Three schools will no longer deliver the first wave of T-levels after one received a low grade from Ofsted and two others “decided not to” take part.
But Suffolk New College has been added to the list of those delivering the technical qualifications from 2020, after the government went back out to find providers when the construction pathway changed from “building” to “design”.
Announcing the changes today, a release from the Department for Education said: “We have added Suffolk New College to our list of high-quality providers who will deliver the first, world-class T-levels from 2020.
“This follows their expression of interest to deliver the design, surveying and planning T-level.
“We have also removed two providers from the list who have decided not to deliver T-levels in 2020 and a third provider has withdrawn due to a recent Ofsted inspection grading.”
FE Week understands the three schools to have been removed from the list are the Archbishop Holgate’s School in York, the George Abbot School in Surrey and Bordesley Green Girls’ School in Birmingham.
The only one of the three to have had a recent Ofsted inspection is Bordesley Green, which was rated ‘requires improvement’ by the inspectorate in a report that was published on June 28. It had previously been rated ‘outstanding’.
All three have been approached for comment.
The first T-level providers were announced at the end of May. George Abbot School was only added to the list on June 18, alongside sixth form college turned 16-to-19 academy Priestley College.
Kate Carriett, headteacher of George Abbot School, said the school had “come to the conclusion that we wish to consolidate our provision and expertise in the new A-levels at this point in time.”
She added: “This does not mean that we will not wish to offer the new exciting T-levels in the future.”
FE Week reported in June that only a quarter of the providers which applied to offer T-levels in 2020 were successful.
Until today’s changes were announced, 16 schools had been approved for the first wave of the qualifications. While 26 colleges made the cut, many were told they weren’t eligible even though they had grade two ratings from Ofsted.
In January this year the Education and Skills Funding Agency invited expressions of interest from providers which wanted to become the first to offer T-levels.
Providers – which can be colleges, independent training providers, university technical colleges or schools that currently deliver relevant ESFA-funded 16-to-19 education to at least 10 students – must be rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted and must have at least ‘satisfactory’ financial health.
Of the 52 providers chosen, 32 were ‘outstanding’ and 14 were ‘good’, while a further six didn’t have a current Ofsted rating.
Five of these were academies that were rated ‘outstanding’ before they converted, and the sixth is a university technical college that has yet to be inspected. Suffolk New College has been rated ‘good’ by Ofsted.
The updated list of T-level providers for 2020-21
Name of provider | Region |
---|---|
Access Creative College (Access to Music Ltd.) | West Midlands |
Barnsley College | Yorkshire and the Humber |
Bedfordshire & Luton Education Business Partnership | East of England |
Big Creative Training Limited | London |
Bishop Burton College | Yorkshire and the Humber |
Blackpool and The Fylde College | North West |
Bridgwater & Taunton College | South West |
Cardinal Newman College | North West |
Chichester College Group | South East |
Cirencester College | South West |
City College Norwich | East of England |
City of Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College | West Midlands |
Cranford Community College | London |
Derby College | East Midlands |
Dudley College of Technology | West Midlands |
Durham Sixth Form Centre | North East |
Exeter College | South West |
Fareham College | South East |
Farnborough College of Technology | South East |
Gateshead College | North East |
Grimsby Institute of Further & Higher Education | Yorkshire and the Humber |
Havant and South Downs College | South East |
HCUC | London |
La Retraite RC Girls School | London |
London Design & Engineering UTC | London |
Lordswood Girls’ School & Sixth Form Centre | West Midlands |
Nelson and Colne College | North West |
New College Durham | North East |
Notre Dame Catholic Sixth Form College | Yorkshire and the Humber |
Oldham Sixth Form College | North West |
Painsley Catholic College | West Midlands |
Peter Symonds College | South East |
Priestley College | North West |
Runshaw College | North West |
Salesian School | South East |
Sandwell Academy | West Midlands |
Scarborough Sixth Form College | Yorkshire and the Humber |
Shipley College of Further Education | Yorkshire and the Humber |
St Thomas More Catholic School | North East |
Strode College | South West |
Suffolk New College | East of England |
Sussex Coast College Hastings | South East |
The College of Richard Collyer | South East |
The Leigh UTC | South East |
Thorpe St Andrew School and Sixth Form | East of England |
Truro and Penwith College | South West |
University College Birmingham | West Midlands |
Ursuline High School | London |
Walsall College | West Midlands |
Walsall Studio School | West Midlands |
Weston College | South West |
York College | Yorkshire and the Humber |
Your thoughts