Changes to 14 to 19 education

The coalition government is continuing a number of changes to 14 to 19 education started by the previous government.. These reforms have been designed to give young people a wider choice of courses so they can learn in a way that suits them. They include:

• A new qualification called The Diploma that combines classroom learning with hands-on experience in the world of work has already been piloted in local schools and colleges and is now widely available.

• A greater focus on pupils learning practical English, ICT (Information Communication Technology) and maths skills.

• Higher achievers will be able to demonstrate their potential to universities at A level with a new A* grade and optional extended projects.

• Extra help for pupils who would find GCSE's challenging through Foundation Learning - which combines work related and basic skills qualifications.

• Raising the participation age to 17. This will apply to students who started Year 7 after July 2008, and means all 17 year olds (18 year olds by 2015) will need to be in education or training.

Find out more about these changes on the Direct gov website.

View 'A guide to Diplomas for parents' (PDF)