New V Level qualifications announced as part of reforms to post-16 education

Students will sit their first V Level qualifications in education, finance and digital in 2027, when the new qualifications launch as part of reforms to post-16 education.

The new qualification will be equivalent to an A Level, with learning designed around the skills needed by employers. V Levels will sit alongside T Levels, which combine study and real?world work experience, and A Levels, which are geared to more academic career pathways. T Levels options will be expanded to include subjects such as Sports, Fitness and Exercise Science, along with Care Services.

New qualifications will also be introduced in 2027 for 16?year?olds, providing a year of study before progressing to V Levels, T Levels or A levels, with initial subjects in Education and Early Years, and Digital. A separate two?year, employment?focused route will also be available for those aiming to move straight into work or an apprenticeship, starting in Catering and Hospitality, and Education and Early Years.

A consultation has also been launched on new qualifications that will be targeted at students with lower attainment in English or Maths as a stepping stone to better prepare them to resit their GCSEs the following year. This will support around a third of 16-year-olds who do not achieve a GCSE grade 4 or above in English and/or maths by the time they leave Year 11. 

These reforms are backed by nearly £800 million extra for 16-19 education in 2026-27, with average per student funding increasing to £6,874 in the next academic year, from £6,762 in 2025/26. 

Chief Executive of the Association of Colleges, David Hughes, said:

“The proposed complete framework for qualifications offers the prospect of a system which offers all young people the learning and training which excites and engages them and helps them progress into work and onto further learning and a system that is viable and deliverable for colleges and schools.

“The simplicity of an agile, adaptable system with only V, A and T levels at level 3 and with a new set of level 2 qualifications is a good one. Now we need to work through the inevitable list of implementation and detailed issues that will require evidenced and grounded knowledge and understanding. I am confident that colleges will step in and help make this new system a success.”