Don’t scrap industry-prized diploma, pleads BRIT School boss

The head of a school that counts Adele and Olivia Dean among its alumni has warned against cuts to qualifications that allow creative students to “go deep into their art form”.

The government announced in its response to the curriculum and assessment review last year that it would introduce new V Levels. They would be equivalent to one A Level and replace hundreds of existing vocational qualifications.

Most vocational post-16 creative subjects are covered by the level 3 extended diploma, which is delivered in partnership with the University of the Arts London (UAL), and is equivalent to three A Levels.

But these diplomas will be replaced by V Levels and T Levels by 2030.

The Francis review recommended that while most V Levels would be the same size as A Levels, there would some larger V Levels, including for creative subjects.

But the government’s response argued that “having both large V Levels and T Levels will create confusion”.

The BRIT School in Croydon offers several extended diplomas including in performing arts, music, dance, film and visual arts.

Stuart Worden, its principal, said the industry valued large creative and performing arts qualifications.

“The idea that there won’t be a substantial [V Level] doesn’t really bear thinking about,” he told FE Week.

“Employers [in the arts industry] are so happy with the extended diploma, because it’s made people adaptable.

“We have so many stories […] of people taking up jobs straight away with tech companies, with dance companies, with education, theatre companies, because they’ve been given the chance to go deep into their art form.”

T Levels ‘too rigid’ for arts

Adrianne Chapman, the school’s vice-principal, said that while T Levels “work really well in certain spheres” such as hospitality and engineering, they risked being too rigid and fixed towards a specific career path.

“The creative industries in their nature need agile, adaptable, amendable people, [who are] open to change, so some of the rigidity of the occupational standards is a concern.

“A lot of our young people want to be creatives in a broad sense, and they might specialise, but we don’t cut off avenues.

“We have amazing dancers that are now broadcasters, because that’s where the career took them.

“Being quite linear on a narrow path to one particular job poses quite a lot of challenges.”

The BRIT School has been asked to be involved in developing the T Level for performing and the creative arts, with Worden saying it would aim for it to be as close to the existing level 3 diploma as possible.

But he warned that if pupils were not given a chance to study the arts at a deep level, they would have to do so outside of school time if they wanted to get into competitive performing arts schools.

“If you wanted to be an international footballer and you are only allowed to do that for five hours a week, it’s never going to happen.

“The idea that only those that could afford to do additional training outside of the school curriculum would have a chance of getting into high establishments … it’s surely not what any government would want.”

He was unable to say at this stage whether the school would offer V Levels or T Levels after the extended diploma was phased out.

Case-by-case basis

The government said it would look at subjects on a case-by-case basis to decide whether a large qualification was needed. In these cases they would become T Levels rather than V Levels.

But Labour peer Jane Ramsey said the response was “plain silly” during a recent House of Lords debate.

Ramsey, whose daughter attends the BRIT School, said this was “pointlessly destructive of world-beating creative vocational education”.

She urged the government to rethink its response and “back the wonderful provision that already exists”.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “V Levels are deliberately A Level-sized so students can combine them flexibly, and support progression into higher level learning.

“T Levels will be the only large qualification for students who want a sector-focused choice.

“We will work with the further education sector to make sure that V Levels and T Levels meet the needs of creative industries and the students who want to pursue them.”