The long-awaited Learning and Skills Development Agency’s report on the funding gap between colleges and schools remains firmly under wraps - with the exception of one copy which was supposedly winging its way to Mike Foster MP, the Labour member for Worcester, who demanded a copy by the end of last week.

The powers-that-be reckon the document would be more easily digested by the public towards the end of July, when it is scheduled to be released along with the not so eagerly-awaited Agenda for Change document.

The Learning and Skills Council commissioned the report because it wanted to get to the bottom of one of the most pressing issues in the world of further education - the need to create a level playing field of funding.

The document is expected to make the case firmly for more cash for further education - a message the Government could do without.

The document was completed in mid-March, says the LSC, meaning ministers could have updated their knowledge about the funding gap before the election.

What a happy coincidence, then, that by the time this document is due to be published, many of those people who are interested in its contents will be away on holiday.

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