Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the impact of plans to remove funding for BTEC qualifications on students from (a) SEND backgrounds and (b) deprived areas.

The department will continue to fund some BTECs and other qualifications in future where there is a clear need for skills and knowledge that A levels and T Levels cannot provide, and where they meet new quality standards. Qualifications such as BTECs will continue to play an important role for 16 to 19 year olds and adults, as they do now. This includes for students taking mixed programmes of A levels and other qualifications, and those taking qualifications such as BTECs as their full programme of study where there is no A level or T Level.

We have been clear that we expect our reforms to be generally positive as students will have access to higher quality qualifications in the future, including the new T Levels. T Levels have been developed with over 250 leading employers, have significantly longer teaching hours and include a meaningful nine-week industry placement that sets them apart from many current vocational qualifications. This will put students, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and from disadvantaged backgrounds, in a stronger position to progress into skilled employment or further study.

Plans were announced on 15 November allowing an extra year before overlapping qualifications are removed. This extra year will allow the department to continue to work hard to support the growth of T Levels and gives more notice to providers, awarding organisations, employers, students and parents so that they can prepare for the changes.

We are committed to ensuring that T Levels are accessible to all young people and have introduced flexibilities for SEND students. The T Level Transition Programme will support young people who are not yet ready to progress to a T Level but have the potential to succeed on it after some further preparation.