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‘ofsted’

Channel Four programme claims high street giant Next saved £2.5m in wages employing hundreds of low paid apprentices

High Street giant Next slashed £2.5m off its wage bill by employing hundreds of low-earning apprentices, according to a hard-hitting Channel Four programme exclusively previewed to FE Week. Apprenticeships come under scrutiny in Dispatches tomorrow night as investigators look at the wages and quality of training delivered by high-profile companies. The programme, entitled Low Pay Britain, focuses […]

News

Ofsted identifies improvement at horror youth prison

Ofsted inspectors who uncovered “degrading treatment, racist comments and care from staff under the influence of illegal drugs” at a youth prison have reported an improvement. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ), as previously reported on feweek.co.uk, pledged “urgent action” in light of Rainsbrook Secure Training Centre’s May inspection report. And the actions appeared to have […]

News

Annual Ofsted report exposes FE maths and English issues

Ofsted deputy director for FE and skills Paul Joyce has outlined how the story of the education watchdog’s 2014/15 annual report was one of a huge rise in maths and English learners “undoubtedly” impacting upon worsening inspection grades. He spoke to FE Week moments after Ofsted chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw unveiled the report, which […]

News

Sir Michael sees how ‘inequalities in funding impact on what we can do with our learners’

Phil Hatton reviews the Ofsted 2014/15 annual report and pinpoints as key its mention of how funding issues are affecting quality. Reading the learning and skills section of the Chief Inspector’s annual brought few surprises for those who have been monitoring inspections throughout last year. However, the picture painted of being ‘above’ or ‘below’ the […]

Opinion

Should Ofsted help shape programmes as well as inspect them?

Sue Pember casts her eye over the Ofsted 2014/15 annual report. Ofsted’s mission statement is ‘raising standards and improving lives’ and that is certainly the focus of the 2014/15 annual report. Chief Inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw was absolutely right to highlight the failure of many secondary schools and point out how the performance of secondary […]

Opinion

Social mobility tsar Alan Milburn labels FE an ‘absolute jungle’

Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission chair Alan Milburn (pictured above) has told a Lords committee how the FE sector is “an absolute jungle” for learners and it needs to “take lessons from the higher education system”. Mr Milburn told the House of Lords Social Mobility Committee that FE was in need of “simplification” as […]

News

LIVE UPDATES: FE and skills sector reacts to Ofsted 2014/15 annual report

The 2014/15 Ofsted annual report painted a picture of an FE and skills sector in which two years of improvement came to a near-halt last academic year — and general FE colleges even saw a “decline” in performance. Click here for more of the report, which was launched at 10am, while sector responses to Ofsted’s findings can […]

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College performance ‘has declined’ – Ofsted boss Sir Michael Wilshaw’s annual report

Ofsted boss Sir Michael Wilshaw has told how he has “seen the pace of improvement slow” in FE and skills — picking out general FE colleges in particular as where “performance has declined”. English and maths commitments, finances and falling standards in leadership were among the issues for colleges identified by the education watchdog’s chief […]

News

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in bid to keep London colleges apart

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has tried to warn City and Islington College governors against plans to merge with Westminster Kingsway College, branding the proposals “too accepting of the government’s agenda”. In a letter to the board, Islington North MP Mr Corbyn (pictured right) said he sympathised with views put forward by college unions, including the […]

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