Windsor Learning Partnership
‘ofsted watch’
Stroud MP Neil Carmichael knew a thing or two about the world of FE and skills before he was elected as chair of the Education Select Committee in June. He did not study in the sector himself, attending St Peter’s independent school in York and then taking a politics degree at the University of Nottingham. […]
Profiles
Two local authority FE providers have slumped from ‘good’ to ‘inadequate’ Ofsted ratings. The grade four-overall results on adult and community learning at Wakefield Metropolitan District Council (WMDC) and West Sussex County Council (WSCC) were published on December 23 and 16 respectively. They were the first two inadequate ratings dished out by the education watchdog […]
News
Further Education Commissioner Dr David Collins has been given a knighthood for services to the sector in the New Year’s Honours list. A Damehood was also granted to chief regulator and chief executive of Ofqual Glenys Stacey, while CBEs went to Association of Colleges (AoC) chief executive Martin Doel and former AoC president Richard Atkins […]
The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) has confirmed that publication of the next round of nationwide qualification achievement rates will be delayed by around two months, FE Week can reveal. The final Qualification Success Rates (QSR) figures for 2013/14 were published in January this year. But a note sent to providers by the SFA’s central delivery […]
Two visits from FE Commissioner Dr David Collins triggered first by financial problems and secondly by an Ofsted inadequate rating was the scene into which Tim Eyton-Jones stepped in February. Dr Collins has since drawn a line under his involvement and inspectors have also seen improvements. Mr Eyton-Jones spells out what’s been happening at Barnfield. […]
Opinion
Ofsted deputy director for FE and skills Paul Joyce has outlined how the story of the education watchdog’s 2014/15 annual report was one of a huge rise in maths and English learners “undoubtedly” impacting upon worsening inspection grades. He spoke to FE Week moments after Ofsted chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw unveiled the report, which […]
Ofsted boss Sir Michael Wilshaw has told how he has “seen the pace of improvement slow” in FE and skills — picking out general FE colleges in particular as where “performance has declined”. English and maths commitments, finances and falling standards in leadership were among the issues for colleges identified by the education watchdog’s chief […]
Ofsted chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw today launches the 2014/15 annual report armed with the results of nearly 180 FE and skills inspections. The education watchdog’s preview commentary on today’s launch contained little for FE and skills, focusing largely on school matters, but a spokesperson told FE Week that one of the issues Sir Michael would […]
A new subcontractor has helped grade-four distance learning provider Marine Society College of the Sea (MSCS) win Ofsted approval while FE Commissioner Dr David Collins has drawn a line under his involvement. Dr Collins visited Lambeth-based MSCS in December last year and called for a new subcontractor after education watchdog inspectors had branded it inadequate […]
