Post-16 Reform - Background

Background to post-16 vocational reforms

The post-16 landscape is changing and from September 2025 it will look significantly different to the current one. Our aim here is to explain these changes to you.

The government wants to create a new streamlined qualifications system for students aged 16 and over, aimed at supporting them to move into high-skilled jobs, either directly, or through progression into good quality higher education courses.

To enable this new system, post-16 qualifications in England are currently undergoing a major reform. We're already in phase 3 of the 3 phase reform process:

• Phase 1 - the Department for Education (DfE) removed funding from qualifications with sustained low or no publicly funded enrolments
• Phase 2 - the DfE removed funding from 16-19 qualifications which overlap with T Levels and academic qualifications where a subject is more suited to a technical qualification or there is already an associated A level.
• Phase 3 - DfE introduce a new integrated approval process for qualifications that will receive public funding from September 2025. This sets quality criteria for all academic and technical qualifications. Those qualifications that get approved will be those that provide skills for the future and lead to good outcomes.

The reform means there will be two routes available for students. They will choose between:

• A Levels or a mixed curriculum of, typically, two A Levels alongside a vocational qualification, known as an Alternative Academic Qualification (AAQ)
• T Levels or they may wish to enrol in an apprenticeship.

Alternative Academic Qualifications (AAQs) will be developed in two cycles:

• cycle 1 will include subjects that align with waves 1 and 2 of T Level roll-out with qualifications being funded from September 2025.
• cycle 2 will include everything not covered in cycle 1 and qualifications will be funded from September 2026.