Select committee: Education Committee
Recommendation 28
Third Report - The future of post-16 qualifications
Published 28 Apr 2023
Paragraph 102
Addressed to Department for Education
Education Committee The future of post-16 qualifications All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
The evidence we have so far from the roll out of T Levels reveals major concerns that must be addressed as the programme moves forward. Around one-fifth of the first T Level cohort are estimated to have dropped out. Concerns have been raised that T Levels are less accessible and less manageable for some groups, including lower attaining students, ethnic minority students and students with SEND. On top of this, despite T Levels being developed with the input of 250 leading employers, the DfE’s own research shows that almost two-thirds of employers are not yet interested in providing a T Level replacement, and that where interest exists it appears to have declined. There are also many areas of the country where there are not yet enough employers near to colleges in regional, rural and left behind areas to accommodate learners on T Level placements. The Department must address these concerns as a matter of urgency to ensure the success of the programme.
From: Education Committee, Third Report - The future of post-16 qualifications (HC 55), paragraph 102, 28 April 2023
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 5 July 2023 (deadline 28 June 2023).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government welcomes the Committee's report and says it shares its views on the importance of post-16 education, while setting out its own reforms and responding to individual recommendations.
- On Applied General Qualifications, the government does not support a moratorium on defunding; it says it is reforming Level 3 qualifications because too many have low or no enrolments and do not progress young people to related occupations.
- On T Level data, it says it is "not possible to fast-track" destination data, but plans to publish findings from the first cohort of the Technical Education Learner Survey in "late 2023 / early 2024".
- On the employer incentive for T Level placements, it has "no intention to continue or reinstate" it, but says a £12m employer support fund was launched earlier this year to compensate employers for placement costs.
- On maths to 18, it says it has already convened an expert advisory group, and commits to launch a fully funded mathematics NPQ for primary school maths leads, expected to be available to all primary schools "from February 2024".