In this week’s TES, FErret (article free to subscribers) reveals just how many secret sets of college merger talks are under way around the country. And, with some parts of the country so keen to crack on with the process of reform that they’re instigating their own pre-area review area reviews, it seems that the sector is already doing skills minister Nick Boles’ work for him. FErret also returns to City of Glasgow College to shed some light on its shiny new coat of arms, and exposes another college which is tampering with the very laws of nature.

Also in this week’s magazine, the shortlist for this year’s TES FE Awards have been revealed. See if your college is featured on the list of FE’s most outstanding individuals and institutions. The overall winners will be announced at the most glittering of awards ceremonies on 22 April, at the rather swish Grosvenor House Hotel in London. If you’d like to join us, check out the official awards website.

In this week’s editorial, FE editor Stephen Exley ponders the shifting sands of local accountability, and scrutinises Jeremy Corbyn’s plans for the return of local authorities to the FE fray. In an exclusive interview with TES, the Labour leader also voices strong views on the national college strike planned for later this month.

Joanne St Clair ruminates on how to make your workload leaner by streamlining the teaching process, while Sarah Simons goes off on one, asking Ofsted chief Sir Michael Wilshaw if he wouldn’t mind keeping his “misguided bollocks” about post-16 non-academic progressions to himself. Crikey.

The Association of Employment and Learning Providers’ outgoing chief executive, Stewart Segal, says we should base apprenticeship standards on those already in use in the WorldSkills competitions, if we’re to truly inspire young people to embrace hands-on learning. Finally, Roshan Doug argues that it’s about time the government stopped force-feeding young people ‘British values’ as part of the Prevent agenda. 

All this and more in this week’s TES Further.

Read the full coverage in this week’s TES magazine, available in all good newsagents. To download the digital FE edition, Android users can click here and iOS users can click here

Want to keep up with the latest education news and opinion? Follow TES FE News on Twitter and like TES FE News on Facebook