Commenting on funding
announced to support T-levels, Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said:
“While we welcome this investment in T-level provision, overall funding for 16-19 education remains wholly inadequate.
“The government has fixated on T-levels, while neglecting the vast majority of young people taking other vocational, technical and academic qualifications.
“The 16-19 funding rate per student has been far too low for many years.
“In a report in November, the Institute for Fiscal Studies said that further education colleges and sixth forms have seen the largest falls in per-pupil funding of any sector of the education system since 2010–11.
“The government must invest strategically in this vital sector as a whole rather than in a piecemeal manner.
“This is more important than ever in supporting students and boosting economic recovery in the wake of the Covid pandemic.”