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‘ofsted’

The principal who took over two failed colleges and came out smiling

Mike Hopkins has more experience than most principals of overseeing college mergers. In January of this year South and City College Birmingham, which he heads, received its second successive grade 2 Ofsted, despite having absorbed two failing colleges in the past seven years. FE Week asked how they managed it In 2012, before area reviews […]

Feature, News

How to be an apprenticeship ‘ultra-negotiator’ and prove it…

Apprenticeship funding rules require that we demonstrate our negotiations. Lucy Ottewell-Key outlines the core principles to consider The new apprenticeship world can be confusing and unfamiliar to the education sector. Negotiate? How? What does it mean to be in a commercial and competitive market? What indicators, funding rules, features, benefits and unique selling points support […]

Opinion

Tenth UTC closure announced

Yet another university technical college will close later this year, taking the total to 10 for the troubled programme. Wigan UTC, which is rated ‘good’ by Ofsted but has had a chequered history, has announced it will shut at the end of August 2019 after failing to recruit enough students to become financially viable. The […]

News

Minimum standards to be scrapped as part of earlier and stronger intervention regime

The Education and Skills Funding Agency is going to scrap its minimum standards policy as part of an earlier and stronger intervention regime. New ‘oversight of independent training providers’ guidance was published today which details how the agency aims to “eradicate low quality training provision, protect learners and public funds”. Currently, the ESFA only routinely […]

News

‘Serious concern’ as training provider cashes in on controversial management consultancy apprenticeship

A member of the Commons Public Accounts Committee has “serious concerns” about the government allocating one provider up to £40 million in nine months to teach a controversial management consultancy apprenticeship. Layla Moran, the Lib Dem education spokesperson, was responding to an FE Week analysis that showed the level 7 accountancy/taxation professional standard had 3,250 […]

News

How to move more school-leavers towards degree apprenticeships

Key stakeholders must understand that apprenticeships are as valuable as any other degree, says Jassiem Moore The Department for Education is making worrying noises about having to make “hard choices” to avoid an overspend of the apprenticeship levy. Jonathan Slater, the department’s permanent secretary, told the Public Accounts Committee this week that if funding were […]

Opinion

Creating a quality apprenticeship system that will work for everyone

City & Guilds wants a universal framework for quality standards applied throughout FE inspections, says Kirstie Donnelly As all of us working in technical and vocational education know that apprenticeships provide a key skills solution for employers and an important route into work. Seemingly, the government agrees and often talks about apprenticeships in glowing terms, […]

Opinion

Ofsted watch: Mixed results for FE providers

It has been a varied week in the FE sector, with three providers receiving ‘good’ grades from Ofsted while three others were told they require improvement. The education watchdog also published four monitoring visits, where two providers were found making ‘significant progress’. Good news came in for the Open University and the University of Sheffield, […]

News

Grade one college chief executive says sorry after dodgy data exposed

The chief executive of a grade one college has apologised after an audit exposed data manipulation that resulted in more than £500,000 being paid back to the government. Lowell Williams (pictured), the boss at Dudley College, told FE Week he even considered resigning over the “blunder”, which has led to the college being excluded from […]

News