Rishi Sunak has been described as “completely out of touch with reality” after he announced the government would replace A-levels and T Levels with a new qualification called the Advanced British Standard.
The prime minister announced the shake-up to 16-19 education during his Conservative Party conference speech today (4 October).
Under the plans for a new single qualification, A-levels and T-levels would merge into the new qualification, and 16 to 19-year-olds would study five subjects. Pupils starting primary school this term are expected to be the first cohort to take the Advanced British Standard.
However, a significant increase in the time students spend in class, alongside an obligation for students to take “some form of” maths and English up to age 18, would create major recruitment challenges for schools already struggling with hiring and retention.
The increased teaching burden would be around “195 hours more”, Sunak admitted, and schools would need to hire new teachers to fill this gap.
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Students’ time in the classroom would increase to a minimum of 1,475 over two years; closer to children in France and some US states who receive more than 2,000 hours’ classroom time.
The new qualification builds on suggestions last year that Sunak wanted to create a British “baccalaureate” where students cover a broader range of subjects at 18 and a slimmed-down set of exams at 16.
Sunak said: “The new Advanced British Standard will help spread opportunity and benefit students for generations to come, demonstrating our clear commitment to make the right decisions for the long-term future of our country.”
Education secretary Gillian Keegan said the new qualification would “transform” post-16 education and break down barriers between academic and technical routes into careers.
“Today’s investment will bring more teachers into key subjects and I now want to work closely with teachers, parents and the profession to deliver change in the best way possible.
“The prize on offer is too great to miss out on; a country where every young person is equipped with the skills and knowledge they need to reach their potential and live a happy and fulfilling life.”
The government will open a consultation this autumn on how best to design and implement the new Advanced British Standard and said it would work closely with stakeholders across the sector.
There is an initial investment of £600 million over two years to “lay the groundwork” on how it will be delivered, which includes a tax-free bonus of up to £30,000 over the first five years of their career for teachers in shortage subjects.
Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said: “Rishi Sunak is doubling down on pie-in-the-sky education policies. He is completely out of touch with reality.
“The government’s long-standing failure to hit its own training targets, compounded by the haemorrhaging of teachers due to high workload and below-inflation pay, made the PM’s call in January for more maths teaching an impossible dream.”
Kebede said the Advanced British Standard proposals were “even more misconceived” and “extends his detachment from reality”.
“There is no magic wand to create English and maths teachers in sufficient numbers to educate 11 to 16-year-olds, let alone at A-Level too,” he added.
“We already have a shortage of secondary teachers. One in six English teachers and one in five mathematics teachers do not have a post A-Level qualification in the subject. We need an additional 4,300 mathematics teachers and 2,600 English teachers to cover current needs.”
The NEU estimated that the plans would require an additional 5,300 teachers. This year the Government missed its recruitment target for secondary teachers by 48%.
Once again, there is a sense that ministers in Whitehall think they know better than the teachers and leaders working with pupils on a daily basis” – Paul Whiteman, NAHT
Kebede accused Sunak and his team of being “unwilling to do the hard work on fixing the major challenges facing education”.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “Today’s announcement shows just how out of touch this government has become with the teaching profession. There are so many immediate crises that schools are currently dealing with, from recruitment and retention to crumbling school buildings and the lack of support for pupils with [special educational needs and disabilities]. The government should be focusing on fixing those, not announcing yet another round of seismic changes to exams and qualifications.
“To date, there has been no meaningful engagement with the profession on any part of this announcement. Whilst the government may suggest that this is just the start of a process towards further reform, it would appear they have already decided on the destination without talking to school leaders. Once again, there is a sense that ministers in Whitehall think they know better than the teachers and leaders working with pupils on a daily basis.
“The announcement raises so many questions, most importantly where all the additional teachers needed to deliver these reforms will come from. There are also huge questions around what this means for the curriculum and for higher education.”
This summer, a report by qualifications watchdog Ofsted said shortcomings with T Levels – conceived in 2017 as a vocational route for students who did not feel A-levels suited them – needed to be addressed after high levels of drop-outs and low awareness among parents and employers.
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