Just how much money do the big FE providers hang on to when they subcontract funding to other organisations? This week’s TES Further has the answer, thanks to an investigation by Julia Belgutay - and the findings might surprise you.

Also in this week’s magazine, Unionlearn’s new director Liz Rees explains what the organisation is doing to reach adult learners (article free to subscribers). And FE editor Stephen Exley reflects on how the sector’s united front is set to come crashing down with the prospect of a national strike in sixth-form colleges.

FErret has once again been sniffing around the sector on your behalf, and this time he has uncovered out some information on the area reviews which could prove helpful to colleges facing merger.

Dan Williams looks at what methods might be used to conduct a broader formative assessment - using the unlikely inspiration of TV gameshow Catchphrase, while our columnist Sarah Simons confesses that, in trying to find the perfect work-life balance, her evenings have become taken up with TV, slankets and dozing whippets. Her new year’s resoution is to make more effort with her friends.

The Association of Colleges’ chief executive Martin Doel, writes about what 2016 may hold for the sector, and Russell Sheath offers his thoughts on cultivating the next generation of college leaders - which, he argues, should be nurtured with care and patience.

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

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