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‘ofsted watch’

Sam Parrett, principal, Bromley College

As her heart raced, her mouth dried and her imagination ran wild with the tragic scenes that could lay ahead after reports of a gunman on campus, Sam Parrett was calmed by the wise words of her then-principal. “No matter how much you’re panicking inside, all the people in that building are panicking much, much […]

Profiles

Functional Skills first reveals just 63pc achievement

Nearly 40 per cent of under 19 Functional Skills (FS) enrolments at general FE and tertiary colleges and independent learning providers (ILPs) failed to achieve their qualification last academic year, it has been revealed. The figure is based on the Skills Funding Agency success rates tables, published this month, which for the first time included […]

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Closure of third-full UTC prompts wider review call

College sector leaders have called for a review of the drive for more University Technical Colleges (UTC) after one of the very first to open announced it was closing — on the same day the Prime Minister visited a UTC to promise one “within reach of every city”. Black Country UTC announced on Tuesday (April […]

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New Bubbles’s Learning Revolution conference

Creative teaching and the role of research were discussed at the New Bubbles Learning Revolution Conference, which also saw calls for Ofsted to be abolished. Delegates heard from TV scientist Professor Robert Winston, a range of academics and principals as well as current and former Ofsted inspectors at the lively conference near Heathrow, London. Among […]

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Provider hit with grade four rating after just one apprenticeship achievement in two years

An independent learning provider that has seen just one learner achieve an apprenticeship since it started running the programme almost two years ago is having its government funding withdrawn after it was branded inadequate by Ofsted. Kats Learning Ltd, a Hampshire-based company with 118 apprentices on hairdressing, business management and customer services frameworks, was issued with […]

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Lewisham Southwark College gets two-inadequates-in-a-row first as pace of improvement criticised

Lewisham Southwark College has been given the ignominious honour of becoming the first FE and skills provider to be branded inadequate by Ofsted twice in a row. In a report on an inspection in February, which was released today (pictured above), the college was mauled by the education watchdog over the pace of improvement and a failure to […]

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Ofsted hits back at ‘not fit for purpose’ criticism

Ofsted has defended itself against criticism in an Association of Colleges (AoC) paper that branded the education watchdog as “not fit for purpose” and “driven by political considerations”. The paper, written by FE consultant Mick Fletcher, went on to call for a “slimmed down version” of Ofsted for under-19 FE provision and a new system […]

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Ofsted ‘sea change’ over college finances

Ofsted has undergone a “sea change” in the way it looks at college finances, according to a principal who got two good ratings among his headline fields and yet emerged with an inadequate result overall. Weymouth College, visited by FE Commissioner Dr David Collins over its finances just under a year ago, got grade two […]

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Commissioner visits first two local authority providers

The FE Commissioner has made his first two visits to inspect local authority provision, FE Week can reveal. Dr David Collins visited Lancashire Adult Learning (LAL), run by Lancashire County Council, and Warrington Borough Council last month to review adult learning after grade four Ofsted inspection results. The commissioner’s powers of intervention extend to FE […]

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