Written Statements

Tuesday 10th March 2026 Written Statements

Tuesday 10 March 2026

Post-16 Level 3 and Below: Pathways

Tuesday 10th March 2026 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education (Josh MacAlister)]

The Government’s reforms to technical and vocational qualifications for 16 to 19 year olds in England represent once-in-a-generation reforms to vocational education, transforming the vocational landscape for millions of 16 to 19 year olds and supporting the Prime Minister’s ambition for two-thirds of young people to study higher level learning whether academic, vocational, or technical, by age 25.

Driving economic growth is a top priority for this Government. In October 2025, we published the post-16 education and skills White Paper, which set out our reforms to the skills system in England which will develop the skilled workforce our economy needs. The challenge is huge—nearly 900,000 more skilled workers needed in our priority sectors to 2030, nearly 1 million young people not in education, employment or training, and the ever changing impact of technology and artificial intelligence.

Today, the Government publish their response to the post-16 level 3 and below pathways consultation, which received over 750 contributions. Our response, building on the recommendations made in the curriculum and assessment review, sets out our vision for a reformed 16 to 19 qualifications system that ensures every young person has a clear choice of education pathways that support them to succeed in work and in life.

The Government will create a high-quality, coherent and future-proof system of technical and vocational qualifications that gives every young person clear choices and strong routes into further study, apprenticeships and employment. The reformed landscape will allow students to specialise if they choose to do so, or to study a broader programme if they wish to explore options. Students will be able to study a mix of academic and vocational learning, reflecting the increasingly diverse and portfolio-based nature of modern careers, and to adapt quickly to changing economic and technological needs. By linking qualifications to occupational standards, improving clarity and comparability across pathways, and ensuring all qualifications support meaningful progression, the system will ensure learners are engaged, retained in learning, and equipped to thrive in a modern labour market.

In response to wide support for clearer pathways, there will be three key changes to post-16 pathways for students. This will end the assumption that the only way to get on is academic progression and acknowledge the value and prestige that a strong vocational pathway can have.

V-levels—our new flagship vocational qualification that will sit alongside A-levels and T-levels. V Levels will be the same size as an A-level and can be taken alongside them to create a broad study programme appropriate for a young person who wishes to progress to higher level study without specialising in one particular area. V-levels will feature engaging applied teaching, learning and assessment designed to develop real world skills. V-levels will be linked to occupational standards, strengthening employer confidence in vocational qualifications and helping to meet the country’s long-term skills needs. In specific and limited cases, we will allow a partnered set of V-levels, in a similar way to the model of maths-further maths A-level, which will enable overall depth of study in a linked area with the ability to study another subject. We will not allow V-levels to be combined in ways that recreate a large technical study programme within a single route where a T-level exists, in order to avoid overlap.

T-levels—we are bringing forward improvements to T-levels, the technical offer for students who want a sector-focused post-16 choice. The T-level will be the only large qualification for 16 to 19 year olds at level 3. We will make changes to placements and assessment to support the accessibility and scalability of T-levels whilst maintaining quality. We will also introduce new T-levels in new subject areas that are designed with the understanding of sector needs and based on occupational standards to support progression into skilled, technical occupations. Together, these changes will support more students to benefit from these qualifications and the strong progression opportunities they provide.

Level 2 pathways—we are introducing two new pathways for young people who need to continue learning at a level equivalent to GCSE—level 2—at age 16. They will have a choice of two pathways—further study, which will help them to progress into a study programme of A-levels and, or V-levels, or a T-level—or occupational, which is a two-year programme that supports progression to a good skilled job.

A-levels will continue to be the level 3 option for students who want to study academic subjects and progress to higher education.

To maintain stability during this transition, and to give providers more time and scope to engage with the reforms, we will not remove funding from qualifications in the academic year 2026-27—including in health and science and digital routes—as previously set out.

From the academic year 2027-28, funding approval will be removed for large qualifications—those with 1,080 guided learning hours or more—in existing T-level subject areas, except for large health and social care qualifications, which will be removed from 2028 to coincide with the introduction of a T-level in social care. As more T-levels are introduced, funding approval for unreformed qualifications with 1,080 guided learning hours or more in those subject areas will be removed in the same year.

The Government have published their timeline for changes to funding approval for qualifications, and the provisional timeline for introduction of new qualifications in routes from the academic year 2027-28, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/post-16-level-3-and-below-pathways

The Government have today published a transition document for providers to support them with the transition arrangements to the new qualifications system.

The Government have also today launched a consultation on new 16 to 19 level 1 English and maths qualifications for students with prior GCSE attainment of a grade 2 or below. We know that good English and maths skills are hugely important for further study, work and life. The new qualifications will enable these students to secure the key knowledge and skills needed to achieve a grade 4-C or higher at GCSE to help ensure that students only retake exams when they are ready to make progress.

Next steps

By June 2026, the Government will publish an implementation plan. This will set out the subject lists for the phased roll-out, the updated approach to T-level development and delivery, assessment and grading arrangements, non-qualification activities, and further details on transition.

The Government response to the post-16 level 3 and below pathways consultation and a supporting document to support providers to transition to the new landscape will be available on gov.uk. Copies of the Government response will also be deposited in the Libraries of both Houses.

[HCWS1390]

Dental Workforce Expansion and Contract Reforms

Tuesday 10th March 2026 Written Statements

[The Minister for Care (Stephen Kinnock)]

Restoring NHS dentistry is one of the Government’s top priorities. The Government are taking urgent action to improve NHS dentistry in the short term and laying the foundations to make it fit for the future.

Expanding the dental workforce is crucial to our ambitions. The Minister of State for Skills and I have written to the Chair of the Office for Students to increase the maximum fundable limit for dental school places in England from 809 to 859 places. This is the first sustained expansion of dental training since 2007 and will take effect from the 2027-28 academic year.

As announced in our 10-year health plan, we will make it a requirement for newly qualified dentists to practice in the NHS for a minimum period. Our intention is that this requirement will apply to individuals entering a dental course of study from the 2027-28 academic year. We will consult on the details of this requirement in due course.

The OfS has statutory responsibility for allocating funding for dental school places. The Minister of State for Skills and I have asked that the OfS focuses the expansion on new dental schools approved by the General Dental Council, but which do not currently receive Government funding for places.

I have also announced the award of £421,850 in one-off grant funding to the Royal College of Surgeons of England to support a rapid expansion of its “licence in dental surgery” exam. The LDS is one of the exams that dentists who have qualified overseas can pass to be eligible for registration with the GDC, a legal requirement to practise dentistry in the UK. In addition, the GDC has appointed UCL Consultants Ltd as the new provider for the overseas registration exam from 1 April 2026, with new contractual arrangements set to result in a significant increase to the number of dentists joining the register annually from 2028-29 via this route.

There is currently a significant backlog of overseas-qualified dentists waiting to take either the LDS exam or the ORE. Many candidates are already based in the United Kingdom and possess the skills to make a significant positive impact on NHS dental care.

These announcements will mean more NHS dentists, more NHS appointments and better oral health.

The Government are also committed to fundamental reform of the dental contract by the end of this Parliament, with a focus on matching resources to need, improving access, promoting prevention and rewarding dentists fairly, while enabling the whole dental team to work to the top of their capability. This is our ambition, and it will take time to get right.

In summer 2025, we took an important first step, with a public consultation on proposals to address some of the pressing issues that dental teams face and support them to spend more time on patients with the greatest need. We published our response in December.

We have laid the first amendments to the National Health Service (General Dental Services Contracts) Regulations 2005, the National Health Service (Personal Dental Services Agreements) Regulations 2005, and the National Health Service (Dental Charges) Regulations 2005, in support of these reforms in Parliament. These amendments will come into force from the 1 April 2026 and will:

Embed the provision of urgent care into the dental contract, supported by increased payments for dentists delivering this care, making it easier for patients to get rapid support through the NHS.

Support increased use of cost-effective, evidence-based prevention interventions for children through introducing a new stand-alone fluoride varnish treatment for delivery by dental nurses, and by increasing the remuneration associated with fissure sealant treatments, therefore reducing the opportunities for disease progression.

Alongside these amendments, we will also lay the National Health Service (Dental Charges) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 before Parliament to increase dental patient charges in England from 1 April 2026.

NHS dental patient charges provide an important revenue source for NHS dentistry and are typically uplifted on 1 April each financial year. We uplift the rate at the same point each year and for the 2026-27 financial year, the charges will be uplifted by approximately 1.66%, which is now a below-inflation increase. Dental patients will benefit from the continued provision that this important revenue supports.

From 1 April 2026 the dental charge payable for a band 1 course of treatment and urgent treatments will rise by 50p, from £27.40 to £27.90. For a band 2 course of treatment, there will be an increase of £1.30 from £75.30 to £76.60. A band 3 course of treatment will increase by £5.40 from £326.70 to £332.10

We will continue to provide financial support to those who need it most through a range of dental charge exemptions. Patients remain exempt if they are:

under 18, or under 19 and in full-time education;

pregnant or had a baby in the previous 12 months;

being treated in an NHS hospital and your treatment is carried out by the hospital dentist—patients may have to pay for any dentures or bridges;

receiving low-income benefits, or you are under 20 and a dependant of someone receiving low-income benefits.

Support also remains available through the NHS low income scheme for those not eligible for exemptions or full remission.

These reforms are an important step, but not the end point, and we will continue to go further before the end of this Parliament.

[HCWS1392]

Masculinising and Feminising Hormones: NHS England Policy

Tuesday 10th March 2026 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Wes Streeting)]

Today I am updating the House about NHS England’s decision to consult on a new clinical commissioning policy on the prescribing of masculinising or feminising hormones for children and adolescents with gender incongruence or dysphoria.

The safety and wellbeing of children and young people is paramount, and children’s healthcare must always be led by evidence and expert scientific and clinical advice. We are committed to ensuring that NHS children and young people’s gender services provide high-quality care for those with gender incongruence or dysphoria.

Currently, MAF hormones are only available to children and young people aged 16 and 17, and only in very limited circumstances. In line with the Cass review, which this Government and NHS England are committed to implementing, MAF hormones can only be prescribed with “extreme caution” and where there is a strong clinical rationale for not waiting until age 18.

Following an independent review of evidence, this consultation proposes that MAF hormones should no longer be available as a routine commissioning option through the NHS CYP gender service. The consultation, which will last for 90 days, sets out this proposal, and asks consultees whether all relevant evidence has been considered. NHS England will carefully consider the responses to inform next steps.

Throughout the consultation period and until NHS England has responded to the consultation, NHS England is pausing its existing clinical policy with immediate effect to safeguard children and young people. This means that no new prescriptions for MAF hormones will be initiated through the NHS CYP gender service, at least until the point when a final policy is determined, following full consideration of consultation feedback.

The full range of clinical support interventions, described by the national service specification, remain available for patients who are in the CYP gender service, including psychological and psychosocial support. Individuals who are on the national waiting list for CYP gender services will either have had previous arrangements made for them to access local CYP mental health services, or they would have had contact with CYP mental health services or NHS paediatric services at the point of referral, with care plans in place.

Young people aged 16 and 17 years who are receiving existing NHS prescriptions of MAF hormones may continue their prescriptions under the care of the NHS CYP gender service. Each individual’s lead clinician will need to undertake a review of the circumstances of the patient’s care plan and make a shared decision with the young person—and family, as appropriate—about the future treatment approach within an enhanced informed consent process.

Evidence base

NHS England can only commission treatments based on evidence of clinical effectiveness, and with appropriate assurances around safety. This important principle applies to all treatments, not just for gender incongruence and dysphoria.

In 2021, an independent evidence review by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence found that there is very limited evidence about the safety, risks, benefits and outcomes regarding the prescribing of MAF hormones to young people under 18 years of age.

In line with the Cass review, NHS England made changes to its existing clinical policy to place restrictions on the use of MAF hormones. This meant that MAF hormones could only be prescribed to 16 and 17-year-olds if a recommendation for their use was supported by the NHS CYP gender service and a national multi-disciplinary team.

Dr Cass also recommended that NHS England review its policy on MAF hormones. NHS England began that review in 2025, and commissioned an independent third party to undertake a further evidence review of published evidence. This included research that had been published since NICE’s review of the evidence in 2021.

The evidence reviews found very limited and weak evidence to support the continued access to MAF hormones by children and young people under the age of 18 years. After careful consideration, NHS England has concluded that there is not enough evidence to support the safety and clinical effectiveness of MAF hormones to make the treatment routinely available.

In addition to NHS England’s consultation, the Government have been examining the private prescribing of MAF hormones by the independent sector, including overseas practitioners. The Department will continue to closely monitor this position with regards to any implications and next steps. NHS England will reissue guidance from May 2025 that advises GPs not to agree shared care arrangements with unregulated providers who offer access to masculinising and feminising hormones to under 18s.

The Department is also awaiting the results of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s engagement on the Pathways trial, following concerns that it raised regarding the protocol. Any potential implications of this revised prescribing policy for the Pathways trial will be considered and discussed with the regulators during the period of consultation, and any further announcements will be made in due course.

[HCWS1391]