Press release: New programme launched to improve colleges

The Department for Education has today (24 October) announced a programme to recruit a team of high-performing leaders to provide specialist support to struggling FE colleges.

The National Leaders of Further Education (NLFE) will be comprised of experts from the FE sector who will work to improve colleges judged as “Requires Improvement” or “Inadequate” in their most recent Ofsted inspection.

Successful applicants will provide mentoring and support to develop the skills of senior staff at impacted colleges and will partner their colleges on the delivery of improvement programmes.

They will also work with other NLFE as part of a network and share best practice with institutions across their region.

Apprenticeships and Skills Minister Anne Milton said:

This country has fantastic leaders across the FE sector and we want to harness their ability to raise standards across the FE Sector.

We want to make sure that improvements to schools are replicated in colleges. The National Leaders of Further Education, which will sit alongside the Strategic College Improvement Fund can ensure this happens. I look forward to welcoming these leaders into this exciting programme.

ENDS

Notes to editors

The NLFE programme is modelled on the highly successful National Leaders of Education scheme in schools.

Interested applicants should contact FE.leaders@education.gov.uk. Applications will close on 14 November 2017.