The government has U-turned on its decision not to publish controversial achievement rate data – after FE Week revealed that ministers were hiding the figures.

Two weeks ago, the Department for Education published revised national achievement rates tables for 2015/16 for individual providers – but without comparable figures for previous years, which are needed to give any kind of indication of providers’ progress.

Jonathan Portes, an independent expert in government statistics and a professor of economics and public policy at Kings College London, called for an investigation into the DfE’s failure to be forthcoming with the necessary data, which he described as “incomprehensible”.

The department now appears to have seen sense after it announced this week that it would release the data after all.

In an updated bulletin for the tables, released on June 23, the DfE said: “The implementation of the improved methodology for the 2015 to 2016 qualification achievement rates led to a significant impact on the estimates compared to previous years.

“Therefore, for the first time, we published a three-year comparison at the national level as part of the FE and skills statistical first release.

“We are now assessing how we can publish additional information that allows for some comparability at provider level for earlier years based on 2015 to 2016 methodology.

“These years will be the same as those provided at national level in the SFR. There will be limitations, as estimates will not fully replicate the 2015 to 2016 methodology for previous years’ data.”

The DfE said it would announce a date for when this information will be able to be provided “as soon as possible”.

This has become necessary since February this year, when the department revised its 2015/16 figures to close a series of loopholes in the way the numbers are reported – which caused an overall fall of nearly five points in recorded achievement rates.

Three months on, it published revised figures for individual providers, without the necessary context.

Mr Portes said at the time that “these revisions are large and of significant public interest”.

He has now told FE Week that the DfE’s reversal on publishing the controversial data “is to be welcomed”.

But he added it was a “pity” it had to be “dragged out of them”, and “hopefully this episode will not be repeated”.

According to FE Week analysis of the NART data released on June 15, 18 providers saw their achievement rates for apprenticeships drop by 30 points or more between 2014/15 and 2015/16 – with the biggest fall coming in at -71.3 points. Half of these were from providers rated ‘good’ by Ofsted.

The NARTs cover apprenticeships, education and training, are published annually, but in recent years releases have been subject to delays.

Achievement rate figures for courses ending no later than July 31 the previous year would typically be published in March, but were delayed this year several times, most recently by the general election purdah period.

And FE Week described in December 2015 how the publication of the achievement rates for 2014/15 had been pushed back, with promises that they would be released “towards the end of March”.

They were eventually released in May 2016.

Mr Portes told FE Week he would be “astonished” if, having made a public commitment, the DfE did not now publish the comparable data – adding that it would be “highly improper and almost unprecedented in my recollection”.

Read editor Nick Linford’s take on the U-turn here

Colleges are facing a tough period of transformation, with area review implementation presenting an unavoidable challenge for all, while for some, mergers will be an immediate concern.

As a result, FE leaders like you will be making big decisions that will affect the long-term future of colleges. The opportunities that technology can afford will be among the most important considerations at the start of any period of change, but do you know where to start? 

Whether you need to manage a merger, keep pace with the changing learning landscape, develop innovative teaching and learning practices or drive greater financial resilience, embedding digital technology is essential. After all, a digitally-savvy college is an attractive place to work and learn. 

Technology toolkits

As the UK’s specialist education technology charity, Jisc is uniquely and ideally placed to help. As a Jisc member, you can benefit from our expertise and a range of tailored digital solutions. 

We have already worked with a variety of colleges through the area review process and understand the complexities and challenges. To help, we’ve produced a series of technology toolkits that will help you to understand the technology your college requires, depending on the current level of digital capability.  

The products, services and solutions outlined in the toolkits act as a guide in order for you to cross-check in your own college whether you are taking advantage of these.

As the name suggests, our mergers toolkit outlines ways that Jisc can help colleges join together successfully and emerge from the process as efficient, sustainable and high-quality providers of learning and skills. It gives impartial advice to address business-critical issues, ensure reliable, secure network access and maintain transparency on IT costs.  

To hear insights and key learnings from colleges who’ve already gone through a merger, Jisc are running a series of free online briefings with the first taking place on 4 July.  To register your interest or for further information please email training.technologies@jisc.ac.uk.

Our transformational toolkit is a three-in-one offering. In a trio of separate packages, various digital solutions are grouped together. The basic package – the essentials toolkit – covers budget management, staff training, network security and resources for teaching and learning. The development toolkit adds technology to drive further efficiencies, while the innovation toolkit focuses on more top-line services and products such as learning analytics and migration to cloud computing. 

Area review: the digital challenge – a free event

On 2 October in London and 9 October in Manchester, senior leaders have an opportunity to see how integrating digital technology into their plans for change can help achieve organisational goals and enhance the learning experience.  

Aimed at colleges that have begun, or are about to begin, implementing area review changes, these free events will help you to:

• Explore digital input at both strategic and operational levels
• Reflect on how digital technology is changing the way organisations operate
• Explore how to lead, manage and influence digitally-driven change across organisations and teams 
• Reflect on the potential of digital for a restructuring facility bid

Places are available on a first-come-first-served basis. To reserve a space, register here for London or Manchester. 

Delivering a great learning experience

Colleges can’t afford to be complacent about the importance of embedding technology in all aspects of teaching, learning and assessment, as results of a survey Jisc commissioned earlier this year illustrate. The study, among 1,000 16- to 24-year-old learners, found that nearly three quarters (74%) of FE students think technology and digital know-how are important when choosing a course or university, 77% think technology is becoming increasingly important in education, while 76% who think technology is becoming increasingly important – think so because it allows them to submit work easily and makes life more efficient.

Key to the success of any investment in technology is making certain that staff at all levels are competent and confident in using technology, and again, Jisc can help with this too. We support the development of digital capabilities through a series of free Connect More events. These take place throughout June and July across the UK, targeted at those who teach and support learning, who discuss key issues and share best practice.  

Contact Us

As a Jisc member, you already have a dedicated account manager who’s available to talk through any area of interest outlined above. You can easily contact your account manager via this link . For merger support, you can contact a subject specialist via email to consultancy@jisc.ac.uk.

Fears are growing that apprentices may lose their voice at the top level, after the Institute for Apprenticeships deferred an invitation to have its own apprentice panel make a presentation to its board.

In an email sent to the apprentices who make up the 11-strong panel and seen by FE Week, the IfA withdrew its request for a presentation about a ‘quality toolkit’ at its monthly board meeting on July 5.

A later date of October 4 was suggested as an alternative.

A spokesperson for the National Society of Apprentices, itself a division of the National Union of Students, told FE Week that it was “deeply concerned” that the invitation to present in July had been withdrawn.

“The apprentice panel was set up to be the main conduit for apprentice voice to feed into the institute and without this relationship, apprentice voice is seriously damaged at this level,” she said.

With a new skills minster, Anne Milton, now in place, it’s feared this delay indicates that the attention given to apprentices by the previous minister Robert Halfon may be lost.

“We heard Anne Milton talk about wanting to listen to as many voices as possible so we hope that she backs her words up with action and reinstates the invitation to the apprentice panel,” said NSOA’s spokesperson.

She stressed that the body had been “very clear of the need for a strong apprentice voice on the board” since the IfA was first created.

“Good apprentice voice improves the breadth of voices that the board hears; it improves quality, and makes sure that the board remembers that without apprentices there are no apprenticeships,” she said.

An IfA spokesperson said: “The institute’s apprenticeship panel will meet with the board four times a year.

“Board members have also been invited to attend the apprenticeship panel meetings to ensure we get maximum engagement with the panel. The institute’s apprenticeship panel attended the second board meeting which was held in May.

“Their presentation covered their own experiences of apprenticeships and their early thoughts on what as a panel they wanted to work on.”

The IfA’s panel of apprentices, which first met in April, is made up of current or recent apprentices from a wide range of occupations and experiences from up and down the country.

Its role is to decide which issues need to be focused on from the learner’s perspective, and ensure apprentices are heard during the decision-making structure of the institute.

In its early stages of development, there were fears that the IfA may not have any apprentice representation at all.

The process of appointing the IfA’s board took considerably longer than expected, and the shadow skills minister Gordon Marsden described the institute’s creation as “a complete shambles”.

It was at this time that major sector figures such as Shakira Martin, who was then the NUS vice-president for FE, and Shane Chowen, head of policy at the Learning and Work Institute, called for apprentices to take up places on the board itself – but the government would not commit to the idea.

However, in December 2016, Mr Halfon confirmed during the sixth sitting of the public bill committee for the Technical and Further Education Bill that the IfA would “invite apprentices to establish an apprentice panel, which would report directly to the board” and “challenge and make recommendations”.

The NUS hailed the move as a victory for learners at the time.

Main image: Former apprenticeships and skills minister Robert Halfon meets the IfA apprentice panel in April 

The delay to results for the Adult Education Budget (AEB) tender will last until the end of July, the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) has said this afternoon.

Independent learning providers had been told last October that they would need to re-tender for around £110m of the Adult Education Budget for 2017/18.

The tender took place between January and February of this year, with the expectation the results would be shared on the May 19. 

Since then, providers have been desperate to know if they will have any funding from August.

The ESFA finally changed their “in due course” response this afternoon, saying that tender results will now be shared with applicants “at the end of July”, and in the meantime 2016/17 contracts will be extended “for a three-month period, until 31st October 2017.”

The ESFA message to relevant providers said in full:

“Following our earlier messages issued on 9th May and 13th June regarding the impact of the General Election on our planned communications, please note that notifications of contract award will now be made at the end July 2017.

“As a result, the ESFA will now be extending the existing 2016/2017 contracts for Adult Education Budget (AEB) services for a three-month period, until 31st October 2017.

“Details of the existing providers can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sfa-funding-allocations-to-training-providers-2016-to-2017

“This extension reinstates the original time period scheduled to occur between the result notification and contract start date.

“This means that contracts awarded through this AEB procurement exercise will now be for an initial nine-month period only running from 1 November 2017 to 31st July 2018, with possible extensions for up to two 12 month periods, at the ESFA’s discretion.

“We will shortly be writing to existing AEB providers to confirm the details of these arrangements.”

A London college that had been set for a ground-breaking partnership with an adult learning provider has announced plans for an alternative merger.

Kensington and Chelsea College emerged from the central London area review with a recommendation to merge with City Literary Institute, a specialist designated institution.

But today (June 28) the college announced it plans to join forces with Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College instead, with a planned merger date of 2018.

Michelle Sutton, interim principal at KCC, described the college’s new partner as “very strong, well-respected and successful”.

“This announcement is the result of a long and careful process to ensure the best future for students of all ages in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, ensuring good provision in the borough while at the same time drawing on the resources of a larger organisation,” she said.

Garry Phillips, EHWLC principal, said he was “truly excited” about the benefits of the merger for “both students and businesses in the area”.

The opportunities offered by the merged colleges “will prepare students for the very best chance of career success, help secure the future of further education across London and make a significant contribution to the economic development of our region,” he said.

EHWLC, which has around 13,000 learners, bounced back to good from a previous inadequate rating when it was inspected by Ofsted in May.

Meanwhile, KCC, which received a grade three in its most recent inspection in March, has around 2,500 learners.

The proposals will lead to the creation of another London ‘mega college’.

City and Islington College and Westminster Kingsway joined forces in August 2016, creating a combined institution with an estimated 27,000 learners.

Tower Hamlets and Hackney Community colleges also merged in August 2016 to form the 17,000- learner New City College Group, with 3,000-learner Redbridge College joining them in April.

And in May the College of North West London and the City of Westminster College announced that they intended to pair up from August.

The change of plans makes the previously planned merger between KCC and City Lit – news of which came to light in November last year – the 13^th area review-recommended partnership to fall apart.

Had it gone ahead the partnership would have been the first merger between a general FE college and a specialist designated institution in recent years.

SDIs differ from general FE colleges as they are independently constituted charities typically delivering short courses or residential provision for adults.

The report into the central London area review, published in February, said the merged college would “offer a diverse programme with wide appeal to attract a broad demographic, including people who can afford to pay fees and funded learners”.

A spokesperson for City Lit said the colleges had jointly decided to call off the merger in February, following discussions.

“We share very similar values but at this moment in time there just isn’t a compelling enough reason to merge,” she said.

KCC was rocked by scandal earlier this year when it emerged that former principal Mark Brickley had racked up bills of £60,000 in overseas trips.

Those visits had been intended to recruit international students – but it wasn’t clear if any actually signed up as a result.

That news came after Mr Brickley resigned with immediate effect in October last year.

His shock departure was for “personal reasons” a KCC spokesperson said at the time.

The new skills minister has reassured the sector that her motivation in the role is “to make it work” rather than to introduce “new, bright ideas”, after what has been a “frustrating” and “bruising period” for many providers recently.

Her new position would be “a job of delivery”, said Anne Milton as she delivered the keynote speech to a packed hall on day one of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers’ 2017 conference (June 26).

The tone of Ms Milton’s speech was collaborative and open – repeatedly stressing the need to “work together”, and telling the audience she could stay “as long as you want me” to answer their questions.

“As a new minister it’s important for me to hear about your experiences,” she said.

“I’m here to listen and to learn, and I hope also to offer some clarity about the way forward.”

Ms Milton’s speech did provide clarity on a number of points, confirming for example that a new procurement process for non-levy apprenticeship contracts would be launched in July, and the previous procurement cancelled.

Before the recent general election, the government decided to pause the procurement process due to what Ms Milton referred to as “unprecedented demand”.

She explained that the decision had finally been made to scrap this attempt altogether because it was not providing “the diverse market we are looking for” or giving the sector “enough stability”.

My intention is not to come in with any new bright ideas, my intention is to make it work

The new procurement contracts will cover the period from January 2018 to April 2019, she said, and the Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers will not open whilst the procurement is open between end of July and end of August.

She said: “I hope these moves will give you all more certainty in the approach we are taking to apprenticeships and wider adult education funding in the months ahead.

“Nothing is perfect, but from what I’ve heard there has been some excellent work done to put in place the apprenticeship reforms.”

She concluded that it was “now up to me and to you along with our officials to work together” in order deliver “the very best training opportunities and a real choice for employers and apprentices”.

After Ms Milton’s speech, Mark Dawe, chief executive of AELP, thanked the minister, saying her points were “positive news”.

However he acknowledged there were likely to be “plenty of people in the room” who were “groaning” because of the news that they would have to go through the procurement exercise again, but added that “given where we were, it’s worth doing”.

This feeling was reiterated by Jo Fisher from Dutton Fisher Associates, a small training provider.

She told FE Week: “I really do welcome the fact that they’re going to bring this forward, but now we’ve got to go through the whole procurement thing again.

“I’m concerned that it’s July – we want to know when the start is, when the end is … that’s going to have a big impact for us.”

Despite some frustration around Ms Milton’s announcements, Mr Dawe he was pleased to hear her calls to “work together”.

He said: “We want to be able to feed in, explain our concerns and at least have an understanding – even if we don’t always agree.”

Ms Milton insisted that she would “listen and “take notice” of what the sector had to say, and also highlighted her preference for working quickly and efficiently wherever possible.

“I am somebody who has absolutely no patience at all, I want everything done yesterday and I will only forgive not doing it yesterday if it’s in an attempt to get it right,” she said, answering a question from FE Week deputy editor Paul Offord about the recent fall in apprenticeship starts.

Speaking at the FE Week Festival of Skills last week (June 22), Mr Dawe said apprenticeship starts had fallen to around a quarter of what they were last year, according to feedback from members.

Ms Milton said that she wanted to see this drop in starts “changed quite dramatically and quite quickly”.

She also apologised for the high turnover of ministers FE has seen recently, in response to a question from Alex Ford of CT Skills about how she plans to raise the profile of the sector.

She said: “It is frustrating and it’s actually been quite unusual … for that I can only apologise.

“You must contact me, if you feel you that are being excluded or left behind or not given enough priority then let me know.”

Published in our #AELP2017 supplement – click here to download.