Sir Ian Bauckham Calls for T Level Reform to Address Challenges

Sir Ian Bauckham, Ofqual’s interim chief regulator and preferred candidate for the permanent role, outlined the need for reforms to T Levels during a pre-appointment hearing with the House of Commons education committee. His testimony highlighted several key issues facing the technical qualification program and proposed potential solutions to address these challenges.

Challenges Facing T Levels

Bauckham identified several factors contributing to the slow adoption and high dropout rates of T Levels:

1. “All or Nothing” Nature: T Levels require students to commit to a specific occupational route at age 16, which may be challenging for some young people who are still exploring their options.
2. High Demands: The qualifications are deliberately pitched at a demanding level to achieve parity with A-levels, which can be overwhelming for some students.
3. Lack of Support: Colleges, schools, and teachers may not have received sufficient support in the early years of the rollout, leading to difficulties in implementation.
4. High Dropout Rate: Over 25% of students did not complete their T Level studies last year, which Bauckham described as “worrying”.

Proposed Reforms

To address these issues, Bauckham suggested several potential reforms:

1. Streamlining and Simplification: He proposed improving and simplifying T Levels to establish their role more solidly in the market for young people.
2. Enhanced Support: Bauckham emphasized the need for well-worked out curricula, well-trained teachers, and tailored teaching materials to ensure effective delivery of T Level content.
3. Flexibility: He suggested the inclusion of smaller, rigorous qualifications alongside T Levels to allow for more flexible combinations for students.

Current State of T Levels

Despite the challenges, T Levels have shown some positive outcomes. The Department for Education reported that more than 400,000 results have been issued this summer across over 500 vocational and technical qualifications. In the core component of T Levels, 98% of all students received a grade of E or above, although the most common grade was a D, with one-third of the 7,380 students receiving this grade.

Regional differences in T Level adoption have been observed, with the North West having the highest number of T Level results (1,458), followed by the South East (1,331). The North East had the lowest number of T Level results (480), followed by London (496).

Future Outlook

Despite the challenges, Bauckham expressed optimism about the future of T Levels, stating that

“with the right kind of reform within the T Level envelope, I remain an optimist about this, T Levels can be enabled to grow and flourish and succeed”.

The government is expected to announce the outcome of its review of level 3 qualifications, which will decide whether alternative vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs) will continue to be funded alongside T Levels. This decision could have significant implications for the future landscape of technical education in England.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has stated that

“T Levels are here to stay, but we need to make them work and we need to make them work better than has been the case. But alongside that, we need to make sure there are other routes for our young people. T Levels won’t be the answer, won’t be the solution for every young person that is considering a technical or vocational route”.

As the government prepares to announce the outcome of its review of level 3 qualifications, Bauckham’s insights may play a crucial role in shaping the future of technical education in England. The proposed reforms and the potential inclusion of alternative qualifications alongside T Levels could provide a more flexible and accessible system for students pursuing vocational and technical education.