T-levels | FE Week

Damian Hinds defends T-levels timetable to Education Committee

The education secretary has defended his decision not to delay the first T-levels, insisting the new qualifications are being introduced at a “good pace”. Damian Hinds appeared before the education select committee just two days after his top civil servant told the Public Accounts Committee that he still has contingency planning concerns regarding the tight […]

If A-levels need multiple exam boards, why don’t T-levels?

The system that makes A-levels so revered would work just as effectively for the new technical exams, argues Rod Bristow The groundbreaking Copyright Act of 1710 was in its long form entitled “an Act for the Encouragement of Learning”. The idea behind it was simple, that by protecting the intellectual property developed by authors and […]

Top mandarin admits to contingency concerns over T-levels

The Department for Education should have left more time to make sure T-levels go to plan, according to its top civil servant. Jonathan Slater was questioned by the Public Accounts Committee today about his ministerial direction, published in May, in which he asked to defer the start date from 2020 to 2021. He was overruled […]

Federation of Awarding Bodies gets the lawyers in over T-levels

The Federation of Awarding Bodies is gearing up for possible legal action over T-levels following the start of a controversial tender process, FE Week can reveal. The government launched its hunt for awarding organisations to deliver the new qualifications with two “market engagement” events earlier this month. But AOs have been left fuming over the […]

How to apply for T-level teacher training funds

Details of how providers can ask for money to train industry experts who will teach the first T-levels have been revealed by the Education and Training Foundation. A £5 million pot, managed by the ETF on behalf of the Department for Education, was unveiled this morning by skills minister Anne Milton. Up to £20,000 per […]

Why we’re pressing ahead with T-levels

There are worries across the FE sector that T-levels are being rushed through, but Anne Milton believes there’s no time like the present Last month we took an exciting step forward and announced the 52 colleges and post-16 providers which will be leading the way and teaching the first new T-levels. These qualifications will be […]

T-levels are not the boldest reform of the last 70 years

Parity of esteem with A-levels is a laudable aim, but T-levels aren’t the root-and-branch redesign of technical education England needs, writes Rob May The 1944 Education Act was an aspirational moment of policy entrepreneurship, setting out a structure for post-war education at a time of massive national uncertainty. Extending its legacy far beyond the school […]

Don’t expect T-Levels to bring ‘parity of esteem’ overnight

T-levels are possibly the best-designed new qualifications in decades, but it’ll take hard work to promote them as a pathway, explains Chris McLean Frequently in education we feel justified in telling the government it doesn’t understand what we need to improve teaching and learning. In FE in particular, we say that MPs don’t get what […]

Is pushing ahead with T-levels fair on young people?

The top civil servant at the DfE, responsible for the “feasibility of public spending” has concluded that T-levels need delaying for a second year. Jonathan Slater’s formal “ministerial direction” means the civil service feels the need to tell the National Audit Office, the Treasury and the Public Accounts Committee there are “feasibility and consequential value-for-money […]