York College
‘ofsted’
(For the full event report from ‘The Future of Apprenticeships’ conference, click here) Good morning everybody. For those of you that know me, I’m always delighted to be talking about apprenticeships. There’s absolutely no doubt in my mind, and I hope in most of your minds I think, that apprenticeships, if done right, can add […]
Uncategorized
Quality of teaching in further education has been criticised in the annual report education regulator Ofsted. The report said there was “too little outstanding teaching in learning and skills providers” inspected in 2010/11. It said only 13 independent learning providers and two employer providers were judged outstanding for quality of teaching, with no colleges, adult […]
News
As the saying goes, all good relationships are built on trust – and it seems that motto can be extended to the world of further education (FE). The link to the old adage was made during the Association of Colleges (AoC) Annual Conference and Exhibition 2011 on Tuesday, when more powers due to be handed to […]
November is always a busy month for the FE world, not least because the sector’s AoC Annual Conference thrusts FE policy into the spotlight. This year looks like being no different with the Chancellor’s Autumn Financial Statement, details on the education and skills component of the Growth Plan, an updated Skills Investment Strategy, a participation […]
Opinion
Time is running out to respond to Ofsted’s consultation on its new Common Inspection Framework proposals. The deadline is November 24 so if you’re thinking about adding your two-penneth, you need to get your skates on. This is a rare opportunity to pass judgment on Ofsted (doesn’t normally happen that way around). After reading the […]
A proud principal picked up her honour after being awarded an OBE from the Princess Royal. The official ceremony to award Stroud College principal Dr Beri Hare with an OBE took place at Buckingham Palace. The award, which was presented by Princess Anne, recognises Dr Hare’s services to further education. Dr Hare said: “It was […]
Bulletin
Ofsted has launched a consultation regarding proposals to revise the inspection of further education colleges, work-based learning providers, adult and community learning (ACL) provision and ‘Next Step’ provision. The revisions are said to ‘streamline and simplify’ the current framework, which is based on Ofsted’s Common Inspection Framework for FE and skills, so that inspections focus […]
The National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) and Skills Funding Agency have this week published a statement (click here) saying they are “determined to see that recent rapid expansion of Apprenticeships is not achieved at the expense of quality”. This follows exclusive coverage published by FE Week which detailed training providers delivering 12 Week Apprenticeships (click here) as […]
Young people with learning difficulties and disabilities are not receiving adequate support as they progress to further education, according to an Ofsted report published today. The report, called ‘Progression post-16 for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities’, found that the opportunities for young people to learn beyond school varies dramatically across the country. Ofsted is […]
