Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential benefits of reintroducing a scheme similar to the Increased Flexibility Programme, which would allow Key Stage 4 pupils to access technical education at colleges.

An assessment has not been made of the potential benefits of reintroducing a scheme similar to the Increased Flexibility Programme.

The department is transforming technical and vocational education from age 14, putting technical and academic education on an equal footing and giving every young person access to high-quality routes into skilled jobs and further study. The department is working with Mayoral and other Strategic Authorities to codesign a national framework that will ensure a recognisable national offer with clear and consistent standards and expectations, while enabling areas to tailor the technical routes to local labour market needs and growth priorities. Strategic Authorities will bring together schools, colleges and further education settings, alongside employers and training providers when codesigning the routes.

The development of high-quality technical routes will be supported by the introduction of new vocational GCSEs. These will sit alongside existing GCSEs, combining academic excellence in the core subjects of English, maths and science with rigorous, vocationally focused qualifications of equal esteem, and relevant work experience placements.

The department is in the early stages of developing the new technical education routes, with rollout intended to begin in some areas from September 2028. First teaching of vocational GCSEs will begin in some subjects from September 2029.