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1/5. @CommonsPAC publishes report on colleges today following evidence session with officials in November on September @NAOorguk report https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/127/public-accounts-committee/news/138723/government-must-get-a-grip-on-further-education-sector-with-nearly-half-of-colleges-in-financial-measures/
2/5. PAC makes some good recommendations: DFE needs a long-term plan, 16-18 funding needs reform to accommodate demographic growth, pensions and VAT are problematic, services for students have been cut, oversight arrangements are too complicated with intervention costs racking up
3/5. However PAC underplay one of the central findings of the NAO report which is that cuts in revenue funding between 2013-4 and 2018-9 combined with reform (eg to apprenticeships) created a complex and hazardous situation in which it's almost inevitable that some colleges fail
4/5. The oversight and intervention arrangements definitely need reform but these come after governing bodies and leadership teams have had their go. Reform needs to focus on making it possible for them to do their job right first time while holding them to account
5/5. DfE explains this sort of reform in chapter 4 of the the FE white paper. Better governance standards. Longer-term funding arrangements. Accountability focused on outcomes. Fewer rules, ringfencing and reports.
