Help and support for colleges
Information about the range of help and support available from the FE Commissioner, Department for Education and delivery partners.
Applies to England
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 their 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
Active Support is available to all colleges and designated institutions not in intervention. All help and support is fully funded by DfE, although it is acknowledged that a college or designated institution would need to commit time and resources.
Informal, supportive conversation with the FE Commissioner team
Available to all colleges and designated institutions.
The FE Commissioner and their 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 their 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 fec.operations@education.gov.uk.
Health checks
Available to all colleges and designated institutions.
A health check provides the college with a free review of its operations. It usually consists of a 2-day visit to the college by a small team from the FE Commissioner, based on a mutually agreed plan. At the end of the visit, the FEC team will feedback to the college about what they have discovered. The college can then decide what further action is needed, and whether to request further help and support from the FEC.
Further education leadership 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 future principals, CEOs, and financial officers.
FE leadership mentoring programme has more information on how to apply and request a mentor.
Curriculum efficiency and financial sustainability support
Available to all colleges and designated institutions.
Curriculum efficiency and financial sustainability support (CEFSS) is a tailored 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 that 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 .
CEFSS can be accessed throughout the year by a direct request from a college to a member of the FE Commissioner or DfE territorial teams, or by contacting the FE Commissioner team to request more information. Email fec.operations@education.gov.uk.
Compare your curriculum efficiency
Available to all colleges and designated institutions.
The FE Commissioner and ESFA have developed a spreadsheet for comparing key financial data from college’s latest financial returns, allowing each college to compare their own data to that of other colleges. Comparisons can be made to diverse types of colleges using the in-built filters. This tool is available on View your education data (VYED) website.
Tailored Active Support from the FE Commissioner team
Available to all colleges and designated institutions.
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) sector that we may have identified - for example, through the FE Commissioner team, territorial teams, and annual strategic conversations.
Further information on tailored support .
Tailored support is available on request by contacting fec.operations@education.gov.uk.
Active Support from National Leaders of Further Education
Available to all colleges and designated institutions.
National Leaders of Further Education (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
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 institutions.
National Leaders of Governance (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 .
Governing bodies seeking support from an NLG should email fec.operations@education.gov.uk.
Active Support for recruitment to senior leadership and board appointments
Available to all colleges and designated institutions.
Support is available to governing bodies in their recruitment and selection panels for CEOs and 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 fec.operations@education.gov.uk.
Principals Intervention Support Group: an informal network
The Principals Intervention Support Group is a solutions-focused 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 meets monthly. 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 the group requests that they attend.
You can request further information on the network by emailing fec.operations@education.gov.uk or by contacting your territorial team.
Video interviews and supportive conversational events – ‘Just one thing’
The FEC has worked with NLFEs and NLGs to produce a series of short video interviews with principals/CEOs, chairs of boards and governance professionals. These share their views of what they would have liked to have known when they first started their role.
The FEC has also organised conversational events to explore themes that have come from these interviews with college principals, chairs, and governance professional. Further events are planned during 2023/24 and the FEC team will contact colleges with more information, when it is available.
FE Commissioner-led structure and prospects appraisals
Available to all colleges and designated institutions.
Structure and prospects appraisals (SPAs) are a framework that enable colleges considering options to restructure. The FE Commissioner team can provide support to do this in a clear, objective and evidence-based way.
You can request a SPA or discuss whether it would be helpful by emailing fec.operations@education.gov.uk.
Local provision reviews
Available to all colleges and designated institutions.
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.
Support available from DfE
Local Skills Improvement Fund (LSIF)
A national programme of grant funding open to local collaborations of FE providers, including general FE colleges, sixth-form colleges and designated institutions in England, as well as independent training providers.
The LSIF is being made available to collaborations of FE providers to enable them to respond to priorities in the Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) that will be published later in 2023. These aim to support a change in facilities and provision to meet skills priorities across a local area and improve the local skills system.
Applications to the LSIF 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 LSIF as set out in the LSIF funding guidance. The lead applicant for each area will be expected to have an Ofsted grade of good or outstanding.
Prior to the LSIF, 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.
Support available from ESFA
Independent business reviews
Suitable for FE colleges and lenders.
Independent business reviews (IBR) are intended to establish clarity on a college’s position and 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, DfE.
Further information on IBRs is available.
Support available from our delivery partners
Leadership and Governance Programmes - The Education and Training Foundation
Open to all colleges.
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.
Help to recruit governors for college board
It is important that a college board is made up of those who have the skills, 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. DfE has contracted Peridot until 31 March 2025 to support colleges in their recruitment of college governors.
More information on recruiting an FE governor can be found on GOV.UK or the Peridot website.
Focusing on your mental wellbeing and help
Open to all colleges.
This service, funded by the DfE, is for Principals, CEOs and senior leaders reporting directly to the Principal or CEO) in FE colleges. Education Support gives you a safe and confidential space to talk about, and process what is going on for you at work. You will work with qualified and experienced supervisors to focus on your mental wellbeing and help you develop new coping strategies to feel more fulfilled and in control. You will receive six free one-to-one sessions by Zoom or telephone, which are completely confidential. For those who need it, we can also offer access to counselling, delivered by qualified BACP accredited counsellors.
More information on wellbeing support can be found on the Education Support website.
Other helpful resources
Effective practice guides
Suitable for FE colleges and sixth-form colleges.
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.
Suitable for all college 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.
Suitable for FE colleges and designated institutions.
Guidance on preparing and submitting the financial plan and supporting commentary.
Suitable for FE colleges and designated institutions.
This effective practice guide document provides insights into the strategies employed by colleges and local authorities for the utilisation of the adult education budget. Its purpose is to share effective practice across the post 16 sector.
Suitable for all college corporations.
Sets out key principles of good practice to support the FE sector improve the consistency, quality, and effectiveness of in-year reporting of financial performance. College finance directors/chief finance officers should periodically review the format and content of their management accounts and consult governors and senior leaders on whether they meet their needs. This guide can serve as a reference point to help inform this process.
Suitable for FE colleges and sixth-form colleges.
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.
Suitable for FE colleges and sixth-form colleges.
Learning from and for the sector about principles and practice.
JISC Cyber Security
Suitable for all college corporations.
More information can be found on the JISC Cyber Security website. How to assess your cyber security posture is a useful document for governors to assess the college’s position on cyber security.
Contact us
If you have a specific query or would like further guidance, you can discuss it with your territorial team or email the FE Commissioner support team at fec.operations@education.gov.uk.
Updates to this page
Last updated 7 March 2024 + show all updates
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Added 'Adult education budget: effective practice guide' to the 'Other helpful resources' section.
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Added 'Effective practice in approaching cultural change in colleges' guide to 'Other helpful resources' section.
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We have updated the page to improve the layout and removed content which is no longer relevant.
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Updated 'Active Support available from the FE Commissioner' section to add information about the further education leadership mentoring programme.
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Updated the page to reflect that diagnostic assessments are no longer available and to share links to the recently published estates and curriculum guides.
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Added link to recruit an FE governor page.
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Updated to include information on the Curriculum Efficiency and Financial Sustainability Support (CEFSS).
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First published.