Ofsted has confirmed it will apply stricter rules to FE providers judged ‘requires improvement’, and will now carry out monitoring visits to them and publish the results.

The education watchdog confirmed the crackdown this morning in its response to the consultation it ran in November on the rule change.

Under previous rules, providers that were given a grade three were given subsequent support and challenge visits that result in unpublished letters until they are re-inspected within 12 to 24 months of the inspection.

Ofsted has now changed this and will carry out monitoring visits which will then be made public, applying it to visits since Novemebr 10, 2017.

A total of 251 responses were gathered in the consultation, of which 65 per cent agreed with the proposal.

“In light of the responses to the consultation, we will be taking forward the proposal,” Ofsted said.

“For providers that are judged to require improvement, we will conduct a single monitoring visit, normally around 7 to 13 months after the inspection at which the provider was judged to require improvement.

“The re-inspection of requires improvement providers will still normally occur 12 to 24 months after the previous inspection. We will keep the re-inspection timing under review to ensure that the provider has enough time to improve on issues identified at the monitoring visit.”

The inspectorate said the monitoring visit will result in a published report that has progress judgements.

“Published monitoring visit reports will explain what the provider has achieved since the previous inspection and what improvement they still need to make.

“Inspectors will use the progress judgements set out in Part 1 of the Further education and skills inspection handbook.”

Ofsted added that this rule will apply to any provider found to require improvement since 10 November 2017 (i.e. those notified of inspection on or after 10 November).

It will write individually to providers directly affected and will make “necessary revisions” to the ‘Further education and skills inspection handbook’.

The government has doubled the amount of money on offer to encourage more schools and colleges to offer maths at A-level.

The new “advanced maths premium” announced in last year’s autumn budget was originally going to be worth £600 for every additional student studying an ‘advanced maths’ qualification, such as an AS or A level.

But the Department for Education has today announced that schools and colleges will get an additional £600 per year for 16 to 18-year-olds also studing AS or A-level Further Mathematics, taking the funding incentive to £1,200 per year. And where students study an advanced maths qualification and A-level Further Mathematics over two years the funding incentive would be worth £2,400.

The government has now named the incentive as the ‘advanced maths premium’, which is backed by £80 million in funding and has no cap on numbers. FE Week understands the first tranche of funding will be based on recruitment in early 2018/19 compared to a baseline, with schools and colleges actually receiving the money in their 2019/20 allocations and payments.

The DfE has published technical guidance for schools and colleges today, to include: how the baseline is calculated; a list of eligible qualifications and restate as per their letter to sixth-forms last November that “the payment will only apply to students who already have prior attainment equivalent to GCSE grade 9 to 4 or A* to C in maths”.

The advanced maths premium formed part of a £177 million investment in maths education at the autumn budget.

The Sixth-Form Colleges Association, which represents around 90 sixth forms and other post-16 providers, said although it welcomed “any new investment” in 16-to-18 education, the extra funding would have “little impact on the vast majority” of pupils.

“The government should focus on ensuring schools and colleges receive the funding they need to provide all young people with a rounded, high-quality education, irrespective of the subjects they choose to study,” it said.

“The best way of doing this is to conduct a fundamental review of 16-to-18 funding to restore a link between funding levels and the cost of providing a high-quality sixth-form education.”

The Association of College’s senior policy manager for curriculum and funding at 14 to 19, Catherine Sezen, said that “any additional investment” is welcome at “chronically underfunded” colleges, but warned that “this is not the right level of funding and it is not focused on the right area”.

“We would urge DfE to look at the difficulties and demands colleges face before even getting to level three,” she added. “Without changes to the condition of funding, and additional money allocated for level two and below, it will be a real challenge for colleges to properly staff and successfully deliver any additional level three maths.”

Nick Gibb, the schools minister, said: “Although maths remains the most popular subject at A-level, this premium will open up the opportunity for even more young people to study advanced maths qualifications, providing them with the knowledge and skills for future success.”

Although the maths premium is now calculated on a per-qualification basis, rather than per pupil, there are restrictions to stop schools being “double-funded”.

Only pupils studying both a maths and further maths qualification in the same academic year will attract double funding, up to £2,400 over two years, but this is the “only combination of qualifications that will attract funding twice in one year”, the government said.

Two former professional footballers and four of their colleagues have been sentenced to a total of over 25 years in prison for defrauding colleges out of £5 million in apprenticeship funding.

Mark Aizlewood (pictured right), who played for Wales 39 times in the 1980s and 1990s, and Paul Sugrue (pictured left), who played for clubs including Manchester City, Middlesbrough and Cardiff City, were both sentenced this afternoon at Southwark Crown Court for their part in a scam which involved “ghost learners”.

Two of their former colleagues at the now-defunct provider Luis Michael Training, Keith Williams, 45, from Anglesey, and Jack Harper, 30, from Southport, were also sentenced after being found guilty earlier this month.

Two more men who were also involved in the con, Christopher Martin, 53, from Newbury, and Steven Gooding, 53, from Bridgwater, had pleaded guilty before the trial began in September and were also sentenced today.

This marks the end of a five month trial that was brought to court by the Serious Fraud Office.

This was a shameful exploitation of taxpayers and colleges

Luis Michael Training used its well-known footballing names to defraud the taxpayer between 2009 and 2011 by persuading nine colleges to use it as a subcontractor, using cash they got from the government to deliver apprenticeships.

The provider hoodwinked over 3,000 learners over this period, all aged between 16 and 19. Some were “ghost learners” – where the personal information of real people was used to claim apprenticeship funding. The use of their data was unbeknown to these ghosts.

Those actually enrolled were under the illusion that they were doing an apprenticeship in NVQ activity leadership, which would lead them to a career in football coaching.

Sentencing the men, Judge Tomlinson said this was a “shameful exploitation” of taxpayers and colleges.

“You misappropriated eye-watering sums of government money on the pretence of helping disadvantaged young people,” he added. “You all exploited this sad state of affairs and your involvement was dishonest from the outset.”

Using this lure of a career in football coaching, LMT even employed other high-profile former players, such as Welsh international Neville Southall, the Republic of Ireland’s Alan McLoughlin and Manchester United player Russell Beardsmore, as tutors to deliver some of the training, albeit unaware of the con.

The provider also used almost 150 professional and semi-professional football clubs as part of the scam, roping in big teams like Manchester City, Leeds United and Nottingham Forest.

“These men stole public money intended to give young people a start in life – these were cynical crimes for which they have been held to account today,” said the Serious Fraud Office’s general counsel Alun Milford.

Mark Aizlewood was sentenced to six years.

Christopher Martin was sentenced to two years and three months, and five years and three months, to be served concurrently.

Keith Williams was sentenced to three and four years’ imprisonment, to be served concurrently.

Paul Sugrue was sentenced to three and seven years’ imprisonment, to be served concurrently.

Steven Gooding received a 20-month prison sentence.

Jack Harper received two 18-month sentences, to be served concurrently.

Jack Harper and Steven Gooding were also disqualified as directors for seven years each.

A college inspected for the first time since a merger was rated ‘good’ in a week that saw local authority provision struggle.

Bath College, which was formed in April 2015 from a merger of City of Bath College and Norton Radstock College, was found to be grade two across the board.

The report commended teaching, student behaviour and high quality facilities at the college, as well as the “excellent support” given to disadvantaged and vulnerable learners and those with additional needs at an Ofsted inspection on January 16. 

Inspectors found that a high proportion of learners move on to employment or higher levels of education or training, and noted that staff have built strong relationships with partners, stakeholders and local employers.

Sunderland City Council was, however, handed an ‘inadequate’ rating, which raised concerns about radicalisation, “deterioration” in the achievement of apprentices and poor subcontracted apprenticeship delivery.

The council, which had been rated ‘good’ back in 2014 and trains just over 3,000 learners, said it was “disappointed” about the findings of the report.

It was also not a ‘good’ week for Slough Borough Council, which received its second ‘requires improvement’ rating for its community learning and skills provision after an inspection on January 16.

Ofsted said the local authority, which was last inspected in June 2016, had made improvements but warned that too much of the teaching is not planned carefully enough and “fails to motivate learners”.

However, Slough did receive grade two ratings for its apprenticeship provision and for the personal development, behaviour and welfare of adult learners, and was commended for its work to “improve the lives of hard-to-reach and vulnerable adults”.

The report added there were “comprehensive plans in place to secure further improvements.”

A further four providers managed to improve on their previous inspections and another four kept their grade two ratings in short inspections.

Gateway Sixth Form College in Leicester had been rated ‘inadequate’ in November 2016, but was deemed grade three across the board this time round.

Inspectors said the majority of students were now making good progress, after disappointing results last year, and that leadership and governance had been strengthened at the college.

However, it raised concerns that teachers were not providing appropriate feedback or setting challenging enough work.

Lancashire’s Accrington and Rossendale College moved up from grade three to grade two, and its leaders were commended for rectifying “the vast majority of weaknesses identified at the previous inspection”.

Ofsted said senior leaders had been “unremitting” in working to improve provision, leading to better achievement rates, good links with employers, community groups and voluntary organisations and “highly motivated” learners.

The report said most learners progress to further study, higher education or employment, but warned that apprenticeship provision still ‘requires improvement’.

Also moving up from ‘requires improvement’ to ‘good’ were two adult and community learning providers: The Greenback Project in Liverpool and Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council in the West Midlands.

The Greenback Project, which provides education and training to disabled people and other disadvantaged groups through Greenback College, was praised for its improved teaching, with tutors using “a variety of stimulating, creative and interesting activities” to “enthuse and motivate students”.

Students were said to be well behaved with improving grades and supported to learn independently, although inspectors warned that feedback was “encouraging and motivational but it is not sufficiently developmental”.

Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council was also commended for providing “good education opportunities for the most disadvantaged learners” at its inspection on January 16.

Staff were said to place the welfare of learners “at the heart of their work” while learners worked well together and were developing confidence, personal and social skills.

The report said the “large majority” of learners achieve their aims on community learning, employability and functional skills courses.

Keeping their grade two rating after short inspections are East Durham College, The Child Care Company (Old Windsor) in Slough, S&B Automotive Academy in Bristol and Hounslow Adult and Community Education in west London.

 

GFE Colleges	Inspected	Published	Grade	Previous grade
Bath College	16/01/2018	21/02/2018	2	N/A
Accrington and Rossendale College	16/01/2018	19/02/2018	2	3

 

Sixth Form Colleges	Inspected	Published	Grade	Previous grade
Gateway Sixth Form College	16/01/2018	21/02/2018	3	4

 

Adult and Community Learning	Inspected	Published	Grade	Previous grade
The Greenback Project	16/01/2018	23/01/2018	2	3
Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council	16/01/2018	21/02/2018	2	3
Sunderland City Metropolitan Borough Council	16/01/2018	19/02/2018	4	2
Slough Borough Council	16/01/2018	19/02/2018	3	3

 

Short inspections (remains grade 2)	Inspected	Published
East Durham College	11/01/18	21/02/18
The Child Care Company (Old Windsor) Ltd	24/01/18	22/02/18
S&B Automotive Academy Ltd	23/01/18	21/02/18
Hounslow Adult and Community Education	17/01/18	21/02/18