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‘ofsted’

Ofsted success leads to government support call

The government has been urged to do more to promote sixth-form colleges after the sector’s second outstanding grade under Ofsted’s tough new inspection regime. Rochdale Sixth Form College, which has around 1,000 students, got grade one rankings across the education watchdog’s headline fields following its first inspection. “Teaching is energetic and often inspirational, and builds […]

News

Colleges hit with Skills Funding Agency warnings

Two of England’s biggest colleges have been slapped with notices of concern by the Skills Funding Agency following inadequate gradings from Ofsted. City of Liverpool College got grade fours in every one of the education watchdog’s headline fields last month, just four years after it was praised as outstanding. And, more recently, City of Bristol […]

News

Four into one equals success

City and Islington College, born in 1993, has faced challenges aplenty in its 20 years. Despite the blips, a birthday study shows how it has championed the community it serves, writes Andrew Morris Take two FE colleges, one sixth-form centre and one adult education service, mix together slowly, simmer on a gentle heat and what […]

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How do you solve a problem like ‘college’?

Public confusion about the identity of a “college”, poor media perception of FE and a lack of skills among college press officers combine to prevent the sector getting better media coverage, it is argued. A brief study of journalists’ perceptions of the sector for FE Week points to a continued poor understanding among news editors […]

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Celebrating 20 years of college independence

Download your free copy of the FE Week 16 page special anniversary supplement celebrating 20 years of college independence, sponsored by NOCN. Click here to download (10mb) Introduction Twenty years ago radical change took place as colleges were freed from local authority control. The revolution had started five years earlier when the 1988 Education Reform […]

News, Supplements

Twenty years of freedoms and constraints

The government announcement of a new FE commissioner to reform inadequate provision in the latest skills strategy Rigour and Responsiveness had mixed responses. Sector leaders saw it as a necessary evil, while employers, notably the CBI, see it strengthening their hand as a counterweight to college freedoms in New Challenges, New Chances. The timing of […]

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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 […]

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