The government has unveiled new Regional Improvement Teams intended to boost performance in underperforming further education colleges, as part of its wider Plan for Change strategy to
raise standards and expand opportunity.
Announced by Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, the initiative is expected to benefit around 70,000 students. It arrives alongside nearly £800 million in additional funding for 16–19 education in 2026–27, drawn from the existing Spending Review. Ministers say the investment will support an extra 20,000 learners next year.
The reforms build on commitments set out in the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, which proposed wide-ranging changes to ensure young people can secure skilled jobs. Measures include structured professional development for FE teachers and a new expectation that colleges provide at least 100 hours of face-to-face English and maths teaching to students who have not yet passed their GCSEs.
The new Regional Improvement Teams—made up of sector specialists and industry leaders—will examine how well colleges meet local priorities, from labour-market demands to provision for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Colleges will receive access to best-practice guidance, performance data, and, where necessary, targeted assistance such as peer mentoring.
The teams will be rolled out nationwide by the next academic year, with a focus on supporting colleges most in need of intervention.
“Every young person deserves a brilliant education,” Phillipson said. “By providing targeted support where it’s needed most, we’re breaking down barriers to opportunity and giving young people the best possible start in their careers.”
In a significant shift, colleges may now face formal leadership intervention if Ofsted finds that their contribution to local skills needs requires “urgent improvement”, expanding the triggers for government action.
The reforms are part of wider efforts to raise the status of further education and support the Prime Minister’s goal for two-thirds of young people to take part in quality higher-level learning by age 25.
Phillipson highlighted the changes during a visit to City of Sunderland College, where she launched the North East Construction Technical Excellence College (TEC). The college group, which previously faced serious financial and performance issues, has undergone a major turnaround with support from advisers including incoming FE Commissioner Ellen Thinnesen OBE.
Thinnesen welcomed the reforms, saying the new teams will bring “a more structured approach to raising standards and meeting area need in every part of England.”
New guidance published on Monday sets out how support will be matched to colleges’ needs, with the most seriously underperforming institutions subject to intensive oversight, mandatory action plans and frequent monitoring.
The moves follow the government’s decision to scrap single headline Ofsted grades for FE providers, shifting instead to targeted intervention where Ofsted identifies “urgent improvement” needs.
