Yesterday, the Department for Education confirmed a partial pause to the reforms to post-16 qualification at level 3 and below.
Clare Howard, CEO of Natspec said:
We are delighted – and relieved – that the Secretary of State has announced a pause and review of qualification reform at level 3 and below. While we see a place for T levels, we have consistently pointed out to government that, given their size, assessment methodology and lack of flexibility, they are unlikely to provide as successful a platform for progression to HE for learners with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) as BTECs currently do. We mustn’t remove these vital stepping stones unless or until there is evidence that any replacement qualifications are serving this purpose equally or more effectively.
We hope that the Secretary of State will also use this period of review to reconsider the proposals for national standards and associated qualifications at level 1 and Entry level in personal, social and employability skills. The draft standards fall woefully short of the mark in terms of relevance and sufficiency while the proposed qualification rules are unnecessarily restrictive. The decision to deny public funding for Entry level qualifications was nothing short of discriminatory. Natspec would be very happy to work with the Department for Education to come up with a more fit-for-purpose solution.
