York College
‘ofsted’
A cash-strapped Cumbria sixth form college has been given the green light by Skills Minister Nick Boles to merge with its nearby FE college in July. Barrow Sixth Form College (pictured) was issued with a financial notice to improve last month, as reported in FE Week, having been graded as inadequate for financial health in September. […]
News
The number of notices of concern issued to FE providers by the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) has more than doubled in the last year, FE Week can reveal. A total of 75 notices have been issued since 2010, with 53 per cent of these being given out in 2015 alone. Only 24 per cent were […]
One of the largest providers of apprenticeships has asked the Skills Funding Agency for permission to give cashback to employers, prompting the agency to say it would have “grave concerns” about any such arrangement. In an email about Trailblazer funding, dated 22 December and released to FE Week following an FoI request, JTL Training asked […]
The government has spelled out what sixth form colleges (SFCs) need to do to convert to academies, in a document published this morning. The guidance, which comes after Chancellor George Osborne announced in the government’s autumn statement that SFCs could become academies “so they no longer have to pay VAT”, was welcomed by the Sixth […]
Alice Barnard has started in her position as the new chief executive of the Edge Foundation. She takes over from David Harbourne, Edge’s director of policy and research, who has been acting chief executive since Jan Hodges’ retirement last April. Ms Barnard moves from her position as leader of the Peter Jones Foundation, which she […]
Movers and Shakers
The FE Commissioner has singled-out former principal Jacqui Mace (pictured) for failings at a London college that has been placed into administered status. Dr David Collins said this in a report published on Thursday (February 18) on Stanmore College, which was led by Ms Mace until December. A letter published on the same day, from […]
Four lead providers based in the north east have said they are taking steps to ensure more than 160 apprentices get qualifications after their subcontractor was said to have ceased trading. Learning Curve Group (LCG) chief executive Brenda McLeish (pictured) told FE Week on Tuesday that her company had been informed by Sunderland-based Xiscad Training […]
Lowestoft Sixth Form College (SFC) has been issued with a financial notice to improve from the Education Funding Agency (EFA). Principal Yolanda Botham was formally told about this before Christmas in a letter from David Jeffrey, territorial director South for the EFA, which was published on the Department for Education website today (February 11). The […]
Apprenticeship quality concerns will come under the spotlight in a new parliamentary inquiry that will check out the merits of government reforms as it drives to increase take-up. The Education, Skills and Economy (ESE) Sub-Committee’s probe will look at a variety of apprenticeship-related issues, including quality, progression onto higher levels and levy plans. It will also investigate […]
