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Long read
Long read

New FE commissioner Ellen Thinnesen heralds a new dawn for oversight

From revelation in Grimsby to tackling racism head-on in Sunderland, frontline nursing to testy mergers, Ellen Thinnesen’s unorthodox path…

Jessica Hill
Jessica Hill
Colleges, Long read
Investigation

Inside FE’s lifeline for under-16s: Stepping in where schools fail

More and more anxious 14-16 year olds not in school are starting afresh in colleges, but they are under-recognised,…

Jessica Hill
Jessica Hill
Long read, Politics
Profile

Kim Leadbeater MP

Sport-mad MP Kim Leadbeater, who entered politics after the murder of her sister Jo Cox, tells Jessica Hill she…

Jessica Hill
Jessica Hill
Colleges, Long read
Long read

Day in the life with hairdressing lecturer Lisa Charles

Lisa Charles was proud to be named Pearson National Teaching Awards FE lecturer of the year. But though teaching…

Jessica Hill
Jessica Hill
Long read, Skills reform
Long read

Mapping the skills debate across the opposition benches

Thirty years after ‘education, education, education’: Where are we now? A look at how today’s parties are positioning themselves on…

Jessica Hill
Jessica Hill
Colleges, Long read
Long read

Sloan in at the deep end: Liam Sloan, Bolton College CEO

Walking into a financial scandal wasn’t the perfect homecoming for Liam Sloan when he returned from years of leadership…

Jessica Hill
Jessica Hill
Long read, SEND
Long read

SEND first class: How groundbreaking partnership are rethinking SEND support

The Sutton Life Centre is one of several partnerships between colleges and external partners, where SEND learners are prepared…

Jessica Hill
Jessica Hill
Colleges, Long read
Exclusive

Legrave’s last orders: build cash, challenge leaders and don’t ignore teaching

In her final interview, the outgoing FE Commissioner warns colleges not to mistake funding rises for financial safety

Shane Chowen
Shane Chowen
Devolution, Long read
Long read

The politics behind the King of the North’s MBacc mission

Andy Burnham is grabbing headlines with his ambition for the MBacc technical education programme. But take-up has been slower…

Jessica Hill
Jessica Hill
Long read, NEETs
Long read

How NEET providers are propping up a failing system

Helping inactive young people get back on track is being hampered by a youth population spike, market instability and…

Jessica Hill
Jessica Hill
Colleges, Long read
Long read

Inside Karen Redhead’s battle to rebuild West London College

‘Not for the faint-hearted’: How Redhead pulled her college back from the brink

Jessica Hill
Jessica Hill
Adult education, Long read
Long read

The wounded mothership: the WEA navigates adult education’s new era

Jessica Hill meets the WEA’s chief executive Simon Parkinson at the group’s new Brighton base to hear how the…

Jessica Hill
Jessica Hill