Joined House of Lords: 19th January 2026
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These initiatives were driven by Lord Isaac, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
Lord Isaac has not introduced any legislation before Parliament
Lord Isaac has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
The department intends to develop V Levels in the creative sectors for first-teach in 2030/31. We will carefully balance the introduction of new qualifications with removal of funding approval from unreformed qualifications to avoid gaps in provision.
Following the expected completion of our post-16 pathways qualification reforms by September 2030, students will have a clear choice between A Levels, V Levels and T Levels at level 3. The equalities impact assessment published alongside the government response to the Post-16 Level 3 and below pathways consultation sets out our analysis of impacts split by protected characteristics and anticipates positive impacts for students from clearer choices and progression routes.
Our qualifications reform programme is designed to ensure that all students have a clear post-16 choice and can progress to positive, sustained destinations. T Levels are based on employer-designed standards and include a 45-day industry placement on every course. They are already demonstrating excellent outcomes, with over 90% of students going onto work or further study. We are expanding T Levels in sector subject areas including creative, so that more students can benefit from these strong progression opportunities.
We also intend to develop V Levels in creative sectors for first teaching in 2030/31, providing a high-quality option for students who want to study a vocational qualification in a creative discipline as part of a mixed programme, supporting clear progression into higher-level study or apprenticeships.
In developing these new qualifications, we are conducting extensive engagement with employers, providers, higher education institutions and key sector stakeholders including the Creative Industries Council, to ensure they support a strong and inclusive talent pipeline into the creative industries.
We recognise the important role creative and cultural subjects play in supporting jobs, growth and the UK's world-leading creative industries, and the unique role that specialist institutions have in ensuring a diverse higher education (HE) landscape that offers students choice. This is why we have increased tuition fees, and ensured that they will be aligned to inflation, helping maintain the long-term sustainability and quality of HE provision.
Funding allocations through the Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) are determined annually by the Office for Students (OfS), informed by a guidance letter issued by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education. The guidance letter setting out the Secretary of State’s priorities for 2026/27 will be sent to the Office for Students in due course.
The Office for Students is responsible for monitoring and reporting on the sector’s financial sustainability, and we work closely with them to understand the sector’s changing financial landscape.
Provider level allocations for the forthcoming academic year will be published by the OfS later this year.