The DfE has issued an
updated list of which qualifications are going to be defunded from August 2024 because they “overlap” with T levels (which means last starts on these qualifications will be September 2023). The list is essentially a review of the original defunding list that was released before the summer, to allow for appeals by affected awarding bodies.
There are two significant changes from the original list:
- Health and science qualifications on the list have effectively been put in limbo for the moment, awaiting another review by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE). This is not helpful, and we are arguing for these qualifications to just be removed from the list altogether.
- Some engineering qualifications are reprieved.
Overall, whilst this is still an unsatisfactory situation, we are certainly in a better place than we might have hoped for when this whole process started three years ago, undoubtedly due to the sector’s constant pressure via the successful
#ProtectStudentChoice campaign. What remains frustrating is that we are still trying to find out who the six “independent” assessors are who are reviewing the individual qualifications for inclusion on the list.
For those who wish to find out more about T levels, the BTEC defunding process and timescale, and the future of vocational qualifications in the sixth form, there are still some places on our free webinars. Find out more and book your place
here (dates available until June 2023).