Action to help white working-class children gain English and maths GCSEs and plans for new “V levels” have been unveiled in a bid to “rewire” England’s education system and replace 900 qualifications. The new vocational qualifications will sit alongside A levels and T levels and are intended to allow young people to explore highly skilled sectors such as engineering and agriculture before deciding where to specialise.
Youngsters will be able to take a mixture of V levels and A levels – unlike T levels, which are equivalent to three A levels. Measures will also be announced to help white working-class pupils in particular meet the vital challenge of getting a pass in English and maths GCSE. A new qualification will be targeted at lowering attaining pupils “as a stepping stone to better prepare them to resit these GCSEs”.
According to the Department for Education: “More than six in 10 white British pupils eligible for free school meals do not achieve a grade four or above in English and maths by the end of key stage 4, meaning they are more than twice as likely to need to resit these exams post-16 than their more affluent peers.”
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “Technical and vocational education is the backbone of this country’s economy and central to breaking the link between background and success, helping hundreds of thousands of young people get the skills they need to get good jobs. But for too long it has been an afterthought.
“Young people have been left to navigate an over-complicated landscape and repeatedly labelled as ‘failures’ by a system that has held them back from all-important English and maths grades.
“Through our plan for change we are turning the tide. Our reforms are building a post-16 education system that truly matches young people’s aspirations and abilities, delivering the opportunity and growth our economy needs.”
Professor Becky Francis, who chaired a curriculum and assessment review, said: “Post-16 education is crucial as young people study for their qualifications that will allow them to progress to work, training or university. But while academic qualifications have a strong reputation and provide a clear pathway, the routes for those wanting a more applied offer have been much less coherent.”
She said she was “delighted that the Government has recognised and accepted our recommendations to promote excellence and improve young people’s life chances by ensuring a choice of strong, well-regarded qualifications”.
Further details on the new measures will be set out in the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper.
