Festival of Learning winners 2018 winners announced

The Learning and Work Institute has announced the 35 award winners and highly commended nominees for the 2018 Festival of Learning.

The winners and nominees have been selected in a wide variety of categories recognising, among other things, social impact, learning for health, tutors, employers and innovative projects.

The awards were handed out at a special ceremony in central London today.

They include the ‘employer award’, which went to McVitie’s, which in partnership with the College of North West London was praised for “using its apprenticeship levy to deliver advanced team member training at its Harlesden factory – the largest biscuit factory in Europe”.

The programme is open to employees who work on the biscuit production lines, who can “access higher-level engineering than would be the case in their everyday jobs”. Many from the first cohort “have gone on to take promoted posts or additional responsibilities”.

The prestigious ‘learning and work award’ went to Tracey Everitt.

The judges recognised how she had left school “without any qualifications and her confidence was low”, but she didn’t lose sight of her goal was to become a registered childminder, and signed up for courses including basic food hygiene and introduction to working in care at Islington council’s adult and community learning service.

Tracey is now running her own Ofsted-approved childminding business and has “inspired her sister and daughter to start their own learning journeys”.

“I’ve got more confidence, I’m active and focused, and I’m offering a professional service to local families. I love my job of providing good-quality care,” she said.

Derwentside College learner Casey Bougourd took home the ‘young adult learner award’ after breaking down gender barriers in her drive to embark on a career in construction.

“I’ve achieved my goal of gaining an apprenticeship, as well as making a little history and creating a path for other women to follow,” she said.

Other award-winners included University of Suffolk student Terrie Cornwell-Dunnett [pictured above left], who received this year’s ‘patron’s award’.

The award is given each year to someone who has made a particularly special commitment to learning, chosen by LWI patron Princess Anne from a shortlist of award nominees.

Ms Cornwell-Dunnett is currently studying a degree in special educational needs and disability studies, but began her learning journey with a BTEC diploma in social care at college.

“She is a remarkable young woman who has used learning to not only successfully change her and her family’s lives, but also to improve the lives of people like her with physical disabilities,” the Princess said.

Coventry Adult Education Service learner Frank McCann [pictured above right] was presented with the ‘learning for health award’ for his drive to relearn skills he’d lost in the wake of a severe brain injury and heart attack.

“My learning has made a huge difference to my life skills and continues to do so,” he said.

In addition to the 13 award-winners, a further 22 individuals, tutors, employers and projects were highly commended.

These included Chesterfield College learner Joyce Abumujor [pictured above middle], who was highly commended for the ‘outstanding individual award’.

“The Festival of Learning is all about inspirational people who show that anyone can benefit from learning. Lifelong learning is vital for all of us as jobs and society change around us,” said Stephen Evans, LWI’s chief executive.

“We encourage everyone to give learning a try, and there’s hundreds of free activities to pick from during June on our ‘have-a-go month’ calendar. Learning can help us at work and at home, and to build a fair and inclusive society.”

See below for a full list of the winners:

Photo caption: [l-r] Terrie Cornwell-Dunnett, Joyce Abumujor and Frank McCann

Rye Studio School to close over low pupil numbers

The Rye Studio School in East Sussex will close this summer after it failed to recruit even half of the pupils it needed.

It is the 24th studio school – 14-to-19 institutions with a vocational curriculum – to close or announce plans to close since the inception of the project.

According to trustees, the school has never managed to recruit more than 50 per cent of the pupils it needed, which affected its finances.

It opened in 2013 and had hoped to take on 300 pupils, but faced the kind of recruitment problems common among studio schools, many of which have struggled to persuade pupils to move at the age of 14. In light of its problems, it did not recruit any new pupils last September or for September 2018.

Trustees initially drew up plans to convert to a sixth form, but decided the move was “not financially viable”.

“It is with great regret that the school finds itself in this position,” said headteacher Barry Blakelock. “Despite all the efforts of trustees and dedicated staff, who have all done an excellent job, the school has never been fully utilised.”

“We have agreed, in principle, to the closure of Rye Studio School following a request from Rye Academy Trust,” said a Department for Education spokesperson. “A number of options have been explored but ministers have decided that the school, which has not admitted any new pupils for September 2017 or 2018, should close by the end of August 2018.”

The school, which as a result of its recruitment freeze last year now has only year 11 and year 13 pupils on roll, has arranged for careers support for current year 11 pupils looking for a new school.

Staff will be consulted on “redeployment or redundancy”, and a “listening period” for parents, staff and “interested persons” will run until July 5.

The announcement regarding Rye Studio School will come as the latest disappointment to those who have been trying to push post-14 as an alternative recruitment age from traditional 11 or 16, led by Lord Baker who is also a firm advocate of stuggling  UTCs.

‘Outstanding’ Ofsted result for Redbridge Institute of Adult Education

A local authority provider has been rated outstanding by Ofsted for the first time since 2015.

Redbridge Institute of Adult Education has received top marks in all headline fields.

The report was full of praise for the organisation, which teaches at a main adult education campus in Gants Hill and 47 other community settings in the east London borough of Redbridge.

“Teachers have extremely high expectations of their learners, their enthusiasm to pass on their knowledge to learners is infectious and lessons are fun,” inspectors said.

Leaders and managers have a “clear and accurate understanding of the quality of provision”. They have “successfully raised standards and addressed the significant majority of weaknesses identified at the previous inspection”.

Teachers promote English and maths skills “particularly well”, learners acquire “high-level” of self-evaluation and critical thinking, and “learn how to take responsibility for their own development”.

According to Ofsted statistics, there are 136 local authority providers and just three have grade one ratings: Oldham metropolitan borough council, Wolverhampton adult education service and Kirklees council adult and community learning.

Oldham was most recently inspected, retaining its grade one at an inspection in November 2015.

The quality of learning support for learners at Redbridge Institute who need extra help and support is “excellent”.

“Teachers accurately identify the starting points of learners, both on accredited and community learning courses,” inspectors added. “They provide frequent and valuable verbal and written feedback to learners.”

The vast majority of learners’ work was also “of a high standard” and “learners take pride in maintaining well organised folders”.

Inspectors were impressed with how learners on craft-related community courses “develop good higher-level technical skills”. For example, “learners on a jewellery course became adept at using riveting and chainmail techniques”.

The proportion of learners who complete and achieve their qualifications has been high for several years.

The institute provides community learning from entry level to level four for learners drawn predominantly from Redbridge. It taught over 2,400 learners last year, and most study at up to level two.

“This result really puts Redbridge on the map and recognises the commitment, support and expertise of all our staff who provide the innovative and inclusive provision which enables our very diverse range of learners to thrive and succeed,” said Joni Cunningham, the principal.

“I am very proud of both the learners’ achievement and what they will go on to contribute to their communities, as well as the commitment and professionalism which our staff have always shown in supporting them.”

“The governing body has always been dedicated to the success of our learners who benefit from the outstanding learning opportunities and support we provide. This is an exciting outcome with new opportunities for the future,” added Margaret Partridge, the chair of governors.

Dr Sue Pember, who leads adult and community learning providers and their representative body, HOLEX, was also delighted.

“Our members are very pleased and excited that an adult community learning provider has been recognised by Ofsted as outstanding overall, and in all areas and with no areas needing to be developed,” she said.

“The work Redbridge Institute does is inspirational, and this can be seen throughout the report and we are pleased that it was recognised that teachers support learners to develop their confidence, pride in their work and motivation to learn, as well as a strong sense of belonging and wellbeing.”

Two Stoke studio schools will shut down

Two studio schools in Stoke-on-Trent will close by next summer amid dire problems with recruiting students.

Stoke-on-Trent Studio College for Construction and the Built Environment (CaBE) will close this August, while its sister college for Manufacturing and Design Excellence (MaDE) will close the following year.

These are the 25th and 26th of this type of vocational school to close or announce plans to do so since their inception.

It leaves just 29 studio schools, which offer a vocational curriculum for 14- to 19-year-olds, with no plans at present to close.

Ann Marie Lucy, the chief operating officer of Alpha Academies Trust, which runs both schools, said the decision to close had been made as they “have not been able to recruit sufficient students”.

“In particular the sixth form has struggled to attract prospective students,” she said. “It is a sad reality that such small schools cannot continue long-term,” she said.

A Department for Education spokesperson said it had “agreed, in principle” to the closure.

“A number of options have been explored but ministers have decided that the schools, which have not operated above 25-per-cent capacity, should close in August 2018 and August 2019 respectively,” a spokesperson said.

The CaBE studio school opened in September 2012, and is currently rated ‘good’ by Ofsted, while the MaDE school opened the following year and is rated ‘requires improvement’.

Both have a capacity of 300, but have struggled to recruit anywhere near that number – particularly post-16.

CaBE currently has 17 pupils in year 11, while MaDE has 17 in year 11 and 34 in year 10, but none in either sixth form.

“Despite all the efforts of its governing body and dedicated staff, who have all done an excellent job, the schools’ sixth form has never been fully utilised,” said David Miles, interim principal of both studio schools. 

“This is because our students have progressed at 16 to further study or apprenticeships elsewhere,” he said.

The provisional decision to close the two schools is subject to a four-week “listening period”, which will run until July 6.

If the closure goes ahead the sites will remain with Alpha Academies Trust, which plans to provide 120 alternative provision places through Reach Pupil Referral Unit, which will join the trust from September.

Just days ago, another studio school, Rye Studio School announced it too would close in the summer, after it failed to recruit even half the pupils it needed.

In addition to the 26 to close or face closure, four more of the schools were proposed but never got off the starting block.

The news will come as a blow to advocates of 14-to-19 technical education, including university technical colleges.

Persuading pupils to change schools at 14 has been a struggle for many, while others have received poor Ofsted ratings.

Alpha Academies Trust is run by Sarah Robinson, a former leader of Stoke-on-Trent College.

She took up her post as chief executive of the trust, which was run by the college at the time, immediately after leaving her job at the college.

Despite this, she still received a severance payment from the college – although it refused to explain why.

Queen’s birthday honours 2018: Who got what in FE and skills?

The FE and skills sector is well represented in the Queen’s birthday honours list this year, in which Ofsted’s chief operating officer has been made a Companion of the Order of the Bath.

Matthew Coffey, who joined Ofsted in 2007 and was appointed COO in 2014, has made a “huge contribution” to the education watchdog, according to chief inspector Amanda Spielman.

“He has seen us through many challenges and complexities, applying intelligence, energy, determination and integrity, while above all putting the interests of children and young people first,” she said.

Matthew Coffey

His recognition in the honours list is “thoroughly well deserved and everyone at Ofsted is delighted for him”, she added.

The leader of a college that boosted its Ofsted grade to ‘outstanding’ just a year ago is among four new FE sector OBEs honoured today.

Gill Alton, chief executive of the Grimsby Institute, was recognised for services to education. She joined the college in March 2016, having previously led Rotherham College for six years.

Ms Alton, who was also named to the FE commissioner’s principals’ reference group and national leaders of FE programme in January, said she was “completely overwhelmed and humbled”.

“I’d like to acknowledge and thank the people I’ve worked with, who are the very best in the sector and have achieved wonderful things for Rotherham, Grimsby and Scarborough – this award is really a result of their hard work,” she added. 

Richard Bridgman, founder and owner of mechanical engineering firm Warren Services Ltd, received an OBE for his services to apprenticeships.

The 70-year-old, who began his own career as an apprentice, has been dedicated to promoting apprenticeships and work experience opportunities for young people for many years. This includes employing many apprentices at his own firm over the past 28 years.

“Many people have helped me throughout my business life and without their support and understanding I don’t think this award would have been possible,” he said.

John Boyle, governor and lately chair at Blackpool Sixth-Form College, told FE Week he “couldn’t speak” after learning of his OBE for services to education.

Mr Boyle has been on the board at the grade one SFC for 15 years, and was appointed adviser to the FE commissioner earlier this year.

He said the honour is “very surprising and very humbling”.

Angela Williams, principal of grade one Huddersfield New College, also received an OBE.

Angela Williams

“It is an incredible privilege to work with young people on a daily basis, and it is a joy to be part of the wonderful staff team at Huddersfield New College, who work extremely hard to help the young people in our care to achieve their dreams,” she said.

Seven figures in the FE and skills sector have been recognised with MBEs in this year’s list.

These include Beverly Aitken, the former chair of governors at East Kent College, who said it was “an incredible feeling to receive this award”.

She joined the college’s board in 1990, and was appointed chair in 2012 – a position she held until the college merged with Canterbury College in February.

Adult and community learning was recognised with two MBEs – one for Rehana Mohammed, learning manager at the Workers’ Educational Association, for services to the education of marginalised women in Rochdale and Oldham, and the second for Helen Osborne, principal of the Friends Centre in Brighton, for services to adult education.

Rehana Mohammed

“I have so much pride for my community and for them to nominate me and to recognise my commitment to them is such a blessing,” Ms Mohammed said. 

Ms Osborne said her honour “represents all that we do here at Friends Centre”.

“I am very lucky to have a supportive team and set of trustees to ensure we are able to help over 1,100 learners each year through our courses,” she added.

Two training managers for WorldSkills UK also received MBEs following Team UK’s stellar performance at WorldSkills AbuDhabi in 2017.

Paul Dodds said it is “great to be rewarded for work which helps a lot of young people reach such high levels of skills”, while Sue Simpson is “honoured to be recognised for my years of work with young people, nurturing them to grow and progress”.

Sandra Clelland, estates security manager at Hugh Baird College, received an MBE for her services to the community and charity in Liverpool.

Hugh Baird principal Yana Williams said the honour is “a fitting recognition of her commitment and service to the local community and her contribution to fundraising for some of the most vulnerable and deprived in the Liverpool area”.

Alan Moss, a senior lecturer at the RAF Central Training School, also received an MBE for his services to apprentice training.

And finally, Peter Templeman, a curriculum technician in carpentry and joinery at Oaklands College, was named a medallist of the Order of the British Empire for his services to technical education.

He described the award as the “ultimate validation” that what he did everyday was “of value, is worthwhile” and “is making a difference to the lives of the students”.

Scrap the Institute for Apprenticeships, says Lords report

The Institute for Apprenticeships should be scrapped, according to an influential committee that sits in the House of Lords.

The Lords economic affairs committee has also poured scorn on the government’s target of three million apprenticeship starts by 2020.

“The IfA should be abolished,” it said in a new report. The role of the institute is “unclear” and it doesn’t seem to act as an effective policing body for apprenticeships standards, it was claimed.

The IfA has many responsibilities, including developing and maintaining quality criteria for apprenticeship standards and assessment plans, which it also publishes, and quality-assuring the delivery of end-point assessments.

It plays a dominant role as external quality-assurance provider of choice for many trailblazer groups – even though it’s supposed to be the “option of last resort”. Many in the sector feel this responsibility should solely lie with specialist regulator Ofqual.

And it will soon even be overseeing prestigious new T-levels that are being developed as a technical education equivalent to academic A-levels.

Today’s report wants a simplified regulatory system across further and higher education, and sees no place for the IfA.

“The quality and outcomes of level two and three apprenticeships should be the responsibility of the new further education regulator,” it said. “The quality and outcomes of level four and above apprenticeships should be the responsibility of the Office for Students.”

The OfS is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the higher education sector in England.

Authors also want the skills and apprenticeships minister Anne Milton to “provide oversight of both” the FE and HE regulators.

The IfA has come in for mounting criticism since its launch last year, and there are fears it has too many responsibilities and is struggling to cope.

There have been significant delays to the approval of new apprenticeship standards, which the IfA’s chief executive Sir Gerry Berragan is trying to address with his “faster and better” initiative.

The cross-party lords committee also pulled no punches with its criticism the government’s target of three million apprenticeships by 2020, warning it “has prioritised quantity over quality, and should be scrapped immediately”.

“Framing a target in terms of starts makes no sense when about 40 per cent of starts are not completed,” the lords said.

Recent progress towards the manifesto target has in fact been poor. Apprenticeship starts were down a massive 40 per cent in February on the same period in 2017.

This has largely been attributed to delays among employers adjusting to last spring’s apprenticeship reforms, especially the new apprenticeship levy.

“Despite the introduction of the apprenticeship levy, the UK is still a long way away from the effective apprenticeship system needed,” the report warned.

Forcing large employers to pay towards training through the levy has “encouraged the rebadging of training activity”, and more investment in higher-level apprenticeships for existing staff.

“It is also concerning that over half of training providers for apprenticeships were recently rated ‘inadequate’ or ‘requires improvement’ in a recent Ofsted inspection,” the report continued.

Part-time study and adult learning have also “declined dramatically”

“This neglect of part-time and mature students is short-sighted: flexible learning is important for mature students looking to learn new skills to adapt to changes in the labour market and working practices,” authors claimed.

They also want more FE funding and better treatment of the sector compared to HE, and the committee’s chair Lord Forsyth has insisted the current system is  “deeply unfair”.

“The structure and distribution of funding in the post-school education sector is unfair and inefficient. Further education is the poor relation to higher education.”

“We ‎will consider the report and respond in full in due course,” a Department for Education spokesperson said.

“We agree that for too long young people have not had a genuine choice post 16 about where and what they wish to study.

“That is exactly why we have overhauled apprenticeships to focus on quality and why we are fundamentally transforming technical education, investing £500m a year in new T Levels that will provide a high quality, technical alternative to A levels and make sure we can keep up with the world’s best.

“On top of this, we are undertaking a major review of post-18 education and funding, to make sure students are getting value for money and genuine choice between technical, vocational and academic routes.”

The IfA declined to comment.

 

 

IfA extends T-levels consultation deadline AGAIN

The deadline on the latest T-levels consultation has been extended yet again, and the Institute for Apprenticeships will now give the sector until the end of the month to submit views.

The FE community was outraged last month when they were at first given just five working days to respond to the draft content of new pathways in digital (production, design and development), childcare and education, and construction (design, surveying and planning).

The deadline was extended by four working days to appease the sector, but the  new deadline date is June 29.

“To give all stakeholders the opportunity to comment, we are extending the consultation period for the three T-level outline content documents to 29 June 2018. http://ow.ly/Ozjj30kpcsD #TLevels,” the institute tweeted today.

The sector reacted with anger and confusion when FE Week revealed the original consultation deadline would span just five working days.

“An absolute joke… policymaking in technical, vocational, further and adult education one long narrative of disjointed incrementalism…” tweeted Bob Harrison.

Mark Dawe, the chief execuitve of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, branded the deadline “staggering”.

Readers can view the draft content here.

T-levels have been designed to increase the prestige of technical qualifications.

The first three will be rolled out in 2020 – a year later than originally planned – and the remaining subject routes will be rolled out in 2023 – another year later than planned.

There have been worrying signs of slippage in the timetable, and many leaders, including the IfA’s chief executive Sir Gerry Berragan (pictured above), have concerns.

Last month it was revealed that the education secretary Damian Hinds had in an unprecedented step refused a written request from his most senior civil servant to delay the initial roll-out another year until 2021.

Big five awarding giants compete for T-levels

The big guns of the awarding organisation world are drawing the battle lines in the imminent struggle for ownership of the first T-levels.

Despite numerous concerns from across the sector, the government is ploughing ahead with its controversial plan to deploy just one AO per qualification when the first three pathways are launched in 2020.

Leading figures in FE have warned that this procurement phase will be the biggest single test for making sure the first three T-levels are ready in time, and the pressure is on to get it right.

The pathways are: digital (production, design and development), childcare and education, and construction (design, surveying and planning).

FE Week understands that the most hotly contested of the three is digital.

We believe five AO giants – Pearson, City & Guilds, OCR, AQA, and BCS (the chartered institute for IT) – will be in contention for control of the pathway, which relates to the software development technician cluster.

There is already an apprenticeship standard for the cluster at level three, and BCS is its single end-point assessment organisation. Although it is much smaller than the other four, BCS hopes its specialist delivery will give it the edge when procurement kicks off.

City & Guilds is the end-point AO for the software developer standard at level four, and it delivers a level three advanced technical certificate in digital technologies.

Meanwhile, OCR develops computer science qualifications at A-level that include software development – such as the Cambridge technical diploma in IT – while AQA has a level three tech level in IT: programming.

Pearson has a BTEC level three national diploma in computer science, as well as level five qualifications in professional software development.

The tender process got underway in May, and will begin with two “market engagement” events on June 11 and 14, in which bidders will hear what an “exclusive license” will involve.

Successful AOs will be responsible for designing the content of the qualification, upskilling providers, providing learning and teaching materials, updating content and assessing qualifications.

Each of the five AOs were asked which of the pathways they are interested in, but they all kept their cards close to their chest, just confirming they would be taking part in the marketing events.

Rod Bristow, the president of Pearson in the UK, and Chris Jones, the chief executive of City & Guilds, have been more outspoken, and voice their concerns in a box-out below this story.

The Department for Education believes that “instead of competition between different AOs leading to better quality and innovation in their design, it can lead to a race to the bottom in which AOs compete to offer qualifications which are easier to pass and therefore of lower value”.

There will be three individual tenders launched in the autumn – one for each of the 2020 pathways.

They will be awarded a licence period of about five years, which the government believes is “appropriate in order to ensure consistency but prevent the risk of complacency”.

The DfE has a year to complete the whole procurement process, but if the history of ESFA tenders is anything to go by, delays can be expected. Procurements for the AEB and non-levy apprenticeships funding, held last year, were both plagued by interruption, leaving providers fuming.

A troubled launch: “Not in the best interests of the learners”

 

The awarding organisation procurement is the biggest “risk” to ensuring the first three T-levels are rolled out by 2020, the boss of the Association of Colleges has warned.

David Hughes said the proposed timetable is welcomed by colleges who will be “ready and able to deliver”.

However, the risk of delay “lies elsewhere in terms of some of the design of the qualifications and particularly the procurement of the awarding organisations”.

Mr Hughes is not alone in his fears. Two of the biggest AOs in the country believe the process will not be without its speedbumps, particularly because the government has decided to use a single-provider model for each qualification.

“We have raised concerns about plans for awarding organisations bidding for an exclusive licence, which we do not believe to be in the best interests of learners,” said Rod Bristow, president of Pearson in the UK.

“The proposal represents a fundamental shift in the model for delivery which may result in inherent risks and potential unintended, adverse consequences, including a lack of resilience with the significant reliance on the ‘bid winner’, the loss of innovation and expertise, and a lack of choice for providers.”

He was joined in his criticism by City & Guilds chief executive Chris Jones‏ last week, who tweeted: “So despite advice from their own economics advisor over risk of system failure and concerns expressed by the qualifications regulator, @educationgovuk press on with reforms.

“I hope the market engagement helps them see sense and adjust position but I fear it will not.”

Research conducted by Frontier Economics on behalf of the DfE last year concluded that limiting access to a single AO may create a “risk of system failure” both in the short- and long-term.

It warned that if a single AO fails, it may be that no alternative AO can step in.

Ofqual, the body that regulates qualifications in England, has since said it “advised on the risks related to the single-provider model”.

Editor Nick Linford believes that lawyers are the only guarenteed winners from the T-level tender. Read his editorial here.

Army recruits (again): IfA appoints deputy director to oversee T-levels

The Institute for Apprenticeships has appointed yet another military person to its leadership team – and they’ve been given the unenviable task of running T-levels.

Carmel Grant OBE, who had been the head of army reform at the Ministry of Defence since January 2016, has taken on the role of deputy director of technical education at the institute.

This makes her the second appointment with military ties under Sir Gerry Berragan, who is a former adjutant general in the army himself.

In April the IfA announced that Robert Nitsch CBE, the army’s director of personnel for the past three years, with whom Sir Gerry had worked with before, would take on the role of chief operating officer.

As deputy director of technical education, Ms Grant will be responsible for leading T-levels, the new post-16 technical qualifications, when the institute takes control from the Department for Education.

Although and exact transfer date has not yet been agreed, it is understood that it will happen before 2019.

Once they’re under her control, Ms Grant will steer the first three T-levels – in digital (production, design and development), childcare and education, and construction (design, surveying and planning) – to a roll-out in 2020.

This will include ensuring awarding organisations meet a tight deadline for designing the content, and working closely with the chosen 52 training providers who will pilot them.

“You will lead the team that will oversee the transition of the overall policy intent of the reforms as well as some of the operational strands,” the job advert for the role said.

“You will also lead the process of developing content for the new T-level programme through the T-level Panels.”

Ms Grant will report to Mr Nitsch and have direct responsibility for up to 20 staff.

“Leading the process for the development of T-level content through the T-level panels – experts from the relevant occupations and industries – as well as managing the process for approving the content; and overseeing the review of Tlevel content alongside the review of apprenticeships standards,” will be another of her main responsibilities.

Ms Grant, who was named OBE in the Queen’s birthday honours in 2017, is one of several new senior appointees in the IfA’s leadership team.

Peter Schild, a former finance director at HM Revenue & Customs, is becoming its new chief financial officer, and James Matthews, a former strategic development manager at the London Stock Exchange Group and former private secretary to the Cabinet Secretary, is its new chief of staff.

Lucy Rigler has joined as the IfA’s acting deputy director for funding policy.

The team will work under the leadership of Sir Gerry, who was appointed chief executive in November last year, having previously served as a board member since that January.

He revealed in an interview with FE Week in January that he’d been selected without competing directly against any other candidates, and  had been appointed for a two-year period.

His army career included a period as director general personnel from February 2011 to August 2012, before his appointment as adjutant general.

Both roles were based in Andover, as were Mr Nitsch’s roles at the time.