As we had expected, last week’s King’s Speech paved the way for a white paper on the much-discussed Advanced British Standard, first announced by the prime minister in his speech at the Conservative Party Conference.
The two key principles of the Advanced British Standard (ABS) are to be applauded; more taught hours for all 16 to 18-year-olds and greater breadth will bring the upper secondary phase more in line with the offer in other counties. English and maths for all, while causing many in colleges, where thousands of students are already retaking English and maths GCSEs and Functional Skills, to take a sharp intake of breath (Staffing! Offer? Timetabling! Attendance!), is also in line with other countries.
There are of course many challenges to bear in mind. The ABS announcement has attracted a lot of attention outside the education sector. While the proposals clearly state that ABS will be based on T Levels and A Levels as the “backbone” of the new reform, colleges have already encountered questions from parents at open evenings about whether T Level is a good option now or next year if it will no longer exist as a distinct qualification in the future.
Is this truly an option for all 16 to 18-year-olds? How do we ensure ABS offers better opportunities for the 6% of 16 to 18-year-olds who are currently not in education, employment or training (NEET), is taken up by the independent sector, where 6% of this age group currently study, and helps to promote more young people into apprenticeships which have dropped over the past decade from 126,000 in 2015 to 77,500 in 2021/22[1]. What about young carers and those who need to work to support their families? Additional hours will have to be carefully thought through. Appropriate financial support might help, but won’t answer all the questions here.
