Views sought on shaping Advanced British Standard

The government has launched a consultation to shape the development of the new Advanced British Standard, with teachers, parents, young people and employers all invited to have their say.

At the heart of the proposals for the Advanced British Standard are an increase in teaching time of around 200 hours over the course of the qualification, greater breadth and choice for young people and a core focus on vital maths and English.

The Advanced British Standard will mean most students choose a minimum of five subjects from a menu of options to give more breadth and flexibility.

These subjects will be built on A levels and T Levels, retaining their rigour and focus on building knowledge. By increasing teaching time and the breadth of what students can study, including maths and English, the Advanced British Standard will widen students’ career options and bring England in line with major economies such as France, Germany, Japan and the USA.

A levels, T Levels as well as other high-quality qualifications will still be available to study until the Advanced British Standard is introduced.

To lay the groundwork for delivering the Advanced British Standard, £600 million will be invested over the next two years to support schools and colleges. This includes £100 million a year to attract and retain teachers in key STEM and technical shortage subjects, extending these payments to eligible FE teachers for the first time.  Eligible teachers will get up to £30,000 over 5 years after tax on top of their pay in the first five years of their career.

Over the next two years, £60 million will also be invested to turbo-charge maths teaching, as well as £300 million to support more young people to achieve an English or maths qualification by the time they leave school.

Under the Advance British Standard young people who may not be quite ready to study at Level 3 (A level or T Level equivalent) will also benefit from the same number of teaching hours, high quality qualifications and will study English and maths until 18. This will ensure all students can progress into work or further study and are provided with the solid foundation they need to thrive.

Plans for the Advanced British Standard were first announced by the Prime Minister in October. The launch of the consultation today kick starts these transformative reforms, which are expected to take around 10 years to complete.

Consultation responses will help inform the development of the Advanced British Standard. More detailed proposals and plans for delivery are expected to be set out in a White Paper next year.