Leadership Lessons from the 2024/25 Inspection Cycle — Shaping the Year Ahead
A New Academic Year — A New Opportunity for Leadership
As the 2025/26 academic year begins, leaders across the FE, skills, and training sector face renewed pressure — and renewed opportunity.
The 2024/25 inspection cycle revealed a clear message: leadership decisions made in the 12–18 months before inspection significantly influence the outcome.
Whether you lead an Independent Training Provider (ITP), Further Education (FE) college, or Higher Education (HE) institution, the time to act is now.
What the 2024/25 Inspection Reports Told Us
Providers who moved from Requires Improvement to Good had often:
Strengthened governance and accountability structures
Rebuilt their quality improvement plans with clear ownership
Invested in leadership at all levels — not just the executive team
Those who didn’t improve? Often cited issues with leadership clarity, decision-making processes, and strategic intent.
Leadership Weaknesses That Undermine Inspection Success
Across the cycle, recurring issues included:
Strategic drift — unclear direction or inconsistent leadership focus
Unclear accountability — particularly in governance and quality oversight
Low board visibility — boards unaware of operational challenges or lacking sector knowledge
Lack of succession planning — over-reliance on key individuals with no continuity
Characteristics of Inspection-Ready Leadership
Successful providers heading into the new year will prioritise:
Strategic clarity — a vision that’s aligned across board, leadership and delivery staff
Responsive governance — boards that actively support and challenge
Distributed leadership — middle leaders empowered and equipped to drive improvement
Evidence-led decision-making — using data to guide CPD, curriculum, and funding bids
Leading with Intent in 2025/26
This academic year will bring:
Final preparations for the Gatsby Benchmark deadline
Changes in apprenticeship policy and funding priorities
Continued scrutiny of safeguarding, curriculum impact, and employer engagement
Now is the time to:
Review your leadership structures and meeting cycles
Refresh your strategic improvement plans
Build capacity in your governance and middle leadership teams
Make This the Year of Intentional Leadership
Whether your next inspection is 3 months or 3 years away, your journey starts now.
Strong, future-focused leadership is the most consistent factor in sustained quality, compliance, and growth.
👉 If you’re planning strategically for 2025/26, we can support with governance audits, quality reviews, and leadership development planning. Let’s make this year count.