Two providers managed to pull themselves up from grade four this week – one to ‘good’ and the other to ‘requires improvement’.

But at the other end of the scale there was disappointment for another provider as it failed to improve from its previous ‘inadequate’ grade.

Adult and community learning provider Essex county council boosted its grade from four to two, in a report published March 29 and based on an inspection in mid-February.

Leaders were praised for having worked “tirelessly” to “secure a wide range of improvements to the provision”, the report said.

Leaders were praised for having worked “tirelessly” to “secure a wide range of improvements to the provision”

Teaching, learning and assessment had “improved markedly” since the last inspection, in December 2016, with the result that the “large majority” of learners and apprentices “rapidly develop their skills and knowledge”.

The proportion of apprentices completing their courses on time was also “greater” than before, although “not enough” learners on unaccredited courses progressed onto “courses that lead to qualifications”.

Epping Forest College saw its rating go up to ‘requires improvement’ in a report published March 29 and based on an inspection in late-February.

Inspectors noted that, “despite improvements since the last inspection”, in November 2016, “actions to strengthen the quality of teaching, learning and assessment have not yet resulted in good teaching and good outcomes for learners”.

Management of apprenticeships and subcontracted provision was ‘inadequate’.

But “more learners achieve their qualifications than previously” and “behaviour has improved”, the report noted.

Independent learning provider UK Training and Development Limited failed to improve on its previous ‘inadequate’-overall grade in a report published March 28 and based on an inspection in October.

The apprenticeship provider, based in Hemel Hempstead, also received grade fours in two headline fields – along with three ‘requires improvement’ grades.

Safeguarding arrangements “remain ineffective”, the report said, with leaders criticised for failing to ensure that “staff follow statutory guidance to ensure that apprentices are safe”.

Governance arrangements were found to be inadequate, with leaders and managers not being “challenged rigorously or held to account for all aspects of the provision”.

In addition, “too many” apprentices were failing to make the progress “of which they are capable”, the report said – although “most apprentices” demonstrated “effective teamworking skills and provide good customer care”.

Plumpton College became the latest college to see its grade improve to ‘good’, from its previous grade three, in a report published March 26 and based on an inspection in February.

Learners at the land-based college were “excited about their subjects and the wider opportunities that staff provide”.

Learners at the land-based college were “excited about their subjects and the wider opportunities that staff provide”.

The “excellent arrangements” for work experience and enrichment activities “develop learners’ skills, knowledge and confidence well”.

“Senior leaders have exceptional partnerships with local and regional employers, schools and community leaders which benefit learners and the local community,” the report said.

There was less good news for Chesterfield College this week, which saw its grade drop from two to three in a report published March 26 and based on an inspection in mid-February.

Study programme learners “make insufficient progress”, while the teaching, learning and assessment on these courses was deemed “not good enough” and “dull and uninspiring”.

But apprentices, adult learners and those with high needs “make good progress from their starting points”, inspectors noted.

Two independent learning providers had reports published from their first-ever inspections this week: Mediprospects and Beacon Education Partnership Limited.

London-based Mediprospects, which delivers loans-funded provision, was rated ‘good’ across the board, in a report published March 29 and based on an inspection in mid-February.

Leaders and managers were praised for having “high expectations” and for creating a “highly aspirational learning environment in which learners develop good knowledge and skills required to work in the care sector”.

Thanks to “very good academic and pastoral support” learners “achieve their qualifications and progress well into care-related employment”, the report said.

Beacon Education Partnership Ltd, which also delivers loans-funded provision, was rated ‘requires improvement’ across the board in a report published March 28 and based on an inspection in late February.

Leaders were unaware that “too few” learners were “making good progress”, because they “do not gather sufficient and accurate information about the progress learners make”.

They were also criticised for failing to have “high enough expectations” of their learners, or to have “a clear plan to promote and develop learners’ English and mathematical skills”.

As previously reported by FE Week, the report into the second monitoring visit to Learndirect Limited following its inadequate grade last year was published this week – with a mixed bags of findings.

And the first ever report of a monitoring visit into subcontracting, published this week, criticised leaders at Wigan and Leigh College for being slow to improve performance.

 

GFE Colleges	Inspected	Published	Grade	Previous grade
Epping Forest College	20/02/2018	29/03/2018	3	4
Wigan and Leigh College	01/03/2018	26/03/2018	Monitoring	Monitoring
Chesterfield College	13/02/2018	26/03/2018	3	2
Plumpton College	20/02/2018	26/03/2018	2	3

 

Independent Learning Providers	Inspected	Published	Grade	Previous grade
Mediprospects	13/02/2018	29/03/2018	2	–
Beacon Education Partnership Limited	27/02/2018	28/03/2018	3	–
UK Training & Development Limited	17/10/2017	28/03/2018	4	4
Learndirect Limited	27/02/2018	27/03/2018	Monitoring	Monitoring

 

Adult and Community Learning	Inspected	Published	Grade	Previous grade
Essex County Council	20/02/2018	29/03/2018	2	4

FE champion Shakira Martin (pictured above) has survived a row over allegations of bullying to be re-elected as president of the National Union of Students.

The incumbent scored a comfortable victory over challengers Momin Saqib and Sahaya James at this year’s annual conference in Glasgow.

Ms Martin won in the first round with 50.9 per cent of the 694 votes cast.

She scored 352 votes, while Mr Saqib came second with 168 votes and Ms James received 104 votes. Sixty-six people voted to reopen the nominations, and one delegate spoiled their ballot paper.

Ms Martin said “I am honoured and humbled to have been elected as NUS’ national president for a second term. I was elected to listen, learn and lead, now it’s time to get real about what that means both for all forms of education, and what it means for NUS.”

In January this year Ms Martin was alleged to have bullied other NUS staff members.

All elected NUS officers – including its vice-president for FE Emily Chapman – were made to work from home for a week while the claims were investigated.

Ms Martin has been a strong advocate for the learner and apprentice voice since being elected VP for FE in April 2015, when she was president of the student union at Lewisham Southwark College. 

She became only the second national NUS president to have attended an FE college when she was elected last year, in a stunning victory over her predecessor Malia Bouattia.

Her successor as VP for FE, Emily Chapman, also successfully stood for re-election this year.

She won 61 per cent of the vote to retain her position as NUS vice-president (further education) until the end of 2018/19.

“When you elected me as your vice-president further education last year, I made a promise to get the FE and college voice loud and proud, both in NUS and across the sector,” Ms Chapman told delegates.

“That is exactly what I have been doing, and what I will continue to do in my second term. “I will continue to fight for all forms of further education to be free and accessible, I will campaign to reduce travel costs with the #MyFEJourney campaign, and lobby for FE maintenance grants to be introduced, and ensure FE is remembered whenever we talk of loans and fees.”

The Federation of Awarding Bodies has announced skills and enterprise policy expert Tom Bewick as its new chief executive today.

Mr Bewick (pictured above speaking at FE Week’s Annual Apprenticeships Conference last week) will take up the helm from May 1, replacing John McNamara, who has led FAB on an interim basis since the departure of Stephen Wright in December.

“Following a robust and comprehensive recruitment process, the board decided on a candidate that brought the strongest possible experience in lobbying and policy influencing of the skills and qualifications agenda,” said FAB chair Paul Eeles.

Mr Bewick has an “exemplary track record” of “building solid representative industry organisations” and “working with government”, and has “influenced skills policy spanning a 25-year career both in the United Kingdom and internationally, most recently in the United States”, Mr Eeles said.

“I’m really looking forward to working with Tom over the coming months as we strive to put the value of our qualifications and assessment organisations at the heart of the UK’s rapidly evolving technical education, skills and apprenticeship systems.”

He added the board’s thanks to Mr McNamara for “his leadership of FAB through this interim period”.

Mr Bewick said he was “delighted” to have been appointed as the new FAB boss.  

“Throughout my career I have been passionate about leading and representing organisations committed to growing a highly-skilled and qualified workforce,” he said. “The fact is that strong qualifications, assessment and awarding organisations are the engine room of a 21st-century economy.

“Without good qualifications, people can’t get the rewards they deserve and our society will not succeed. I will be unrelenting in putting forward the positive case, representing FAB members’ interests, and explaining why the public should listen to what is a fantastically comprehensive and diverse industry.

“I’m proud to represent a sector that provides so many individuals, employers and communities with the means to succeed up and down the land. I can’t wait to get started.”

Mr Bewick is co-founder and board director of Franklin Apprenticeships in the US, and founded the Transatlantic Apprenticeship Exchange Forum in 2015 to promote opportunities for UK training providers in the US.

He led the International Skills Standards Organisation Ltd for four years, from 2011 to 2015, and prior to that was chief executive of Enterprise UK, a former government quango, from 2010 to 2011.

Other government roles include adviser to the minister for adult skills in the early 2000s.

He has also been a council member for Brighton and Hove City Council since May 2015.

A cash-strapped college that was forced to seek a merger after it became only the second institution to return to FE commissioner intervention has announced its new partner.

Guildford College will become the fifth college member of Activate Learning later this year.

John Denning, Guildford’s governing body chair, said the partnership was “very good news” and would secure the “future while protecting the heritage of our long-established colleges”.

“This new venture will secure a great future for the group and is an opportunity for a new lease of life that will benefit our learners, staff, local communities and employers we serve,” he added.

Sally Dicketts, the chief executive of Activate Learning, said the merged college would be “stronger and more sustainable, providing benefits to learners, staff, businesses and the community through its greater scale and negotiating power, sharing of expertise and resources, greater combined expertise around teaching, learning and assessment and combined group services”.

The merger is expected to go ahead “towards the end of the year” subject to consultation, according to today’s announcement.

Guildford College, currently rated grade three by Ofsted and with a turnover of £27.9 million in 2016/17, was visited by the FE commissioner last November.

It’s the second time it experienced intervention, having previously been in through the process between March 2014 and September 2015.

Richard Atkins’ recent intervention was “a result of the college’s uncertain financial position” according to his report, which came out in February.

The college had “faced financial difficulties for a number years” which meant its “financial position has been weak and is likely to continue to be so for the medium term”.

Mr Atkins’ main recommendation was for the college to “fully engage with and support” a structure and prospects appraisal to “identify a merger partner for the college, with a merger to be completed by the end of calendar year 2018 at the latest”.

Guildford had come out of the Surrey area review with a recommendation to merge with Farnborough College of Technology, but progress had stalled.

“Fresh impetus is now required,” the FE commissioner’s report said.

Activate Learning, rated ‘good’ by Ofsted in January, currently has three college members: Reading College, City of Oxford College and Bicester College.

The group also includes three university technical colleges in Didcot, Reading and Swindon, a studio school in Bicester, its own apprenticeships arm in the form of Activate Apprenticeships and ATG Training, and an HE business school, along with colleges in Saudi Arabia.

Its turnover, excluding the schools and UTCs, was £53.9 million in 2016/17.

Consultation on a proposal for grade two Bracknell and Wokingham College to become the fourth college member of the group opened earlier this month, with an anticipated merger date of August 1.

An ex-chief executive of a training provider and two of her former colleagues have been sentenced to a total of more than 10 years in prison for defrauding a college and a private provider out of almost £460,000.

Joanne Mounter, Paula Bolan, Kym Adrian Norman, who all worked for Team Wearside, were each convicted for their part in a scheme in which they created large numbers of fictitious learners to fraudulently invoice funding providers.

Ms Mounter and Ms Bolan were both sentenced to four years and four months at Newcastle Crown Court, while Mr Norman received a term of two years and eight months.

The two women admitted to one charge that they – along with Mr Norman – had “dishonestly and intending thereby to make a gain for themselves or another” invoiced Sunderland College for a total of £304,858 between July 2014 and December 2015.

The pair also pleaded guilty to “making representations to Springboard through invoices presented, namely that a total of £154,674.01 was payable, which was and which they knew was untrue”.

Ms Mounter was also convicted of a third charge of fraudulently obtaining a hire purchase agreement through Mercedes Benz finance.

The charges related to their former roles at Team Wearside, a training provider and charity based in Sunderland, where Ms Mounter was chief executive, Ms Bolan was quality and compliance manager, and Mr Norman was an assessor.

Ms Mounter and Ms Bolan were both “actively involved in using false data to claim funding with Springboard and Sunderland College”.

Mr Norman, as assessor for waste management training, signed off a number of these false registered learners and therefore “must have been aware of these multiple irregularities”.

Ellen Thinnesen, principal and chief executive of Sunderland College, said: “We are deeply disappointed by the actions of individuals we had grown to trust. These were people we had worked with for a number of years, whose work was regularly appraised – as all of our subcontractors work is – but who had, between them, devised a well-orchestrated scheme that sought to purposely deceive and defraud a number of organisations they worked with.”

Team Wearside, a training charity, provides apprenticeships and traineeships to a range of sectors including health and social care, and hospitality and catering.

David Barker, the chief executive of Springboard, said he “welcomes the outcome of today’s legal proceedings against the people who betrayed our trust and fraudulently claimed funds from our charity”.

“Springboard will continue to support the development of sustainable communities, where people have the skills they need for work and life. The selfish acts of a few individuals will not deter us from our mission,” he added.

“At the time of these offences, each of these defendants held trusted positions within a respected organisation, providing vital assistance to those seeking employment. They exploited that trust for their own personal gain, with no thought to the consequences of their selfish actions,” said Lynsey Colling of the CPS.

“Once their fraud came to light, the reputation of the Team Wearside was irreparably tarnished. The victims of this fraud were left with little choice but to cease working with the organisation.

“The effects of this fraud on Team Wearside were devastating, leading to the loss of over 40 jobs and the now imminent closure of the charity.”

According to the Education and Skills Funding Agency’s most recent list of declared subcontractors, Team Wearside’s 2016/17 subcontract for Springboard Sunderland was worth £182,000, while its subcontract for Sunderland College was worth a much smaller £29,146.

However, both lead providers told FE Week in October that Team Wearside was no longer subcontracting for them.

Team Wearside has been approached for a comment.