Overview
- The Post-16 Education and Skills white paper creates V-levels as a new level‑3 route that can be taken alongside A-levels, unlike T-levels.
- V-levels will be tied to rigorous, real‑world job standards and are intended to simplify choices for 16–19-year-olds by replacing about 900 existing qualifications.
- New stepping‑stone courses will support students who did not achieve grade 4 in GCSE English and maths, with a focus on improving outcomes for white working‑class pupils eligible for free school meals.
- The reforms are backed by £800 million for 16–19 education in 2026/27 and plans for 14 Technical Excellence Colleges, with a transition timetable due to be published imminently.
- Education unions broadly welcomed the direction but warned funding and workforce issues must be addressed, while Conservatives criticised the plans.