Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 43
43
Accepted in Part
Introduce a three-route model for post-16 English and maths GCSE achievement.
Recommendation
The Government must introduce a three-route model for those who have not attained grade 4 GCSE in maths and/or English based on their level of attainment at age 16 and their chosen post-16 qualification/employment pathway: • Students who, based on their GCSE results at age 16 and prior attainment, have a realistic prospect of achieving grade 4 in maths and/or English should be supported to work towards those qualifications. • Vocational courses of study, for which the English and maths content required can be easily identified, should have that content built into the curriculum. Students taking courses with embedded English and maths content which have been rigorously quality assured could then, in consultation with employers, be considered for exemption from the requirement to re-sit English and maths GCSE. • Students who, based on past performance, are very unlikely to attain grade 4 in maths and/or English despite multiple resits and who would benefit from pursuing a functional skills qualification in maths and/or English—for example, focused on financial literacy, debt and interest and household budgeting—should be supported to achieve a pass in that form of qualification. (Recommendation, Paragraph 187)
Government Response Summary
The government commits to a package of reforms to break the cycle of unnecessary resits, including offering new Level 1 stepping stone qualifications and changes to the accountability framework, but does not adopt the specific three-route model proposed by the committee, stating a consultation will be published in early 2026 for further details.
Government Response
Accepted in Part
HM Government
Accepted in Part
In the Post-16 Education and Skills Strategy White Paper, we commit to introducing a package of reforms to support more students to make progress towards and achieve level 2 in English and maths and break the cycle of unnecessary resits. This includes: • Offering students new level 1 stepping stone qualifications that support students to consolidate foundational skills and knowledge, preparing those with lower prior attainment for successful GCSE resits the following year. We want to work closely with the sector and plan to publish a consultation in early 2026 to seek views and set out more details. • Make changes to the current accountability framework to recognise providers’ efforts to progress all students toward Level 2 and consult on changes to our performance metrics to incentivise providers to enter students into exams only when they are ready to make progress. This is on top of increased funding for providers and support through training and sharing of effective practice.