Latest news from FE Week

ESOL results crash at under-fire Sheffield College

Sheffield College’s ESOL achievement rates have collapsed following investigations into claims of dodgy results.

Its level 1 regulated ESOL (English for speakers of other languages) achievement rate dived from 81.3 per cent in 2023-24 to just 28.4 per cent last year.

Meanwhile, the South Yorkshire college’s entry level regulated ESOL achievement rate fell from 92.4 per cent to 57.8 per cent.

The latest results, revealed in government data, follow claims of unreliable achievement rates and associated certification for ESOL students in the 2023-24 cohort.

In a statement released in February in anticipation of the statistics release, the college had said external investigations into unspecified discrepancies were ongoing, but admitted “maladministration” had been identified.

Angela Foulkes, chief executive and principal of Sheffield College, said “unsatisfactory” practices were found during an internal audit.

Major provider

The Sheffield College is the third largest ESOL provider outside of London – recording 5,350 leavers last year – and had some of the highest achievement rates of above 90 per cent.

The college’s non-regulated English language courses still achieve strong results.

In 2024-25, it scored a 96.2 per cent achievement rate from its non-regulated level 1 learners, which had 30 leavers. This compared to 98.5 per cent in 2023-24 when it had 470 leavers.

Meanwhile, non-regulated entry level ESOL provision for 1,320 leavers had an 89.7 per cent achievement rate in 2024-25, down from 96.4 per cent the previous year when 3,370 leavers were recorded.

Foulkes said: “We have completed a rigorous internal audit as part of our internal investigations into allegations affecting one curriculum area.

“We found some unsatisfactory practice within our ESOL provision which we identified as maladministration.

“Working with the awarding organisations, this has been addressed through rigorous quality processes which has resulted in a drop in achievement results in that area of the college for 2024-25.”

The college has set up a performance improvement board to prevent a repeat of the issue.

“One of the consequences of the work that we’ve done is strengthening our approach to quality assurance and compliance,” Foulkes added.

External investigations are ongoing.

When the ESOL malpractice claims emerged last July, Sheffield College reportedly suspended two senior staff members and opened an internal investigation. The South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority and awarding organisation City & Guilds also opened probes.

The combined authority funds the provision through the adult skills fund (ASF) and has repeatedly awarded Sheffield the largest share of its budget. It received a 13 per cent increase to its ASF income in 2023-24 to £11.58 million.

The same amount was allocated in 2024-25 and 2025-26, which accounts for more than one third of the authority’s £32 million annual ASF budget.

I passed my exam, but the SEND system in FE failed me

I got an A in my English Language GCSE. But my scribe couldn’t identify a comma. I spent part of that exam teaching her where full stops go and when to use a capital letter – directing her like a human keyboard while simultaneously constructing the letter format I’d committed to memory. The A tells you I passed. It doesn’t tell you what it cost, or what it would have looked like if the provision had actually worked. SEND support in British schools and colleges is measured by whether it exists. Nobody measures whether it functions. Those are not the same thing.

I was lucky. English came easily enough that I could manage the provision and the exam simultaneously. But sit a student in that same chair for whom English doesn’t come easily – whose barrier is cognitive as well as physical – and the failure compounds at every level. The scribe who can’t punctuate isn’t just unhelpful on exam day. She was never going to help that student learn the material in the first place.

There is a detail that makes this worse. The learning support assistant present in your lessons, however limited, at least knows you. She knows your pace, shorthand, the way you signal what you need. The scribe assigned to your exam is a stranger. You spend the opening minutes of a timed, high stakes assessment building a working relationship that should have taken months. The system treats the scribe as interchangeable – a procedural requirement, a body in a chair. But the scribe is an interface between your thinking and the page. In an English exam, a miscalibrated interface costs you marks. In a maths exam, where you’re trying to direct someone to draw a shape you can see spatially in your head, it can cost you the exam.

This is where STEM becomes the proof case that English obscures. I’ve sat my functional skills maths level 2 twice. I missed the pass mark by two marks on the first sitting and four on the second. Not because I cannot reason mathematically. I can work through geometry, probability, statistics and compound shapes without a single barrier to my thinking. The barrier is in the translation. The proportion of STEM that cannot be adequately expressed through keyboard typing is vast. Fractions must be stacked. Diagrams must be drawn. Tables must show spatial relationships. Geometric shapes must be sketched. A keyboard renders all this either impossible or so cumbersome that the cognitive load of managing the interface consumes the attention that should be on the problem. The exam does not measure what I know. It measures how well I can work around a tool that was never designed for how mathematical thinking actually happens.

The technology to address this has existed for years. EquatiO, a tool that allows students to write mathematics digitally, naturally, without a keyboard, was available throughout my education, but I only found out it existed at 27. Nobody in my school, support team, or my assessment centre mentioned it, because the system has no mechanism for matching specific tools to specific barriers. It has mechanisms for providing generic support and ticking procedural boxes. Those are not the same thing.

I’m not writing this from resentment. I got through. But I think about the student for whom English didn’t come easily, who needed the provision to actually work at both the learning and the assessment stage, and found it failing at both. I think about what it would have meant to encounter the right tool at age 15, properly embedded, with someone who understood why it worked for my specific barrier rather than just handing it over and hoping. I would have passed maths, but more than that, I would have developed a cognitive richness that I’m only now beginning to build. The ability to read the numerical architecture of the world clearly. Financial competence. STEM confidence. A whole dimension of how a person navigates life, withheld not by malice but by a system that never learned to ask the right question.

The right question is not: does this student have support? It is: does this student have the specific tool that addresses the specific barrier between their thinking and the page? Until SEND provision learns to ask that question, and answer it individually, not procedurally, it will keep producing students who got through despite the system rather than because of it.

Teenagers aren’t googling your organisation, they’re asking AI

When a 15 year old starts thinking about where to go after school, they’re increasingly asking AI before they ask anyone else.

Research from the UK’s communications regulator Ofcom showed that around four in five teenagers who use the internet are already using generative AI tools such as ChatGPT or Claude.

This matters because generative tools don’t behave like search engines. They don’t just return links. They summarise, recommend and repeat the sources they appear to trust.

This is where GEO comes in: Generative Engine Optimisation. How generative AI tools find and reuse information so that what they say about your organisation is accurate and truthful.

In PR we’ve always said reputation is built on consistency, and GEO works on the same idea. If your organisation wants to be represented accurately in AI answers, you’ve got to take care about what gets cited, what gets reused and what becomes the default version of the truth, not just what gets clicks and views.

Here’s how to make that practical without a rebrand, new platform or an expensive campaign:

Step one:

Put together a list of questions people actually ask. Things like, “which college is best for catering near me?” “Can I do an apprenticeship if I fail English?” “Can I retake my A-levels at 22?” Or “what are T Levels really like?”. Run these prompts and make a note of who gets mentioned, which sources are named and what information keeps coming up. You’ll get a baseline as to where your organisation sits.

Step two:

Audit your footprint. Look at the domains that keep appearing in answers. Regulator pages, local authority hubs, sector press and major education publishers tend to show up repeatedly because they’re seen as reliable. Then be honest about where you appear in that ecosystem. Many providers have plenty of content on their own sites, but very little of it is referenced elsewhere. Much of it is written for marketing rather than as something another organisation would point to as evidence.

Step three:

Make parts of your website behave like reference points. This doesn’t mean building anything new or fancy, just choose a small number of pages that already exist and make them factual, dated and easy to cite. One clear page that sets out progression and destinations with a short note on how the figures are calculated. One plain English page that explains learner support, who it’s for and how to access it. One maintained page that lists apprenticeship employer partners. If someone outside your organisation could link to these pages with confidence, they’ll be far more likely to be reused in AI answers too.

Step four:

Make these pages easy to extract information from. Both AI systems and people reward clarity. Short summaries at the top, clear headings and bullet points help. A proper FAQ that mirrors real questions helps. Putting key information on web pages instead of hiding it in PDFs helps too. Keeping URLs stable (which means updating the content on the page each year, rather than creating a new page with a new address) and naming things consistently helps as well.

None of this is glamorous, but all of it improves accuracy and usability.

Step five:

Get mentions in places people already trust. This is something comms teams know how to do, it just needs a different lens now. Partner pages that name you as the delivery provider. Employer announcements that link back to your apprenticeship and support pages. Local authority and careers sites that point people to your guidance. Sector round ups that reference your outcomes and approach. These mentions matter because they don’t read like self-promotion. They read like other people saying you’re part of the picture.

Step six:

Governance. If you publish outcomes, keep them up-to-date. If programme names change, make sure old links still go somewhere sensible. If you launch something new, give it one clear page with a date, a summary and a contact point. The easiest version of your story to find is the one that’s most likely to be repeated.

With GEO, you don’t need to shout louder. You just need to make sure that the right information is what gets picked up and passed on.

This ESOL review is a rare chance – let’s not waste it

Various governments of different political persuasions have long promised a national English language strategy. The current government has undertaken to review English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) provision, as highlighted in both the skills white paper and the protecting what matters white paper. The immigration white paper also contains a commitment to support those who are already here to learn English, as well as proposing controversial new language proficiency requirements for settlement.

These various white papers go to show how policy for ESOL straddles different government departments, as it forms part of the skills agenda, the community cohesion agenda and the immigration agenda. On top of the continuous overall decline in adult skills funding, an added new complexity is the devolution of the adult skills fund to mayoral strategic authorities. While the devolution of funds presents opportunities, it also poses challenges, as seen by the planned ESOL cuts in Greater Lincolnshire from 2027.

Developing people’s English language proficiency is essential for community cohesion and enabling people to contribute their skills to the economy. Many learners credit ESOL with helping them to build lives as citizens in the UK: the right provision can facilitate learners’ social integration, make it easier to find a job or voluntary work, and access public services.

What are our hopes for the review?

One key opportunity will be to position and integrate ESOL better into the current skills offer and respond to local labour market needs. Currently much ESOL is at too low a level and doesn’t equip learners with language skills needed to enter the labour market. Some providers and regions are already addressing this issue. As sponsors of the Association of College’s Beacon Award for Excellence in ESOL, we have seen innovative programmes that are unlocking real progression opportunities for learners by embedding sector-specific English language tuition into skills provision.

This is the approach taken by this year’s Beacon Award winner, City of Liverpool College, whose new dual teaching model sees learners receive ESOL lessons tailored to their chosen vocational course, as well as attending practical classes where both an ESOL and vocational teacher are present. This model ensures that sector-specific language is embedded throughout various pathways, including plastering, culinary skills and science. Similarly at Oldham College, their community interpreting course offers a vocational pathway that empowers level 3 ESOL learners to become qualified interpreters, directly addressing the UK’s shortage of trained professionals and guaranteeing them work with local employers upon completion.

One point buried in the government’s announcements is the suggestion that digital provision may offer a solution to the scale of need. While digital resources can complement classroom provision, it cannot replace it. Access to appropriate classroom-based English language tuition, led by trained teachers and face-to-face collaboration, is considered to lead to better learner outcomes and accelerate people’s ability to participate in their local communities. This is reflected in the experience of Durham College, whose sports programme for ESOL learners has seen a substantial improvement in their confidence and communication skills because they collaborate with their teammates and coaches in English.

Entitlement to ESOL

Finally, following Lincolnshire’s recent decision to de-fund ESOL, we urge the government to address the question of minimum entitlements to provision when devolving funds to local regions. If we want people to be able to integrate and contribute to society, they need to be able to access quality English language learning.

While there is unlikely to be an injection of significant new resources for ESOL at this point, the sector must take a long-term view, argue for the economic benefits, and look towards the next comprehensive spending review for any potential funding increases.

Teachers of ESOL often tell us that their job is complete once learners feel confident enough to enter their local community and thrive in whatever they choose to do. This review is therefore a golden opportunity to redefine how English language teaching can actually reach all those who need it, whilst also offering provision tailored to the needs of every individual.

Access to HE can play a key role in driving social mobility

When we talk about widening participation in higher education, we often focus on policy, funding and targets. But behind every statistic is a life changed, and Access to Higher Education courses remain one of the most powerful, and sometimes underestimated, drivers of that transformation.

At The Bedford College Group, we recently saw one of our Access to Psychology students, Katrina Scales, secure an offer to study for a Master’s degree at the University of Cambridge. Her story is exceptional, but the pathway that enabled it should not be.

Like many Access to HE students, she did not arrive with a conventional academic trajectory. She arrived with ambition, potential and barriers. Just months into her nine-month course, she discovered she was pregnant. For many, that might have marked the end of educational aspirations. Instead, with structured academic support, consistent encouragement from lecturers and a curriculum designed to prepare students for higher-level study, she completed her course, submitting her final assignment just five days before giving birth.

She progressed to university, achieved a First Class Honours degree, became a student representative and curriculum consultant, and was awarded a Dean’s Student of the Year prize. Now she is preparing for postgraduate study at Cambridge, with plans for doctoral research in criminal psychology.

Her success is not simply a story of individual determination. It is a case study in what Access to HE, when delivered well, is designed to do.

Access to HE courses do far more than provide subject knowledge. They build academic literacy, critical thinking, independent study skills and, crucially confidence. For adults returning to education, often after years away from formal learning, confidence can be the biggest barrier. Many arrive doubting their ability to succeed in higher education. The role of Access to HE tutors is not only to teach content, but to identify potential that students may not yet see in themselves.

In this case, the student has spoken powerfully about lecturers who “didn’t put a cap” on her potential. That belief, combined with rigorous academic preparation, gave her the foundation to enter university not feeling behind, but prepared.

For the FE sector, this is where Access to HE proves its value. It is a structured bridge between aspiration and attainment. It supports social mobility in a tangible way, particularly for groups underrepresented in higher education: mature learners, carers, parents, those from lower-income backgrounds and those who did not thrive in traditional school settings.

At a time when the sector faces funding pressures and scrutiny over value for money, Access to HE programmes deserve stronger recognition as engines of progression. They deliver measurable outcomes: high rates of university entry, strong completion rates and, increasingly, graduates who progress into postgraduate study and professional careers.

But the impact extends beyond economic metrics. For many learners, education represents autonomy, stability and a route out of poverty. It challenges stigma, including that faced by young parents and single mothers, and reshapes not only individual futures, but those futures for their families.

If we are serious about widening participation and levelling up opportunity, Access to HE must remain central to the conversation. These courses are not a fallback option or remedial pathway. They are rigorous, demanding programmes that unlock potential that might otherwise remain untapped.

The student heading to Cambridge may be one story. But across the country, thousands of Access to HE learners are quietly transforming their lives through FE colleges every year.

The sector should not view these stories as rare success cases but evidence of what is possible – and as a reminder of why Access to Higher Education remains one of further education’s most

Funding boost for youth opportunity, but employers will lead the way

The government’s £1 billion youth guarantee and apprenticeship reforms aim to unlock 200,000 jobs and apprenticeships for young people at a moment when nearly one million are neither earning nor learning. The shift towards prioritising young people in the apprenticeship system is timely, and urgently needed. But policy alone won’t fix this problem. Employers will play a vital role.

The international evidence tells us apprenticeships can be particularly impactful for getting marginalised young people into training and work. So the recently announced apprentice hiring incentives for SMEs represents a promising package of support to help create more of these pathways.

Many employers will now be asking what these latest reforms mean in practice, and what still needs to change to make the system work for them, young people, and the wider economy. But the real question isn’t just what comes next. It’s how employers can build on what they are already doing.

Across sectors, many employers are already reshaping entry-level roles, widening access and opening new routes into work for young people. At Youth Futures Foundation, our Make it an Apprenticeship campaign has identified three clear calls to action:

Make it an apprenticeship. Employers can turn suitable entry-level vacancies into apprenticeships for young people. Many roles can be adapted into structured learning pathways that provide the support young recruits need to succeed.
Make it a level 2. Level 2 apprenticeships are critical for young people facing the steepest barriers to work. When employers reassess skills requirements and are able to reduce unnecessary criteria, it can create more accessible pathways into good work.
Make more opportunities. Where possible, employers might train extra apprentices for the sector or their supply chain. Expanding opportunities today helps them secure the talent needed tomorrow.

These actions work, not only because level 2 and 3 apprenticeships play a crucial role in supporting young people into sustainable employment, but because they offer employers future candidates for entry-level vacancies with the right mix of potential, skills and lived experience.

The results of a 2023 government evaluation of apprenticeships speak for itself:

83 per cent of employers offering level 2 or 3 apprenticeships would recommend them to others.
More than three‑quarters say apprenticeships improved productivity in their organisation.
69 per cent of employers report retaining some completers and 61 per cent report retaining all of them.

These outcomes matter. In an uncertain labour market, retention, productivity and long-term workforce development are not abstract policy goals – they are the fundamentals of business resilience and growth.

Last week’s announcements reiterated that reducing the number of young people not earning or learning is a national priority. It also presented employers with an opportunity to position themselves as leaders in a changing system.

For employers, waiting for reform to ‘bed in’ risks losing out but acting now means they can shape what successful delivery looks like, influencing their sector’s talent pipeline and securing the benefits sooner.

Government and employers now have an opportunity for deeper collaboration on early pathway creation, building on the work they have already achieved with even greater urgency. But the most important progress will be driven by employers who choose not to wait. Now is the time to lead the way on apprenticeships – and to build the future workforce our economy urgently needs.

Level 7 apprenticeships spiked 345% in final two months

Starts on level 7 apprenticeships rocketed 345 per cent in the final two months before funding was switched off for people aged over 21 – amounting to nearly 10,000 more than the previous year, new figures reveal.

Ministers controversially axed funding for the highest level apprenticeships from this January in a bid to divert resources away from executive training and towards opportunities for dwindling numbers of younger apprentices.

Stats released today covered apprenticeship starts for the first two quarters of this academic year, August 2025 to January 2026.

Starts over both quarters combined increased by over 50 per cent in the lead up to the withdrawal of funding. There were 26,200 level 7 starts between August 2025 and January 2026, a 51.9 per cent increase on the same period the previous year.

It means level 7 starts represented 11.6 per cent of all starts reported for 2025-26. At this point in 2024-25, they made up 8.5 per cent of all starts.

But level 7 starts began rocketing, particularly on the senior leader and accountancy standards, since September 2024, when the government first announced it would remove public funding from level 7. Ministers confirmed in May 2025 that funding for level 7 apprenticeships for those aged 22 and over would be removed from January 2026.

Soaring starts

These figures, which are provisional and can increase as training providers submit further data returns, reveal the extent of the rush on level 7 starts piling pressure on the stretched apprenticeship budget.

Increases were modest in the first quarter of this academic year; 7 per cent in August, 10 per cent in September and 15 per cent in October.

But starts soared in quarter 2, increasing by 123 per cent in November and 845 per cent in December, the final month public funding was available.

In volumes, this means there were 7,576 level 7 starts in December 2025 compared to 802 in December 2024.

In January, once funding was removed for new level 7 apprentices aged 22 and above, starts dropped by 93 per cent from 3,106 in 2024 to 207 in 2025.

Senior leading the way

As expected, the sharpest increases in level 7 apprenticeship starts continued on the controversial senior leader standard. Today’s figures showed over 5,000 more apprentice senior leaders starting programmes in the five months leading up to the funding cut-off, 9,624 up from 4,264, compared to the previous year.

The pre-funding withdrawal rush on this apprenticeship, which attracts up to £14,000 in funding per apprentice, was particularly acute.

November saw 2.4 times more starts than the year before (3,043 up from 1,271), and December’s starts were 12 times higher than the year before (3,395 up from 274).

It means senior leader starts more than doubled in the months leading up to funding withdrawal, shooting up by 126 per cent.

But there was a larger jump, albeit with smaller volumes, in the senior people professional apprenticeship. Starts tripled in the run up to January, from 473 in 2024-25 to 1,321 in 2025-26, a 179 per cent increase.

For the accountancy and tax professional apprenticeship, the second most popular level 7 after senior leader, starts were up 32 per cent year on year between August and December.

Professional rush

Analysis broken down by individual training providers reveals the extent to which some companies rapidly expanded their level 7 intakes by hundreds of learners.

Specialist accountancy training provider Kaplan Financial recruited 2,954 level 7 apprentices between August and December 2025, 726 more than over the same period the year before – a 33 per cent increase.

BPP Professional Education also grew their level 7 offer over the period. Their senior leader starts grew from 71 over the whole of 2024-25 to 144 in the first five months of this year. BPP also recorded 190 senior people professional apprentices in the five months before funding was removed, compared to 164 in the whole of 2024-25.

Other examples of training providers that beat, or nearly beat, their annual total for level 7 apprenticeships in the months preceding defunding include QA, Knowledgebrief, Best Practice Network and University of Reading.

Market entrants

FE Week analysis found 19 training providers began delivering level 7 apprenticeships for the first time in the run up to the funding cut off.

Tend Training entered the market clocking up its first 480 starts across all levels between August 2025 and January 2026. Of those, 188 level 7 senior leaders were started before the funding dried up.

Just IT Training, Manchester Metropolitan University and The Opportunity Provider each recorded over 100 starts on senior leader or senior people professional apprenticeships between August and December despite not delivering them before. Others with smaller first-time entries over that period included Peabody Trust (21 senior leaders), Bournemouth University (15 solicitors) and Mary Hare (13 teachers for the sensory impaired).

Apprenticeship achievement rate falls just short of 67% target

The national apprenticeship achievement rate has risen to 65.4 per cent for the 2024-25 academic year, just missing the government’s longstanding target.

Data shows almost two-thirds of apprentices are successfully completing their training and assessment, with the proportion slightly shy of the 67 per cent ambition first set by ministers in 2022.

The target, introduced by then skills minister Alex Burghart, was widely viewed as “ambitious” considering the rate sat at just 51.4 per cent at the time, with sector leaders questioning whether it could be achieved by the end of the 2024-25 academic year.

But the overall achievement rate on apprenticeship standards hit 60.5 per cent last year and has now risen a further 4.9 percentage points.

Meanwhile, the retention rate on apprenticeship standards has been boosted by 4.8 percentage points, rising from 61.9 per cent in 2023-24 to 66.7 per cent last year. It means 33 per cent of apprentices dropped out before completing their training.

In a letter to the sector, work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden praised the improved picture but urged for achievement rates to exceed 70 per cent “in the coming years”.

He said: “This is another good result which speaks to the hard work of providers and employers alike.

“It is our collective focus on excellence that has brought us success, but we understand that quality is wider than achievements – it is also about learner experience, good delivery, and long-term value to the country. While many apprentices move on for positive reasons, the greatest value for the individual, the employer, and the economy comes from full completion.

“To maximise the impact of this investment and building on the strong foundations providers and employers have helped to create, I would like to see achievement rates reach and exceed 70 per cent in the coming years.”

McFadden added that the government “will not hesitate to intervene” where quality is at risk as new “products”, such as foundation apprenticeships and apprenticeship units, are introduced.

Ben Rowland, chief executive of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, said: “This is a genuinely strong set of results and a clear sign of sustained effort from learners and providers across the country. Seeing achievement rates rise again to 65.4 per cent is no small feat and reflects the focus, resilience and professionalism of the sector over a number of years.

“What makes this particularly striking is how close we now are to the ‘stretch ambition’ set by the then skills minister at AELP national conference in 2022. At the time, that felt out of reach. This progress should give real confidence that, even in a period of significant change, the system can continue to improve outcomes.”

ITPs grow the most

Independent training providers (ITPs) continue to dominate the apprenticeships market, accounting for 193,700, or 65 per cent, of the total 299,510 leavers in 2024-25, and saw the biggest increase in achievements.

Achievement rates for ITPs shot up 5.7 percentage points from 57.7 per cent to 63.4 per cent.

Achievement rates in FE colleges also improved, but at a lower rate, to 65.7 per cent from 62.3 per cent. Just under 55,000, or 18 per cent, of leavers trained at an FE college in 2024-25.

Apprenticeship achievement rates improved in each provider type except schools and sixth form colleges in 2024-25.

Officials categorise universities which deliver degree-level apprenticeships in an “other” category. Achievement rates for this group were higher than any other provider type, improving from 68.6 per cent to 73 per cent.

Multiverse dips as other large providers soar

Lifetime Training had 14,960 leavers last year, more than double the next closest provider, Multiverse, and saw its achievement rate soar 10.7 percentage points from 40.5 per cent to 51.2 per cent.

And while Multiverse scored a slightly higher achievement rate of 52.6 per cent, this was a 6.4 percentage point drop on the previous year.

Multiverse was one of four top-20 apprenticeship providers to record an achievement rate fall in 2024-25.

Marr Corporation recorded the largest increase among the giants, rising 17.6 percentage points from 42.6 per cent to 60.2 per cent.

The Royal Air Force recorded the highest achievement rate among the largest providers, hitting 81.3 per cent.

Only one training provider – Dyson Technical Training Limited – was redacted from the achievement rates stats this year due to unreliable data.

The provider, which is part of the global technology firm, was judged ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted in 2024 but decided to put a stop to its degree apprenticeship programmes that year.

Dyson was approached for comment.

Health and care drives national rise

All but one sector subject area – social sciences – witnessed an achievement rate increase. Health, public services and care had one of the most notable changes after scoring a rate of 66.8 per cent, up 7.4 percentage points on last year.

Health, public services and care accounted for 84,250 leavers last year, the second highest number after business, administration and law with 88,680, which itself saw a 5.1 percentage point increase from 60.4 per cent to 65.5 per cent.

Science and maths recorded the largest achievement rate increase of 8.3 percentage points, moving from 66 per cent to 74.3 per cent.

Level 5 is staying alive

Achievement rates increased at all levels, with level 5 showing the biggest increase since last year – rising 6.6 percentage points from 59.6 per cent to 66.2 per cent.

Level 3 was close behind with a 6.3 percentage point rise from 60.1 per cent to 66.4 per cent.

For the third year in a row it was level 4 apprenticeships with the lowest achievement rate – 60.9 per cent – while level 6 apprentices remain the biggest achievers at 69.3 per cent.

19-23s score highest achievements again

Apprentices aged 19 to 23 remained the group that record the highest achievement rates for the third year running – rising 3.7 percentage points from 63.6 per cent to 67.3 per cent.

The biggest jump, however, was in the 24-and-over category with a 6.1 percentage point jump from 58.8 per cent to 64.9 per cent.

Ministers scrapped the English and maths functional skills exit requirements for adult apprentices aged 19 and older with immediate effect in February 2025, which could have had an impact on the rise in those age groups.

However, the achievement rate for 16 to 18s rose 3.8 percentage points from 60.5 per cent to 64.3 per cent – a similar rate rise to 19 to 23s.

Ethnicity and SEND gap shrinks

The gap between white and ethnic minority apprentices has continued to narrow.

There was a 3.3 percentage point gap in favour of white apprentices in 2024-25, down from 5.3 the year before and 6.8 in 2022-23.

The combined achievement rate for ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) was 62.7 per cent, compared to 66 per cent for white apprentices.

Meanwhile, the gap between apprentices with learning difficulties and those without has also shrunk.

There was a 3.6 percentage point gap in favour of apprentices without learning difficulties in 2024-25, down from 4.5 the year before.

The achievement rate for apprentices with learning difficulties was 62.3 per cent, compared to 65.9 per cent for those without.

Most deprived improve the most

The overall achievement gap between apprentices from the most and least deprived postcodes has also narrowed.

Officials use the index of multiple deprivation (IMD) to classify the home areas of apprentices into five quintiles of relative deprivation.

In 2024-25, the achievement rate for apprentices from the most deprived areas was 62 per cent – a 6.1 percentage point improvement from 55.9 per cent the year before. For those from the least deprived areas, the achievement rate increased 3.9 percentage points from 64 per cent to 67.9 per cent.

This means there was a 5.9 percentage point gap in achievement rates between the most and least deprived, down from 8.1 in 2023-24.

Reducing resits and evidencing progress: a new approach to maths and English delivery

Colleges and training providers continue to support large volumes of learners through Functional Skills and GCSE resits, often alongside complex vocational programmes and increasing pressure on staff as policy expectations evolve.

Following the education and skills white paper, demonstrating progress and reducing resits in English and maths is now a clear priority for government, with this focus increasingly reflected in Ofsted’s inspection approach. As a result, training providers and colleges are under growing pressure not just to deliver these qualifications, but to evidence impact and improve outcomes more consistently.

Pass has developed a solution that supports this approach through evidence-based maths and English delivery, giving educators and learners confidence in when a learner is ready to pass.

Removing the Barrier

Maths and English remain a barrier for many learners, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. At the same time, tutors are managing increasing workloads, balancing delivery, assessment and administrative responsibilities.

However, with the right tools and support in place, meaningful progress is possible. Pass is proud to support HIT Training (HIT), part of The Opportunity Provider group, whose experience in working with a large and diverse apprenticeship population reflects this. Many of HIT’s learners arrive without prior success in English and maths, often carrying negative experiences from school:

Many of our adult apprentices left school without GCSE English or maths… the prospect of tackling these subjects alongside a demanding apprenticeship can feel overwhelming… getting the right starting point is essential in breaking down these barriers.

Micaela Barlow FIH, Quality and Curriculum Director at The Opportunity Provider

Improving Pass Rates

Many providers are now moving towards more data-driven delivery models, using insight to target interventions more effectively and improve learner outcomes.

At Pass, this approach underpins the design of the platform, which brings together the full learner journey in one place, from initial assessment and diagnostics through to structured learning and AI-powered mock exams.

For providers like HIT, this joined-up approach has addressed a long-standing gap:

Until now, we had not found an integrated initial assessment, diagnostic, and exam-preparation system that worked cohesively. Pass has changed that.

The impact of a more structured led approach is already being seen in delivery. At HIT, working with Pass has driven significant improvements in both engagement and achievement, with first time Pass rates now above 80 per cent:

Our success rates, already strong, are now exceptional… first-time Pass rates have soared beyond our expectations… learners are more confident, more willing to practise, and more motivated to succeed.

Effective Reporting

Alongside improved learner outcomes, educators and curriculum managers using Pass are also seeing operational benefits, including a significant reduction in marking time and improved visibility of reporting.

Pass is designed to support learners, tutors and senior leaders, combining an accessible user experience with detailed insight into performance and progress.

As HIT notes:

“Pass is an accessible, well-designed platform that just makes sense. Its intuitive interface, high quality learning resources and reliable reporting tools create a supportive learning environment for all users.”

Support from Awarding Organisations

Awarding organisations are also rethinking how they support centres beyond the final assessment.

Through their partnership with TQUK, Pass has developed a digital mock assessment platform that brings together diagnostics, past papers and automated marking in one place.

TQUK has long placed innovation at the centre of its approach, from remote invigilation to digital certification. This partnership builds on that foundation by extending support throughout the learner journey.

As TQUK explains:

We aren’t just invested in the outcome; we want to support learners throughout their journey… the ability to sit mock exams digitally gives learners an extra layer of comfort… they can benefit from instant feedback through AI marking.

Chris Brown, Head of Sales & Marketing at TQUK

TQUK past papers, previously only available as downloads, are now embedded directly into the Pass platform, allowing learners to complete them in a digital environment with immediate feedback.

Looking Ahead

As the sector responds to the findings of the skills white paper and increasing scrutiny from Ofsted, it is becoming essential for educators to ensure their maths and English delivery can clearly evidence progress and demonstrate that learners are entered for GCSE and Functional Skills exams only when they are ready to pass. There is now a more effective way to reduce ongoing resits and improve outcomes.

For providers reviewing their approach, the message from HIT is clear:

Book a demo with Pass now. You have everything to gain from exploring what’s possible.

To find out more about how Pass can support your provision, see the links below.

GCSE Maths & English for Colleges

Functional Skills for Apprenticeships