On 12 December 2024, the Government announced the outcomes of the Review of Qualifications Reform at Level 3 in England.

The Government has central missions to drive forward opportunity and growth, which relies on people having the skills needed to thrive in life and work. Growth and skills go hand in hand, and we are building a coherent, joined-up plan to make sure that we deliver both.

Students and employers need a simpler range of high-quality qualifications, which provide them with the skills they need. Through this review, we have already identified over 200 qualifications with low or no enrolments and we will remove funding from these in line with already published dates. This gives students and employers a simpler range of qualifications to choose from.

This government is seeking to bring a more pragmatic approach to qualifications reform, that is based on the needs of learners and our economy, and not on blanket restrictions and rules, such as the T Level overlap rule. Instead, we have taken a practical, evidence–led approach, looking at the qualifications route by route. This will ensure that we can be confident that there are high-level choices for students’ whichever subject area they are interested in.

We recognise that certainty is very important to education providers, students and their parents and guardians. Our decisions make the position clear up to 2027.

The Curriculum and Assessment Review will be taking a view on qualifications in the longer term as part of its wider consideration of how we prepare all young people for life and work. Students deserve high- quality qualifications that meet their needs, and so we need to act in advance of the Curriculum and Assessment Review’s recommendations in some key routes.

We undertook extensive stakeholder engagement delving into the detail of qualifications with employer representative bodies, colleges, practitioners, awarding organisations and industry experts about what they want to see in the future.

The first change we will be making is that we will not tell providers and students which types of qualifications they can and cannot mix together. It should be for colleges and sixth forms to work with students to devise the best mix for each individual.

We will therefore not be applying the previously proposed rules of combination.

This government believes that T Levels provide an excellent qualification option, which should be available to more learners. We have introduced three new T Levels this September and a further T Level in Marketing is to be introduced from September 2025. The industry placement is a key feature of the T Level, providing valuable workplace experience for learners that they are unlikely to get from current qualifications. It follows, therefore, that where learners wish to study a large qualification (of 720 guided learning hours or more), in a T Level route, the T Level should be the main option for them.

On this basis, we have concluded that we will not proceed with defunding qualifications on published lists in agriculture, environmental and animal care; legal, finance and accounting; business and administration; and creative and design before 2027. We do reserve the right to undertake a further low and no enrolment exercise in these routes if required. Future decisions on these routes, and on level 2 qualifications reform, will be taken considering the Curriculum and Assessment Review.

Following this review we will retain funding for 157 qualifications (alongside T Levels and A levels) that were due to be defunded by 31st July 2025.

The list of qualifications is available to view on gov.uk

Next steps

Students deserve high-quality qualifications that meet their needs, and so we need to act in advance of the Curriculum and Assessment Review’s recommendations in some key routes. We will invite awarding organisations to submit further new level 3 qualifications in the spring in health and science, construction, digital and education and early years, as well as in the care services route. This will continue the process of reforming these routes while CAR looks at the curriculum more broadly. 

We are currently considering whether proposed T Levels in Catering and Beauty Therapy meet the needs of learners and the economy, and we will update the sector in due course. I can confirm that any new T Levels in these areas would not be rolled out until at least 2026.

Support

We have planned a series of events to inform schools, colleges and other professionals working in educational settings about the outcomes of the review which can be accessed on our upcoming events page.

We also have a monthly Qualifications Reform Update which you can also access through the using this link.

We recognise that tailored support for learners will be required. In addition to careers programmes in schools and colleges, we will publish further detailed information, advice, and guidance (IAG) in relation to 16 to 19 study programmes in due course. We are working with the Career Development Institute (CDI) to ensure that careers professionals are up to date with the review outcomes.

If you have further questions about the outcomes of the review then please read the Q&A document we have produced.

Route-by-route overview

• Education and Early Years
• Digital
• Health and Science
• Construction and the Built Environment
• Engineering and Manufacturing
• Legal, Finance and Accounting
• Business and Administration
• Creative and Design
• Agriculture, Environment and Animal Care

Education and Early Years

In the Education and Early Years route, we heard strong support for the T Level, and so we will remove funding from existing large and medium qualifications as planned in 2025. This will help encourage learners who want to study a large qualification in education and early years to undertake the T Level as the highest quality option. The successful T Level in this route provides young people with the skills, knowledge and behaviours for skilled employment, higher level training or further study in the education and childcare sector. It includes two specialisms: Early Years Educator and Assisting Teaching, both combining classroom and practical learning. We are retaining funding for six smaller qualifications to support specific occupations such as teaching assistant, giving learners a smaller alternative until reformed options are brought on stream. Retained qualifications in this route will remain funded in 2025-26, at which point the department’s expectation is that the combination of A Levels, T Levels and reformed qualifications will meet the needs of learners in this route. 

Digital

In the Digital route, we are retaining funding for 6 large qualifications until 2026, while we work with the awarding organisation delivering the three T Levels to make planned improvements, at which point these six large qualifications will have funding removed. We are also introducing updated approaches for delivering T Level industry placements across the board which will be particularly useful in supporting growth of the digital T Levels. This approach allows colleges additional time to transition and embed key improvements.

The Digital Production, Design and Development T Level provides young people with the core knowledge and skills for a career in software production and design. The T Level in Digital Business Services provides a technical route for young people wishing to progress to a career in IT, specifically in areas such as IT solutions or data analysis. The Digital Support Services is the ideal route for anyone wanting a career in digital infrastructure and support, leading to becoming an infrastructure technician or a role in IT support. We are also retaining funding for 2 medium and 11 small digital qualifications to support learner choice in areas identified as being of most importance, until reformed qualifications can be introduced. Retained qualifications in this route will remain funded in 2025-26, at which point the department’s expectation is that the combination of A levels, T Levels and reformed qualifications will meet the needs of learners in this route. 

Health and Science

All learners on the Health T Level develop the core knowledge and skills that are needed for entry to a range of health occupations, offering a structured pathway for learners. In the Health and Science route, we recognise that there is a need for qualifications that are aligned with the occupational standards in the Care Services route, and as a result, we will retain funding for 9 qualifications in health and social care until new qualifications in adult social care can be introduced. We will also retain funding for 11 qualifications in science related subjects (including Applied Science, Forensics and Dental Technology) to give learners more options until reformed qualifications can be introduced. Retained qualifications in this route will remain funded in 2025-26, at which point the department’s expectation is that the combination of A levels, T Levels and reformed qualifications will meet the needs of learners in this route. 

Construction and the Built Environment

In the Construction and the Built Environment route, two of the construction T Levels (Building Services Engineering for Construction and Designing, Surveying and Planning for Construction) continue to grow and are meeting the needs of students and the sector. In addition to the T Levels, we are retaining 1 large qualification in site carpentry, and 5 medium and 6 small qualifications in other areas to meet the needs of this important sector and ensure that we can support government missions around building high quality housing until reformed qualifications can be introduced.

Retained qualifications in this route will remain funded in 2025-26, at which point the department’s expectation is that the combination of A levels, T Levels and reformed qualifications will meet the needs of learners in this route. 

We have made the decision to cease taking new enrolments on the Onsite Construction T Level. Although this T Level is giving students a good foundation for their future career, overall we have concluded that the needs of learners, and the economy are best met through apprenticeships and other classroom provision- largely because of a lack of demand for a level 3 qualification in this area. Current students will be able to complete their T Level as intended and be supported into positive destinations post-graduation.

Engineering and Manufacturing

For the Engineering and Manufacturing route we will retain all current qualifications until at least 2027, giving an additional two years for providers to transition to the Engineering and Manufacturing T Levels. This approach gives colleges more time to transition and allows us to implement important changes, including those from the review of the Engineering Technician standards, which underpin the T Level qualifications.

Legal, Finance and Accounting

For the Legal, Finance and Accounting route, we will retain funding for all qualifications until at least 2027. In 2027 we expect to remove large qualifications (those with 720 GLH or more), to direct learners to the T Level(s) in this route. We will publish further information about wider reforms in this route in due course, taking into account the recommendations of the Curriculum and Assessment Review.

Business and Administration

For the Business and Administration route, we will retain funding for all qualifications until at least 2027. In 2027 we expect to remove large qualifications (those with 720 GLH or more), to direct learners to the T Level(s) in this route. We will publish further information about wider reforms in this route in due course, taking into account the recommendations of the Curriculum and Assessment Review.

Creative and Design

For the Creative and Design route, we will retain funding for all qualifications until at least 2027. In 2027 we expect to remove large qualifications (those with 720 GLH or more), to direct learners to the T Level(s) in this route. We will publish further information about wider reforms in this route in due course, taking into account the recommendations of the Curriculum and Assessment Review.

Agriculture, Environment and Animal Care

For the Agriculture, Environment and Animal Care route, we will retain funding for all qualifications until 2027. In 2027 we expect to remove large qualifications (those with 720 GLH or more), to direct learners to the T Level(s) in this route. We will publish further information about wider reforms in this route in due course, taking into account the recommendations of the Curriculum and Assessment Review.