Welcome back to your monthly round-up of insights, tools and support.
What this month covers:
- Creating the Space to Speak the Truth. A blog by Lou Doyle for World Quality Week.
- SEND Session: Inclusive Values-Based Leadership
- Curriculum Design for the New Apprenticeship Landscape
- Professional development across your organisation
We have also rounded up our pick of news from the FE and skills sector – including Ofsted updates, insights into the 2025 budget, and National Apprenticeship Week 2026.
Grab a cuppa and have a read, and as always, please feel free to share with your friends and colleagues.
Thinking Differently – Creating the Space to Speak the Truth
So much of what defines a strong quality culture is about perspective: the willingness to see things from another angle, to listen with curiosity, and to create the conditions where people can speak honestly about what they see. Teams who can discuss what’s working and what’s not, without fear of blame, are the ones who learn fastest and improve most deeply.
Continue reading this blog by our Co-Founder, Lou Doyle, for the following insights:
- Truth as a Shared Responsibility
- What We See Working Well
- Quality as Everyone’s Business
- Rewriting the Stories We Tell
SEND Session: Inclusive Values-Based Leadership
This 60-minute session explores how leaders can embed inclusive values into decision-making, policy, and organisational culture. You’ll examine the impact of leadership on staff behaviour, learner engagement, and outcomes, and develop strategies to ensure SEND and inclusion are prioritised at all levels.
SDN Mesma Grouop Co-Founder, Lou Doyle, will be joining this session in her capacity as Education Partnership North East Lead Governor for SEND.
Curriculum Design for the New Apprenticeship Landscape
Plan your curriculum so apprentices are ready for assessment and the workplace.
Assessment reforms will have a direct knock-on effect on how you design and deliver your curriculum. You need to
This 2-hour workshop helps you map, sequence and refine your programme so it sets apprentices up to succeed – without adding unnecessary workload:
- Building assessment into your curriculum from the outset.
- Designing learning activities and content that develop the right competencies.
- Linking sequencing and delivery to on-programme assessment points.
- Using digital tools to save time and improve planning.
- Stripping out “filler” and focusing on what works.
Includes a CPD attendance certificate as evidence of your personal development.
Book your place here – Curriculum Design for the New Apprenticeship Landscape
Upcoming SDN Mesma Group professional development:
Our professional development doesn’t simply take you through the details and help you understand a topic – we move you from theory to practice. If you have a group of individuals interested, we can host bespoke sessions tailored to your organisation’s needs:
- Apprenticeship compliance for leaders – CPD accredited | 10-Dec
- Apprenticeship Financial Management | 14-Jan
- Recognising & responding to harmful behaviours | 20-Jan
- Advanced progress review practice | 03-Feb
- Apprenticeship compliance for your role | 25-Feb
- Data management in apprenticeships | 23-Mar
Can’t make the live date? Most sessions are recorded – register your place and we will send you the recording and/or resources once the sessions have taken place.
You can also register your interest in future dates. Visit our Professional Development page for full details.
Are you a T Level Provider?
Did you know that, in addition to our specialist support on apprenticeships, we work with providers on T Level provision and, in particular, employer engagement for T Levels?
We are currently working closely with the DfE to ensure the contact details for employer engagement and industry placement specialists are up to date. This helps targeted, direct support – particularly around DfE-funded CPD and resources – reach these teams and helps them to source high-quality industry placements.
If you work in employer engagement for T Levels, please take a look at the survey below or forward it to anyone who may want to stay in the loop. Click here to complete the form – it should only take 5 mins.
You can find out more about our T Level provider support here.
We’ve been hosting interactive, hands-on CPD sessions for employer-facing teams. The next one is in Reading on the 10th December. No charge to attend. Join the Reading session here – Building Better Partnerships CPD Day.
Top News from the FE and Skills Sector
Good News from November!
It’s been a busy month for awards in the apprenticeship sector – take a moment to congratulate this years winners for their fantastic achievements:
Multicultural Apprenticeship Awards Winners
National Apprenticeship and Skills Awards Winners
Ofsted updates
Ofsted deputy chief Matthew Coffey to retire next month
Ofsted’s renewed education inspection framework, including updated guidance and toolkits, came into effect on 10 November.
New Ofsted inspection process is FE sector’s ‘chance to shine’ (chief inspector Sir Martyn Oliver) – Watchdog also reveals it will publish first report cards in batches ‘so no one feels exposed’
Pilots Show that the Renewed Inspection Framework Looks and Feels very Different
DfE sets out apprenticeship intervention rules for new Ofsted framework – Sanctions on poor-performing training providers will be considered on a case-by-case basis
In other news…
Providers to join official register to offer new ‘apprenticeship units’ – DWP skills director also confirms new short course content will come from existing apprenticeship standards
House of Lords Social Mobility Policy Committee has published its report ‘Social mobility: Local roots, lasting change.’
National Apprenticeship Week 2026 resources and guidance are now available to download.
Get Britain Working White Paper published – The government’s proposals to reform employment, health and skills support to tackle economic inactivity and support people into good work.
Budget 2025 document published on 26th November: