Windsor Learning Partnership
‘ofsted watch’
Ofsted will soon be handed powers to inspect all universities that offer apprenticeships – including the likes of Cambridge, FE Week can reveal. In a controversial move, the education watchdog is set to take on responsibility for overseeing all apprenticeships, including those at the degree levels of 6 and 7, for the first time. Only […]
News
On 17 January 2020, FE Week was first to report that the government was working on new legislation in the form of an FE Bill, which “could mean colleges lose ultimate power over deciding which courses are run”. Four days later, on the 21 January, Amanda Spielman, Ofsted’s chief inspector, gave a speech in which […]
Opinion
Ofsted has today published further details about how their “interim visits” of FE providers will work this autumn. The watchdog stressed these will not be routine inspections and will not result in a judgement grade. The guidance follows an announcement in July that Ofsted would use a phased return to routine inspections, following a pause […]
The AELP Business Recovery Conference on 9-10 September 2020 is the flagship skills event of the year. Presented online via Zoom, keynote speakers include: Apprenticeships and skills minister Gillian Keegan Shadow skills minister Toby Perkins West Midlands mayor Andy Street ESFA apprenticeships director Peter Mucklow CBI UK policy director Matthew Fell AELP chairman Martin Dunford. […]
News, Opinion
A senior Ofsted director has been seconded to a government team planning for the return of students to schools and colleges. Sean Harford, the watchdog’s national director of education, moved temporarily to the Cabinet Office this week to work on the government’s response to the pandemic. He will be there until the end of the […]
Ofsted has confirmed it will proceed with a shake-up of the redress system for inspections, but will give providers five working days to complain, rather than two. The watchdog has published the outcome to its consultation on changes to complaints, which was launched in March. The consultation proposed that formal complaints raised by education providers […]
The education watchdog Ofsted has published its corporate annual report and accounts, which give an update on the inspectorate’s performance as an organisation throughout 2019-20. The document is not to be confused with its official annual report, which is a report to parliament on its inspection activity, and is normally released in the winter. Here […]
The Association of Colleges is calling for a post-Covid-19 “rethink” of the sector’s intervention regime as the FE Commissioner resumes all “usual activity”. Lead commissioner Richard Atkins (pictured) wrote to college bosses on June 16 to inform them that his team has recommenced its work on a virtual basis as they begin to welcome back […]
Ofsted will start visiting colleges and training providers again from September – with letters about what the inspectors found to be published but with no grades. The watchdog will also carry out an additional monitoring visit to new providers that have an existing ‘insufficient progress’ rating, which will also result in a “brief” report but […]