colleges | FE Week

Ofsted watch: Solid start to the summer term for most providers

The summer term has kicked off on a solid footing with two colleges and one university being graded ‘good’ while one dance and drama college was rated ‘outstanding’. However, the good news was slightly overshadowed by two ‘inadequate’ full inspections and three ‘insufficient’ monitoring visits. Liverpool Theatre School & College Limited was upgraded to ‘outstanding’ […]

Revealed: The winners and losers in the £170m Institutes of Technology competition

The Department for Education has today unveiled the colleges and universities in line for a share of £170m in capital funding and a licence to be named an Institute of Technology. One day after FE Week reported delays in its competition process, due for announcement last month, the department revealed the names of the first […]

Ofsted watch: UTC jumps from ‘inadequate’ to ‘good’

A university technical college was celebrating this week after it climbed its way up from ‘inadequate’ to ‘good’, while six other providers also secured grade two ratings. But the week wasn’t without its lows, as one provider dropped to ‘inadequate’, three received ‘insufficient’ ratings in early monitoring reports, and another fell from grade one to […]

Revealed: The 16 members of the ‘College of the Future’ commission

The 16 people that will form an independent commission to set out a “new vision” for colleges in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales have been revealed. The commission on the “College of the Future” will be chaired by Sir Ian Diamond, chair of Edinburgh College’s management board, and also features BBC broadcaster Steph McGovern, […]

Half of college strikes planned for this week called off

Half of the 10 strikes planned at colleges across the country this week have either been suspended or called off. The University and College Union told FE Week that Bridgwater and Taunton has settled its dispute ahead of action that was due to start tomorrow, joining New College Swindon, which on Friday announced it had […]

AoC fears college apprenticeships market share will shrink further

The Association of Colleges has warned that colleges’ share of the apprenticeship market will continue to shrink, after FE Week analysis revealed they have been hit hardest by the move to levy funding. New statistics from the Department for Education, which included the number of starts per provider for the first time, show that colleges’ […]

Thousands march on parliament to protest for fair college funding

Thousands of learners, staff and leaders marched on parliament today in “the most amazing show by colleges ever” to demand fairer funding, as the centrepiece of Colleges Week. The march for FE, organised by the University and College Union in partnership with the Association of Colleges, was followed by a packed rally in Parliament Square […]

Colleges to march on parliament in funding protest

Up to 3,000 people are expected to march on parliament on Wednesday to demand more funding for colleges. The march for FE, organised by the University and College Union in partnership with the National Union of Students and the Association of Colleges, is the main event taking place during Colleges Week, from October 15 to […]

Colleges Week should be a celebration with three messages for the chancellor

Having spent more than seven happy years working for a large college in South East London I have seen first-hand the vital role they play in the education ecosystem. So the Association of Colleges is to be applauded for rallying the further education sector at short notice to celebrate the work of colleges. It was […]