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‘ofsted’

Ofsted watch: An encouraging week for FE and skills

An adult and community learning provider has boosted its grade to ‘good’ in a positive week for the FE and skills sector, as two providers received glowing reports following monitoring visits of their apprenticeship provision. Hackney London Borough Council was rated grade two across the board, up from its previous ‘requires improvement’ rating, in a […]

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Ofsted: Apprenticeships are beginning to look like Train to Gain

The quality of apprenticeships is in decline, Ofsted has said, and the programmes are starting to resemble the doomed Train to Gain initiative from the mid 00s. The inspectorate’s deputy director for FE and skills told MPs on the commons education select committee earlier this week that around half of inspections carried out so far […]

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ESFA switches from intervention to prevention

The Education and Skills Funding Agency is switching its strategy from intervention to prevention, ahead of the introduction of the FE insolvency regime later this year. The change has been revealed in series of job adverts for members of a new provider market oversight team at the agency, out today. “The prevention strategy seeks to […]

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Minister admits to confusion over apprenticeship quality accountability

The skills minister has conceded that there is a lack of clarity when it comes to who is accountable for apprenticeship quality. Anne Milton acknowledged that it was unclear whether it is a job solely for Ofsted or the ESFA at an education committee hearing this morning, admitting responsibility needs to be defined “more clearly”. […]

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Struggling Epping Forest College racks up another financial notice

An Essex college has received a second financial notice to improve in under six months by the Education and Skills Funding Agency. The notice for Epping Forest College, for financial control, was published today alongside an inspection notice to improve for Moulton College, which Ofsted rated ‘inadequate’ last month. EFC’s notice, dated March 23, was […]

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Skills minister under pressure on 16-to-19 funding

The skills minister has admitted to being “very aware of the funding pressures” that 16-to-19 providers are under, even though the government has today confirmed the rate will not change in 2018/19. “We are looking at the resilience of the FE sector which includes sixth-form colleges,” Anne Milton told MPs at education questions in Parliament […]

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Rapid increase in providers forces expansion of ESFA audit team

The Education and Skills Funding Agency is beefing up its audit team amid mounting concerns about new providers entering the sector. It has launched a recruitment drive for a “newly created market oversight unit”, including an advert for four auditor vacancies posted on the civil service jobs website. They will operate directly under the leadership […]

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Special Interview: Lord Baker defends UTCs as problems pile up

Lord Baker has mounted a robust defence of university technical colleges, despite the growing list of setbacks to befall the 14-to-19 programme he helped build. In an exclusive interview with FE Week’s Billy Camden, he refutes claims from other major players who once backed it, including George Osborne, that the movement is in serious trouble. […]

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Ofsted Watch: So close yet so far for grade three college

A college in Hertford will be kicking itself this week after Ofsted praised it for “much improvement” since its last inspection, but not enough to boost it up to a grade two. Hertford Regional College received ‘requires improvement’ ratings across the board in 2016. Ofsted went back in for a full re-inspection two months ago […]

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