Colleges criticised

One in five further education colleges inspected is "inadequate", according to Ofsted's annual report published this week. The inspection of 105 colleges since April 2001, when Ofsted became responsible for monitoring standards in 16-to-19 education and training, revealed an "often stark contrast between the wealth of choice available to well-qualified A-level students and the paucity of opportunity at lower levels or in work-related areas".