T Levels and T Level Transition Programmes: Early Perspectives from Learners

The recent report of the second round of Technical Education Learner Surveys has provided some important insights regarding the progress of the first T Levels and T Level Transition Programmes[1]. This includes findings from surveys administered with the first and second cohorts of these programmes. Some of these insights echo those of Ofsted’s T-level thematic review: final report.

Early delivery is generally going well despite the challenges of Covid-19

T Level and T Level Transition Programme learners are generally finding their workload manageable and their course suitably challenging, reporting that their courses have helped them develop knowledge of their chosen subject area, practical skills and work readiness.

Almost all of the T Level learners who started in 2020 reported that they had completed a substantial industry placement despite Covid-19. This aligns with official data which showed that 94% of these learners completed a placement. In addition, increasing numbers of T Level Transition Programme learners are undertaking work experience – almost half of those studying in the 2021/22 academic year. These are elements which set these programmes apart from other vocational/technical courses.

As well as high satisfaction with the T Level industry placement and Transition Programme work experience, learners have shown high levels of satisfaction with teachers’ knowledge and expertise and the standard of teaching in these new programmes.

It is also worth noting that the T Level Transition Programme is attracting good proportions of learners with special educational needs and disabilities and learners who are disadvantaged, supporting access to post-16 learning for these groups. Two-fifths of the first cohort and just less than a third of the second had special educational needs and disabilities and around a third of both cohorts had previously been eligible for free school meals.

As would be expected for new programmes, there are some areas for development

Although satisfaction started off high for T Levels, it has decreased markedly between learners who started in 2020 and 2021.

Just over half (56%) of those who started their T Level in 2021 reported satisfaction with their course at the end of their first year, compared to over three-quarters (79%) of the first cohort. Issues with the health and science content and assessment seem to have been important factors in this drop in satisfaction, with lack of study materials[2] proving a key barrier for these learners and T Level learners more generally.

These factors may be linked to a third of T Level learners starting in 2021 not completing their programmes[3]. The survey found that the most common reasons for T Level learners leaving their programmes early were that they had not ‘liked the programme’ (around a half) and ‘lack of support from teachers’ (just over two-fifths).

Satisfaction has also decreased slightly for the second cohort of T Level Transition Programme learners (those studying in 2021/22) but is still high. However, a high proportion of learners surveyed were unsure about progressing to T Levels although the programme does appear to be supporting progression to other Level 3 routes. Just a third of those starting the Transition programme in 2020 and a quarter of those starting in 2021 reported that they intended to progress onto T Levels, with the actual progression rate for the first cohort being considerably lower[4].

Data from the first two cohorts of T Level learners shows that GCSE maths and English at grade 4 or above are a pre-requisite for entry set by most providers[5]. However, survey data suggests that over half of T Level Transition Programme learners are retaking these subjects[6].

Although the proportions increased during Covid-19, retake rates for GCSE maths and English tend to be low with around a quarter achieving English and less than a fifth achieving maths at grade 4 or above in summer 2023[7].

Taking this into account, we can assume that a high proportion of the current T Level Transition Programme cohorts will not necessarily achieve the level required to progress onto a T Level. The reframing and marketing of the Transition Programme as a T Level foundation year, alongside tightening of the guidance around the target group, may help to ensure that young people embarking on the programme have the potential to do so.

Awareness of these new programmes could also be improved

Most of the T Level and T Level Transition Programme learners heard about the programmes from colleges and schools delivering them. Only around a quarter found out about them from teachers and a fifth from careers advisers, which suggests that more could be done to encourage these key stakeholders to raise awareness of T Levels. In addition, when we surveyed a comparator group of A Level and Level 3 technical learners, around three-quarters reported that they were not aware of T Levels when they chose their programme.

In conclusion, the picture shows some areas of promise as well as key areas for development, particularly around awareness, study materials, and supporting young people’s progression from the Transition Programme (foundation year) onto T Levels. The latter requires striking a balance between ensuring learners have the potential to progress onto T Levels whilst seeking to maintain access to a wide range of groups.

About the study

NFER and NatCen are undertaking the Technical Education Learner Survey (TELS) on behalf of the DfE. The key focus of TELS is on T Level and T Level Transition Programme learners. The study includes:

• a longitudinal survey of the first and second cohort of T Level learners (2020 and 2021 starters) at end of year one and two, plus nine months post completion.
• a longitudinal survey of a T Level comparator group (of A Level and Level 3 technical learners) aligned with the second cohort of T Level learners
• a one-off survey of the first three cohorts of T Level Transition Programme learners at the end of their year of study
• a survey of two cohorts of Level 4/5 learners undertaking qualifications such as Higher National Diplomas/Certificates and pre-degree Foundation courses.

The data in this article draws on:

• surveys with the first and second cohorts of T Level learners and the T Level comparator group at the end of their first year of study. The first cohort of T Level learners were studying Education and Childcare, Construction, and Digital. Health and Science was also offered to the second cohort
• a survey with the first cohort of T Level learners at the end of their two-year T Level
• surveys with the first and second cohort of the T Level Transition Programme at the end of their course. The subjects offered aligned with T Levels.

Survey response rates:

	Summer 2021		Summer 2022
	No	Response rate	No	Response rate
T Level cohort 1	807	61%	587	47%
T Level cohort 2			2,388	44%
T Level comparator group: A Level Level 3 technical			661 2,558	33% 32%
T Level Transition Programme cohort 1	429	49%
T Level Transition Programme cohort 2			892	31%

 

[1] Cohort 1 T Levels: 1029 learners received a T Level result in summer 2022 (starting numbers unavailable); cohort 2 T Levels: 5210 learners started; cohort 1 T Level Transition Programme: 847 learners; cohort 2 T Level Transition Programme: 3348 learners. Figures are from the T Level Action Plan 2022 to 2023.

[2] The recent Ofsted report on T Levels also refers to lack of resources to support teaching and learning and the availability and quality of specimen examination questions being extremely limited.

[3] The T Level action plan 2022-2023 reports that 5,210 students started T Levels in 2021 and DfE 2023 provisional T Level results reports that 3,448 students received a result (66% of those who started).

[4] An FE Week freedom of information request found that 847 students started a T Level Transition Programme in 2020, of whom 118, or 14 per cent, went on to start a full T Level the following year.

[5] National statistics show that 98% of T Level learners had achieved GCSE maths grade 4 or above and 97% had achieved this grade or above in English. However, entry requirements are set by providers and these grades are not a programme requirement.

[6] T Level Transition Programme cohort 1: 55% were retaking English and 58% maths; T Level Transition Programme cohort 2: 51% were retaking English and 59% maths.

[7] GCSE English and maths resit rates for 17 years+ in England in June 2023 (JCQ: GCSE (Full Course) outcomes by age): 25.9% English and 16.4% maths.