The UK Prime Minister has announced plans to replace A-levels and T-levels with a new qualification for school-leavers in England. The new Advanced British Standard, which combines academic and vocational elements, will be aimed at all 16 to 19-year-olds. At least three major and two minor elements will include some English and maths up to the age of 18, and it is anticipated that extra teachers will be recruited to help implement the change.
It is still likely to be some years before the qualification is in place and the first pupils to take it will be those currently just starting primary school. However, the government has said that the new qualification would put technical and academic education on an equal footing, ensuring that all school leavers had achieved the basics in maths and English, with additional help available for those who needed it.
The proposed changes have been widely applauded, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak saying that boosting education was “the closest thing we have to a silver bullet”, as it was “the best economic policy, the best social policy, the best moral policy.” He also argued that 16 to 19-year-olds in the UK spent “around a third less time in the classroom than some of our competitors” and under the new proposals, students would spend at least 195 extra hours with a teacher.
However, there have also been some misgivings about this latest development. Association of School and College Leaders general secretary Geoff Barton commented on the plan for bonus payments that would be given to teachers in certain subjects, saying that this would not be enough and that teacher shortages were a widespread problem. He suggested that a broader strategy to improve pay, conditions and education funding was needed. National Association of Head Teachers general secretary Paul Whiteman echoed these concerns, stating that there had been “no meaningful engagement” with the profession ahead of the announcement and charging that “ministers in Whitehall think they know better than the teachers and leaders working with pupils on a daily basis.
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