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‘ofsted’

Inspecting the inspectors

Ofsted is just the most recent of the bodies tasked with inspecting further education — but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best says David Sherlock The English FE sector bears the imprint of its local authority past, when our national provision was unplanned and very uneven in quality — but although it remains unplanned, […]

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The same old inspection story?

It could have been yesterday with the chief inspector for colleges telling a small gathering: “From here on, satisfactory will be taken to mean unsatisfactory.” The chief inspector in question was Terry Melia and it was the mid-90s. He was telling principals they had been getting off lightly in inspection reports since incorporation and it […]

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College leaders refuse to ‘shy away’ from Ofsted inspection blow

England’s sixth biggest college has fallen from good to inadequate in Ofsted ratings. City of Bristol College was visited mid-February and has emerged with a grade four result. College leaders have told of their disappointment with the result, but said they were not “shying away” from the challenges it posed. The Ofsted report gave the […]

News

Sixth biggest college falls from good to inadequate

The latest inadequate grading from Ofsted has emerged less than 24 hours after the government announced plans for a new FE Commissioner to challenge failing colleges. The 30,000-learner City of Bristol College has fallen from a 2010 good grading following inspection last month. The college, which was the sixth biggest in England, with a turnover […]

News

FE colleges urged to adopt new flag and anthem

Colleges will be urged to help solve FE’s “Cinderella complex” with a bold new marketing campaign that includes a sector flag. Principals will also be asked to adopt a sector “anthem” for use as their institutions’ telephone hold music and for official functions. The song, a “re-imagining” of S Club 7 hit Reach, has already […]

News

New FE commissioner could shut failing colleges

A powerful commissioner who can call for a college to be shut down will be introduced under tough new further education rules due to be announced today. The FE Commissioner will be sent in if a college is graded ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted, is in financial trouble or is failing to hit learner success targets. They […]

News

A new focus for governors in a new era

On the first day, conference chair Professor Bill Lucas and Exeter College principal Richard Atkins talked about the sector’s renewed focus on teaching and learning. Delegates also heard  more about the new Ofsted common inspection framework from senior inspector Beverley Barlow. They also took part in interactive and workshop sessions. The major theme of the […]

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Why all workplaces are sites of learning

“Have you been sent here as a reward . . . or as a punishment?” Lorna Unwin asked more than 100 delegates at a LSIS leadership and management conference in London late last month. Throughout the day, delegates heard how leadership could support excellent learning, and how to lead outstanding learning. Professor Unwin, of the […]

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Keep up with the changes, governors told

The chief executive of the Network for Black Professionals has challenged FE and college governors to respond to change more quickly and effectively. This need for change, says Robin Landman OBE (pictured right), can be seen in the response of FE governance to the new Ofsted framework, launched last September. “One of the big challenges […]

Opinion