The controversial decision to widen admissions at a struggling small-school sixth form has come in for fierce criticism, due to a rapid decline in the need for post-16 provision in the area.

Dyke House Community College (pictured), an academy in Hartlepool, opened a sixth form in 2014, offering A-level and BTEC courses.

This was on the condition that the school only took on students who had come up from its own year 11, after they finished their GCSEs, with maximum capacity set at 200.

But it has struggled to fill places since opening, with just 89 students studying at the sixth form in 2015/16, and only 65 on courses this academic year.

To increase numbers, the school applied to widen its admissions to allow students from other providers to join its sixth form from 2018/19, which was approved by the Department for Education in January.

However, other local providers, including the principals of Hartlepool’s FE and sixth form colleges, are in uproar about the decision along with council leaders, claiming that it represented a “wild west” approach to approval.

They complained to FE Week that the move will put unreasonable extra pressure on other local post-16 providers, in the face of a fast-declining 16-to-18 population that was found by the Tees Valley area review.

Darren Hankey, principal of Hartlepool College, said he was “really at a loss” as to why the government green-lit the admissions change.

“There is clearly no need for extra post-16 provision across the Tees Valley or in Hartlepool,” he told FE Week.

“I don’t blame the school; it is doing all it can to secure its future. However, there should be more of a joined-up approach from the powers that be because. At the moment, it appears to be rationalisation on the one hand and a wild-west approach on the other.”

Maureen Bunter, principal of Hartlepool SFC, said Dyke House’s low student numbers cast doubt on how financially sustainable it would be. The decision to expand its admissions, she claimed, “completely contradicts the purpose of the area reviews”.

A Hartlepool council spokesperson said the authority “does not support the revision of the admissions policy for the sixth form at Dyke House” and has contacted the Education Funding Agency to “try to understand their position on this matter”.

After FE Week put the concerns to him, Andrew Jordon, executive principal at Dyke House Community College, said the purpose of widening the sixth form’s admission policy was to offer “greater choice and opportunity for all children in Hartlepool who are contemplating their next step in FE”.

This is only the latest baffling decision involving small sixth forms, after the Association of Colleges took the DfE to court last November over its controversial decision to approve a new small school sixth form at Abbs Cross Academy and Arts College in Essex, even though it would have broken the government’s own rules.

The move prevented plans for the sixth form from going ahead, and the government was supposed to launch a review into the guidance on how small-school sixth forms are approved.

The report on Tees Valley area review of post-16 education, published last November, warned that by 2019/20 there would be about 2,000 fewer 16- to 18-year-olds in the area than there are now.

A raft of mergers were recommended to ensure FE providers in the area would continue to be financially viable, including joining Hartlepool College and Hartlepool SFC.

Julian Gravatt, the AOC’s assistant chief executive, told FE Week that the government must consider the “demand and growth of student numbers, before giving permission for any new institutions to open or expand their offer”.

When asked if AoC had contributed yet to the government review on small sixth forms, he said the association had submitted a letter with proposals for amended guidance on the approval process to civil servants in November.

It is unclear whether the government had taken the matter any further; the DfE refused to respond to FE Week’s request for an update on the review’s progress.

The selection process for the new register of apprenticeship training providers has been branded an “omnishambles”, after providers with no delivery experience whatsoever have found their way onto it while numerous huge, established colleges have missed out.

The Skills Funding Agency this week published the full list of 1,708 providers which will be eligible to deliver apprenticeships from May, whittled down from 2,327 applications.

Many colleges with significant current apprenticeship allocations, including Bournemouth and Poole College, Hartlepool College, Birmingham Metropolitan College and Northbrook College, have expressed dismay after they didn’t make it onto the list.

To add insult to injury, FE Week analysis shows, for example, that one person operating from a rented office in Knutsford, Cheshire has succeeded in getting their three companies, Cranage Ltd, Obscurant Limited, and Tatton Solutions Ltd onto the approved ‘main route’ register – even though none of these companies has any experience of running government-funded apprenticeships.

The shadow skills minister Gordon Marsden told FE Week that the register was “looking like an omnishambles”.

He continued: “I fear that this reflects the concern I’ve been expressing for months that the SFA just doesn’t have the resources to carry out due diligence on this scale.

“The SFA should now give a clear indication of how thorough the checking process has been.”

Cranage, Obscurant, and Tatton Solutions were all incorporated between August and December 2015, and their first sets of annual accounts are due within months.

Another private training provider, the Hertfordshire-based Apple Training Academy, is on the RoATP despite having ceased trading, while the Essex-based Firm Training only launched in February 2017 – from a residential address (see below).

A DfE spokesperson told FE Week that “all providers were given a clear set of criteria they had to meet, in order to ensure they can receive public funds for apprenticeship training: due diligence, financial health, capacity and quality”.

He continued: “We will provide personalised feedback to all providers who do not make it onto the register to help them understand what they need to do to be successful in the future.”

The process was geared towards “ensuring excellence for apprenticeship provision”, and it “cannot compromise on our commitment” to rigorous quality tests.

The director of Cranage, Obscurant, and Tatton Solutions is Peter Sherry, the former chief executive of the National Skills Academy Logistics which went into liquidation in 2013 after the Skills Funding Agency pulled its financial support.

Obscurant is also on the old register of training organisations (Roto) – but Cranage and Tatton are not.

Mr Sherry confirmed that just 16 people work across all three companies, but added that with Cranage, which still has no official website, “we are still effectively looking at where we will run”.

“We are looking at senior management qualifications,” he added. “But in doing those we want to see whether we can work with a third party, maybe even a college or another prime.”

The SFA declined to comment on whether connected companies were supposed to apply for the register, though Mr Sherry said: “We are finding employers, now in control of apprenticeships funding, are often now looking to work with a number of different specialist smaller companies. That is the model we plan to follow.”

He added: “Some employers see it as a massive advantage that you have not offered apprenticeships previously. They like it if we come to them fresh and with a different approach.”

The inclusion of his firms on RoATP will surprise many in FE, who were led to believe that only providers with a firm track record in delivering apprenticeships would be allowed onto it, in order to maintain quality.

Peter Lauener, the head of the SFA and shadow chief executive of the Institute for Apprenticeships, told FE Week’s Annual Apprenticeship Conference a year ago that the new register was being introduced “to make sure any provider available for an employer to use meets the right standards”.

Small distance learning provider ‘delighted’

An Essex-based private provider has been accepted onto the RoATP despite only being incorporated in February last year, apparently from a residential property.

Firm Training says it delivers distance learning specialising in online access to higher education for courses including nursing and midwifery, according its website.

However there is no evidence of the provider having any experience of running government-funded apprenticeships training.

It is not on the SFA’s general register of training organisations and its website lists no address.

Firm Training is however registered on the UK register of learning providers to a residential property in Essex.

FE Week asked Firm Training if it had ever delivered government-funded apprenticeships, and what types of apprenticeships it would offer now it’s on the register.

A spokesperson would only say: “I would like to say that we are delighted to be added to the register and are now situated in an office (waiting for the registered address to be amended).”

Firm stops trading days before register success

A private training provider is on RoATP despite having ceased trading.

Hertfordshire-based Apple Training Academy is listed as a main provider on the register, but is understood to have gone out of business this month.

FE Week has been unable to contact Apple Training Academy directly, as the provider’s phone is no longer working and our emails have not been answered.

However, a spokesperson for the provider’s accountants, Lawrence and Company, confirmed it had ceased trading and was currently going through insolvency.

Apple Training Academy is not listed on the SFA’s current register of training organisations, nor does it appear on the SFA’s subcontractor list.

According to its website, which is still up and running, it had offered a range qualifications in health and social care, child care, business and management, and training.

A news story posted on February 27 indicated that it would be offering apprenticeships from May.

“New apprenticeship funding is available from 1st May. Don’t miss out!” it said.

The provider’s Facebook page is full of comments from angry customers who have lost money, having paid for training but not received it.

A national training provider has called in the administrators – leaving up to 900 learners uncertain about their futures and 54 staff out of work.

Slic Training, which has a head office in Chesterfield but delivers training as a subcontractor nationally to seven main providers, went into administration on March 10.

The provider has subcontracts worth a total of £3.6 million and had delivered land based provision, mainly horticulture apprenticeships, as well as pre-employment training to between 800 and 900 learners.

Chief executive Ian Benison told FE Week the problems with Slic Training resulted from an “unfortunate set of circumstances” that ended in them being unable to pay staff wages on the last day of February.

He said he tried to find a buyer to save the firm but was unsuccessful. As a result he was forced to put the provider into administration and make all staff redundant with immediate effect on March 10.

Mr Benison added: “I don’t want to go blaming certain organisations or people for what has happened, but all I’m happy to say is that this is the result of an unfortunate set of circumstances which were avoidable.

“We had fantastic staff and potential but this unfortunate set of circumstances impacted on our cash flow. We didn’t get supported by the bank who withdraw their support for us and that was the final piece of the jigsaw, they let us down badly.

“I feel really sorry for the employers and learners who we are letting down as a result.”

Slic Training had been on the Skills Funding Agency’s Register of Training Organisations, but not on its new Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers published yesterday.

Mr Benison said he is “led to believe” that the seven main providers who Slic subcontracted for are putting a plan of action together, that may include “offering jobs to some of the SLIC staff to continue training the learners and make minimal disruption for them”.

South Essex College was one of the main providers and had 308 apprentices and a contract worth £1,446,752 with Slic.

Anthony McGarel, deputy principal of South Essex College, said: “Yes we are aware of the situation and SLIC are fully cooperating with us. We’re putting a plan in place with the other providers so that none of these students will be left high and dry, every single one will complete their course.”

Skills Training UK had 17 learners with Slic Training, with a subcontract worth £79,529.

The main provider’s development director Graham Clarke said: “When SLIC Training emailed to alert us to cash flow problems we decided (as a precaution) to start making alternative arrangements for the 17 learners they were managing on our behalf.

“On Monday, March 13, we were emailed to say they had gone into liquidation the previous Friday.

“We then escalated our efforts to complete the new arrangements and are pleased to say that 14 of the 17 learners have already been placed with other Skills Training UK partners in the Black Country. Some are already continuing their programmes with the new providers.”

The five other main providers for Slic were Calderdale College, with a £563,465 contract, Prevista Ltd with a £891,000 contract, Qube Qualifications and Development Ltd with a contract worth £273,894, RNN Group with a £373,927 contract, and Sheffield City Council with a £1,773 contract. All five were unable to comment ahead of publication.

The SFA has been approached for comment, but was unable to do so. The same was the case with administrators Begbies Traynor.

Allocation worth up to £440m for delivering apprenticeship training to non-levy employers have been delayed by the Skills Funding Agency, FE Week can reveal.

It is understood that everyone who applied for the non-levy funding has been sent a notification on the government’s Bravo e-tendering portal – seen by FE Week – confirming the delay.

It will cause huge sector frustration – as the delay, with no alternative date supplied, comes shortly before the apprenticeship levy is due to go live next month.

The SFA message stated: “We are notifying you that we have amended the timetable for communication of results to applicants that was published in the specification document for ITT 30190.

“As soon as we are able, we will advise you of the amended timetable through this e-tendering portal (Bravo). If you have any questions, please ask them through this message board. Thank you.”

Mark Dawe, chief executive at AELP said: “It is disappointing that the statement on Bravo doesn’t offer any timetable on when providers can now expect to be notified and the ‘early March’ deadline looks like it has been missed.

“Providers really need to know their allocations so they can properly plan their provision and confirm with their existing employers whether or not their partnerships can continue, many of which have been in place for many years.

“More uncertainty is not in the interests of apprentices either who want to be confident that they can complete their programmes without unnecessary disruption.”

FE Week reported on March 8 that a key meeting that the SFA was supposed to hold that day, to reach final decisions on which providers will be allocated a non-levy employer funding allocation, had been cancelled.

We also learned that no date had been set, for when this would be rescheduled.

The SFA had been due to hold the meeting, where amounts that providers would receive was supposed to be agreed.

FE Week has asked the Department for Education this evening for more information on what is happening with the delay, but they declined to comment.

It comes as the list of those who have made it onto the Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers was published today.

Initial applications to join the RoATP, which providers have to be on if they want to deliver apprenticeship starts from May 1, closed on November 25.

FE Week analysis showed a week later that 1,753 providers applied to the register, to be able to deliver training directly or as a sub-contractor to large, levy-paying employers.

Of these, just 1,310 – or 75 per cent – also applied to deliver training to smaller, non-levy paying employers.

This meant that 25 per cent of providers turned down the opportunity to receive an allocation to deliver apprenticeships to companies that won’t be subject to the levy.

The SFA then announced on February 8 that it “will reopen the register for new applicants and/or those who were unsuccessful in their initial application.

“The re-opening will be soon after the first planned publication, probably in March,” a spokesperson added.

FE Week asked the department that evening if this was a panic measure to bring in more providers, and if the results of this second window would now be published before May 1.

The DfE took two weeks to respond, eventually saying on February 22 that this wasn’t a sign of panic.

The levy, first announced by the government in July, is set at 0.5 per cent of an employer’s paybill.

As outlined in the new guidance, all employers will receive a £15,000 allowance to offset against the levy. This means only businesses with a paybill of more than £3m will pay. 

That money raised will be ring-fenced, so it can only be spent on training apprentices and all levy-paying companies will receive a 10 per cent top up on monthly levy contributions. But the government will still allocate funding for apprenticeships with non-levy payers.