Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 22
22
At February 2020, seven colleges in early intervention had entered it when the policy was...
Conclusion
At February 2020, seven colleges in early intervention had entered it when the policy was introduced in November 2015; 75 colleges had been in early intervention for two or more separate periods; and seven colleges in formal intervention had been there for more than five years, with two of these having been there for more than seven years.40 The ESFA accepted that some colleges stayed in intervention for a long time and said that, sometimes, new issues emerged after a college had entered intervention.41
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
6: PAC conclusion: The Department’s, the ESFA’s and the Further Education Commissioner’s approach to intervention takes too long, costs too much and is not effective in making colleges more sustainable. 6: PAC recommendation: The Department should set out within three months what actions it plans to take to improve its intervention arrangements, and how it will assess the success of these actions. 6.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: May 2021 6.2 The department will consult with sector stakeholders to review and publish an update to its college oversight: support and intervention policy in May 2021. This will set out the Education and Skills Funding Agency’s role as Regulator for the department, in respect of securing compliance and taking intervention action, and address the recommendations made the Committee, and those identified in the Independent Review of College Financial Oversight conducted by Dame Mary Ney DBE, published in July 2020. The Committee will be provided with a copy of the updated policy.