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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

Opposing sides of the Lambeth College strike have their say

Educators are unlikely militants. Most FE teachers I have met would do anything rather than let down their learners. So what has brought us to the position where Lambeth College teachers are into their third week of indefinite strike action? Our members are committed professionals, but they are not pushovers. The college has imposed an […]

Opinion

Second college in fortnight bouncing back from grading disappointment

A second major English college in less than a fortnight has recorded an improved Ofsted grade after previously slumping to inadequate (grade four). City of Bristol College was deemed to require improvement (a grade three rating), having been issued with a grade four rating in April last year — three years after it was rated […]

News

Dropping graded lesson observations is no joke

The Ofsted pilot in which graded lesson observations will be dropped from FE and skills inspections, as revealed by FE Week, is evaluated by Phil Hatton. At first I thought FE Week was doing a late — or an early — April Fool’s Day skit on seeing the headline about Ofsted dropping graded lesson observations, […]

Opinion