there are “no current plans to recruit staff to this new function”, and vacancies will be filled “through existing posts”.

Ms Josephs said she was “thrilled” to join the ESFA and take on the “important new role”.

“I look forward to building upon the already excellent skills and expertise that exist within the teams who deliver such a significant funding operation, and working with service users and our stakeholders, work to create a truly 21st century funding system.

“Our job is to make it as straightforward as possible for schools, trusts, colleges and work-based learning providers to engage with us and, whilst we do this, provide rigorous scrutiny and oversight to ensure that every £1 of public money spent is invested wisely.”

Ms Josephs takes up the post at a time of change for the ESFA. In 2019/20 the government will devolve the adult education budget to the Greater London Authority and six other combined authorities around England, but concerns have been raised that the rushed time frame could cause “market instability” in the sector.

Meanwhile the first three T-level pathways – in education, construction and digital routes – will be taught by 50 training providers from 2020, with a further seven pathways expected to begin in 2021. The funding methodology for T-levels is currently being consulted on.

It has been a mixed week for FE in Ofsted reports, as some providers celebrated ‘good’ first inspections while others experienced a drop in their grades.

Eastleigh College lost its ‘outstanding’ rating after an inspection in December downgraded the Hampshire college to ‘good’, and deemed its 16-to-19 study programmes ‘requires improvement’.

Inspectors said leaders “review and adapt the curriculum well to cater for the changing needs of learners and their community” and work effectively with a range of subcontractors, but criticised a lack of high quality work experience and a “small minority” of study programmes where “too few learners achieve their qualifications”.

There was also bad news this week for Livability Nash College in Hayes, which is run by a Christian charity and provides education and training for young people with complex learning needs.

The college plummeted to ‘inadequate’ from its previous ‘good’ rating, with inspectors criticising governors for being “slow to establish a stable and effective leadership team” and failing to maintain the quality of provision “which has declined in all areas”.

Although students were said to enjoy attending the college, the report warned that too few achieve their personal targets and the proportion who go into supported or voluntary employment is “very low”. However, the new senior leadership team was said to have a “sound understanding” of the strengths and weaknesses of the provision.

A spokesperson for the college, which has recently appointed a new acting head, said it was taking “immediate action to make very important improvements”.

However, there was better news for Manchester Metropolitan University, which retained its grade one rating for 16-to-19 study programmes and apprenticeships, with inspectors praising “outstanding” student progress where a “high proportion” receive better than expected grades.

Leaders were commended for their “clear vision”, and said to be “making higher education accessible and beneficial for all”.

Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council also had a reason to celebrate, after its adult and community learning provision rose from a grade three to a grade two.

The report said leaders and managers had taken “effective action” to improve the quality of teaching and ensured that the provision “makes a positive contribution to enhancing the lives of people in Barnsley”.

Several providers also had their first full inspection. Kettering-based Civil Ceremonies became the first loans-only provider to receive an ‘outstanding’ grade after Ofsted found leaders and managers were “highly successful in implementing their vision and mission for the business”.

South and City College Birmingham received a ‘good’ rating in its first inspection after its merger with Bournville College in August 2017. Inspectors praised senior leaders for creating a “harmonious and inspiring environment” and close collaboration with local partners and employers.

Escala Training Academy in Essex was also deemed to be ‘good’ after inspectors found staff had taken “effective action to recover the drop in achievement rates in 2016/17 and they are now high”.

A high proportion of learners were said to gain employment or promotion following their hair and beauty training, and the chief executive Samantha Warren was praised for her focus on improving teaching and working with loyal employers.

However, three providers were deemed to be ‘requires improvement’ in their first full Ofsted inspections.

Leaders at LD Training Services in Middlesex were criticised for not accurately identifying weaknesses in certain courses or improving the English skills of those with a different first language, while too many adult learners complete functional skills qualifications at “too low a level”.

Despite this, training on apprenticeship programmes was “good” and the “vast majority” of adult learners move onto further or higher education or gain employment after completing their qualifications.

The management team Bristol-based Any Driver was criticised for “ineffective” governance reporting and not thoroughly evaluating the quality and standards of its training programmes or the progress of learners, but a “very high proportion” of all learners were said to complete their programmes and enjoy their learning.

And Newcastle’s Trinity Solutions Academy, which aims to help vulnerable and disadvantaged learners who have “significant barriers to learning” re-engage with education, was found to have “too many” learners leaving programmes early and experiencing “delays and uncertainty” in securing work experience.

However, a high proportion of learners who do complete their programmes were said to progress to further study, employment, voluntary work or increased involvement in family and community life, and were described as having “greatly” improved confidence and self-esteem as a result of “the inclusive ethos and encouragement that they receive at the academy”.

A flurry of monitoring inspection reports were also published this week.

Tempest Management Training in Mansfield,  Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation in London, I&F Limited in Preston, Aspire Development (UK) in Yorkshire,  Kainuu in Bolton, new providers received early monitoring visit reports of their apprenticeship provision, but all were found to be making ‘reasonable’ progress in every area. Care Training Solutions had its safeguarding reinspected and was found to be making ‘reasonable’ progress. 

Gateway Sixth Form College,  Norman Mackie and Associates,  Thomas Rotherham College in Yorkshire, West Thames College in Hounslow, were monitored having previously received a ‘requires improvement’ judgement and were all deemed to be making reasonable progress, but Chesterfield College received two ‘insufficient’ progress judgements.

Moulton College received a monitoring visit following its ‘inadequate’ judgement in February, and was found to be making reasonable progress in all areas apart from ensuring students make good progress in their studies, which was found to be ‘insufficient’. And UK Training & Development was found to be making reasonable progress in all areas in a monitoring visit following its ‘inadequate’ inspection in October 2017. 

 

GFE Colleges	Inspected	Published	Grade	Previous grade
Moulton College	14/11/2018	09/01/2019	M
West Thames College	28/11/2018	11/01/2019	M
South and City College Birmingham	27/11/2018	08/01/2019	2	N/A
Eastleigh College	04/12/2018	10/01/2019	2	1
Chesterfield College	21/11/2018	07/01/2019	M

 

Sixth Form Colleges	Inspected	Published	Grade	Previous grade
Gateway Sixth Form College	28/11/2018	09/01/2019	M
Thomas Rotherham College	29/11/2018	10/01/2019	M
Trinity Solutions Academy	20/11/2018	08/01/2019	3	N/A

 

Independent Learning Providers	Inspected	Published	Grade	Previous grade
UK Training & Development Limited	21/11/2018	09/01/2019	M
Norman Mackie & Associates Limited	28/11/2018	11/01/2019	M
Care Training Solutions Ltd	14/12/2018	11/01/2019	M
Escala Training Academy	28/11/2018	08/01/2019	2	N/A
LD Training Services	20/11/2018	07/01/2019	3	N/A
Civil Ceremonies Limited	28/11/2018	09/01/2019	1	N/A
Any Driver Limited	04/12/2018	08/01/2019	3	N/A
Tempest Management Training	29/11/2018	09/01/2019	M
I&F Limited	04/12/2018	09/01/2019	M
Aspire Development (UK) Ltd	28/11/2018	11/01/2019	M
Kainuu Ltd	04/12/2018	09/01/2019	M

 

Adult and Community Learning	Inspected	Published	Grade	Previous grade
Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council	13/11/2018	10/01/2019	2	3

 

Employer providers	Inspected	Published	Grade
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust	12/12/2018	10/01/2019	M

 

Other	Inspected	Published	Grade	Previous grade
Manchester Metropolitan University	20/11/2018	09/01/2019	1	1

 

Independent specialist colleges	Inspected	Published	Grade	Previous grade
Livability Nash College	13/11/2018	09/01/2019	4	2