Post-16 Level 3 and below pathways reforms

Government has now published its decisions regarding the Post-16 Level 3 and Below Pathways consultation (affecting England only). We are pleased to confirm there will be a phased approach to reforms giving more than 4 years of stability for all UAL Awarding Body qualifications, except the Level 3 Extended Diploma in Creative Media which has been listed for defunding.

We are disappointed that Department for Education (DfE) intends to defund our Level 3 Extended Diploma in Creative Media Production & Technology, together with all similar qualifications provided by other awarding organisations. DfE have proposed this owing to overlap with T-levels. We will be appealing the decision on the basis that our qualification does not overlap with T Levels either in content or approach. We will be directly contacting and advising all centres currently delivering the Level 3 Creative Media with a range of options for the future.

Centres should note that they can register students on the Level 3 Extended Diploma in Creative Media in autumn 2026 as normal, with full funding in place for two years for those students. The Diploma sized Level 3 Creative Media is completely unaffected by the withdrawal decision.

More widely, Department for Education has made clear an intention to proceed with the development of V Levels across all vocational subject areas in a phased manner until 2030/31, with creative qualifications at the end of the timeline. The intention is for new V levels to replace nearly all vocational Level 3 qualifications while two new Level 2 pathways will comprise the Level 2 offer.

Over this next period, UAL Awarding Body will continue to support our popular existing qualifications as well as prepare for change. We will help DfE develop the best possible new landscape for creative education including V levels and T levels that work for your students. We will work closely with all of you to ensure we support your students and make sure they have positive experiences and outcomes now and beyond into the 2030s. Meanwhile, all of our qualifications except the Level 3 Extended Diploma in Creative Media continue as normal until 2030.

We are pleased that DfE and Ministers have addressed concerns about funding and implementation to avoid a cliff edge for students. Disappointingly, however, the response also confirms that all new V Levels will be one A Level in size (in all subjects). We believe this is an unnecessarily simplistic approach when there is much evidence to support larger qualifications. We do note, however, that some combinations of related V Levels will be possible to secure deeper and broader learning, and we will be making the case for this for creative subjects. UAL Awarding Body anticipates developing and offering the best possible versions of these qualifications for creative subjects.

These reforms have many implications for all of you, and we recommend that you engage with all the information about implementation that will emerge in the coming months. Shortly, we will be advertising an online briefing session for all centres in which we will provide information and answer any questions from you. This will happen in June, timed to follow publication of the DfE’s implementation plan for the sector, and will mean we can share more detail with you about the run into 2030/31.

There is much detail yet to be worked out in terms of delivering these reforms, their timing and precise implications for creative options at FE. Our focus in this period will be to ensure stability for you and your students while, behind the scenes, preparing a best in class set of new V Levels and other permitted qualifications in the creative subjects.

We will share more information with you as soon as possible, but if you have a particularly urgent need for support please contact us at comms.awarding@arts.ac.uk.