Post-16 education and skills white paper billed to break barriers

UK Government aims 'to boost opportunity for disadvantaged students, hold universities to account and put sector on firm financial footing'.

Higher education reforms are designed to ensure disadvantaged students are no longer priced out of university, claims the government.

Maintenance loans will automatically increase each year, with the biggest cash increases going to those from the lowest-income households, after the Education Secretary recently announced targeted maintenance grants will also be reintroduced. 

The announcement follows data showing the gap in university entrance rates between disadvantaged pupils and their better off peers had grown to its widest since records began in 2005. 

Last year, tuition fees were increased in line with inflation for the first time since 2017. The Office for Students is forecasting 43% of institutions will be in deficit without further action to shore up their finances. 

Tuition fees will rise in line with forecast inflation for the next two academic years. Legislation will then be brought forward, when parliamentary time allows, to enable automatic increases to fee caps in future years in line with inflation, but only for institutions that meet new quality thresholds set by the Office for Students. 

Where standards fall short, the Office for Students will act quickly to stop the expansion of low-quality courses and hold providers to account. Universities that underperform could face financial and regulatory consequences, ensuring public money is spent only on courses that deliver for students and the economy. 

The government will also tighten controls on franchising arrangements to protect public money and take action against the abuse of the system by recruitment agents. 

The Post-16 education and skills white paper builds on earlier announcements, including a new target for two-thirds of young people to participate in higher-level learning – academic, technical, or apprenticeships – by age 25, up from 50% today. A sub-target will ensure at least 10% of young people pursue higher technical education or apprenticeships by age 25 by 2040, a near doubling of today’s figure. 

This will be supported by the automatic backstop to ensure all young people have access to high-quality routes that meet employers’ needs, enhanced by local skills planning to drive growth across England. 

Higher and further education will be more flexible and accessible for people at every stage of their working lives, supported by the introduction of lifelong learning entitlement. 

Learners will be able to move between universities, colleges and training providers, building up qualifications over time to fit their evolving needs and ambitions. A consultation next year will look at introducing new 'break points' within degrees, so students can gain recognised qualifications as they progress through higher education. 

A new national access and participation task and finish group will tackle regional university ‘cold spots’ and break down systemic barriers that disadvantaged students face when trying to access higher education.

Plans have also been announced for the introduction of V levels. These are new vocational qualifications to replace other qualifications that sit alongside T Levels and A levels. They would allow young people to explore different key sectors, which could include engineering, agriculture, digital or creative, before choosing where to specialise.

Unlike T Levels, which are equivalent to 3 A Levels, young people will be able to take a mixture of V Levels and A Levels.

The government has also launched a consultation to support the introduction of V levels. T Levels will continue to expand to other subjects.