PM announces plan for new post-16 qualification

The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced a new qualification for 16-19 year olds which is designed to put technical and academic education on an equal footing.

The government says the new Advanced British Standard will bring together the best of A Levels and T Levels into a single new qualification.

Students will take a larger number of subjects at both ‘major’ and ‘minor’ level, with most studying a minimum of five subjects at different levels – for example, three majors alongside two minors. Importantly, students will have the freedom to take a mix of technical and academic subjects, giving them more flexibility over their future career options.

Currently, most A Level students study only three subjects between the ages of 16 and 19 compared to the OECD average of seven. This is despite evidence showing that employers increasingly value students with a wider knowledge base.   

Under the new plans, every student will for the first time be required to study some form of maths and English to age 18.  This change will bring England into line with other major western economies such as France, Germany, Japan and the USA.

Students will also spend more time in the classroom, increasing taught hours to a minimum of 1,475 hours over two years. Currently, a typical A Level student in England studying three subjects is taught for 1,280 hours over two years, and a typical technical student for 1,000 hours. This is significantly lower than Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway, all of whom deliver over 1,600 hours. Children in Italy are taught for over 1,700 hours, and in France and many US states they get over 2,000 hours in the classroom.

The Prime Minister has said that the Advanced British Standard is a long-term reform that will take time to get right and extra funding to deliver effectively. The change will be introduced in close consultation with parents, pupils and teachers. Pupils starting primary school this term are expected to be the first cohort to take the new qualification. Once fully rolled out, the Advanced British Standard will replace A Levels and T Levels but retain their rigorous content and quality.

An initial investment of £600 million over two years will be available to lay the groundwork for delivering the Advanced British Standard. This will include funding for a tax-free bonus of up to £30,000 over the first five years of their career for teachers in key shortage subjects, with FE colleges set to the benefit the most, and new investment to promote the highly successful teaching for mastery in maths methods.