Gov.uk defines Further Education (FE) as "any study after secondary education that’s not part of higher education (that is, not taken as part of an undergraduate or graduate degree)."
FE includes:
- Academic learning (e.g. A-levels)
- Technical & Vocational courses at level 2 & 3
- Basic skills for adult learners, e.g. ESOL
Higher Education (HE) includes anything at level 4 or above.
Therefore why does Mumsnet have a very confusing and inaccurate description on its FE forum (see screenshot)?
The impact is that people post HE questions to the FE forum and don't get answers from some knowledgeable posters (admissions tutors etc) who hang out in the HE forum. The description also doesn't acknowledge people who want to ask FE questions about anything other than "A levels".
It needs to change to something like:
"This forum is for discussions about Further Education courses, such as A levels, technical & vocational qualifications, and basic skills (e.g. ESOL). For discussion about university we recommend the Higher Education forum."