NAO report on T levels: SFCA response

Responding to the National Audit Office’s report ‘Investigation into Introducing T levels’, Bill Watkin CBE, chief executive of the Sixth Form Colleges Association, said:

“Today’s report from the National Audit Office reinforces the need to retain a middle pathway of applied general qualifications for students for whom neither A level nor T level presents the best way forward. T levels represent a vital opportunity to acquire the skills and experience that are essential for the workplace, but they are not right for everyone, and we need to be confident that every young person can access a valuable and valued suite of qualifications in the future. 

The NAO reports DfE’s estimate that 91,200 students will be studying a T level in 2027. As there are currently 277,380 students studying an AGQ, and 2027 is the last year in which these qualifications will be funded, we are pleased that the first recommendation in the report is for the Department for Education is to undertake more work on T levels before making changes to the wider qualifications landscape. 

Today’s report is clear that the Department for Education cannot yet measure whether T Levels are achieving their aims. Until it can, we believe the Department should change its current policy to allow medium and large AGQs to co-exist with T levels. This would ensure that the pipeline of skilled workers to key sectors of the economy is not disrupted and avoid the creation of a qualifications gap that tens of thousands of students could fall through.”