Colleges in Scotland were reclassified as public bodies in 2013 - and, amid rumours that the government’s FE White Paper may consider the status of English colleges, Audrey Cumberford, principal of Edinburgh College and commissioner on the Commission of the College of the Future, shares her experience.

Background: College sector status ‘irrelevant’, says AoC

More: ‘No effort’ made to mitigate woes of reclassification

FE commissioner: 30 to 40 colleges ‘at risk’

In the latest Tes FE Podcast, she explains how the running of colleges in Scotland has been affected by their status - and the ways in which the sector has changed as a result.

Listen below for her insights into why the timing of the ONS decision was so crucial in a Scottish context - and why she believes the government’s need to have more direct control over FE institutions was a major factor.