Staffroom – Opinion

Labour must end the scandal of FE teacher pay

Teachers have absorbed the blows of a decade funding cuts through their pay cheques and it’s hurting them, the…

JL Dutaut
Anonymous
Apprenticeship levy

Labour can do much better than simply tweaking the levy

The government should learn the lessons from decades of levy forerunners to bring about a more fundamental re-modelling of…

JL Dutaut
Graham Hasting-Evans and Jonathan Shaw
level 3

Our three recommendations to the government’s Level 3 review

The review must take students’ needs as its starting point to decide on the right mix of qualifications

JL Dutaut
James Kewin
The Uncivil Servant

Why I won’t give up on our English GCSE resitters

English can be a powerful intervention for students’ mental health as well as their future prosperity. That’s why we…

JL Dutaut
Andrew Otty
level 3

We can’t afford complacency in the fight for BTECs

Defunding these qualifications is ill-informed and the risk is too high for learners, colleges and universities

JL Dutaut
David Phoenix
Accountability

What FE thinks of Ofsted – and how to improve it

A new report reveals the good and bad of college inspection and hopes to shape a nuanced debate about…

JL Dutaut
Andrea Laczik


Obituary

Obituary: Reverend Claudette Athea Douglas

Claudette will be remembered across the sector for her devotion to students and staff, writes Sam Parrett

Shane Chowen
Sam Parrett CBE
Budget 2024

Beyond the budget headlines, cuts loom for adult education

Investment plans for skills still fall short of big ambitions for economic growth, writes Stephen Evans

Shane Chowen
Stephen Evans
Budget 2024

A welcome budget, but what comes next matters more

Extra funding is welcome, but the last thing colleges need is more red tape, writes Mark Taylor

Shane Chowen
Mark Taylor
Budget 2024

The budget gave us reasons to be optimistic (and nervous)

This wasn’t a game-changing budget for FE, but there are early signs Labour sees skills as essential for growth,…

Shane Chowen
George Ryan
Adult education

Neglecting over-50s in the training world must change – here’s how we do it

Recruiting and retaining older learners and creating inclusive training programmes that meet their needs are imperatives

JL Dutaut
Sara Roberts
level 3

Level 3 qualifications reform poses a risk to digital skills

BTECS are an essential part of skills training for the digital sector, for which no replacement yet exists

JL Dutaut
Julia Von Klonowski