Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will pause the defunding of applied general qualifications scheduled for 2025 and 2026.

In July 2024, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education announced a short pause to the defunding of qualifications to enable a review of 16-19 qualification reforms at Level 3 and below. This ensured that 95 qualifications set to lose funding this summer continue to be available to students, in accordance with the decisions of awarding organisations. This was followed by a Written Ministerial Statement by Baroness Smith, on 25 July, which is available here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2024-07-25/hlws20.

The department is now working to review defunding decisions and qualifications available at level three and it will set out the position before Christmas.

The department has not announced any defunding for 2026.