Sustainability

Why every college should put learners at the heart of green initiatives

Giving students power and agency over environmental work is benefitting our estate, our learners, our teachers, our community, and…

JL Dutaut
Dr Catherine Richards and Vanesa
The Staffroom – opinion

A social media ban wouldn’t stop the need to educate

An Australia-style ban would only leave colleges picking up the pieces of social media misuse. We need to start…

JL Dutaut
Pete Middleton
Pay

All I want for Christmas is (slightly) better FE pay

A report published last week showed the impact of low pay on sector recruitment – but it also hinted…

JL Dutaut
Tim Leunig
Apprenticeships

Labour’s Level 7 plans are a social justice travesty

Limiting access to higher apprenticeships can only hurt the most vulnerable. How can this be Labour policy?

JL Dutaut
Christine Doubleday
level 3

Level 3 announcement is a shot in the arm for sector unity

The government has made the right decision in most cases and bought the sector time to keep making its…

JL Dutaut
James Kewin
Skills shortages

The latest OECD data isn’t as positive as it appears

Headline figures on literacy and numeracy are encouraging, but they mask inequalities precisely in areas where the economy is…

JL Dutaut
Jude Hillary


Finance

Merger can be the best option to secure a college’s future

The thought can be daunting, but some precautions can ensure a merger is not unsettling and the result serves…

JL Dutaut
John Revill
The Staffroom – opinion

The Staffroom: Why you should check your pension without delay

If it feels like a low priority, treat it like sharing in some arcane secret or discovering an old…

JL Dutaut
David Murray
Curriculum

More than a number: why our exam grade fixation needs to change

Curriculum squeeze hinders colleges from focusing on learners’ real priorities at the start of their journeys. So what can…

JL Dutaut
Kevin O’Hare
The Uncivil Servant

Harry Potter and the education policymakers’ mistake

J.K. Rowling got the ending of the Harry Potter series wrong – and education policy continues to emulate the…

JL Dutaut
Andrew Otty
Legal

The implications of a pause in OfS regulatory functions  

The legality of this week’s decision by the Office for Students is questionable, and its implications are immediate and…

JL Dutaut
Smita Jamdar
social mobility

We need a new debate on opportunity and social mobility

In a new report, the Social Mobility Commission sets out its next steps to improving opportunity for all

JL Dutaut
Alun Francis