Leo Shapiro, the chief executive of major awarding organisation OCR, has stepped down after less than two years in post.
FE Week understands that he left the post on Friday, but will continue to work for the Cambridge Assessment Group, OCR’s parent company.
The exam board said Mr Shapiro’s move is “part of a planned change to support the new Cambridge Assessment Group CEO, in a role which is more compatible with his family responsibilities”.
Appointed in August 2016, Shapiro has now been replaced by an interim chief executive, Janet Morris, who has worked for Cambridge International, another division of Cambridge Assessment.
A spokesperson said Morris brings with her a “wealth of experience of senior management at a major exam board”.
“We plan to advertise for a permanent chief executive in due course,” she added.
Mr Shapiro’s departure comes at a time of significant change for Cambridge Assessment, which has announced leadership changes in three of its exam boards and in its own head office in recent months.
A group of maritime teachers put their lifesaving skills to the test when a standard survival exercise was interrupted by an emergency.
The group, including one student, from Blackpool and the Fylde College’s Fleetwood nautical campus rushed to the rescue of a family whose daughter and five-month-old baby, still in its pram, fell into a seafront boating lake, followed by their mum who was attempting to pull them out.
The drama unfolded while the group were undertaking sea-survival training with students nearby.
“When you work in this area you have the skills and training to provide assistance in rescue situations. We’re just pleased we were able to help and the family were all ok,” said John Bradbury, a lecturer who has worked at the campus for 49 years. “Our student Phil was also able to use his expertise in paediatric care to help look after the baby.”
Following the incident, the kids’ father, who was at work at the time of the incident, returned to the scene to thank the team, and give a £50 donation to a charity chosen by them.
Dr Sue Pember, director of policy and external relations at Holex, answers your questions on college governance, backed by her experience as principal of Canterbury College and in senior civil service posts in education and skills.
Question One: Exceptions to exceptional support
I keep hearing about failing colleges that merged in the area reviews and got large sums of money. Why is the government rewarding failure in this way?
Answer: This is a difficult question to answer, as when you put it like that it seems hard to justify. I agree that it does seem unfair but the students must always come first. It is not the learners’ fault that they have had to attend a poorly run establishment, and future learners must not be subjected to the same experience. So the government has made the decision to prioritise those areas and get provision of good quality in place, but doing that comes at a cost. I am hoping that once these areas are settled, we will return to a fair and more equitable distribution of support funds.
Question Two: Should our principal have three jobs?
I am a staff governor and recently I realised my principal seems to be doing three jobs. Is that normal?
Answer: This is not normal, but not unusual. There is a trend at the moment to grow empires. For example, a principal might run a college as their main role, be chief executive of a trading company where the college is the largest shareholder, and chief executive of a multi-academy trust.
The college structure will probably have grown organically without the board recognising the complexity and extent of its growth. As a board, you might need to start thinking about whether there should be a group structure, and consider whether it is reasonable to ask one person do all three jobs.
Also, the board should look at accountability and what might happen if things go wrong. If one of the boards of these three entities is dissatisfied with the service and attention they are getting, who makes the changes?
There are also questions of remuneration and assessment of performance, and who pays whom?
There are many possible models but, the bottom line is that this needs to be transparent, well documented and be an effective use of public funds.
Question Three: Cracking all these codes of practice
The minister’s letter to governors talked about the Charity Commission code, but we already have the code of good governance for English colleges and the UK’s main corporate code. Why do we need yet another code?
Answer: A college’s legal status is that of an exempt charity and therefore there are elements of charity law and behaviours that are relevant to a college board.
This new code has a greater emphasis on openness and accountability than the previous version. However, the Charity Commission’s code has been drawn up to cover both large and small charities and is very generic.
When the code of good governance for English colleges was developed, the work did consider best practice in the commercial world and charities, and was tailored to represent the best in college practice, which is why it received BIS and ministerial endorsement. However, as it is now three years old, it is high time for a refresh in my opinion.
Start date: March 2018
Previous job: Regional operations manager, Carillion Training Services
Interesting fact: Mike is a member of fundraising group Lions Club International, and this year will help run the biggest fireworks event in Berkshire, with over 8,000 spectators.
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Ian Clinton OBE, Principal, Northumberland College
Start date: April 2018
Previous job: Principal, North Shropshire College
Interesting fact: Ian was once tipped out of a wooden canoe by an angry hippo in Botswana, and the next day was chased up a tree by a buffalo.
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Peter Lauener, Chair, Construction Industry Training Board
Start date: May 2018
Previous job: Interim chief executive, Student Loans Company (ongoing)
Interesting fact: Peter makes his own marmalade.
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Neil Carberry, Chief executive, the Recruitment & Employment Confederation
Start date: June 2018
Previous job: Managing director, Confederation of British Industry
Interesting fact: Neil is a lifelong Heart of Midlothian fan, enjoys playing rugby and coaches his son’s team.
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Gerald Davies, Acting principal, Moulton College
Start date: April 2018
Previous job: Deputy principal, Moulton College
Interesting fact: Gerald holds a degree in agricultural engineering.
If you want to let us know of any new faces at the top of your college, training provider or awarding organisation please let us know by emailing news@feweek.co.uk
Professional services giant KPMG has been sending its apprentices back to school in a scheme to boost their professional development, reports Samantha King.
Apprentices at KPMG are encouraged to go back to their former schools and talk about their career journey so far through the firm’s Back to Schools programme, developed after its first-ever cohort of apprentices in October 2015 asked how they could share their experiences of the world of work with their old teachers and schoolmates.
The scheme has had a revamp this year, and apprentices can use six allotted volunteering days to visit schools and deliver a presentation on their apprenticeship.
“We have a specific learning curriculum, aside from the professional qualification, to help them bridge that gap from college to corporate life,” explained Kevin Matthews, KPMG’s apprenticeships assistant manager.
“The programme helps apprentices looking to build their confidence with presentation skills and networking ability.”
Six of the company’s apprentices have been appointed apprentice champions in locations across the country to help run the programme, field questions from their peers and assist with facilitating school visits.
“We encourage the apprentices to make that initial contact with schools,” said Elizabeth Morris, assistant manager for student recruitment at KPMG. “We have copy that we provide them with and they’re able to tweak that, just to say hello, I came to this school or college, and I’m really interested in coming back and talking about my experience – is there an opportunity for me to do so?”
Before the Back to Schools programme was in place, the firm found that on outreach visits to schools, pupils were more interested in hearing the experiences of newer recruits than those in more established positions in the firm.
“Those apprentices are ultimately our best sales people. They’re enjoying themselves, they’re living the values of our firm and they can go out there and talk to those people in a much more meaningful and authentic way,” added Mr Matthews.
Sports students from Warrington and Vale Royal College have been teaching over 4,000 primary school children how to play rugby.
The team of 12 level three students teamed up with the Warrington Wolves Community Trust to deliver rugby league sessions to pupils across Cheshire over the course of a week.
Each student took on a different role during the sessions, from coordinating events to officiating during individual sessions.
The week of events were arranged as part of the college’s work with Warrington Wolves, the local professional rugby league club, and its charitable foundations.
“Being able to take part in such an event gives our students the opportunity to get first-hand experience of coaching young children – something that many of them will go on to do as they embark on a career in the industry,” said Ryan McNeely, sport lecturer at the college. “It also gives our learners fantastic experience of leading a large-scale event, with multiple activities running at the same time.”
It has been a difficult week for first-time private providers, as one was rated ‘requires improvement’ and another was handed the dreaded grade four.
Millennium Academy, based in Barking, was deemed ‘inadequate’ across the board.
This was its first ever inspection and despite Ofsted only judging the provider’s adult learning provision, Millennium now faces being taken off of the register of apprenticeships training providers and have its funding terminated.
The provider trains adults in subjects including electrical installation, plumbing, gas, health and social care.
Inspectors said leaders do not evaluate the quality of provision “accurately or identify suitable actions for improvement”.
They added that managers do not promote safeguarding effectively; “teachers do not ensure safe working practices in workshops, and learners’ insights into safeguarding and the ‘Prevent’ duty are poor”.
Teachers do not ensure safe working practices in workshops
However, FE Week understands the leaders of the provider are not happy with the way the inspection was carried out and is challenging the findings.
It wasn’t a good start to inspection life for Learn Plus Us either.
This independent provider, which offers apprenticeships and courses for adult learners in childcare, education, and health and social care in Barnet, was rated ‘requires improvement’ across the board.
Ofsted said the proportion of adult learners who achieve qualifications in childcare and health and social care is “too low”.
“Too few learners stay to the end of their course, and not enough students from minority ethnic backgrounds, or male students, achieve their qualifications,” inspectors added.
Leaders were criticised for not putting in place “adequate governance arrangements” in order to provide “sufficient challenge and independent scrutiny of their actions to raise standards and performance”.
However, they were applauded for creating a “supportive culture”.
Meanwhile, another University Technical College has been rated ‘inadequate’, taking the total number in the category to six.
Following an inspection in mid-February, the South Wiltshire UTC was told its leadership and management, quality of teaching, learning and assessment, outcomes for pupils and 16 to 19 study programmes were inadequate. You can read our full story on this report here.
There was also no cause for celebration at the cash-strapped Cadbury Sixth Form College, as it was given a grade three for the second time in a row.
An FE commissioner report published in March reported a “series of financial items” that “could result in the college being at immediate risk”.
In terms of academic performance, Ofsted said that between 2014/15 and 2016/17, “too few” students at Cadbury achieved their qualifications.
Inspectors said teachers do not “consistently provide sufficient academic challenge” and the learning activities are “too simple and uninspiring”. As a result, students’ work “does not reflect their potential”.
There was a mix of good and bad news for general FE colleges.
Learning activities are too simple and uninspiring
Easton & Otley College received a fairly critical second monitoring visit following its grade four report published last July.
Inspectors said “insufficient progress” was being made in safeguarding, in the college’s efforts to improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, and the actions being taken to ensure that learners’ attendance, punctuality and behaviour are “good”.
The only “significant progress” being made is in ensuring that learners for whom the college receives high-needs funding receive “high-quality teaching, learning and assessment”.
It was ‘good’ news however for Kirklees College as it was awarded a grade two in a short inspection.
The college hit the headlines last week after staff began balloting on strike action over the possibility of over 50 job cuts – owing to current financial trouble.
Inspectors acknowledged that, although the college had financial difficulties, this had not had a negative impact on the quality of education and training or the range of programmes available.
Lastly, it was also ‘good’ news for two adult and community learning providers.
Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council climbed up from a grade three to a two, with inspectors praising governors and senior leaders for “successfully” rectifying all the “weaknesses identified at the previous inspection” – such as relationships with external partners and the content on courses.
Redcar & Cleveland Adult Learning Service was also given a grade two in a short inspection report.
Seventeen former battery hens have been given a new lease of life after being taken in by staff and students at Eccles Sixth-Form College.
The college’s sport, health and social care, travel and tourism and uniformed public services departments all chipped in to cover the £4-per-hen fee charged by Lucky Hens Rescue, a Wigan-based charity which originally saved the hens from slaughter.
Now, the rescued chickens will live in a newly refurbished pen at the college, alongside seven Vorwerk chickens, a breed originating in Germany.
For now, the chickens are wearing jumpers knitted for them by health and social care students until their feathers grow back, following their ordeal.
“They have all settled in so well, it took them some time to venture outside but we have to remember they have never seen anything like this before,” said Chris Pye, the college’s animal centre coordinator.
“It was also so nice of all of the departments to come together to help these animals, and this worthy cause. I feel immensely proud of us all.”
Thirty-six teacher training organisations have joined the register of apprenticeship training providers during a secret application window, FE Week can reveal.
Employers and providers have been denied the opportunity to win a place on to RoATP ever since the third and most recent application window shut at the end of October, with results published in January.
The application process has since been put under review and will not officially reopen until September.
However, the Education and Skills Funding Agency allowed for an “extenuating circumstance” and opened the register solely for initial teacher training organisations between February 28 and March 9.
This follows a “disastrous” previous round which saw most applicants get rejected.
I can’t see how apprenticeships are going to be successful as long as we are facing these kinds of unnecessary barriers
A spokesperson for the ESFA claimed that the special window was run to ensure there are enough accredited ITT providers in place to deliver the postgraduate teacher apprenticeship from September 2018.
It is likely to form part of the government’s attempt to tackle the growing teacher recruitment crisis in schools.
A recent Department for Education forecast said the number of secondary school pupils is set to increase by 540,000 over the next seven years.
But the number of applicants for teacher-training courses as of January was 29 per cent lower than it was the same time last year.
Emma Hollis, executive director of the National Association of School-Based Teacher Trainers, insisted that while it is good that more ITTs have joined the register, this second window was forced on the government because of a calamitous first attempt.
The postgraduate teacher apprenticeship was only approved for delivery in October, at which point the ESFA started encouraging ITTs, particularly school-centred initial teacher training providers (SCITTs), to get on the register so they can deliver the standard from its launch date this September.
This round has been “disastrous”, Ms Hollis explained, as the majority failed in their bids.
It is understood that around 60 applied but only 20 got a place.
In the build-up to this special round, the government offered webinars and training to ITTs on how to write their bids because the first time had been “such a train wreck”.
But this second attempt didn’t go as smoothly as hoped either.
Ms Hollis is aware of one unnamed Ofsted-rated ‘outstanding’ SCITT which failed in its first attempt due to inadequate answers to two questions in its bid.
Emma Hollis
This provider worked with the Institute for Apprenticeships to improve and passed in the second round.
However, the SCITT still failed as a result of its answer to a safeguarding question which it had passed in the first round and hadn’t made any changes to.
“You can’t make it up,” Ms Hollis said. “I can’t see how apprenticeships are going to be successful as long as we are facing these kinds of unnecessary barriers.”
Thirty-six ITTs have now been added to RoATP following this exclusive window – bringing the number of organisations on the list to 2,623.
Those who were successful in this round told FE Week of their delight in getting on the register.
“We hope that the apprenticeship route will complement our successful Schools Direct and SCITT programmes and enable us to support more entrants into teaching,” said Heath Monk, the executive director of the Schools of King Edward VI in Birmingham.
The Kemnal Academies Trust said it was particularly excited to be able to offer the graduate teacher apprenticeship as another route into teaching, “which means that our schools will have more opportunities to successfully recruit outstanding early career teachers”.
