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Labour to call for 100 more University Technical Colleges by 2020

The Labour Party is expected to back calls to establish 100 more University Technical Colleges (UTCs) by 2020, despite a string of poor Ofsted gradings for existing UTCs. Labour leader Ed Miliband (pictured above) will accept a series of recommendations from the Adonis Review, ‘Mending the fractured economy: Smarter state, better jobs’.  The review, written […]

News

College principal takes ‘temporary leave of absence’ as chair of governors becomes interim chief

Warwickshire College principal Mariane Cavalli has taken a “temporary leave of absence” and will be replaced on an interim basis by chair of governors Sue Georgious. The board of governors broke the news to staff at the college in an email, seen by FE Week, this morning. Ms Cavalli (pictured) joined the college in 2010 […]

News

Edition 108: Jack Carney, David Law and Andy Sparks

The Manchester College’s Jack Carney has announced he will be retiring after 35 years at the college — having spent the last two as principal. Mr Carney’s tenure at the top has seen the 26,000-learner college move from an Ofsted grade three to two, but he plans to retire during the next academic year. “It’s […]

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The principal of a large and well-established FE college writes about life at the top — the worries, the hopes, the people and the issues they have to deal with every day.

Time to budget Further education is a funny place to be at the best of times, but this time of year it’s always testing and leaves most principals mentally exhausted, not to mention bereft of humour. The budget of course and, sadly, the more-often-than-not resulting cost savings that prove necessary along with the dreaded reorganisation […]

Opinion

In defence of criticisms of UCU’s graded lesson observation report

Former Ofsted FE and skills inspector Phil Hatton was critical of a report from University of Wolverhampton academic Dr Matt O’Leary that raised “serious questions about the fitness for purpose” of graded lesson observations. This is Dr O’Leary’s response to Mr Hatton. The University and College Union (UCU) research project into the use and impact […]

Opinion

Colleges under fire over Gazelle’s £3.5m

A month-long FE Week investigation into multi-million pound funding of Gazelle by UK colleges has resulted in criticism that public money was being used on “expensive initiatives which have little educational impact”. The group’s five founding colleges have dished out more than £530,000 each to Gazelle, according to figures obtained from Freedom of Information Act. […]

News

Edition 107: Jackie Doodson, Andrew Tyley and April Carrol

A former lecturer in business and management is to become the new principal of Walford and North Shropshire College (WNSC). Jackie Doodson, currently principal of two years at Llandrillo College, in North Wales, takes over later this week. She replaces Andrew Tyley, who has stepped down after seven years in the position to start his […]

Movers and Shakers

Lesson observations — to grade or not to grade?

With a University and College Union study of graded lesson observations having reached negative conclusion about the effect they have on staff, and Ofsted revealing an FE and skills pilot in which they do not feature, David Russell looks at whether there is alternative quality measure. Feelings can run high on the topic of graded […]

Opinion