Asked by: Baroness Caine of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many (1) secondary schools, and (2) Further Education colleges, offer (a) GCSEs in film and media, (b) A levels in film and media, and (c) Level 3 Qualifications in film and media, broken down by region; what percentage of the total numbers of each institution this represents; and how this is broken down by region.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department does not hold data on the subjects offered by schools and colleges.
School and college data on the number of entries in each subject is published in the ‘Qualification and subject data’ found on the Compare school and college performance website, available on GOV.UK.
This includes schools and colleges which had entries in GCSE, A level and Level 3 film and media qualifications, their institution type and local authority.
The number of schools and colleges with entries in film and media subjects by region and institution type are provided in the tables below.
Number of schools and colleges with entries in GCSE film and media subjects:
| State-funded secondary schools | % of state-funded secondary schools | Independent schools | % of all independent schools |
East Midlands | 107 | 34.5% | 3 | 3.7% |
East of England | 157 | 38.2% | 9 | 7.8% |
London | 178 | 31.7% | 16 | 8.4% |
North East | 26 | 15.0% | 0 | 0% |
North West | 94 | 17.9% | 5 | 3.5% |
South East | 209 | 37.0% | 26 | 10.1% |
South West | 90 | 25.0% | 8 | 6.5% |
West Midlands | 93 | 21.5% | 4 | 2.9% |
Yorkshire and The Humber | 63 | 18.1% | 3 | 3.7% |
England | 1,017 | 27.6% | 74 | 6.3% |
Number of schools and colleges with entries in A level film and media subjects:
| State-funded secondary schools | % of state-funded secondary schools | Independent schools | % of all independent schools | Further Education colleges | % of all Further Education colleges |
East Midlands | 92 | 49.5% | 2 | 6.9% | 7 | 58.3% |
East of England | 151 | 63.4% | 13 | 20.3% | 9 | 45.0% |
London | 183 | 44.4% | 16 | 16.5% | 11 | 45.8% |
North East | 33 | 45.2% | 1 | 9.1% | 7 | 53.8% |
North West | 78 | 43.1% | 0 | - | 24 | 60.0% |
South East | 201 | 61.7% | 20 | 14.2% | 17 | 54.8% |
South West | 103 | 55.4% | 5 | 7.9% | 11 | 55.0% |
West Midlands | 89 | 37.2% | 3 | 6.1% | 9 | 42.9% |
Yorkshire and The Humber | 68 | 46.9% | 2 | 5.7% | 13 | 52.0% |
England | 998 | 50.3% | 62 | 11.6% | 108 | 52.4% |
Number of schools and colleges with entries in all Level 3 qualifications in film and media subjects:
| State-funded secondary schools | % of state-funded secondary schools | Independent schools | % of all independent schools | Further Education colleges | % of all Further Education colleges |
East Midlands | 110 | 59.1% | 5 | 17.2% | 7 | 58.3% |
East of England | 170 | 71.4% | 20 | 31.2% | 10 | 50.0% |
London | 224 | 54.4% | 17 | 17.5% | 11 | 45.8% |
North East | 46 | 63.0% | 4 | 36.4% | 8 | 61.5% |
North West | 109 | 60.2% | 2 | 4.4% | 26 | 65.0% |
South East | 234 | 71.8% | 33 | 23.4% | 18 | 58.1% |
South West | 118 | 63.4% | 11 | 17.5% | 11 | 55.0% |
West Midlands | 123 | 51.5% | 7 | 14.3% | 11 | 52.4% |
Yorkshire and The Humber | 88 | 60.7% | 5 | 14.3% | 13 | 52.0% |
England | 1,222 | 61.5% | 104 | 19.5% | 115 | 55.8% |
GCSE figures relate to entries in ‘Film Studies’ and ‘Media/Film/TV Studies’ GCSEs by pupils at the end of key stage 4. A level figures relate to entries in ‘Film Studies’ and ‘Media/Film/TV Studies’ A levels by students at the end of 16 to 19 study.
Level 3 qualifications include entries in ‘Film Studies’ and ‘Media/Film/TV Studies’ A levels, AS levels, and other Level 3 academic qualifications, and ‘Multimedia’ and “Film/Video/Television Production” Applied General and Tech Level qualifications by students at the end of 16 to 19 study. Each school and college are counted once only, regardless of whether they offer multiple courses.
Teaching began on the ‘Media, Broadcast and Production’ T Level pathway in September 2024. Provider level data will be published for the first time in spring 2027.
Asked by: Baroness Caine of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the evidential basis for their decision to support high-cost STEM courses and cut high-cost creative courses, as set out in the letter from the Secretary of State for Education to the Office for Students on 6 July.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department recognises the cultural and economic value of performing and creative arts courses. However, given the fiscal constraints, our approach is to prioritise funding for subjects with the highest delivery costs and where there is stronger evidence of current and future skills shortages.
Creative arts subjects already attract lower rates of funding than the science and technology subjects in price groups A and B, with Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) funding representing only a relatively small proportion of their overall funding when fees are taken into account. For 2025/26, the SPG funding rate for performing and creative arts courses was £130.54 per student full time equivalent. This is just over 1% of the total funding for these courses including tuition fees that are supported by subsidised student loans.
Performing and creative arts courses will, like other subjects, benefit from future inflationary increases to tuition fees.
Asked by: Baroness Caine of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether Media, Journalism and Publishing courses identified by Skills England as the key route to filling priority growth occupations in the creative industries in the 2026 Annual Sector Skills Assessment of the Creative Industries, published on 1 June, are now eligible to apply for the 2026–2027 Strategic Priorities Grant for HE funding, after having been made ineligible in 2005–2006.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We recognise the cultural and economic value of media, journalism and publishing courses. However, given the fiscal constraints, our approach is to continue to prioritise funding for subjects with the highest delivery costs (and hence Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) funding) and where there is stronger evidence of current and future skills shortages.
Media, journalism and publishing were subjects that previously attracted lower rates of funding than the science and technology subjects in price groups A & B, with SPG funding representing only a relatively small proportion of their overall funding when fees are taken into account. For 2024/25, the SPG funding rate for these courses was £130.54 per student full time equivalent. This was just over 1% of the total funding for these courses including tuition fees (that are supported by subsidised student loans).
Media, journalism and publishing courses will, like other subjects, benefit from future inflationary increases to tuition fees.
Asked by: Baroness Caine of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many state-funded secondary schools in England offer (1) GCSE Film Studies, (2) A level Film Studies, (3) GCSE Media Studies, and (4) A level Media Studies; how many independent schools offer each of these qualifications; and whether they will publish this information annually by region as part of the national dataset on subject provision in schools.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The number of schools with entries in the two subjects requested are provided below. The department does not hold data on the subjects that institutions offer.
Number of schools with GCSE and A level entries in Film Studies and Media/Film/TV Studies in 2024/25, by school type:
| State-funded schools | Independent schools |
GCSE Film Studies | 276 | 37 |
GCSE Media / Film / TV Studies | 803 | 40 |
A level Film Studies | 391 | 40 |
A level Media / Film / TV Studies | 746 | 29 |
Media Studies is referred to in the department’s attainment data ‘Media/Film/TV Studies’ and is a separate qualification to ‘Film Studies’.
Asked by: Baroness Caine of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend that T-levels and V-levels will not be developed for specific occupational areas where existing qualifications are delivering effectively; if so, which existing qualifications they assess are delivering effectively; and what criteria have been used to inform that assessment.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Every student entering post-16 education will have a clear choice of high-quality pathways. At level 3, this will be between A Levels, V Levels and T Levels.
V Levels are our new flagship vocational qualification and will be the option for students who wish to explore a range of sectors without specialising.
T Levels are already showing good progression outcomes, and we know the courses are valued for their industry placements and rigour. T Levels will be the only large qualification for students who want a sector-focused post-16 choice.
There will be no removal of public funding approval for 16 to 19 qualifications for 2026/27. Removal of public funding approval will take place from 2027/28 for qualifications in T Level areas and are 1,080 guided learning hours or larger. Further information on timelines for specific subjects are set out in the implementation plan, available on GOV.UK.
The implementation plan also includes an updated list of subject areas we are considering for 2029 and 2030. Subjects for these years will be confirmed following further subject testing and scoping of occupational standards.
Asked by: Baroness Caine of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of level 3 qualification reform on participation in creative education among under-represented young people, including the potential impact on the number of young people who are not in education, employment or training.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department’s qualification reforms aim to widen participation through clearer pathways, including new V Levels, the expansion of T Levels, and clearer level 2 routes through Occupational and Further Study Pathways.
We intend to develop V Levels in creative sectors for first teaching in 2030/31, and content will be consulted on before it is confirmed.
We are conducting exploratory work on content for potential creative T Levels, which includes extensive engagement with employers, providers and higher education institutions, as well as testing potential delivery models to support the sector.
We have already announced reforms to the delivery of industry placements, allowing for greater provider responsibility for determining appropriate delivery methods which should facilitate placements in creative settings
When designing the new pathways, we will consider learners who have special educational needs and disabilities, at risk of being not in employment, education or training, or who face other barriers to education to ensure that V Levels and level 2 routes are inclusive by design.
These changes aim to improve accessibility and participation, particularly for underrepresented groups.
Asked by: Baroness Caine of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to develop new qualifications to align with the needs of The UK's Modern Industrial Strategy, published on 23 June.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Skills England will help ensure there is a comprehensive suite of apprenticeships, training and technical qualifications for individuals and employers to access. It will focus on the industrial strategy priority growth sectors to ensure we have the highly trained workforce needed to deliver the industrial strategy.
This government is transforming the apprenticeships offer into a new growth and skills offer, which will give greater flexibility to employers and learners and increase access to talent across the eight industrial strategy sectors. We will continue to roll out shorter duration and foundation apprenticeships to give more people across the country the opportunity to learn and earn in industrial strategy sectors. We will also introduce short courses, funded through the growth and skills levy, which will support industrial strategy sectors starting from April 2026.
Post-16 qualifications are being reformed to offer high-quality options aligned with economic needs. From August 2025, 140 reformed qualifications at levels 2 and 3 will be available, with more level 3 qualifications launching in August 2026. These include areas such as digital, health, and science, aligned with occupational standards and new funding criteria to meet the needs of both learners and employers.