Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if Criminology is to sit within Protective Services, in what way will the new qualification maintain the academic and social-science content that supports progression to university courses such as criminology, law, psychology, policing and criminal justice.

The department published the Post-16 Pathways implementation plan on 20 May, which sets out how we will deliver changes to the technical and vocational qualifications that a young person can choose from age 16.

V Levels are designed to link to occupational standards and support progression into Level 4+ study, whether in higher education or a higher-level apprenticeship. As there are no specific occupational standards in criminology at Level 3, we are exploring options for V Levels in occupational routes that best align to existing criminology qualifications, such as protective services, while considering the interplay with existing A levels such as sociology, to ensure we are not duplicating content.

We will work with the sector to consider options and update the implementation plan by early 2027.

Existing qualifications in this subject area will retain funding approval until at least the 2029/30 academic year, when we aim to introduce a V Level in the subject area of protective services.