Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of trends in the number of students (a) starting and (b) completing their T-level courses between 2021 and 2023.

On the number of student starts, the department gathers this data as it becomes available when the programme rolls out. Schools and colleges are still recruiting students for this year 2023/24, so information on how many new students are enrolled to T Levels will be available later in the autumn, and this data will be used to ensure the department’s planned activity to support providers will continue to meet their needs.

Just over 10,000 new students were enrolled on T Level courses for the 2022/23 academic year, an increase from just over 5,000 enrolled for the 2021/22 academic year.

3,448 students received a result for their T Level in summer 2023, an increase from 1,029 in summer 2022. T Levels will form the backbone of the technical options in the Advanced British Standard. We will build from the best. 90.5% of students passed this year and are progressing to courses at top universities or jobs or apprenticeships with leading employers. It is quite normal for students to switch to different courses after enrolment as their decisions about potential future careers change. The department continues to work with providers and other partners to understand more about the reasons for students leaving their courses and what can be done to improve retention.