Government to keep BTECs until V levels come online - SFCA response

Commenting on the DfE's response to the Post-16 Pathways consultation, Bill Watkin, Chief Executive of the Sixth Form Colleges Association, said: 

“Our members will warmly welcome the government’s decision to retain BTEC qualifications while the new suite of V level qualifications is phased in - a key objective of the Protect Student Choice campaign.  

By 2028, the government will have made further refinements to T levels and delivery of V levels will have started. Retaining most BTEC diplomas and extended diplomas until then will avoid the sharp decline in student outcomes that would have accompanied their hasty withdrawal. Today’s decision to pause defunding is good news for young people.  

Colleges and schools can now make the most of this period of stability and certainty to ensure that tens of thousands of young people have an uninterrupted educational experience, while also engaging constructively and with focus in the design and rollout of V levels. We are pleased that a third qualification pathway will sit alongside A levels and T levels in the future – another key objective of the Protect Student Choice campaign.  

The changes announced to T levels today are also very welcome and should make it easier for more young people to study a T level and for schools and colleges to offer them.” 

Notes

1. The Sixth Form Colleges Association (SFCA) co-ordinates the Protect Student Choice - don't scrap BTECs campaign, a coalition of 27 employer groups and organisations representing students, staff and leaders in schools, colleges and universities.  
2. The government has today accepted the key recommendation made in the campaign’s  most recent report to allow colleges and schools to enrol students on diploma (2 A level equivalent) and extended diploma (3 A level equivalent) size qualifications in T level subjects for 2026/27 and in some cases beyond.  
3. As a result, around 50,000 16- to 19-year-olds will still be able to enrol on BTEC qualifications in subjects such as health and social care, applied science, IT, and business. 
4. Under the government’s original plan, these qualifications would have been scrapped in August 2026 and August 2027 – before V levels in the same subjects had been introduced.  
5. For more information, please contact Noni Csogor.