funding | FE Week

Let’s spend more cash on SEND learners and less on admin

Some of the funding that used to be spent on support for learning disabilities now goes on administration. Students would benefit if the money went direct to providers, says Graham Razey Throughout the 25 years I’ve worked in further education, there have been a number of clichéd expressions thrown about. From Cinderella service to cash-strapped, […]

Can national colleges overcome their recruitment and funding challenges?

Clair Mowbray explains how the first incorporated college to open in 30 years is responding to its funding and recruitment challenges In last week’s edition of FE Week, national colleges were placed under the spotlight with regard to the challenges they have faced recently around their funding and learner recruitment. It has been just over […]

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 […]

We need more core funding not ‘initiative mania’, sector leaders tell MPs

Sector leaders have made an impassioned plea to MPs for the government to “stop the initiative mania” and focus on core funding ahead of the Budget day later this month. Representatives from the Sixth Form Colleges Association, the Association of Colleges and the National Union of Students were giving evidence to the education select committee’s […]

Parliamentary petition launched calling for sustainable college funding

A new parliamentary petition calling for college funding to be increased to “sustainable levels” has been launched today. Its creation comes ahead of Colleges Week, a week of action and events across the country demanding greater government investment in colleges. “We call on the government to urgently increase college funding to sustainable levels, including immediate […]

Major slash in store for apprenticeship funding rate bands

The Institute for Apprenticeships will soon confirm controversial changes to dozens of apprenticeship funding rate bands, according to the skills minister. Writing in her monthly column in FE Week, Anne Milton said the rate changes will be published online “shortly” and further reviews will take place in the autumn. To date, the IfA has refused […]

FE could face MORE budget cuts despite hopes for more cash

The FE sector could be in for another shattering round of funding cuts, after the chancellor reportedly told ministries without protected budgets to find savings. Philip Hammond (pictured) wants various Whitehall departments including further education to work with the Treasury over the summer to find areas for reduction ahead of next year’s spending review, according […]