Suspended students twice as likely to be NEET by age 24, research finds

Young people suspended during secondary school are twice as likely to not achieve a level 3 qualification by age 19 and be out of education, employment and training by 24, new research has found.

However, researchers warned the findings show “strong associations” rather than “definitive causal effects” of suspensions as other factors, including limited opportunities due to lower GCSE results, attitudes towards learning and family support could have had an impact.

The Education Policy Institute tracked a cohort of 576,000 students who started year 7 in state schools in 2006 into their mid-20s. Researchers found that 16 per cent of pupils were suspended at least once in secondary school.

Compared to students who are not suspended, those suspended were 2.1 times as likely to not achieve level 3 qualifications by age 19, 1.6 times as likely to not attend university by age 24, and 2.0 times as likely to not be in sustained education, employment or training (NEET) at age 24.

In addition, suspended students were 2.5 times as likely to receive out-of-work benefits by age 24 and 2.7 times as likely to receive health-related benefits by age 24.

Today’s report builds on EPI research published in March which found suspended secondary school pupils are about a year behind their peers on average by the time they take their GCSEs and are less likely to pass crucial maths and English exams.

The think tank has made several policy recommendations, including that the Department for Education (DfE) should consider conducting a programme of work which sets out “how to best respond to behaviour that reflects the evidence on in-school and out-of-school drivers”.

Carlie Goldsmith, senior policy adviser at Impetus, said: “While it is not a surprise that suspended pupils get worse outcomes, we now know how much worse these outcomes are, and can put a number on the ‘employment grades gap’ for the first time.

“Suspensions are sometimes necessary, however, given the long-term consequences for both the individual and to wider society, supporting pupils who are struggling to engage in mainstream education, and in particular making sure they achieve crucial GCSEs, must be a priority for government.

“We should aim for lower exclusion levels not simply for the sake of it, but because it would be a sign of a more effective education system for pupils and teachers alike.”

In England, headteachers can suspend pupils for up to 45 days of the academic year. The suspension rate in secondary schools has been steadily increasing since 2013/14, reaching its highest point since public records began in 2022/23 with a rate of 9.33, equivalent to 933 suspensions per 10,000 pupils.

This is the latest year of data, but real-time absence data suggests that this trend is set to continue in 2023/24, EPI said.

The think tank’s research found that pupils with multiple suspensions have poorer outcomes in early adulthood and multiple suspensions tend to be “cumulatively associated with poor early adult outcomes”.

For example, students were 1.8 times more likely to not achieve a level 3 qualification by age 19 if they were suspended once, which increases to 2.4 times for those suspended five times, and 2.6 times if the learner was suspended ten times or more.

Risk ratios for pupils suspended multiple times

Pupils suspended ten or more times also appear to have just as poor, if not poorer, outcomes compared to those who experience permanent exclusion (see table below).

EPI said the DfE should develop the evidence base on what works to support pupils who experience multiple suspensions. 

The think tank did however point out that factors contributing to suspensions, as well as suspensions themselves, may have influenced GCSE performance, which in turn is related to outcomes in adulthood.

“In other words, the association between suspension and outcomes in adulthood may be indirect, accounted for by lower GCSE grades which limit opportunities for higher study,” a spokesperson explained.

The report added there are other limitations to the research, including that researchers cannot distinguish between the impact of the behaviour leading to the suspension and the suspension itself. It is also possible that the “associations may still be related to unmeasured pupil factors (e.g. attitudes towards learning) and contextual factors (e.g. family support)”.

Nevertheless, Allen Joseph, EPI’s researcher in early years, inequalities and wellbeing, said that given the poor individual-level outcomes and wider societal costs identified in the research, it is “imperative” that schools, colleges, and wider services are “adequately resourced to address the circumstances and respond to the behaviour that resulted in the suspension”.

Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “This analysis highlights a critical issue – pupils with behavioural challenges serious enough to result in being suspended are significantly less likely to achieve positive outcomes in education and life. This is not only a personal tragedy for them but also a considerable challenge for schools.”

He added that “no school ever wishes to suspend a pupil” which is a measure taken “only as a last resort” and called for early intervention as it is “essential to prevent behavioural issues from escalating”.

A DfE spokesperson said: “The recent figures on school suspensions are shocking and show the massive scale of disruptive behaviour that has developed in schools across the country in recent years, harming the life chances of children.

“We are determined to get to grips with the causes of poor behaviour: we’ve already committed to providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every secondary school, introducing free breakfast clubs in every primary school, and ensuring earlier intervention in mainstream schools for pupils with special needs. 

“But we know poor behaviour can also be rooted in wider issues, which is why the government is developing an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty led by a taskforce co-chaired by the education secretary so that we can break down the barriers to opportunity.”

NHS to abandon ‘outstanding’ apprenticeship scheme in North East and Yorkshire

NHS leaders in the North East and Yorkshire are set to cut their decade-old apprenticeship provision next year, even after receiving top marks from Ofsted.

The inspectorate published an ‘outstanding’ report for NHS England North East and Yorkshire last week and praised its “high quality” provision for 126 apprentices training across five health and engineering standards in the health service.

But the report also revealed that NHS leaders in the region intend to “cease delivery” of apprenticeships from 2025 and are not currently recruiting new apprentices. 

Leaders explained the abandonment was to “fall in line with wider policy” following the merger of Health Education England and NHS England in April 2023.

They added that the apprenticeship programme was established by the region’s own NHS office when sourcing this specific provision elsewhere was challenging. But this is no longer the case, and management can now be handled by alternative providers, presumably saving the office money on delivery costs.

NHS England North East and Yorkshire has over 10 years’ experience of providing apprenticeships in health and social care, business administration and engineering and manufacturing sectors. In 2022/23, the region recruited 4,639 people onto an apprenticeship.

A spokesperson for the region said it is working on a “smooth transition to alternative providers where necessary” for apprentices and it is prioritising the growth of apprenticeships as outlined in the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, which came out last June.

NHS England aims to triple the number of apprentices in the health service by 2030, so they make up one in six new recruits.

NHS apprentices achieve ‘exceptionally well’

The ‘outstanding’ award was the first for the NHS regional office, having last received a ‘good’ rating at a short inspection in 2018 and the same at full inspection in 2015.

Most of the 126 apprentices at the time of inspection were on level 3 and 4 programmes across five apprenticeship standards: senior healthcare support worker, healthcare engineering specialist technician, mammography associate, oral health practitioner and science industry maintenance technician.

The watchdog found prospective apprentices were accepted after a “rigorous selection and interview process” and tutors work to accurately identify their starting points.

Inspectors also praised apprentices’ high motivations, which lead to “exceptionally well” achievements, with a very high proportion gaining distinction grades.

Apprentices were found to take on more senior roles, acting as “well-respected” role models for new apprentices and becoming advocates for apprenticeships.

The report added that leaders provide “high-quality” apprenticeships to meet specialist skills shortage areas in the health service.

Ofsted also commended leaders for their “strong commitment to widening participation” by recruiting apprentices from the most deprived areas. 

A strong Skills England can tackle migration misconceptions

The disturbing and depressing images of rioters on the streets of England’s towns are a reminder of the huge and complex challenge we face in tackling the simmering anger of a section of our society that feels resentful and marginalised.  

Exploring the focus of the rioters’ fury – immigrants and asylum seekers – takes us into a complicated and highly-charged policy area. The year-on-year rise in net migration to the UK has been a political hot potato for years, especially since the dramatic rise in unauthorised cross-Channel arrivals by boat. 

The resulting – completely illogical – response by the previous government to restrict the numbers of international students coming to study in the UK is now hopefully coming to an end under Labour, who have committed to retaining the graduate visa route and spoken in positive terms about the value of foreign students. For more detail on why this is the right policy, read our piece on ‘International Students and Immigration: Tackling Myths and Misconceptions’.

While the latest figures (July 2024) show a sharp reduction in applications for study visas, this might well be at the expense of tipping some struggling universities into financial disaster. 

We know that 99 per cent of overseas students return to their country shortly after completing their studies, and the Migration Advisory Committee’s recent report found no evidence of abuse of the study visa system. It’s hard to see why the government doesn’t simply remove study-related migration from the net migration figure used to set immigration targets, as international students are not long-term immigrants and should not be central to the debate over immigration policy.

The skills shortages that have proliferated since Brexit are a big part of the underlying problem, but the solution is far from straightforward. To take one of the most prominent examples, of the 315,000 work visas approved between March 2023 – March 2024, nearly 119,000 (38 per cent) are related to filling health and care sector vacancies currently running at historically high levels. 

Recruiting more nurses is a top priority, but according to a July 2024 statement from the Royal College of Nursing based on UCAS data, there has been an 8 per cent year-on-year drop in applicants for nursing degrees, amounting to a 27 per cent decline since 2021. The supply of trained nurses is already running behind target, leading to a steadily increasing reliance on fully trained recruits from overseas, mostly from non-EU countries. 

The problem is compounded by the rising number of staff leaving the workforce; the leaver rate for nurses reached 12.5 per cent in 2022, while the rate for care staff was 28 per cent in 2022/23. Most leavers cite pay, unsocial hours and stressful working conditions as the reason for putting in their notice.

The conclusion has to be that, while it’s vital to expand the number of students on health and care courses, urgent action is needed to ensure we retain those who get qualified and go into jobs. There are similar challenges in many other occupational areas, including IT, engineering, and construction. 

Given this starting point, action on several fronts is necessary. As far as immigration policy is concerned, we advocate a two-pronged approach: Firm but fair measures to clamp down on illegal immigration, but alongside this a “settlement-positive” approach to integrating legal migrants into work and society, as our report ‘ESOL for Skills’ recommended. 

The correct short-term response to the riots is robust policing and swift justice for offenders, which is exactly what the government is doing.

But a key part of the longer-term solution has to be the government’s proposals for Skills England, which is planned to have direct links to the Migration Advisory Committee, and a refreshed Industrial Strategy.

It’s a challenging but logical strategy, which will hopefully help to put an end to the irrationality and violence we’re witnessing this summer. 

Results 2024: 7 key trends from VTQ and T Level results

Vocational and technical qualification (VTQ) and T Level results for 2024 are out today – here’s FE Week’s round-up of the key trends.

400,000 VTQ results delivered

There were no signs of any delays to BTEC and other VTQ grades this year, after the fiasco two years ago, whereby Ofqual launched an action plan to mandate awarding organisations and education institutions to comply with strict data checks and deadlines.

More than 400,000 results have been issued this summer across over 500 vocational and technical qualifications.

Ofqual today released the results for the 15 awarding organisations which handed out 249,950 VTQ grades across 245 performance table qualifications, a near 3 per cent decline from the year prior.

The largest cohort of VTQs was in business, administration and law – 60,300 certificates were awarded this year, a drop from the 61,200 handed out in 2023.

Last year, Ofqual data showed under 180 results were “routinely withheld” awaiting internal processing. But this year, Cath Jadhav, vice president of Pearson which offers BTECs, said that the inclusion of term time checkpoints for school and colleges meant that “every student who is eligible for a result will receive one today”.

Margaret Farragher, the Joint Council for Qualification’s chief executive, said: “While the pandemic is now behind us, we must acknowledge that this group of students faced disruption during their education and pay tribute to their resilience. I would also like to recognise and thank exams officers and teachers for supporting students with their assessments. They have once again helped to deliver a smooth and successful exam series, evident from today’s results.”

VTQ high achievements similar to last year

Of the total 249,950 VTQ results today, 217,600 were for applied generals, like BTECs, and 32,400 were for tech levels. 

Ofqual’s data shows nearly 9 per cent – 22,100 – achieved top grades of either A* or distinction* depending on the grading scale their qualification uses. This is a nudge lower than the 2023 results where 23,500 got top grades.

Source: Ofqual

Analysis from Ofqual found the probability of an average student attaining the top grade in level 3 applied generals was 2.9 per cent and 4.6 per cent in tech levels respectively in 2023, similar to 2019 but lower than in 2022.

Sir Ian Bauckham, Ofqual Chief Regulator, said: “Congratulations to all students receiving their results today. This is the culmination of a lot of hard work for them and everyone who supported them on the way.   

“Qualifications help people achieve their full potential and these vocational and technical qualifications will be used for onward progression to HE, further study and employment.”

T Level pass rate at 89%

Across the total 7,380 students studying T Levels this year, 88.7 per cent achieved a pass or above. But figures show nearly 3,000 students – over one quarter – have dropped out since they were recruited in 2022.

The take-up of T Levels has shot up as more subjects come on stream. Last year, 3,448 received results and 90.5 per cent passed.

Divided by gender, the pass rate was significantly higher among women, at 94.7 per cent compared with 83.9 per cent of men.

Education and early years had the highest pass rate of 96.2 per cent among its 1,533 students. Meanwhile, design and development for engineering and manufacturing had the lowest (69.9 per cent across 555 students). 

The finance T Level saw 51.4 per cent of the cohort achieving a distinction or above, but only 37 students took the qualification. This was the first set of students to achieve the qualification after it was introduced in 2022.

In the core component of the qualification – usually a written exam and employer-set project – 98 per cent of all students received a grade of E or above. However, the most common grade was a D, with one-third of the 7,380 students receiving this grade.

Education and early years, which has been running since 2020, received the highest proportion of high grades, with 37 per cent awarded a B or above.

The occupational specialism component of a T Level is assessed through a practical project or assignments, typically taken in the second year of the T Level. 93 per cent of students passed this component of their T Level, the majority (49.2 per cent) receiving a merit.

Design and development for engineering and manufacturing had the lowest pass rate (72.3 per cent amongst 555 students).

Building services engineering T Level students struggle with industry placements

The on-the-job training part of a T Level is achieved through an industry placement of at least 315 hours – approximately 45 days. Students needed to complete their placement by August of their second year.

Building services engineering students had the lowest proportion of industry placement completions – just over one in 10 (13 per cent) of the 318 students didn’t complete the placement for their construction T Level.

A further one in ten (11 per cent) students on the maintenance installation and repair for engineering and manufacturing T Level also did not complete the placement.

Meanwhile, almost all (98.5 per cent) 65 healthcare science learners completed their industry placement.

But education and early years remains the success story. It had the highest number of enrolments of all available T Levels (1,533) and just 2 per cent (37) students did not complete the industry placement.

Further gender split across T Level disciplines

The gender divide in certain disciplines remains the same as previous years.

T Levels in construction was heavily dominated by men. Building services engineering had just 9 women enrolled this year – 3 per cent of the cohort – and onsite construction had 5 women, making up 4 per cent of the total students.

Meanwhile, the education and early years T level was made up predominantly of women; 94 per cent of the 1,533 enrolled students. The same goes for health – 91 per cent of the 1,044 students were women.

Overall, the total gender split was 44 per cent women and 56 per cent men achieving T Levels this year.

VTQ distinctions higher than T Levels

A higher proportion of students studying VTQs equivalent to three A-levels received top grades than T Level students. T Levels are described as being equivalent to three A Levels.

Over one-third (37 per cent) of VTQ students were awarded distinction or above compared to 16 per cent of T Level students.

Meanwhile, the majority of T Level students received a merit grade (63 per cent).

Ofqual stated T Levels continue to be generously graded given they are new qualifications.

Speaking on Radio 4’s Today Programme this morning, education secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “T Levels are here to stay, but we need to make them work and we need to make them work better than has been the case. But alongside that, we need to make sure there are other routes for our young people. T Levels won’t be the answer, won’t be the solution for every young person that is considering a technical or vocational route.”

T Levels most popular in the North West

Today’s data from the Department for Education includes a regional breakdown of where T Levels are being taught.

The area with the most number of T Level results this year is the North West (1,458), followed by the South East (1,331). Meanwhile, the region with the lowest number of T Level results overall is the North East (480), followed by London (496).

The North East did however see the biggest regional growth, with 161 per cent more students on T Levels than the 184 enrolled last year. 

The education and early years route made up the majority of students in the North East region – 29 per cent of all enrolments.

The route has been popular for most regions of England, apart from London, where only 62 of its 496 students in the area signed up for education and early years. The region saw a 141 per cent growth in student numbers from last year, with most students opting for the health and science route of the health T Level.

A-level results 2024: 8 key trends in England’s data

A-level results are out this morning – here’s your handy FE Week round up of the key trends. 

All findings are for students in England, unless stated. Here’s what we know…

1. Overall performance in England

The proportion of A* and A grades has risen slightly to 27.6 per cent up, from 26.5 per cent last year, a rise of 4.2 per cent. 

This remains above the 25.2 per cent of top grades in pre-pandemic 2019. 

This year, 76 per cent of grades were C or above, up on 75.4 per cent last year and 75.5 per cent in 2019. 

2. Big rise in students getting 3 A*s

The number of students achieving 3 A* grades has risen from last year – from 3,820 to 4,135. 

It’s nearly 50 per cent up on pre-pandemic 2019 – when 2,785 pupils achieved it. This is despite just an 11 per cent rise in entries. 

However it is still way down on the 12,975 pupils achieving 3 A*s in 2021, when teacher grades were awarded. 

4. Regional attainment gap persists

A regional attainment gap persists, but the picture is mixed.

The proportion of A and above grades in London was 31.3 per cent and 30.8 per cent in the south east. This is compared to 22.5 per cent in the east Midlands and 23.9 per cent in the north east.

London’s top grades grew by 1.3 percentage points compared to just 0.2 percentage points in the East Midlands. 

However, the largest rises were in the north east and West Midlands, both 1.9 percentage points. 

5. Further maths adds up, and French reverses slide

Once again, there has been no change to the UK’s top five most popular subjects. 

Further maths saw the largest rise in entries of any A-level subject. The number entries grew by 20 per cent, from 15,080 in 2023 to 18,082. 

Physics, computing – which grew the most last year – and maths also recorded increases of more than 10 per cent. 

Following years of decline, with entries tumbling 16 per cent between 2021 and 2023, the numbers taking French rose by 6.8 per cent over the last 12 months. English literature also grew for the second year running. 

6. But sociology, drama and geography suffer

At the other end, sociology witnessed the largest drop (6.5 per cent), as entries shrunk from 47,436 to 44,359 in 2024. 

Drama and geography were the only other subjects that decreased by more than 5 per cent. Psychology and history also had falls of 2.4 per cent and 2.2 per cent respectively.

7. Which subjects have the biggest gender gaps in entries?

Computing continues to have many more boys than girls, who account for less than one in five of those taking the subject across the UK. 

Physics, design and technology, further maths and economics also remain male-dominated.

Meanwhile, health and social care, performing arts, English literature and sociology are heavily favoured by girls. 

8. Free schools see largest rise in top grades 

According to data published by Ofqual today, all centre types apart from “other” – which covers small centres like hospital schools – have seen rises in top grades. 

The largest rises were at free schools (9.8 per cent) and secondary modern (9.6 per cent) since last year. The smallest rises were for secondary comprehensives (1.4 per cent) and sixth form colleges (3.9 per cent).

Independent schools and secondary selective schools had the highest proportion of top grades – 49.4 per cent and 41 per cent respectively. 

This compares to just 14.8 per cent in FE colleges and 17.2 in secondary moderns,  which are non-selective schools in areas with grammar schools. 

A-level results 2024: A* grades rise by 8%

The proportion of A*s achieved by England’s students has risen by eight per cent as the post-Covid grading standard emerges.

This year, 27.6 per cent of grades were A or above, up from 26.5 per cent in 2023 – a rise of 4 per cent. It’s also nearly 10 per cent higher than the 25.2 per cent in pre-pandemic 2019.

But the proportion of A* grades has increased 8 per cent on last year – equating to a 20 per cent rise since pre-pandemic 2019.

Meanwhile, there’s been a huge 50 per cent rise in students getting three A*s since the pandemic.

Last year was the first that grades were pulled back to pre-pandemic standards after a rise when exams were cancelled during Covid.

This year’s A-level students were in year 9 when the pandemic hit. They were the first cohort to take GCSEs after they were brought back.

Ofqual explained the rise by saying they asked exam boards to “maintain standards” from 2023, essentially meaning that is now the new grading benchmark.

It means the “standard of work required to get any particular grade” is the same as last year, chief regulator Sir Ian Bauckham said. Any changes in grade are down to “how strong the cohort is as a whole”, he added.

Huge leap in kids getting three A*s

Looking at A* grades only, these have risen from 8.6 per cent in 2023, to 9.3 per cent this year, an 8 per cent rise. It’s also 20 per cent more than the 7.7 per cent of A*s achieved in pre-pandemic 2019.

The number of students getting 3 A*s has soared by nearly 50 per cent since the pandemic, up from 2,785 in 2019, to 4,135 this year. The number of entries has increased since 2019, but only by 11 per cent.

Of those getting three A*s this year, 57 per cent were girls and 43 per cent boys.

In 2019, top grades slumped to their lowest since 2007. 

Bauckham added: “Congratulations to all students receiving their results today. This is the culmination of a lot of hard work for them and everyone who supported them on the way.

“A-levels are highly trusted qualifications. Students can be confident their results will be valued and understood by employers and universities for years to come.”

Overall, the proportion of C grades and above this year was 76 per cent, slightly up on 75.4 per cent last year and 75.5 per cent in 2019.

Regional attainment gap widens

The regional attainment gap has increased slightly this year. London had the highest proportion of A* and A grades (31.8 per cent), compared to 22.5 per cent in the East Midlands, the lowest. 

This is a gap of 8.8 percentage points, slightly wider than the gap between the highest and lowest attaining regions in 2023. In 2019, the gap was 7.3 percentage points.

Thirty per cent of grades in London were A or above this year, a 3.1 percentage point rise on 2019. Meanwhile, the north east had just 22 per cent of top grades, a 1 percentage point fall since 2019.

Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “While the dark days of the pandemic are in the past, its legacy continues to haunt us, as many of these students experienced severe disruption to their education. 

“In particular, this impacted upon young people from disadvantaged backgrounds whose families were also adversely affected by the subsequent cost-of-living crisis”.

The “wide gaps” in attainment between English regions are a “sign of the deep inequalities in our society, and we welcome the new government’s focus on tackling child poverty and disadvantage. This work will need to produce tangible results sooner rather than later.”

More poorer pupils land uni spot

Despite this, UCAS data shows the proportion of students from the poorest backgrounds securing a university place has risen to 19.6 per cent, up from 18.7 per cent last year but slightly down from 19.9 per cent in 2022.

Margaret Farragher, chief executive of JCQ, which represents exam boards, said: “While the pandemic is now behind us, we must acknowledge that this group of students faced disruption during their education and pay tribute to their resilience.

“I would also like to recognise and thank exams officers and teachers for supporting students with their assessments. They have once again helped to deliver a smooth and successful exam series, evident from today’s results.”

There were a total of 816,948 A-level entries this year, up from 797,352 last year (a 2.5 per cent rise) and 736,746 in 2019.

T Level results 2024: Fewer dropouts but pass rate dips below 90%

The T Level dropout rate has slightly improved this year, but the proportion of students passing the qualifications has dipped below 90 per cent for the first time.

A total of 7,262 learners from the third wave of T Levels have results this morning compared to the 10,253 who started the 2022 cohort.

It means that 29 per cent left the course early, which is better than the 34 per cent drop out rate recorded for the 2021 cohort. The finance and accounting route had the worst retention rate while digital had the best (see table below).

Retention rates on A-levels and other vocational and technical qualifications consistently stay above 90 per cent.

Today’s results cover 16 individual T Levels, six of which are being awarded for the first time, compared to 10 pathways last year. The number of students receiving results this year is almost double last year, and the number of schools and colleges offering T Levels has gone up from 101 in 2023 to 162 in 2024.

The Joint Council for Qualifications said the data “gives us confidence that retention on T Levels can improve as providers become more familiar in delivering them”.

However, the overall pass rate has suffered slightly as it fell from 92.2 per cent in 2022, to 90.5 per cent in 2023, and now sits at 88.7 per cent.

The proportion of students included in today’s results that achieved the top two grades of distinction* or distinction is 15.9 per cent, compared to 22.2 per cent in 2023.

Meanwhile, 46.8 per cent received a merit and 25.9 per cent received a pass in 2024. This compares to 47.1 per cent and 21.2 per cent the year before, respectively.

And 11.1 per cent of students received a “partial achievement” this year – which is where a learner attempts all elements of the T Levels but does not achieve all of them – while 0.3 per cent were graded “unclassified” as they failed to achieve any element.

Despite highlighting the improved retention rate, JCQ claimed elsewhere in its press briefing that “increases in pathways, providers and student numbers during T Level roll out means there is limited value in directly comparing results year on year”.

A T Level has three parts – the core component involving a core exam and employer set project, the occupational specialism and the minimum 315-hour industry placement.

Jennifer Coupland, chief executive of the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education – the body responsible for the technical qualification in T Levels, said: “I want to say huge congratulations to all the pioneering students who are getting their T Level results. They are a credit to their schools and colleges, along with the thousands of employers who have provided them with extended work placements.

“The class of 2024 will now be really well placed to progress directly into jobs, university, apprenticeships, and other skills training.”  

JCQ only releases partial T Level data to journalists before 9.30am on results day, unlike A-levels which benefit from a full analysis.

The Department for Education will publish full T Level data later this morning, which includes breakdown by gender and more granular data including industry placement completions.

* Note on the figures: Our overall starts number is slightly higher than the sum of the individual routes. This is because an overall total across all routes was published this morning but per-route enrolments were not. Route starts figures quoted have come from DfE’s 2022 T Level action plan.

Our overall results number is slightly lower than the sum of the individual routes. This is because the data provided states 7,252 learners were retained and assessed from the 2022 cohort. FE Week understands an additional 118 learners that started their T Level in an earlier cohort have received results today, taking the total to 7,380 results awarded.

First T Level relicensing winners and huge contract boosts revealed 

Four T Level contracts have changed hands following the government’s first relicensing procurement – and the winning awarding bodies will receive up to double the amount of funding originally touted.

The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) today announced the successful bidders of the first “generation 2” T Level contracts following a competitive tender.

Seven contracts, first rolled out in 2020 and 2021, were up for grabs to develop and deliver T Levels in early years, construction and digital.

Just three of the contracts in scope will stay with the same awarding organisation that held the initial contract.

Awarding giant City & Guilds decided to not even bid for the two contracts it previously held – building services engineering for construction and onsite construction. These contracts have now been taken over by WJEC Eduqas. 

Elsewhere, NCFE’s two digital T Level contracts have been switched to Pearson after the former decided to only re-tender for its education and early years contract. It means Pearson now delivers all digital-related T Level contracts (see table below).

A City & Guilds spokesperson told FE Week: “Earlier this year, after careful consideration, we chose not to re-tender for these construction pathways as it allows us to concentrate our efforts on other areas.”

The awarding body will continue to deliver several other existing T Level contracts, including in engineering & manufacturing, management & administration, and agriculture.  

An NCFE spokesperson said the decision to step back from digital pathways was made to “allow us to focus on our core sector specialisms and ensure the highest quality of T Level qualifications and assessments for our learners in fewer sectors”.

“We’d like to reassure our digital T Level providers that we will continue to support all current learners to success and will ensure a smooth transition to Pearson as the new awarding organisation, minimising disruption and unnecessary administrative burden,” the spokesperson added.

It comes amid sector concern that awarding bodies have been operating T Level contracts at a loss. In February, FE Week reported that NCFE has written off over £2.5 million because of low student recruitment on the flagship qualifications.

The government appears to have reacted by substantially increasing the contract values for each T Level.

NCFE’s education and childcare T Level, for example, was originally advertised at a value of £5.5 million in the gen 2 tender. Today’s announcement shows this has increased by 65 per cent to £9.12 million.

One of the construction T Levels taken over by WJEC Eduqas from City & Guilds has almost doubled. 

The onsite construction contract value has risen from £3.9 million to £7.64 million. And the building services engineering for construction is now worth £6.25 million compared to £3.96 million first advertised.

Addressing the contract increases, an IfATE spokesperson told FE Week: “As the programme has matured, IfATE and awarding organisations have understood more in terms of the cost of delivery and reflected this through pricing decisions. Where values have increased, it recognises the cost of delivering a complex and long-term contract to achieve provision of a high-quality set of T Levels.”

‘The growing importance of T Levels’

IfATE revealed other steps to make T Levels more “commercially attractive” to awarding organisations in its gen 2 contracts tender, through a funding model that would guarantee a certain level of profit.

The new contracts will feature a “demand-sensitive” adaptive pricing model which will mean awarding organisations can charge providers higher fees if student numbers are lower than expected. Fees could also be reduced if student numbers are higher.

Awarding organisations with gen 2 T Level licenses will be allowed to make a “one-off adjustment” to the entry fee it charges providers if the projected number of students increases or decreases over the contract term.

The move was slated by college leaders when FE Week broke the news earlier this year for forcing providers to pick up the risk for low T Level recruitment at a time when students and parents are questioning the value of the qualifications in light of the previous government’s plans to replace them with the Advanced British Standard. The new Labour government has however confirmed it will not take forward the ABS proposal.

In April the government announced it is also undertaking a “route-by-route” review of T Level content and assessment in a bid to boost recruitment and retention and to ensure the courses are “manageable at scale”, amid high dropout rates.

These gen 2 contracts will run from August 2024 to 31 July 2033. A separate procurement round has taken place for the T Levels in health and science, though the results have not yet been released.

Chris Morgan, IfATE’s deputy director for commercial, said the quango was “really pleased” to welcome WJEC to T Levels, because the “involvement of a new awarding organisation shows the growing importance and influence of the T Level programme, given renewed commitment and impetus under the new government”.

WJEC Eduqas chief executive Ian Morgan, said the “achievement reflects our strong knowledge base, extensive experience and broad expertise in the development, delivery and awarding of qualifications”.

He added that his awarding body will work “in partnership” with EAL to develop and deliver its T Level contracts.

Suzanne Hall, strategic lead for product (technical and professional) at Pearson, said: “We are pleased to have won these four contracts, and for the first time to be running all of the digital T Levels. We look forward to using our expertise in developing rigorous and high-quality qualifications and to continue to play our part in developing talent for these important sectors.”

Philip Le Feuvre, NCFE’s chief operating officer, added: “NCFE is delighted to have been selected by IfATE as its education and early years T Level delivery partner. 

“This T Level helps to equip students with the skills and knowledge to enter the workplace or higher education and make a difference to tens of thousands of children in their critically important early years.”

The success of Skills England is in all our interests

As a new government agency is birthed, there are two ways of looking at it.

The first is: here we go again. The same civil servants, same resource constraints, same ambitions limited by practicalities – just a different name above the door. A press release creating the impression of change.

When it comes to Skills England, this cynicism feels reasonable. Its new responsibilities are remarkably like those of the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE): joining up the skills system, employer engagement and approving high-quality provision that qualifies for public money. Having spent nearly four years on the board of IfATE, it was these things that occupied nearly all our time and efforts.

Or should we be more charitable? 

A new agency can galvanise activity. It can coordinate action across the government. Provide the opportunity for innovation. Inject new expertise. And it can offer a very clear signal of ministerial priorities.

I think we should be charitable. After all, given the importance of skills, the success of Skills England is in all our interests. So here are three suggestions for making that happen.

Welcome to the (crowded) neighbourhood

The Department for Education (DfE) is not short of acronyms and agencies. Skills England will inherit the same overlaps that IfATE experienced: the Office for Students (OfS) and Ofqual, in particular. 

But DfE overlaps are not the only issue. Skills England will need to exercise power across government.

One thing that has always struck me when visiting government departments over the last decade is the volume of people working on skills policy outside the DfE, often in unwitting isolation.

The Department for Work & Pensions has scores of people developing skills policy, given they run Job Centre Plus (which just absorbed the National Careers Service). 

The Treasury has some of the most powerful skills officials, given their grip on the money (never forgets it’s the Treasury that rules the roost on the apprenticeship levy). The Department for Transport has a large team given the importance to the sector. And the Digital Skills Council is hosted by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. This is repeated across government. And more recently, elected mayors and combined authorities are building armies of skills policy people too.

As a result, I think an opportunity has been missed. Rather than being siloed as an education agency, Skills England should have been set up as a cross-government agency with the necessary clout. This would mean making it a Treasury or perhaps a business department agency.

Failing this, Skills England must swiftly bring together the many hundreds of civil servants working on skills and harness their collective strength and expertise. And while ‘England’ is in its name, joining up with the devolved nations will be just as important: it drives many UK employers mad that they must deal with four distinct skills systems.

The new Skills and de-Growth of the Apprenticeships Levy

The creation of Skills England also confirmed Labour’s commitment to release apprenticeship levy cash (originally 50 per cent, now ‘a proportion’) for non-apprenticeship training.

While many will celebrate flexibility, I think this is a mistake. Not because all training should be done via an apprenticeship (it shouldn’t be, and isn’t) or flexibility isn’t needed, but because of two issues: demand for apprenticeships is massively outstripping supply; and delivering apprenticeships in many universities, colleges, and independent training providers is already only borderline viable.

To put it into context, when I was (until recently) an executive director at UCAS integrating apprenticeships, we built demand to the point where 400,000+ people were interested in doing an apprenticeship, but live vacancies were only around 4,000 – 6,000. We’ve barely scratched the surface on the potential for apprenticeships. So more money is needed, not 50 per cent less. Indeed, less than 1 per cent of the levy is now unspent.

Employers need to be the life and soul of Skills England

Skills England will also have the tricky job of deciding what the non-ring–fenced money can be used for. The easier option would be taking products off the shelf, e.g. qualifications from City & Guilds, or perhaps modular courses from the Open University. The more effective approach would be to copy IfATE’s tried and tested trailblazer groups where employers designed and shaped content directly.

The result was employers giving up their time to shape each of the 800+ apprenticeship standards approved over the last few years, covering about 70 per cent of occupations. This made sure aspiring apprentices were genuinely prepared for the workplace.