York College
‘ofsted’
A host of providers jumped up Ofsted grades in what was a mostly impressive week for FE – but a university technical college with just 143 students came in for criticism. Two large colleges – City of Bristol College and North Shropshire College – clawed their way out of ‘inadequate’ and have now been rated […]
News
May’s ‘strong and stable’ leadership was a cheap slogan – and her failures should be a warning to leaders everywhere, says Shane Mann Theresa May deserves this result. I hope it will be a learning opportunity for the many and not the few: the prime minister has failed as a leader. The mantra of “strong […]
Opinion
A struggling London college is preparing to hand over wide-ranging control of how it is run to a university, through a highly unusual move that does not require government approval. The planned changes – which are currently under consultation and come months ahead of a planned formal merger – will see Lambeth College’s principal stripped […]
A government drive to help young people with learning difficulties and disabilities prepare for the world of work is making “patchy” progress, despite plans to make it universal. So-called ‘supported internships’ were first introduced through a pilot in autumn 2012 with 15 FE colleges. They are unpaid study programmes for 16- to 24-year-olds lasting around […]
Two large colleges have pulled back from ‘inadequate’ Ofsted ratings – with both recognised for improved performance in reports out this morning. City of Bristol College and North Shropshire College have now been rated grade three. Inspectors recognised in today’s report on the former, which was rated grade four 17 months ago, that “senior leaders […]
The body that runs the university technical colleges has been making bold claims about a surge in demand for places for 14-year-olds. New figures shared exclusively with FE Week by the Baker Dearing Trust indicate that applications from 14-year-olds are running at nearly “double the rate” compared with last year. Silverstone UTC, for example, currently […]
University technical colleges across the country are planning to recruit students a year before their standard 14 starting age, an FE Week investigation has found. Five UTCs are consulting on taking students in from year nine, instead of year 10, in future academic years – with more expected to follow suit. The UTC project is […]
Independent training provider Nottinghamshire Training Network found itself stuck at a grade three this week, with all its provision deemed to ‘require improvement’ except traineeships, which were rated ‘good’. Problems with leadership and management were identified at the provider, such as leaders failing “to ensure that subcontractors meet the additional learning needs of all learners and […]
Your weekly guide to who’s new and who’s leaving There has been a senior appointment at East Coast College, which was created by a merger between Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Colleges. The college now operates from campuses in Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft, and will formally merge over the summer in time for the new academic […]
Movers and Shakers
