Government plans for a new Advanced British Standard qualification will create a “blunt choice” between academic and vocational routes for students and add to uncertainty over post-16 options, leaders have warned. College membership bodies and school leaders’ unions have released responses to the government’s consultation on the proposal, which closed for submissions last week. Prime minister Rishi Sunak announced last year that the ABS will replace A-levels and T Levels in around 10 years, though an anticipated Labour election win means the policy is unlikely to ever come to fruition. In the National Association of Headteachers’ (NAHT) response, head of policy Sarah Hannafin warned the proposals hold “tightly to the traditional system in place now – a repackaging of the current A-level and T Level content, blunt choices for 16-year-olds, a focus on knowledge and assessment by examination”. Click here for more.
