Capital City College Group
‘ofsted’
Sometimes it’s worth challenging an Ofsted report, says John Evans. One of the many dilemmas that principals must struggle with is when to appeal against an Ofsted decision. You have to balance the emotional response to the feelings of being unfairly treated with the knowledge that Ofsted seldom admits to being wrong. My college was […]
Opinion
Colleges need to insist they are given the right data to make meaningful quality judgements about their own performance, says Graham Taylor. Last April I wrote about the bother over the production of the 2014/15 Qualification & Achievement Report (QAR), received after an interminable delay on April 5 and well documented in FE Week. An […]
Ofsted should be congratulated for admitting that it got it wrong with the wording of important extracts of its report on Yeovil College. No individual or organisation is flawless by any means, and while Elton John may have said in his famous song that ‘sorry seems to be the hardest word’ – it shouldn’t be. […]
The FE sector has paid tribute to Kim Thorneywork, the “distinguished” former chief executive of the Skills Funding Agency, who died this week. Ms Thorneywork joined the agency in 2006 and became its leader in July 2012, but the following October she announced that she was stepping down after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Sector […]
News
A senior Ofsted inspector has apologised after the inspectorate accepted multiple challenges to the wording of a report on Yeovil College, which included factual inaccuracies and insulting comments. The words “college leaders have tackled the lack of pride and ambition that existed in the college” appeared on the front page of the ‘good’-rated report, which […]
The Prime Minister’s pledge to roll out mental health first aid training to education staff working with young people will not cover the FE sector. Theresa May (pictured left) spoke out yesterday about a “burning injustice of mental health and inadequate treatment” at the Charity Commission annual meeting at the Royal Society in London yesterday (January […]
Dr Sue answers your questions on all aspects of governance, from taking time off to liability. Question One: Time off work As a school governor I was given time off work. Does the same apply to college governors? Answer: Governors frequently ask about their entitlement to time off work to carry out their functions. […]
Epping Forest College has been rated ‘inadequate’ across-the-board, in an Ofsted report out today that warned of safeguarding failings that emerged through a “large-scale incident” during the inspection. The education watchdog, which inspected the college between November 15 and 18 last year, found that the safeguarding processes and procedures at Epping Forest failed to “ensure […]
Improving staff wellbeing is not only vital to college success, it’s our moral duty as FE leaders, says Stuart Rimmer At the recent AOC annual conference, its president Ian Ashman declared 2016/17 the year of mental health in FE. This was an important, welcome and long overdue step that has been superbly received by the […]
