York College
‘ofsted’
Matt O’Leary transformed the use of lesson observations in FE, despite sector leaders who were initially reluctant to listen. And he’s far from finished, as Jess Staufenberg discovers There are few academics who can point to a seismic change in Ofsted’s approach to further education and say “I did that”, but Matt O’Leary, despite his […]
Profiles
Good planning is key, says Richard Moore, especially for off-the-job inspections An article in FE Week last week, “Frustration builds as Ofsted refuses to inspect paused providers”, got me thinking about how feasible a remote inspection might be in reality. I have worked remotely with a number of providers since lockdown, carrying out activities that […]
Opinion
FE Week meets a new college chief whose fresh and flexible approach may be just what sector needs post-pandemic Taking up your first principalship and walking straight into an Ofsted inspection is no one’s professional dream. Taking up your first principalship, walking straight into an Ofsted inspection and then, within weeks, dealing with a college […]
Ofsted will begin publishing the inspection reports that were held back because of the coronavirus pandemic from next week. The watchdog had paused publication of all inspection reports because they were “well aware providers have enough to deal with” in responding to Covid-19 changes. But in an update today, Ofsted said as more schools and […]
News
The indefinite pausing of Ofsted inspections could force an apprenticeship provider to make redundancies, its managing director has told FE Week. Wiser Academy Ltd was suspended from recruiting new apprentices following an early monitoring visit last August which resulted in two ‘insufficient progress’ judgments. Its “frustrated” leader, Crescens George (pictured), said the firm has 30 […]
The requirement for colleges and other training providers to be rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted to deliver T-levels will be dropped by the government from 2023. But those with ‘inadequate’ or ‘requires improvement’ grades from the education watchdog will initially only be able to teach the T-level routes introduced in 2020 and 2021. Only […]
The Department for Education has slashed the College Collaboration Fund (CCF) by more than a third as it reopens for applications. The total pot on offer sat at £9 million when the fund was launched by education secretary Gavin Williamson in February, but this amount has now dropped to £5.4 million. In confirming the reduction, […]
A college in Cheshire that recruits most of its students from areas of “high social and economic deprivation” is celebrating after being rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted. Riverside College, which had its report published today following an 11-day inspection in February, was lauded by the education watchdog for applying a “culture of relentless self-improvement” which “permeates” […]
An influential cross-party group of MPs have raised concerns over the value for money offered by the membership body for university technical colleges, after its cost to the taxpayer reached £3 million. The public accounts committee (PAC) has today published a report following a National Audit Office (NAO) inquiry last year which laid bare the […]
