FE News

Discover Cambridge Access Validating Agency (CAVA)
2025-05-20 12:00 - 13:00 (Europe/London) | Online
Want to simplify assessment, ease admin pressures, and strengthen your Access to HE offer under the updated grading scheme?
Join us for Discover CAVA – an online open event especially for Access to HE providers who don’t currently work with us but are curious to learn more. We will show how we work in partnership with providers to put Access to HE at the heart of everything we do.
At CAVA, Access to HE isn’t one strand of what we do – it’s our entire focus.
That means your teams and students benefit from:-Streamlined quality assurance that’s flexible and proportionate-Lower admin burden – with no drop in standards-Targeted support and tailored CPD offers-Student outcomes that consistently exceed the national average-Clear, upfront pricing with no surprises
Register now
This is an informal session – no pressure, no commitment – just a chance to meet the team, ask questions, and find out how we could support your staff and learners.

Who are we?
Cambridge Access Validating Agency (CAVA) is a non-profit membership organisation who designs, validates, quality assures, and awards Access to Higher Education (HE) Diplomas. Access to HE Diplomas provide an opportunity for adults without the relevant formal qualifications to go to university. CAVA works with six universities and more than 30 further education providers in the UK.

FAB Futures
2025-05-20 10:00 - 16:00 | Hyatt Regency, 2 Bridge St, Birmingham, B1 2JZ, United Kingdom
Join us for this unique, inaugural, one-day event, sponsored by NEBOSH, which is designed around the needs of those with responsibility for developing business strategies in the Skills and FE Sector. The FAB Futures Seminar will unpack key issues that will determine the operating environment for the FE and Skills qualifications and assessment industry in 2032.

The seminar will reach beyond the current policy horizon and explore learner trends, markets, technology and regulation with the assistance of distinguished speakers and panellists from academia, business, think-tanks and the industry through a blend of keynote speeches, expert panel analysis and round table discussions. Speakers and Panellists will include PA Consulting, Cambridge Assessment, DfE, Institute for Fiscal Studies, Ofqual, and more.

The seminar has been designed to meet the needs of industry leaders and strategic planners, as well as future leaders and aspirational individuals looking to grow within the sector. It will also be of interest to the wider FE and Skills sector. It will be an opportunity to exchange ideas with colleagues and those thinking about the future, whilst acquiring understanding and insights that will support business planning and strategic thinking.

Understanding the DfE Financial Handbook for Independent Training Providers
2025-05-20 10:00 - 11:30 | Online
Overview

Don’t miss this essential webinar that unpacks the critical financial management, governance, and assurance requirements every Independent Training Provider needs to know. Get clear, practical insights into the DfE’s Financial Handbook and what it means for your organisation.

Objectives

By the end of this session, you will:

Know exactly when and how to apply key components of the DfE’s Financial Handbook in real-world scenarios.Learn practical strategies for implementing the handbook’s guidance in your own organisation, with tools to assess and adapt it effectively after the session.Discover how the handbook can strengthen your corporate governance and risk management, while helping you gain greater assurance over your funding.

FacilitatorRupert Crossland, Professional Assessment Limited

Initial Assessment in Action - Uncovering Learners' Authentic Starting Points
2025-05-15 10:00 - 11:00 | Online
Overview

In this interactive, hands-on webinar, Gemma will show you how to go beyond traditional testing to truly understand each learner’s unique starting point. You’ll gain practical insights into how to assess strengths, barriers, prior learning, and personal circumstances, all while ensuring alignment with the Education Inspection Framework (EIF).

In this interactive, hands-on webinar, Gemma will show you how to go beyond traditional testing to truly understand each learner’s unique starting point. You’ll gain practical insights into how to assess strengths, barriers, prior learning, and personal circumstances, all while ensuring alignment with the Education Inspection Framework (EIF).

Gemma won’t just talk theory—this session includes real-world examples and a toolkit of resources to help you apply what you’ve learned in your own provision. By the end of the webinar, you’ll have a clear, actionable strategy for capturing meaningful learner information that sets learners up for success and guides them through a personalised and aspirational education journey.

Objectives

Delegates attending this webinar will leave with:

Supportive resources to help you design personalised learner journeys

Practical tools to conduct a holistic initial assessment

Actionable strategies for assessing and recording starting points effectively

Real-world examples to help you implement the assessment process right away

Facilitator

Gemma Hart, Head of Quality Apprenticeships, Fuel Learning

Click here to find out more information or to register.

Level 3 award in undertaking end-point assessment
2025-05-13 08:00 - 2025-07-03 17:00 | Online
Are you looking to conduct end-point assessment in the future, or prepare apprentices for it? End-point assessment is different and high stakes.

This Level 3 course will provide you with the building blocks to carry out end-point assessment in future and help you to get ahead of the game. If you’re preparing apprentices for end-point assessment on-programme, the course will give you a useful insight into what apprentices will face.

SDN has helped many of the first EPAOs (and their assessor teams) currently delivering end-point assessment and have a cutting-edge insight into what end-point assessment looks like in practice.

Here’s what the course covers:

Understand the principles and practices of end-point assessment as part of an apprenticeship standard

The role and responsibilities of an end-point assessor
The function of end-point assessment as part of an apprenticeship standard
The requirements of apprenticeship standards and end-point assessments
The difference between ongoing assessments and end-point assessments
Grading requirements of end-point assessments and the differences between each grade

Understand different types and methods of end-point assessment

The different types and methods of end-point assessments that form part of apprenticeship standards
The strengths and limitations of a range of end-point assessment types and methods

Know how to plan end-point assessments in line with the apprenticeship standard and assessment plan

Key factors to consider when planning end-point assessments.
Risks that may be involved in conducting end-point assessments within own area of responsibility
Planning how to conduct end-point assessments in line with the requirements of an apprenticeship standard and assessment plan
Communicating planned end-point assessments to relevant stakeholders

Be able to make end-point assessment decisions

Assessing the vocational knowledge, skills and behaviours of an apprentice to meet end-point assessment requirements
Recording the end-point assessment decision
Justifying end-point assessment and grading decisions in line with the apprenticeship requirements.
Following procedures to maintain the confidentiality of end-point assessment information
Following relevant policies, procedures and legislation when conducting, recording and reporting end-point assessments
Providing end-point assessment feedback to stakeholders

Understand quality assurance of the end-point assessment process

Quality assurance and standardisation policies and procedures that apply to end-point assessments
Procedures to follow when there are disputes concerning end-point assessments decisions
Planning and logging professional development opportunities relevant to own role

About your session

The course will be taught by Emily Hughes, SDN expert in apprenticeship on-programme training and end-point assessment.

Our team have been heavily involved in the development of new standards and assessment plans, as well as supporting many EPAOs and hundreds of individuals to prepare to deliver end-point assessment.

This course is designed for those conducting, planning to deliver, or those preparing apprentices for end-point assessment and is applicable to all industries.

This qualification is accredited by Highfield Qualifications, with whom SDN is an approved centre. If you successfully complete the course, you will receive a Level 3 Award in Undertaking End-Point Assessment

“I absolutely loved the course and will be recommending the course to others.”

“You were so positive & friendly – this allowed the cohort to cope with the 20+ criteria on the observation. Your over-riding personality made us all feel welcome & encouraged us to face all of the challenges head-on. This positivity & can-do approach helped the cohort immensely as I think that most of us probably felt out of our depth initially. By giving the cohort, the feeling that we ‘were all in it together’ boosted our overall confidence.”

“The course has been outstanding. Very high standard of training from highly experienced and credible practitioners”

“Vital course for anyone who is considering a career as an end-point assessor”

– Attendees from the Level 3 course

Before you book:

Entry requirements:

Age 18 or over
Proficiency in literacy and numeracy
Proven occupational experience in your EPA sector area

Documentation:

Copy of your CV
Professional statement
Relevant certificates
Proof of ID

You’ll need:

Headphones/earphones set to reduce background noise
Microphone – you’ll need to participate in the session
Webcam – to verify identity and allow assessor to observe activity

Booking and payment:

If you’re a Local Authority, and unable to book via card, please email us. When you make a booking, you agree to these Terms and Conditions (including those who request a booking via email and invoice)

Any questions, or to request an invoice, please email: events@strategicdevelopmentnetwork.co.uk

SDN CPD is designed for Government funded Training Providers. If you’re not a Government funded Training Provider but are still interested in attending please email events@strategicdevelopmentnetwork.co.uk to discuss your attendance in more detail before booking.

Metacognition: Supporting Learners to Learn How to Learn
2025-05-09 10:00 - 11:00 | Online
Overview

This webinar is part of a series of webinars focusing on lifelong, practical learning and progression. The sessions will ensure that delegates can make practical differences to their teaching immediately.

This webinar will help teachers, trainers and coaches to help learners develop the skills to become lifelong learners

Click the links to register your interest in the rest of this series.

Experiential Learning: Turning doing into learning

Approaches to Careers Education: How to get learners to take control of their futures

Objectives

This webinar will help delegates to:

Define Metacognition: Participants will understand what metacognition is and why it is critical for effective learning.

Explore the Components of Metacognition: Participants will identify and explain the three components of metacognition: planning, monitoring, and evaluating.

Apply Metacognitive Strategies in Teaching Practice: Participants will design activities that promote metacognitive awareness and strategies among learners.

Reflect on Personal Metacognitive Practices: Participants will assess how they use metacognition in their own teaching and develop strategies to enhance it.

Facilitator

Paul Wakeling, Education Consultant

Click here to find out more information or to register.

AI in Adult Education Workshop
2025-05-07 14:00 - 15:30 | Online
One of the highlights of the Cambridge Access Validating Agency’s Annual Conference last December was Nork Zakarian’s workshop on ‘AI in Adult Education’. Given the popularity of the session and the significance of this subject, we are delighted to be opening this online workshop to all. The workshop will cover:

Introduction to AI and a prompting framework for effective AI generation.
A practical activity to generate content relevant to your professional practice that may include assessment design, unit design, enhancing accessibility for diverse needs, personalised learning, and lesson plans.
Good Practice and supporting colleges to engage with AI.
Discussion on guidance on the use of AI in assessment, data privacy, future of assessment, academic integrity, detecting AI misuse and mitigation strategies. If you would like to attend, please register here.

Who are we?

The Cambridge Access Validating Agency (CAVA) is a non-profit membership organisation who designs, validates, quality assures, and awards Access to Higher Education (HE) Diplomas. Access to HE Diplomas provide an opportunity for adults without the relevant formal qualifications to go to university. CAVA works with six universities and more than 30 further education providers in the UK.

Getting the Most from Your Observations of Teaching, Learning and Assessment
2025-05-07 09:30 - 2025-05-08 12:30 | Online
Overview
This online workshop will focus on how you can improve your current practice when observing teaching and assessment activities. We will initially consider how the use of observations by Ofsted to make judgements about ‘curriculum implementation’ and ‘curriculum impact’ has changed over time and how this might affect your own practice.

We will then reflect on why teaching in lessons is often judged too generously and discuss the traits of highly effective lesson observers.

Richard will also provide you with a range of useful and insightful prompts for use when observing a group or one-to-one learning session and will reflect on some ‘Ofsted myths’ about teaching and learning.
Bearing in mind that observation activities should encompass the whole of the learner journey, we will consider what makes for an outstanding progress review, professional discussion and question and answer assessment in the workplace.

Finally, we will consider the sorts of questions you might ask learners as part of an observation, writing up and feeding back your key judgements, and agreeing development needs as part of an action plan.

Objectives
This in depth interactive workshop will examine a number of key areas, including:

The ways in which the use of observations by Ofsted inspectors to make judgements about teaching and learning have changed over time.
Why teaching in lessons is often judged too generously.
The traits of highly effective lesson observers.
What to look for in a great learning session.
Prompts for making judgements about different aspects of a session.
Ofsted myths about teaching and learning.
The sorts of questions you might ask learners as part of an observation.
Observing progress reviews.
Observing professional discussions and question/answer sessions in the workplace.
Writing up and feeding back your judgements and agreeing a development plan.
Decisions you need to make about your observation process.

Facilitator: Richard Moore, Richard Moore Solutions

Click here to find out more information or to register.

Open Event at West Lancashire College
2025-05-01 16:30 - 19:00 | West Lancashire College, College Way, Skelmersdale, WN8 6LH, United Kingdom
At our final Open Event of the 24-25 academic year, school leavers can find out more about our range of BTECs, Technical and T Level courses which include:

T Levels in Building Services Engineering, Management and Business, Digital Support Services, Education and Child Care, as well as Health

BTECS in Art and Design, Early Years Education, Computer Science, Engineering, Health and Social Care, Sports and Uniformed Public Services

Technicals in Beauty Therapy, Bricklaying, Carpentry and Joinery, Electrical, Hairdressing, Motor Vehicle and Plumbing

Foundation Learning including Inclusive Learning, Aspire programme and Supported Internship

You can meet our tutors and talk to current students, view our outstanding facilities and find out more about our great results, free* transport, fabulous wrap around support, great connections with employers and universities, as well as fully funded trips including Germany, Spain, Malta and Cyprus!

Plus, there will be lots of activities for you to explore and free refreshments too.

We very much look forward to welcoming you to our college soon.

*Subject to eligibility and availability

Apprenticeship compliance fundamentals and what this means for your role
2025-05-01 14:00 - 2025-05-08 15:30 | Online
Everyone involved in apprenticeship delivery should understand the fundamentals of apprenticeship compliance.

Whether you’re involved in training, curriculum design, quality assurance, employer engagement or administration – understanding what ESFA compliance means for your role is crucial in helping the organisation to draw down the right funding and mitigate risks.

Designed around the latest version of the funding rules, this three-part series is designed to introduce all apprenticeship staff to the core apprenticeship rules and where their role fits in the compliance journey.

Part 1 will look at the typical apprentice journey, the core rules that matter and common solutions seen, including the importance of the little details and core parts of the evidence pack.

Part 2 will look at common errors and build an understanding of risk awareness as part of a transparent compliance culture.

Part 3 will open the floor to core questions and discussions of best practice.

This series will help you to:

Understand the core compliance rules for Apprenticeships
Understand how they fit into the typical apprentice journey
Know how funding works and what this means for your role
Keep an eye out for common errors
How to mitigate funding risks

About your session

David Lockhart-Hawkins, SDN’s funding and compliance expert will facilitate this session.
After working in the sector for over 20 years, David has supported hundreds of providers to establish effective compliance systems. His in-depth understanding of funding and wider apprenticeship delivery gives him a unique insight into compliance across the organisation.

SDN’s CPD is drawn from its work with over 1,000 apprenticeship providers and thousands of staff – giving you a unique insights into practices that can drive the quality of your provision. Our sessions are also intensely practical – equipping you with the knowledge and resources to act and make improvements in your role and organisation.

Perfect for new starts across all departments as well as those requiring a refresher, this is designed for all staff involved in administrating or delivering apprenticeships so they can develop a healthy understanding of compliance and how it relates to their job role.

“David’s knowledge and expertise is unparalleled.”

– Event attendee

“I wished I had done it 18m ago when I got involved with apprenticeships.”

– Head of Quality & Improvement/DSL, Central College of Animal Studies

“Very well delivered, clear and very good subject knowledge”

– Team Leader Horticulture Apprentices, Capel Manor College

Booking and payment:

You can either attend live sessions or be sent the recordings and materials if you prefer to review them in your own time. You can also mix and match for whatever works best for your schedule.

If you have several staff who would benefit, let us know and we’ll send you details of the most cost-effective way of accessing the session.

If you’re a public sector body (e.g. Local Authority), and unable to book via card, please email us. When you make a booking, you agree to these Terms and Conditions (including those who request a booking via email and invoice)

SDN CPD is designed for Government funded Training Providers. If you’re not a Government funded Training Provider but are still interested in attending please email events@strategicdevelopmentnetwork.co.uk to discuss your attendance in more detail before booking.

FREE WEBINAR - FIN DISCOVERY SESSION - WITH OFSTED INSPECTION DATA AND TOP TIPS
2025-04-30 10:00 - 11:00
Join us for an informal session hosted by Kerry Boffey, our founder and former Ofsted Inspector. Kerry will share some updates on inspections with some top tips. This is also an opportunity to find about the Fellowship of Inspection Nominees (FIN) and how your organisation could benefit and answer any questions you may have. Kerry will also provide attendees with an insight into the guidance and knowledge members have access to. We look forward to meeting you.

If you require any support with booking please contact info@fin-online.org.uk

Events – Fellowship of Inspection Nominees (fin-online.org.uk)

Using AI (Artificial Intelligence) - FIN Working Group
2025-04-29 14:00 - 15:00
Welcome to our FIN Working Group to discuss using AI to support and enhance learner progress review.Could AI be the answer to improving the recording of progress reviews? This group will collaborate to discuss the current use and future potential of embracing artificial intelligence into our practice to improve efficiency and practice. With so many progress reviews carried out online, could the current the challenges of effectively capturing and summarising conversations in reviews and the potential of AI transcription be a game changer?

The session will be led by Kerry Boffey who has been working with a number of providers to try out some of the popular AI tools. If you are interested in sharing your experiences of AI or want to find out more, this working group is a great opportunity to get involved.

If you require any support with booking please contact info@fin-online.org.uk

Events – Fellowship of Inspection Nominees (fin-online.org.uk)

Adopting an Effective Approach to Future Strategic And Operational Curriculum Planning | AELP
2025-04-29 09:30 - 12:30 | Online
Overview

Supporting learners in achieving success across assessments and EPA requires a thoughtful and strategic approach that goes beyond standard preparation. Effective coaching, individualised readiness techniques and stress management strategies are integral to equipping learners with the skills and confidence they need to excel.

This interactive workshop explores the principles of effective coaching and preparation, combining evidence-based methodologies with practical tools for assessment success. It delves into the nuances of EPA requirements and broader assessment frameworks, identifies common barriers faced by learners and outlines actionable strategies to build resilience, competence and readiness for a range of assessment scenarios.

By designing targeted preparation plans and integrating structured support strategies, educators can enhance learner outcomes, improve organisational pass and completion rates, and ensure alignment with quality standards and expectations.

Objectives

This webinar will cover:

Formulating and implementing strategies to improve assessment pass rates, EPA success and overall completion of learning programmes.

The impact of exam stress on learner performance and strategies to manage and effectively reduce negative influences;

Best practices in coaching and assessment preparation to build learner confidence, competence and readiness;

EPA requirements and broader assessment expectations to inform tailored preparation plans;

Designing and implementing personalised, actionable strategies to improve learner outcomes, success rates and resilience building;

Defining areas for personal development and growth to provide effective coaching support;

Formulating and implementing strategies to improve assessment pass rates, EPA success and overall completion of learning programmes.

Facilitator

Christine Edwards QTLS, Creating Excellence

Click here to find out more information or to register.

Strategic Safeguarding for DSLs
2025-04-28 10:00 - 12:00
Join guest speaker Rachael Bishop for a deep dive into how DSL’s and those in a position of overseeing safeguarding can develop better strategies to improve and manage learner safety.

This interactive session will support DSLs to:• Build and maintain a culture of safety• Work with key stakeholders and build effective partnerships• Embed effective safeguarding governance and compliance• Develop key policies and procedures• Understand how to manage local risks and the Prevent Duty requirements• Implement action planning and risk assessments• Understand a Governor’s role and responsibilities towards safeguarding.

Please contact info@fin-online.org.uk for any support with booking.

Event Booking (sphr.uk)
