Three schools will no longer deliver the first wave of T-levels after one received a low grade from Ofsted and two others “decided not to” take part.

But Suffolk New College has been added to the list of those delivering the technical qualifications from 2020, after the government went back out to find providers when the construction pathway changed from “building” to “design”.

Announcing the changes today, a release from the Department for Education said: “We have added Suffolk New College to our list of high-quality providers who will deliver the first, world-class T-levels from 2020.

“This follows their expression of interest to deliver the design, surveying and planning T-level.

“We have also removed two providers from the list who have decided not to deliver T-levels in 2020 and a third provider has withdrawn due to a recent Ofsted inspection grading.”

FE Week understands the three schools to have been removed from the list are the Archbishop Holgate’s School in York, the George Abbot School in Surrey and Bordesley Green Girls’ School in Birmingham.

The only one of the three to have had a recent Ofsted inspection is Bordesley Green, which was rated ‘requires improvement’ by the inspectorate in a report that was published on June 28. It had previously been rated ‘outstanding’.

All three have been approached for comment.

The first T-level providers were announced at the end of May. George Abbot School was only added to the list on June 18, alongside sixth form college turned 16-to-19 academy Priestley College.

Kate Carriett, headteacher of George Abbot School, said the school had “come to the conclusion that we wish to consolidate our provision and expertise in the new A-levels at this point in time.” 

She added: “This does not mean that we will not wish to offer the new exciting T-levels in the future.”

FE Week reported in June that only a quarter of the providers which applied to offer T-levels in 2020 were successful.

Until today’s changes were announced, 16 schools had been approved for the first wave of the qualifications. While 26 colleges made the cut, many were told they weren’t eligible even though they had grade two ratings from Ofsted.

In January this year the Education and Skills Funding Agency invited expressions of interest from providers which wanted to become the first to offer T-levels.

Providers – which can be colleges, independent training providers, university technical colleges or schools that currently deliver relevant ESFA-funded 16-to-19 education to at least 10 students – must be rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted and must have at least ‘satisfactory’ financial health.

Of the 52 providers chosen, 32 were ‘outstanding’ and 14 were ‘good’, while a further six didn’t have a current Ofsted rating. 

Five of these were academies that were rated ‘outstanding’ before they converted, and the sixth is a university technical college that has yet to be inspected. Suffolk New College has been rated ‘good’ by Ofsted

The updated list of T-level providers for 2020-21

Name of provider Region 
Access Creative College (Access to Music Ltd.) West Midlands
Barnsley College Yorkshire and the Humber
Bedfordshire & Luton Education Business Partnership East of England
Big Creative Training Limited London
Bishop Burton College Yorkshire and the Humber
Blackpool and The Fylde College North West
Bridgwater & Taunton College South West
Cardinal Newman College North West
Chichester College Group South East
Cirencester College South West
City College Norwich East of England
City of Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College West Midlands
Cranford Community College London
Derby College East Midlands
Dudley College of Technology West Midlands
Durham Sixth Form Centre North East
Exeter College South West
Fareham College South East
Farnborough College of Technology South East
Gateshead College North East
Grimsby Institute of Further & Higher Education Yorkshire and the Humber
Havant and South Downs College South East
HCUC London
La Retraite RC Girls School London
London Design & Engineering UTC London
Lordswood Girls’ School & Sixth Form Centre West Midlands
Nelson and Colne College North West
New College Durham North East
Notre Dame Catholic Sixth Form College Yorkshire and the Humber
Oldham Sixth Form College North West
Painsley Catholic College West Midlands
Peter Symonds College South East
Priestley College North West
Runshaw College North West
Salesian School South East
Sandwell Academy West Midlands
Scarborough Sixth Form College Yorkshire and the Humber
Shipley College of Further Education Yorkshire and the Humber
St Thomas More Catholic School North East
Strode College South West
Suffolk New College East of England
Sussex Coast College Hastings South East
The College of Richard Collyer South East
The Leigh UTC South East
Thorpe St Andrew School and Sixth Form East of England
Truro and Penwith College South West
University College Birmingham West Midlands
Ursuline High School London
Walsall College West Midlands
Walsall Studio School West Midlands
Weston College South West
York College Yorkshire and the Humber

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