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 learnerslearners, 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)(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,DfE, or at any time through informal discussions with the FE Commissioner and hertheir 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

Informal, supportive conversation with the FE Commissioner team

Available to all colleges and designated institutionsinstitutions.

Support from the FE Commissioner and hertheir team is not limited just to colleges or designated institutions in intervention. The FE Commissioner and hertheir 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 hertheir 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.

Tailored Active Support from the FE Commissioner team

Available to all colleges and designated institutionsinstitutions.

Tailored support can include help to understand and address specific issues or challenges and to improve what is already working well in a college.

A key element of tailored support will be to signpost, promote and share examples of effective practices from the further education (FE)(FE) sector that we may have identified,identified - for example, through the FE Commissionerthe FE Commissioner team, territorial teams,teams and annual strategic conversations.

Included within tailored support is the option for a health check, which has replaced the diagnostic assessment and has been moved, based on feedback from the FE college sector, to lighter-touch support from the FE Commissioner.the FE Commissioner.

Further information on tailored support canis be found on GOV.UK.available.

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

Active Support from National Leaders of Further Education

Available to all colleges and designated institutionsinstitutions.

National Leaders of Further Education (NLFE)(NLFEs) 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 canare be found on GOV.UK.available.

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

Active Support from National Leaders of Governance for further education

Available to all colleges and designated institutionsinstitutions.

National Leaders of Governance (NLG)(NLGs) 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 canare be found on GOV.UK.available.

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

FE Commissioner-led structure and prospects appraisals

Available to all colleges and designated institutionsinstitutions.

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

Further information on SPAs canis be found on GOV.UK.available.

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

Curriculum Efficiencyefficiency and Financialfinancial Sustainabilitysustainability Support (CEFSS)support

Available to all colleges and designated institutionsinstitutions.

Curriculum efficiency and financial sustainability support (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 whichthat 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.

A guide to effective practice in curriculum planning - an exploration of the principal stages involved in effective curriculum planning - has been published on GOV.UK: Effective practice in curriculum planning - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Further information on CEFSS canis be found on GOV.UK.available.

CEFSS can be accessed throughout the year by a direct request from a college to a member of the FECFE teamCommissioner or the DfE Territorialterritorial Team,teams, or theyby cancontacting contact the FECFE Commissioner team to request more informationinformation. onEmail CEFSS by emailing FEC.OPERATIONS@education.gov.uk.

Local provision reviews

Available to all colleges and designated institutionsinstitutions.

FE Commissioner local provision reviews (LPRs)(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.page.

Active Support for recruitment to senior leadership and board appointments

Available to all colleges and designated institutionsinstitutions.

Support is available to governing bodies in their recruitment and selection panels for CEO/principals,CEOs and principals, other senior posts,posts or Chairchair of Boardboard 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

Active availableSupport: fromFurther theeducation Departmentleadership mentoring programme

Available to chief executives, principals, finance directors and senior leaders and managers in colleges and designated institutions.

The mentoring programme supports existing and aspiring leaders to develop and progress in their careers and helps create a more diverse talent pipeline for Educationfuture principals, CEOs and financial officers.

FE leadership mentoring programme has more information on how to apply and request a mentor.

Support available from DfE

• Strategic Development Fund

NationalA national programme of grant funding open to local collaborations of FE providers, including general furtherFE education colleges, sixthsixth-form form colleges and designated institutions in England, as well as independent training providers.

The Strategic Development Fund (SDF)(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 qualityquality-improvement 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,SDF, the college collaboration fund (CCF)(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 freefree-to-use to use resources and learning.

Support available from the funding agency

• Independent business reviews

Suitable for FE colleges and lenderslenders.

Independent business reviews (IBR)(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,lenders or, in exceptional circumstances, the DfE.DfE.

Further information on IBRs canis be found on GOV.UK.available.

Support available from our delivery partners

• Leadership and Governance Programmes - The Education and Training Foundation

Open to all collegescolleges.

The Education and Training Foundation (ETF)(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.

• Principals Intervention Support Group: Anan informal Networknetwork

The ‘PrincipalsPrincipals Intervention Support Group’Group is a solutionssolutions-focused focussedpeer-support peergroup 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 requestedthe togroup attendrequests bythat thethey group.attend.

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

• Help to recruit governors for college board

It is vital that a college board is made up fromof those who have the skills, knowledge,knowledge and experience to ensure that the college is effectively delivering the education and skills that are needed, not just locally but also for the UK. The DfE havehas contracted Peridot betweenuntil now and the end of the 2024 to 2025 academic year to help and support colleges in their recruitment of college governors.

More information on recruiting an FE governor can be found on theGOV.UK or the Peridot websitewebsite..

Other helpful resources

• Further education estates planning guide

Suitable for FE colleges and sixth-form collegescolleges.

We have published information and advice to help FE and sixth-form colleges manage their estates, including buildings and land. You will find this manual guide useful if you have responsibility for managing the estate of a FE or sixth-form college.

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

Suitable for all colleges corporationscorporations.

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 institutionsinstitutions.

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

• FE Commissioner Financial Benchmark Definitions (PDF, 143KB)

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.

• CollegeJISC managementCyber accounts good practice guideSecurity

Suitable for FEall collegescollege and sixth-form collegescorporations

ThisHow guideto setsassess outyour thecyber keysecurity principlesposture of(PDF, good10MB). practiceThis todocument supportis theuseful FEfor sectorgovernors improveto assess the consistency,college’s quality,position andon effectivenesscyber of in-year reporting of financial performance.security.

Contact us

If you have a specific query or would like somefurther guidanceguidance, relating to the content of this page, you can discuss it with your territorial team,team and/oror getemail in touch by emailing the FE Commissioner support team onat fe.commissioner@education.gov.uk.