Help and support for colleges

Support available to the further education sector

Government is committed to ensuring the further education sector is supported to achieve continuous improvement and improved outcomes for learners and that should be available to all colleges and designated institutions, regardless of where they are on their improvement journey. It can mean helping good providers to become great providers, encouraging our strongest providers to share their expertise more with others through peer leadership, and sometimes offering more intensive and targeted support where that is needed.

This page brings together the existing support available from the FE Commissioner, the Department for Education (DfE) and our delivery partners. The summary of support provided here includes support that is available to any college or designated institution that seeks it, support that is in its early development and will be made more widely available to all over time, and some support that is available through application on a competitive basis.

All types of support can be discussed and considered through Annual Strategic Conversations, an important and ongoing connection to your local further education team at DfE, or at any time through informal discussions with the FE Commissioner and her team.

While this summary is focused on government-funded support, we do acknowledge the wide range of market-led support also available. The support here should be seen as complementary to that.

Active Support available from the FE Commissioner

Support from the FE Commissioner and her team is not limited just to colleges or designated institutions in intervention. The FE Commissioner and her team of deputies and advisers have a wealth of further education practitioner experience and are available to support continuous improvement at all stages.

Any college that would like to request an informal discussion with the FE Commissioner or her team to explore what further Active Support might be available may do so at any time. These conversations will be advisory in nature and would form a good starting point for any reflection on further support a college or designated institution might find helpful.

Informal, supportive conversations can be requested by emailing fe.commissioner@education.gov.uk.

The ‘Principals Intervention Support Group’ is a solutions focussed peer support group, available to the principals of all colleges in intervention and post-intervention, monitoring and support (PIMS). The group is chaired by a current CEO of a college in intervention and will meet on a monthly basis. The purpose of the support group is to discuss concerns, share experiences and to provide a connection to other principals in a similar position. The FE Commissioner and DfE will not be involved in the administration of this group and will not be present at the meetings, unless requested to attend by the group.

You can request further information on the network by emailing fec.operations@education.gov.uk or by contacting your territorial team.

The FE Commissioner’s team is developing a range of specialist Active Support, separate from intervention, available for all colleges and designated institutions which can be tailored to suit specific need and circumstances. This can include help to understand specific issues or challenges and to improve what is already working well. It is likely a college or designated institution would first request an informal, supportive conversation, as outlined above, as a precursor to requesting and agreeing any further package of tailored support.

A key element of tailored Active Support will be working closely with FE sector agencies and colleges, signposting, promoting, and sharing examples of effective practices that we have identified through our FE Commissioner team and Annual Strategic Conversations.

The FE Commissioner team can also support colleges in their decision making in respect of significant strategic changes. This could take the form of general advisory discussions with college leaders and/or governors but could also include the specific support products, such as structure and prospects appraisals and local provision reviews, described below.

This flexible approach to support also includes the opportunity to engage peer-led support, if needed, direct from either the National Leaders of Further Education or National Leaders of Governance (see below for more detail).

Tailored Active Support is available on request by contacting fe.commissioner@education.gov.uk.

A diagnostic assessment is a comprehensive review of a college, undertaken by practitioners from the FE Commissioner’s team. Practitioners will use their expertise to consider the college’s governance, financial, and quality plans and provide suggestions and recommendations, where appropriate, that would lead to improvement. It enables the FE Commissioner to support the college’s or designated institution’s senior leadership team and the board in considering how further improvements might be achieved.

Further information on diagnostic assessments can be found on GOV.UK.

FE providers can contact the FE Commissioner to discuss whether a diagnostic assessment would be useful and to progress any formal request. This can be arranged by emailing fe.commissioner@education.gov.uk.

National Leaders of Further Education (NLFE) are serving college senior leaders who have a strong track record of delivering improvement, both at their own colleges and in working with others. They provide peer-led mentoring and support to colleges.

Further information and a list of current NLFEs can be found on GOV.UK.

Colleges seeking support from an NLFE should email fec.operations@education.gov.uk.

National Leaders of Governance (NLG) are experienced college governors and governance professionals with a strong record of supporting college improvement. They provide peer-led mentoring and improvement support to governing boards.

Further information and a list of current NLGs can be found on GOV.UK.

Governing bodies seeking support from an NLG should email fec.operations@education.gov.uk.

Structure and prospects appraisals (SPAs) are a framework which enable colleges considering options to restructure. The FE Commissioner team can provide support to do this in a clear, objective, and evidence-based way.

Further information on SPAs can be found on GOV.UK.

You can request a SPA or discuss whether it would be helpful by emailing fec.operations@education.gov.uk.

CEFSS is a tailored support package designed to flexibly meet the requirements of all types of colleges, rather than a ‘one-size-fits-all’. The aim of CEFSS is to make a positive difference to colleges that may require help with costed curriculum and financial planning, and to raise awareness of effective practice which they can use and could be shared within the sector. Any suggested actions given through the help and support are advisory and it is up to the individual college to decide whether to implement any of the advice through their senior leadership team and board of governors.

There will be a range of supporting documents, case studies of effective practice, and more detailed information available from autumn 2022.

CEFSS can be accessed throughout the year by a direct request from a college to a member of the FEC team or the DfE Territorial Team, or they can contact the FEC team to request more information on CEFSS by emailing FEC.OPERATIONS@education.gov.uk.

FE Commissioner local provision reviews (LPRs) assess options for changing the provision or structure of multiple institutions in a local area. LPRs make recommendations on the best way of achieving long-term sustainable provision.

You can request further information on LPRs by emailing fec.operations@education.gov.uk or by visiting the college oversight: support and intervention page on GOV.UK.

Support is available to governing bodies in their recruitment and selection panels for CEO/principals, other senior posts, or Chair of Board appointments.

Where it might be helpful, a request can be made for a member of the FE Commissioner team or NLG to join a selection panel to support decision making.

Support can be requested by emailing fe.commissioner@education.gov.uk.

Support available from the Department for Education

The Strategic Development Fund (SDF) is a national programme that supports a change in facilities and provision to meet skills priorities across a local area and improve the local skills system.

Applications to the SDF can incorporate proposals that address quality improvement challenges shared by FE providers, generate new resources and learning for wider use, and strengthen the self-improvement capacity of the FE sector.

Applications must align with the prescribed geographical boundaries for the SDF as set out in the SDF application guidance. The lead applicant for each area will be expected to have an Ofsted grade of good or outstanding.

Prior to the SDF, the college collaboration fund (CCF) ran from 2020 to 2022 and supported groups of FE colleges to deliver a range of projects. FE providers can continue to access and benefit from the CCF legacy of free to use resources and learning.

Bespoke support is available through our FE governor recruitment service to FE college governing boards which are in particular need of assistance to recruit a governor or governors to a key role or key roles on the board.

You will need a referral from DfE to access this service. To find out more about the criteria for referral and how to apply, please see the FE governor recruitment service page on GOV.UK.

Support available from the Education and Skills Funding Agency

Independent business reviews (IBR) are intended to establish clarity on a college’s position and to provide a robust and independent assessment of the options for its future. They are a tool for colleges and their lenders and funders.

IBRs can be commissioned by colleges, lenders, or, in exceptional circumstances, the DfE.

Further information on IBRs can be found on GOV.UK.

Support available from our delivery partners

The Education and Training Foundation (ETF) offer enables the delivery of a wide variety of learning and development programmes for leaders and governors. These include programmes intended to:

• build the skills and strategic capability of senior leaders and governors
• strengthen how leaders approach curriculum planning and quality assurance
• develop middle managers and prospective senior leaders, to create a diverse pipeline of future leaders
• support senior finance officers to ensure that providers are effective in managing financial risks and have a sustainable financial model
• support the development of governance professionals as strategic enablers

Further information can be found on the ETF website

Other helpful resources

• Further education corporations and sixth-form college corporations: governance guide

Suitable for all colleges corporations

Legal and regulatory requirements and recommended governance practice for FE and sixth-form college corporations. Aspects of the guidance may also be useful for designated institutions.

• College financial planning handbook and financial plan

Suitable for FE colleges and designated institutions

Guidance on preparing and submitting the financial plan and supporting commentary.

• FE Commissioner Financial Benchmark Definitions

Suitable for FE colleges and sixth-form colleges

This document sets out the methodology used to calculate the revised FE Commissioner financial benchmarks as per the FE Commissioner’s letter to the sector in February 2021.

• College management accounts good practice guide

Suitable for FE colleges and sixth-form colleges

This guide sets out the key principles of good practice to support the FE sector improve the consistency, quality, and effectiveness of in-year reporting of financial performance.

Contact us

If you have a specific query or would like some guidance relating to the content of this page, you can discuss with your territorial team, and/or get in touch by emailing the FE Commissioner support team on fe.commissioner@education.gov.uk.