Spotlight on FE: July 2017
As a jobs board specialising in FE, we know a thing or two about the sector and the issues affecting college.jobs.ac.uk. Spotlight on FE is our monthly summary of the latest news and events in the FE sector.
HEFCE will run pilots of Teaching Excellence Framework at subject level
HEFCE have been commissioned by the Department for Education to run subject-level pilots of the Teaching Excellence Framework. The pilots will run from Autumn 2017 until Spring 2018; however, no ratings identifying individual providers will be published. Subject-level TEF assessment will be implemented in 2019-20 and subject-level ratings published in spring 2020. HE providers are being encouraged to take part, even if they didn’t take part in the TEF previously. Applications will be required by Monday 25 September and between 30 and 40 will be selected from across the UK HE sector.
Source: HEFCE
TEF results are released
At the end of June, the results of the first Teaching Excellence Framework were released, revealing 59 providers rated gold, 116 silver, and 56 rated bronze.
Excluding those with provision ratings based on limited data, 26 per cent of participants achieved gold status, with 50 per cent achieving silver and 24 per cent achieving bronze.
The TEF was introduced by the government to showcase the performance of the UK’s higher education sector, in order to help students thinking about applying to university or college for autumn 2018.
David Hughes, Chief Executive of the Association of Colleges (AoC) responding to the TEF results said:
"I'm delighted that the TEF has confirmed what we already knew - that colleges up and down the country are delivering high quality higher education which matches the best. The results, including 14 Gold awards, shows that HE students in colleges have great teaching, facilities and outcomes.
"This is the first set of full results for the TEF and I am sure that colleges and HEFCE will have learned a lot from the experience. We will start now to see how far the TEF influences student choices and it is likely that more colleges will want to enter to be graded in the future. We will work closely with the TEF team to ensure that the metrics and the assessment work well for colleges which tend to have more part-time and older students who are working whilst learning."
Source: HEFCE, AoC
AoC, SFCL and ASCL urge Department for Education to increase funding in the 16-18 budget
The Association of Colleges (AoC), Sixth Form Colleges Association (SFCL), and Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) released a joint statement on 19th July 2017, urging the Department for Education to add £250 to the 16-18 funding rate from the current underspend in the 16 to 18 budget – the same increase that is going into university-level tuition this September – so that the 25 hours a week that is envisaged for T-levels might be an aspiration for everyone.
The statement came after Education Secretary Justine Greening announced a £1.3bn budget increase for core schools and a minimum £4,800 for every secondary school student. The AoC say that funding for sixth form age students has been stuck at £4000 since 2013 and this is not due to change until 2020. They go on to argue that the current drop in funding at age 16 restricts the number of hours, teaching and support.
Sources:
Department for Education
AoC
Newham College host Employer Links awards
Newham College hosted the Employer Links awards on 4th July at their main campus in East Ham. The ceremony celebrated the support offered by employers in supporting students into skills work.
The event recognised the “invaluable partnerships between the College and the businesses which, provides students with fantastic preparation for the world of work.” – Odette Carew, Director of Service Industries at Newham College
Source: Newham College
DfE confirm Post 16 Skills Plan
In a letter to the AoC and other national stakeholders, the Rt Hon Anne Milton, Minister of State for Apprenticeships and Skills, has confirmed the Department for Education’s commitment to moving forward with the Post 16 Skills Plan published in July 2016. This includes a new framework of 15 technical routes, including the new T-level qualification. However, the first T-levels will now be piloted from September 2020 as opposed to in 2019 as previously planned. The deadline for full introduction is 2022.
Source: AoC