Rishi Sunak’s A-level reforms won’t be introduced for a decade, Number 10 says

Published

1 year ago

October 5, 2023

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It will take around a decade to introduce the baccalaureate-style education programme announced by Rishi Sunak in his conference speech, Downing Street has admitted.

In his address to the Tory Party conference in Manchester, the prime minister announced the creation of a new school-leaver qualification called the “Advanced British Standard” in England to “bring together A-levels and T-levels into a new, single qualification”.

It will see students study English and maths to age 18 – an announcement that has previously been made public.

Mr Sunak said the new system will “finally deliver on the promise of parity of esteem between academic and technical education” because “all students will sit the Advanced British Standard”.

He also said it would help “raise the floor ensuring that our children leave school literate and numerate”.

However, education unions have warned that the plans are “pie in the sky” and “are likely to prove a pipe dream” due to teacher shortages.

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Asked how long it would take for the prime minister to bring in the new system, Mr Sunak’s press secretary said: “I believe it will take about 10 years for the advanced British standard to replace A-levels.

“This is a big change to the education system, we will have to work with education experts to work it through.”

Mr Sunak had previously trailed that he wanted pupils to study maths to 18, describing it as his “new mission”.

His spokesperson confirmed the policy will be limited to England as education is a devolved matter, but added: “If the devolved administrations want to use the same standard then they can, and that would be a good thing.”

Elsewhere in his speech, the prime minister announced that sixth-form students will study five subjects rather than three and that the number of taught hours for all post-16 students will rise to at least 1,475 over two years – an extra 195 hours for most students.

Mr Sunak also repeated his plans to crack down on what he called “rip off degrees”, saying he would stop universities from “enrolling students on courses that doing nothing for their life choices”.

Turning his fire on Labour, Mr Sunak said the party had created an assumption that the “only route to success” was through university and that was “one of the great mistakes of the last 30 years”.

He pointed to Gillian Keegan, the education secretary, saying she is the first ever apprentice to fulfil that post.

Mr Sunak announced an initial investment of £600m over two years to lay the groundwork for delivering the Advanced British Standard – which will include funding for tax-free bonuses of up to £30,000 over the first five years of the careers of teachers in key shortage subjects.

A consultation on how to implement the qualification will open this autumn.

‘Completely out of touch with reality’

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said that while the “principles of these proposals are good, the practicalities are daunting because of the severity of the teacher recruitment and retention crisis”.

“We’re not convinced that the prime minister’s plan for an early career bonus payment for teachers in key shortage subjects in schools and colleges will be anywhere near enough,” he added.

“Teacher shortages are widespread and very problematic in many subjects. This problem requires a much broader strategy to improve pay, conditions and education funding.

“Without this commitment, the prime minister’s plans for an Advanced British Standard are likely to prove a pipe dream.”

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), said the announcement “raises so many questions”, while Daniel Kebede, the general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), said Mr Sunak was “completely out of touch with reality”.

“There is no magic wand to create English and maths teachers in sufficient numbers to educate 11 to 16-year-olds, let alone at A-level too,” he added.

The proposals were described as “ambitious” by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), which also warned that “policy churn” in recent years has had “its own costs, making it more difficult for schools, young people and employers to understand the value of qualifications and to navigate the system”.

Politics

Suspended Labour MP Mike Amesbury jailed after punching man in street

Published

2 hours ago

February 24, 2025

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Suspended Labour MP Mike Amesbury jailed after punching man in street

MP Mike Amesbury has been jailed for 10 weeks after punching a man in the street – and has been kicked out of the Labour Party.

The Runcorn and Helsby MP pleaded guilty in January to assault by beating of 45-year-old Paul Fellows in Main Street, Frodsham, Cheshire, in the early hours of 26 October.

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As well as a 10-week jail sentence, Amesbury, 55, must pay £200 compensation to Mr Fellows.

Amesbury had been drinking in the town in his constituency where he lives before arriving at a taxi rank, where Mr Fellows approached him to complain about the closure of the Sutton Weaver swing bridge.

The court heard how, after punching Mr Fellows in the head and knocking him to the ground, Amesbury punched him a further five times on the ground before members of the public intervened.

As he was being held back, he told Mr Fellows: “You won’t threaten your MP again, will you?”

The victim suffered a lump on his head and a graze on his elbow in what the Crown Prosecution Service said was a “persistent assault”.

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Amesbury’s future as an MP remains under question as his lawyer indicated he will appeal the sentence.

Otherwise, MPs who receive a custodial sentence, even if it is suspended, automatically trigger a recall petition which could result in a by-election if 10% of constituents sign it.

This will have to wait until the appeal period is over.

Labour suspended Amesbury from the party shortly after the incident, so he has been sitting as an independent.

They have said he will not be admitted back in and called for a by-election, saying his constituents “deserved better” after his “completely unacceptable actions”.

Reform UK also called for Amesbury “to do the honourable thing and resign immediately”.

‘Alarm bells will be ringing’ for PM

Sky News chief political correspondent Jon Craig said while Labour won the seat at last year’s election with a “fairly healthy majority” of more than 14,000, there will be “real nervousness” within the party about holding it.

Reform came second in Runcorn and Helsby at the general election and – given their lead in the national polls – Craig said “alarm bells will be ringing” for Sir Keir Starmer.

Tap here to read Jon Craig’s full analysis.

‘A necessary punishment’

Sentencing Amesbury, deputy senior district judge Tan Ikram said an immediate custodial sentence was “necessary as a punishment and a deterrent”.

The judge added Amesbury, who has been an MP since 2017, would serve 40% of his sentence in custody and will remain on licence for 12 months after his release.

Amesbury’s lawyer requested the judge return to the court moments after he was taken to the cells by two security guards, as he wanted to make a bail application while they appeal his sentence.

The judge returned to court, sat down, paused briefly and said: “Application refused.”

Amesbury will be taken to HMP Altcourse in Liverpool. Unlike many defendants, he did not appear to have a bag of belongings with him.

After pleading guilty, he described the incident as “highly regrettable” and apologised to Mr Fellows and his family outside the court.

Alison Storey, senior specialist prosecutor with the Crown Prosecution Service’s special crime division, said Amesbury’s victim did not react aggressively and was alone at the time of the assault.

Politics

How net zero push is impacting Britain’s economy – including some nice salary bumps

Published

2 hours ago

February 24, 2025

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How net zero push is impacting Britain's economy - including some nice salary bumps

The net zero sector has grown by 10% over the past year – adding £83bn to the UK economy, a new study suggests.

Employment in green businesses and industry has also climbed 10%, supporting the equivalent of 951,000 full-time jobs (2.9% of total UK employment).

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The study – commissioned by thinktank the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) – found for every £1 of value generated by the net zero economy, an additional £1.89 was created in the wider economy.

It report was published as the government increases efforts to meet a legally binding goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions to zero overall (that’s net zero) by 2050.

Some Conservative and Reform MPs have criticised net zero, electric cars and renewables, suggesting efforts to curb climate change are to blame for higher energy bills and the deindustrialisation of Britain.

But the report, with analysis from CBI Economics and the Data City, suggests the UK’s net zero economy is a significant driver of growth, innovation, and productivity.

Where is the growth happening?

Renewables, electric vehicles, low carbon heating, recycling and green finance are all part of the net zero sector.

Small and medium businesses with fewer than 250 employees are the main drivers of growth, and salaries are 15% higher than the UK average (£43,100, compared with £37,430).

Regions beyond London and the South East are where the net zero economy is growing significantly, the report found, boosting some of the country’s most deprived areas.

The West Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber, and southwest England were the largest contributors, each more than 5% of the national total, while Scotland’s net zero economy has grown by 21.3% since 2022 – now worth £9.1bn.

Tyne and Teesside was also highlighted as a hotspot thanks to a £1bn Nissan electric vehicle project, which includes a gigafactory for next-gen batteries. It is creating 6,200 jobs.

London and the South East are still leading the way, with £16.2bn and £13.1bn of green investment respectively.

Overall, the sector attracted £23bn of public, private and foreign direct investment – and each full-time job generated £105,000 in economic value, well above the UK average, the report found.

What are the Conservatives and Reform’s views on net zero?

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has described herself as a “net zero sceptic” and her voting record shows she has largely opposed efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

She has also voted against banning fracking and called net zero targets “arbitrary”, saying they would “bankrupt” the UK.

The Conservatives’ manifesto from the 2024 election, when Rishi Sunak was leader, said the party was committed to a “pragmatic and proportionate” approach to net zero by 2050.

It said the party would invest £6bn in energy efficiency over three years to make one million homes warmer.

Reform has said it would impose taxes on the renewable energy sector and wants to scrap “net stupid zero” targets.

The party blames net zero policies for higher energy bills and deindustrialisation in the UK and believe green initiatives will make “zero difference to climate change”.

Deputy leader Richard Tice called renewable energy a “massive con” and promised Reform would recover subsidies paid to wind and solar companies.

‘You can’t have growth without green’

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said the findings showed “net zero is essential to growth, a strong economy, and money in working people’s pockets”.

Making Britain “a clean energy superpower” will provide “energy security, good jobs, and investment in our communities”, he added.

Louise Hellem, chief economist at the CBI, said “there are huge emerging markets for green technologies that the UK must capitalise on”.

“It is clear, you can’t have growth without green,” she said.