Twelve education bodies have today slammed the education secretary for “ignoring” their concerns and ploughing ahead with plans to scrap the majority of BTECs.
In a letter to Gavin Williamson, sector leaders reiterate that disadvantaged students have the “most to lose” and that it is “impossible to square the government’s stated ambition to ‘level up’ opportunity” with the proposals.
The twelve organisations are part of the #ProtectStudentChoice campaign, which has now launched a petition to reverse the plans.
A notable absence from today’s letter and the campaign is the Association of Colleges, which voiced strong opposition to the reforms of level 3 qualifications when they were confirmed earlier this month. The AoC has been approached for comment.
Under the proposals, the Department for Education will introduce a twin-track system of A-levels and T Levels, where most young people pursue one of these qualifications at the age of 16. “Poor quality” qualifications which duplicate or overlap with T Levels or A-levels will have their funding removed from 2023.
This will impact a range of applied general qualifications, but BTECs, offered by awarding body Pearson, are the most popular.
The education bodies’ letter claims it is “clear” from the government’s response to the level 3 review that Williamson’s department “has ignored the concerns expressed by us (and most other respondents) about the proposal to remove funding for the vast majority of applied general qualifications such as BTECs”.
Almost 1,350 people responded to the consultation and the vast majority – 86 per cent – disagreed with the DfE’s plan to strip funding from qualifications which overlap with T Levels and A-levels.
The letter goes to point out that the DfE is choosing to move forward with the reforms despite the department’s own impact assessment report admitting that students from SEND, Asian ethnic, and disadvantaged backgrounds, as well as males “are disproportionately likely to be affected by the changes” because a high proportion of these learners choose to study BTECs.
While a delay to the introduction of the government’s proposals would be “welcome”, the letter goes on to say that this “would not change the fact they have the potential to do huge damage to social mobility and are completely out of step with the views expressed by our members”.
The letter concludes by urging the government “to rethink plans to remove funding for the vast majority of applied general qualifications and instead provide assurances that they have an important role to play alongside the equally valuable A levels and T Levels in the future qualifications landscape”.
In response, a DfE spokesperson said: “Great qualifications are essential to helping everyone, regardless of their age or background, to reach their career goals and get good jobs.
“Our reforms will simplify and streamline the current system, ensuring that all qualifications are fit for purpose, are high-quality and lead to good outcomes.
“We are putting employers at the heart of the skills system and boosting the quality of qualifications on offer so that all students, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, leave education with the skills employers need.”
The twelve organisations that have signed the letter are:
Association of School and College Leaders
Collab Group
Edge Foundation
Grammar School Heads Association
NASUWT: The Teachers Union
National Education Union
NEON: The National Education Opportunities Network
National Union of Students
SSAT: the schools students and teachers network
Sixth Form Colleges Association
UNISON
University Alliance
I do not understand the silence on this change by the Association of Colleges, Williamson and all politicians will see this as consent. If they don’t respond at all then their chair David Hughes should consider his position.
If BTECs go, then there will be few qualifications at Levels One and Two. These provide stepping stones to future employment. Not every young person wants to study at Level Three but would rather begin at a lower level if this led to a particular career.
T-levels do not give students much choice therefore many will be left out.
This is a terrible decision which needs to be changed , it will badly affect many students and their futures