Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide financial incentives for (1) training providers, and (2) employers, to encourage them to take on young people who have not already achieved a Grade 4 or above in English and Maths.

The department recognises the importance of English and maths both in work and everyday life. For this reason, we are continuing to support participation in English and maths, training to meet employers’ needs, and progression in employment and further study.

The 16-19 funding formula has two payments to support schools, colleges, and all other 16-19 institutions where young people have not already achieved a Grade 4 or above in English and maths.

Students studying level 3 programmes (including T Levels), who have not yet attained these qualifications attract additional funding of a single £750 payment per subject if they are studying a 2-year programme, or a single £375 payment per subject if they are studying a 1-year programme.

Disadvantage funding is provided to help attract and retain disadvantaged 16-19-year-olds. A rate of £480 is available per instance of a full-time student without grade 4 GCSE English or maths.

In addition, the 16-19 tuition fund provides ring-fenced funding for schools, colleges and all other 16-19 institutions who receive annual funding allocations from the Education and Skills Funding Agency for the provision of 16-19 education. £222 million has been made available across the next two academic years to provide small group tutoring activity for disadvantaged 16-19 students whose studies have been disrupted through the impact of the pandemic, and who have not achieved a level 4 or 5 in GCSE maths and English. From the 2022/23 academic year, additional flexibilities will be introduced around which students can receive tuition support. This will not impact the way funding is allocated.

The Condition of Funding (CoF/resits) policy requires full-time 16-19 learners to continue studying English and maths if they have not yet achieved level 2.

The number of learners achieving level 2 in English and maths by the age of 19 has improved since the CoF policy was introduced. In 2019, 72% of 19-year-olds had achieved level 2 in English and maths, a 12-percentage point rise, compared with the level of achievement at age 16, which stood at 60%. To put it another way, that year almost 63,000 learners had achieved English and maths through their post-16 providers, compared with around 37,500 in 2014.

Targeted English and maths professional development for teachers supporting 16-19-year-olds continuing to work towards level 2 English and maths has been provided through government grant funding since 2013. The department continues support into this new Spending Review period, including a recently launched grant competition to fund up to £3 million over the next three years to provide these teachers with free, high-quality professional development that is targeted specifically to help them support this cohort of learners

Continuing to invest in teachers’ skills provides additional means of supporting young people to gain vital English and maths qualifications, boosting, and levelling up education standards, so that young people in every part of the country have greater opportunities for employment and study.

English and maths qualifications are also an important part of the apprenticeship programme. The department provides funding for apprentices to achieve up to an approved level 2 qualification in English and maths where they do not already hold a suitable equivalent qualification.