Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans his Department has regarding the inclusion of RSL vocational qualifications, specifically at levels 1 and 2, in future school and college performance measures; and if he will make a statement.

RSL Technical Award qualifications at levels 1 and 2 will count toward 2022 and 2023 performance tables.

In autumn 2020, the department introduced a new approval process for technical awards. Only those technical qualifications that meet stretching requirements as outlined in the technical guidance and in Ofqual’s new qualification level conditions, and that have been reviewed by Ofqual and approved by the department, are recognised for the purposes of the 2024 key stage 4 performance tables alongside academic qualifications.

In December 2021 the department published an interim list of qualifications approved for the 2024 key stage 4 performance tables, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/key-stage-4-qualifications-discount-codes-and-point-scores. The interim list is subject to an appeals process which is currently underway. As the appeals process is ongoing, the department is unable to comment on the inclusion of individual qualifications in the final list of performance table qualifications at this stage.

There will be future opportunities for awarding organisations to submit qualifications for inclusion in performance tables for 2026 and beyond.