About us
We work with further education (FE) colleges to improve their quality and financial resilience and with local authorities delivering further education.
What we do
The FE Commissioner works with all statutory further education colleges and designated institutions (FE colleges), and local authorities delivering further education to:
- improve the quality of education for learners
- strengthen financial resilience
- improve the quality of leadership
- reduce the risk of intervention
The FE Commissioner works closely with the Department for Education (DfE), Ofsted and partners including:
- the Education and Training Foundation
- the Association of Colleges
- the Sixth Form Colleges Association
- HOLEX, and other representative groups
- employers and employer representatives
The role of the FE Commissioner and her team forms part of the DfE’s college oversight policy. The policy encourages enabling a self-supporting sector, with access to tiered support where needed. Support for colleges can also be mandated where risks are significant. The role of the FE Commissioner is to support them where need is greatest, to recognise and tackle any issues, and to help them improve.
More information about the support offer is available from help and support for colleges and help and support for local authorities delivering post-16 further education.
The FE Commissioner’s team carries out intervention action for FE corporations (colleges), sixth-form college corporations and designated institutions, as set out in the college oversight policy.
Where we fund local authorities to deliver FE provision that is in scope for inspection by Ofsted, we may refer them to the FE Commissioner where Ofsted judges them at provider level or provision level as requiring urgent improvement or safeguarding is not met. The FE Commissioner will assess the capacity and capability of the current leadership and management.
Where the FE Commissioner’s team make an assessment of capacity and capability of a college or local authority FE provision, recommendations for improvement will be set out in a published intervention report. These recommendations will become additional conditions of funding.
Who we are
The FE Commissioner is an independent adviser and leads a team of former leaders and finance practitioners from within the FE sector.
The FE Commissioner and deputy roles are non-statutory public appointments.
Further Education Commissioner
Deputy Further Education Commissioners
FE Advisers
Frances Wadsworth CBE
Frances has worked in the education sector for over 40 years, holding both teaching and management roles in a number of schools and FE colleges. She served as Principal and CEO in 2 FE colleges.
She previously served as a Deputy FE Commissioner and interim FE Commissioner, and was Chair of Ofqual’s Board. She now sits on Ofsted’s Board and is Deputy Chair of Middlesex University.
Steve Campion
Steve has been an FE Adviser since February 2020. He has worked in the FE sector for over 15 years and still holds a substantive role as Deputy Principal, Corporate Resources at Wiltshire College and University Centre. He was previously Vice Principal at Exeter College and started his FE career at Bridgwater College. Prior to this, Steve held both public and private sector finance roles.
Sally Challis-Manning MBE
Sally joined the team in 2024. Her career in the FE sector spans over 40 years, including 14 years as Strategic Lead for Quality at the Chichester College Group as well as serving as a college principal.
Her experience includes successful mergers and culture change, leadership and management development, and teaching and learning engagement and growth.
Ellie Churchward
Ellie joined the team in September 2023. She brings over 20 years of experience in education, communities and local government, including serving as Head of Lifelong Learning and Skills at a local authority. She specialises in quality and adult education.
Diane Dimond
Diane joined the team in September 2023. She has worked in the education sector for 30 years and has served as CEO and Principal, as well as Strategic Finance Lead at multiple colleges. She has also served on local enterprise and school boards. She specialises in finance.
Anna Fitch
Anna has been an FE Adviser since January 2019. She has worked in the FE sector for over 20 years and was previously a Regional Audit Manager for the Skills Funding Agency and Finance Director at New College Swindon. She has also completed several interim finance director assignments. She specialises in finance.
Lynn Forrester-Walker
Lynn joined the team in June 2024. She served as the Chief Operating Officer at Hartpury University and Hartpury College from 2017 to 2023 and has over 25 years of experience of working with the FE sector. She specialises in finance and land-based colleges.
Graham Guest
Graham joined the team in June 2024. He was previously CEO and Principal of Telford College. He presided over the merger between New College Telford and Telford College of Arts and Technology in 2017.
Graham has senior leadership experience across several colleges and a local authority, and has also served on various skills and employability boards. He specialises in quality and curriculum.
Pauline Hagen OBE
Pauline has been an FE Adviser since April 2021. Her experience includes senior and executive leadership across the FE sector including custodial settings, FE and sixth form colleges, and working as an Ofsted Inspector. She specialises in curriculum, leadership and quality.
Tim Jackson OBE
Tim has been an FE Adviser since April 2021. He has worked in the FE sector for over 40 years, including 22 years as Principal of Sparsholt College Group. He has also served on local enterprise and college boards, including as Chair of an FE college since 2024.
Jo Pretty
Jo has been an FE Adviser since 2021. She has worked in higher education, schools and further education for 27 years and previously served as Principal and CEO and accounting officer at 2 colleges. She has served on many governing bodies and skills boards and is currently on the board at Bournemouth University.
Since completing her doctorate, she continues to research themes relating to education and training. In addition, she mentors senior leaders in the FE sector.
Martin Sim CBE
Martin joined the team as a Deputy FE Commissioner in 2019, serving to December 2023, and became a senior FE Adviser in January 2024. He has spent over 40 years working in the FE sector, including as Principal of Salford City College, and has had several interim principal roles. He specialises in quality and turnaround.
Dr Kate Webb
Kate became an FE Adviser in 2021. She has worked in the FE sector for over 30 years, including as CEO of the Windsor Forest Colleges Group and interim roles. She specialises in leadership, curriculum and quality.
Anne Whitworth
Anne joined the team in September 2023. She is a chartered accountant and has worked as a finance director and vice principal in the FE sector for over 30 years. She has been the senior finance lead for several colleges in Hampshire, as well as having completed many interim finance roles. She specialises in finance.
Lisa Wilson
Lisa joined the team in June 2024 and brings 15 years of experience across FE colleges and national training providers. She has held senior executive roles leading apprenticeships, adult and higher education, commercial provision and large‑scale skills programmes.
Lisa specialises in employer‑responsive delivery, apprenticeships and strategic skills improvement, with a strong track record in quality, curriculum reform and organisational recovery.