Guidance

T Level foundation year: framework for delivery

Published 17 December 2021

Applies to England

Overview

The T Level foundation year provides a high-quality route for students who would benefit from additional study time and preparation before they start their T Levels.

The T Level foundation year was formerly known as the T Level transition programme.

The T Level foundation year is a preparatory programme for level 2 students who plan to progress onto a T Level. The programme is for people aged 16 to 19 and for those with education, health and care (EHC) plans up to age 24.

This guidance is for providers of the T Level foundation year.

We are taking a phased approach to implementing the programme alongside the introduction of T Levels.

To determine the shape of the programme and ensure we captured the right minimum expectations and outcomes that enable student progression to T Levels, we worked with:

• T Level foundation year providers
• other education providers
• employers
• education specialists
• other sector stakeholders

The framework for delivery sets out some principles for the programme and identifies the core knowledge, skills and behaviours we expect students to learn or develop, including technical outcomes for each T Level route.

T Levels are different to the rest of the technical education offer. We encourage education providers to see the T Level foundation year as something different also. The foundation year is an opportunity to think afresh about how to give this cohort of students the best support and most relevant foundation to help them progress onto and do well on T Levels.     

This guidance should be read alongside the 16 to 19 funding guidance  and the 16 to 19 study programme guidance.

Themes from early delivery

Many early foundation year providers have embraced the freedom to tailor their programmes to meet students’ individual needs and the needs of their own settings. The programmes are varied, but certain themes have emerged.

Increased importance of diagnostic assessment

There has been a greater emphasis on measuring distance travelled throughout the year against the initial assessment. English and maths, study skills, employability skills and digital skills have been key themes for every provider, with many producing in-house skills matrices to assess students and identify gaps.

Importance of work preparation

Many providers increased time spent on work preparation activities, to address the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) on students’ skills and confidence ahead of sending them on work experience.

Shift towards smaller qualifications

Most providers are choosing to include qualifications in the technical component, with a trend towards offering smaller qualifications to allow more time to be spent on the other components.

Using assessment methods to prepare for T Levels

Providers have used a wide range of assessment methods including assignments, projects and exams throughout the programme, to develop students’ confidence in these methods for success on T Levels.

Significance of English and maths

These subjects have played a central role in providers’ programmes and some providers are refining their approach to contextualisation of these subjects. Where contextualisation of English and maths has worked well, there has been effective collaboration between employers, technical, English and maths specialists.

Who the foundation year is for

The purpose of the T Level foundation year is to help students develop a broad range of knowledge, skills and behaviours that will help them to progress onto, and succeed on a T Level in their chosen occupational route. 

The programme is available for:

• young people aged 16 to 19
• those with education, health and care (EHC) plans up to age 24

You need to take into account that students will need to be eligible to receive 16 to 19 funding throughout their subsequent T Level when enrolling students onto the programme. This means they will need to start their T Level no later than the academic year in which they are 18, unless they have an EHC plan.

The T Level foundation year is one of a range of programmes for young people, so we want to ensure it is targeted at those who will benefit from it most. The core target group are students who have the potential to progress onto a T Level with the extra support and preparation that the programme can provide.

For example, this could include students who:

• demonstrate an aptitude and keenness to progress onto a T Level
• could realistically be prepared, during the course of the programme, for the step up to level 3 technical study on a T Level
• would benefit from the additional time the T Level foundation year allows to build their knowledge and skills in English or maths, where they do not already have a GCSE grade 9 to 4 in these subjects
• learn better in a predominantly classroom or workshop-based environment rather than the workplace

The T Level foundation year is not intended for:

• students who are ready to start a T Level without the need to take a level 2 programme first
• students who are not expected to be ready for a T Level by the end of the foundation year, for example where their learning or development needs cannot realistically be addressed in a foundation year
• students whose study aim on enrolment is not to progress onto a T Level
• students who might be better suited to or interested in more work-based technical provision, such as an apprenticeship or traineeship

In the core target group, you can decide your specific enrolment criteria to recruit the students who need this programme before progressing onto a T Level.

We will monitor enrolment, completion and destinations data to ensure that:

• students are being enrolled on the foundation year in line with its intended target group
• it is meeting its policy aim of supporting progression to T Levels

We will review whether we need to make further changes in light of this monitoring.

What the T Level foundation year should include

The foundation year is underpinned by a set of principles that reflect what we think a good foundation year looks like, to prepare and support students for their chosen T Level route, or alternative next step.

We expect strong T Level foundation years to reflect these principles.

T Level foundation year principles

The foundation year should provide relevant preparation for what students will experience on T Levels, with motivational opportunities to interact with employers and a line of sight between what students do on the T Level foundation year and T Levels.

The foundation year should also develop core knowledge, skills and behaviours that prepare students for progressing to level 3 study in their chosen T Level route. This includes industry-relevant technical knowledge and skills and, particularly important, developing the broader skills and positive behaviours that students will need for success on T Levels and in the workplace.

The foundation year should ensure students:

• are clear about what they need to achieve for successful completion of the programme and progression onto their chosen T Level route
• develop a sense of ownership about their learning, development and progress

The foundation year should respond to students’ individual needs and allow enough time in the programme to help them meet their development goals and support their pastoral needs, to give them the best chance of being ready for level 3 technical study.

It should provide a holistic and integrated approach to developing core knowledge, skills and behaviours where different components of the programme complement and reinforce students’ development and T Level preparation.

The foundation year should help students to make the right decision about what to do after the programme. Whether they are deciding on the right T Level or an alternative destination, you should support all students to make the right decision for them.

Core knowledge, skills and behaviours

The T Level foundation year is expected to develop students’ knowledge, skills and behaviours in 5 areas to help prepare them for a T Level in their chosen route. These areas are also important for success in the workplace and will be valuable whatever students’ next steps after the programme.

The 5 areas are:

• industry-relevant technical knowledge and skills
• skills for successful study
• English, maths and digital skills
• knowledge and skills for the workplace
• positive attitude and behaviours

In each of these 5 areas, we have set out the core knowledge, skills and behaviours we expect students to develop on the programme, as a minimum. You have discretion to augment this core with additional knowledge, skills and behaviours, for example:

• where it reflects the specific needs of students
• if relevant to their particular T Level route
• in response to local employer needs

You should not teach generic skills such as problem solving and critical thinking in isolation. Enable students to develop these skills in the context of knowledge acquisition, for example through the teaching of technical content.

Industry-relevant technical knowledge and skills

This area should include:

• core technical knowledge and skills relevant to students’ chosen T level route as set out in the national technical outcomes for the programme
• knowledge about different T Levels and their associated careers

Skills for successful study

This area should include skills and behaviours to prepare for the type of level 3 study and assessments encountered on a T Level, including: 

• how to plan, monitor and review the effectiveness of their learning
• time management

It should also cover study and assessment techniques to prepare students for their chosen T Level route, for example:

• formal writing
• researching and referencing
• critical thinking and problem-solving techniques
• exam strategies, such as responding to command verbs

English, maths and digital skills

This should include GCSEs or functional skills in English and maths (depending on prior attainment) where students do not already have a grade 4 GCSE in these subjects.

It should also cover application of contextualised English and maths skills relating to a student’s chosen T Level route, and basic digital skills where a student needs to develop them.

Knowledge and skills for the workplace

This area should cover professional workplace behaviour, and an introduction to the standards expected for T Level industry placements, for example:

• professionalism
• taking responsibility
• producing results

This may include:

• effective communication, including listening and speaking skills, use of formal language, positive body language and presentation skills
• teamwork and relationship building, for example through group projects, workplace scenarios or enrichment activities
• organisational policy and procedures, for example understanding of the importance of dress code, adhering to health and safety policies, confidentiality, drugs and alcohol policies
• travel training, including timekeeping and punctuality, how to plan travel to work journeys

There are some useful resources which may help in developing students’ employability skills, including:

• the skills builder framework which provides a tool you can use with students to assess and develop skills that are needed for the workplace
• Barclays’ Life Skills and Accenture’s Skills to Succeed Academy
• the operating instructions for creation of outline content include the T Level employability skills framework, intended for use by T Level panels    

Positive attitude and behaviours

This area should include strategies to build resilience, confidence and self-esteem, such as positive mindset techniques and reflecting on progress throughout the programme.

Students should also be taught how to manage stress and cope with setbacks, for example, through mindfulness and meditation techniques, understanding the link between a healthy lifestyle and good mental health, and knowing how to access additional mental health support if needed.

The programme should support students with setting goals and reflecting and responding to feedback, through:

• setting and planning how to reach learning and development goals
• learning how to seek, respond to and use feedback and self-reflection to increase self-awareness and achieve development goals

Delivery components

To support the development of these core knowledge, skills and behaviours, this framework sets out corresponding expectations of providers in delivering the programme, based on 6 delivery components:

• English, maths and digital
• experience of the workplace
• personal development and enrichment
• technical knowledge and skills
• pastoral support
• diagnostic, monitoring and guidance

You should design and combine the components into a holistic programme to:

• engage and support students
• provide stretch and challenge
• prepare them effectively for T Level study in their chosen route

You will need to consider how your programme may need to differ from the other level 2 provision you offer.

The delivery components are interrelated and can reinforce each other. We do not expect them to be delivered sequentially or in isolation, although we expect some initial diagnostic and guidance activities at the start of the programme.

While we expect this to be a tailored programme to prepare students for a T Level in their chosen route, we recognise that you will need to deliver your programmes in a viable way that fits your circumstances, for example by:

• running separate foundation years for each route, where student volumes permit
• grouping students across routes for some components, when this is the most practical (for example for English and maths or personal development classes) or grouping across specific routes (for example for technical skills)
• tailoring the programme through setting route-specific projects, where student volumes are small

However you organise the delivery, students should understand that they are on the T Level foundation year – and their core aim should be recorded as such in data returns – and understand that its purpose is to prepare them for a T Level in their chosen route.

An element of tailoring to individual need is also an important part of the programme, to give all students the best opportunity of achieving their individual learning and development goals and progressing to a T Level.

You can decide how to weight each component in the overall programme, as the emphasis may differ for students according to their starting points, ongoing progress and development. For example, tailoring the amount of English and maths support, the type of work experience they have or their pastoral care, depending on what each student needs.

Tailoring to need will be particularly important for students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), to ensure they are able to benefit from the programme. The 16 to 19 study programme guidance includes guidance on tailoring study programmes to the individual aspirations and needs of students with SEND.

The SEND Code of Practice sets out the responsibilities of post-16 providers for young people with SEND, with and without an EHC plan.

Diagnostic, monitoring and guidance activities

The purpose of this component is to:

• identify the learning, development and pastoral support needed to help students successfully complete the programme and progress to their chosen T level
• ensure students can make an informed choice about which T Level route to prepare for
• monitor students’ progress during the programme and ensure they are receiving appropriate support to successfully complete the programme
• ensure students are well supported to decide their next steps after the programme

At the beginning of the programme

At the beginning of the programme, we expect you to identify students’ learning, development and pastoral support needs – including for any inter-agency support – in order to tailor the rest of the programme to meet the student’s needs, including students with SEND.

Specifically, we expect you to ensure that students appreciate the knowledge, skills and behaviours they are aiming to develop (at what stages), what they will be doing on the programme to achieve this and how it will prepare them for a T Level in their chosen route.

You should ensure that students’ needs are identified through appropriate diagnostic activities – for example, one-to-one supervision, assessment activities including self-assessment, assignments, self-reflection – including readiness for work. You may wish to develop knowledge, skills and behaviour matrices to facilitate their diagnostic activities.

You should support students to take ownership of their learning and development, through having a clear understanding of their development goals and agreeing an individual development plan with their tutor setting out their key goals and milestones.

You should also use this period to ensure students can make an informed choice about which T Level route to prepare for. Where students have a preferred T Level in mind when they enrol, you should support them to decide if this is the right one for them, for example in terms of whether:

• it will be what they expect
• they feel they will have the motivation and aptitude for it

Where they are undecided, you should support students to consider different options. We expect students to be supported in these decisions through:

• learning about different T Levels and their associated careers
• curriculum time or early exposure to work settings to assess their aptitude and appetite for a route, for example through tasters, contextualised assignments, mini-projects, early exposure to work settings or employer encounters

You can determine the duration of the initial diagnostic and guidance period based on the needs of their cohort. After this period, the foundation year should be tailored to support students in preparing for their chosen T Level route.

During this initial period, a student may decide that another programme would be better suited to them. If this decision is taken before the student completes the funding qualifying period, and their preferred programme is available to them, the student can move without any impact on funding. After this, normal 16 to 19 funding rules apply.

During the programme

We expect you to continue monitoring students’ progress throughout the programme, to ensure they are receiving appropriate support to successfully complete the programme. This should include:

• regularly reviewing students’ progress across the programme, against their development plans, ideally through one-to-one tutorial time where this is feasible, with progress reviews reflected in their development plans
• ensuring students receive clear feedback and are supported to develop reflective practice to build confidence and agency in their own development
• giving further support and signposting to specialist support where needed

We expect you to ensure students are well supported to decide their next steps after the programme and to support students to take ownership of their decisions on next steps, through:

• careers guidance and planning throughout the programme, tailored to their strengths and aspirations, and taking into account the Gatsby Benchmarks for good careers guidance
• information, advice and guidance about different T level pathways, including considering the full range of careers associated with different options, and support to choose the right pathway
• information, advice and guidance about alternative progression options and, where a T Level is not the right choice, support to decide the right next step for them

The Careers and Enterprise Company provides useful careers support and resources, including guidance on the Gatsby Benchmarks.

Ongoing monitoring and assessment

You will need to consider your overall approach to assessment across the foundation year – for example, diagnostic, formative and summative assessment – as part of your monitoring and review of students’ progress at the beginning, during and at the end of the programme.

You have discretion over the assessment methodologies you use. You are encouraged to consider how you can use assessment on the foundation year to help prepare students for how they will be assessed on T Levels.

On T Levels, students will be assessed on broad knowledge of their chosen route and pathway through exams, as well as through practical summative assessments that test their overall competence in an occupation. T Level students will need to practice applying knowledge and skills, honing skills, and building up to the required performance standard, before the formal summative assessments.

The national technical outcomes developed for the T Level Foundation Year are aligned with knowledge and skills requirements of T Levels. Although these outcomes are pitched appropriately for level 2 students, and are not about gaining occupational competence, assessing students on these after they have learned and practised applying knowledge and skills should provide foundation year students with opportunities to gain relevant experience of this type of learning and assessment before they start T Levels.

English, maths and digital

English and maths are crucial employability skills and they are imperative for higher level study, including T Levels. We expect you to support foundation year students to develop their knowledge and skills in English and maths, where they do not already have a GCSE grade 9 to 4 in these subjects. You can tailor the size and duration of this component according to students’ individual needs.

As the T Level foundation year is a type of 16 to 19 study programme, the 16 to 19 English and maths condition of funding applies to students who do not already have a grade 4 in these subjects. This is consistent with T Levels, where the condition of funding has replaced the English and maths exit requirement.

You will need to use effective early diagnostic assessment and ongoing monitoring of progress to determine what support students need. Where students already have a grade 4 – or achieve it early in the programme – you could consider how to maintain or build on students’ English and maths knowledge and skills.

The knowledge and skills which students should learn in GCSE and functional skills qualifications in English and maths are clear. These help them to build confidence and recognise the importance of English and maths in work and life. We expect you to support T Level foundation year students to develop an appreciation of the importance and application of English and maths to their chosen T Level route and future career path, by making students aware of:

• the contextualised applications of English and maths that naturally occur in the national technical outcomes (and any additional technical content) they are studying on the programme
• how these contextualised applications link back to the GCSE or functional skills English and maths qualifications they are studying

Like English and maths, basic digital skills are important to everyday life and work, and some young people still do not have these skills. Where students lack basic digital skills, you should support them to develop these skills as part of the foundation year. You will need to conduct an initial assessment of a student’s digital skills to determine this.

We expect you to integrate basic digital skills development, where it is needed, into other elements of the programme, to engage and support individual students. This could include using naturally occurring opportunities to develop essential digital skills and the general digital competencies set out in the operating instructions for creation of outline content, in the relevant national technical outcomes for their chosen T Level route.

Experience of the workplace

This is an important component of the T Level foundation year to prepare students for a T Level industry placement. We expect all students to undertake appropriate work experience activities and workplace preparation tailored to what each student needs, informed by an assessment of their work readiness.

Preparation for the workplace

Effective work preparation is crucial in supporting students to build up the skills and confidence they need for work experience and a challenging industry placement. You should ensure that all students take part in relevant, tailored activities to prepare them for entering the workplace in advance of their work experience to ensure students and employers get the most out of their work experience. Examples of preparation activities include talks, pre-visits and help with planning travel to the workplace.

You will need to agree with employers any specific workplace preparation requirements. We expect this workplace preparation to include, as a minimum, the core knowledge and skills for the workplace that have been set out for all T Level foundation year students, as well as any individual preparation identified through assessment of students’ work readiness.

Some students with SEND may require a more tailored programme of work preparation activities.

High-quality work experience

We expect all students to have high-quality work experience that includes as many meaningful interactions with real employers as possible during the programme. This can be through a range of activities, for example:

• mentoring
• site visits
• work tasters or shadowing

Ideally, activities should be in-person or through remote working where appropriate. Remote working can either take place at the provider setting or, where appropriate, in an employer training centre, which simulates the working environment and is supervised by the employer.

The students should not work from their home setting. We expect all students to have an in-person placement with an external employer, wherever possible. Placements can be through remote working, where necessary, to ensure students have the opportunity of a placement, but they should include some in-person engagement.   

There is research on work experience and related activities in schools and colleges, which includes good practice in providing effective work experience. 

Work experience should be related to a student’s chosen T Level route where appropriate and feasible.

Work experience placements with an employer should:

• have clear goals aligned with students’ development needs – you can use the work experience template to agree these with the student and employer
• be appropriately tailored in duration and structured to their specific goals and work readiness needs - work placement hours must be reasonable for a student of that age, and should reflect the most suitable pattern for the student and employer’s capacity
• give students the opportunity to reflect on their work experience and receive employer feedback after their work experience

In setting up work placements and other types of work experience, you must comply with your legal duties under the Equality Act 2010, including provisions for reasonable adjustments, so students with SEND can benefit from high-quality work experience as much as their peers.

You must consider, in discussion with the student and the employer, whether a young person with complex needs or SEND requires more support in the workplace than their peers. You must also ensure adequate support is in place for these students, and that employers understand their needs.

Let’s Be Clear (So Employers Know What You Are Asking For) is a guide created by Preparing for Adulthood on engaging employers to find work experience for young people with learning difficulties or disabilities.

The ask of employers is significantly increasing through T Level industry placements, so you need to consider employer capacity when arranging work experience for T Level foundation year students, and consider broader opportunities for work experience outside their chosen T Level route where necessary. The 16 to 19 study programme guidance includes guidance on work experience.

Technical knowledge and skills

The foundation year should give students a broad introduction to their chosen T Level route through industry-relevant technical knowledge and practical skills.

The purpose of this component is to give students some introductory content as a stepping stone to what they will cover on a T Level in their chosen route. For example, this might include:

• producing digital solutions using programming principles for digital students
• designing, surveying and planning a building project for construction students
• observing children’s development for education and childcare students

This component will be a strong motivator to engage and interest students. As the foundation year is not about gaining occupational competence, we do not expect that it will be the biggest component in terms of hours.

To provide a minimum level of consistency for students, we expect the programme to cover the national technical outcomes for the T Level foundation year, relevant to their chosen T Level route. These include a small number of outcomes, each with underpinning knowledge, skills and behaviours, that we expect students to be able to demonstrate by the end of the programme.

The national technical outcomes are intended to be used to inform your decisions about what technical content to cover. They are intentionally high level to provide a minimum foundation and retain a level of flexibility.

You could include additional technical content, further breadth or depth, or more stretching level 3 bridging content towards the end of the programme.

Including some level 3 content could be motivating for students. It would allow you to formatively assess their readiness for level 3 study.

You have discretion over how to ensure students achieve the national technical outcomes and how you use these outcomes to inform your approaches to delivery. Based on what you consider to be most appropriate for your students in preparing them for T Levels, you can deliver the national technical outcomes using a qualification, non-qualification delivery or a combination of both.

Delivery through a level 2 qualification

If you are delivering this component using a qualification, it must be on the list of qualifications approved for funding and available for 16 to 19 year olds. You have discretion to determine which qualifications to use.

Vendor-certificated courses are not funded by the Education and Skills Funding Agency, as per the 16 to 19 funding guidance.

Level 2 qualifications based on the national technical outcomes, known as T Level foundation qualifications – will be available for teaching from September 2026. These qualifications will be specifically designed to support progression onto T Levels. The guideline size for T Level foundation qualifications will be 120 to 150 guided learning hours, to align with the national technical outcomes.

Non-qualification-based delivery  

If you are delivering this component via non-qualification based delivery, this could be delivered, for example, as discrete modules, workshops, projects or as part of other components. You will need to consider your approach to summative assessment.

Route-based project

To support the application or development of their knowledge and understanding and help them prepare for a T Level employer-set project, we expect you to provide an opportunity for students to complete a small project relevant to their chosen T Level route.

This should be:

• based on a real issue relevant to employers
• if feasible, informed by an employer

There should be opportunities for meaningful employer interaction during the project. This could be, for example, through:

• employer visits
• presenting project outputs to employers
• having an industry mentor during the project

Projects need to be well-focussed, realistic and manageable for students to complete during the programme. Students need to be clear about the knowledge and skills the project will allow them to demonstrate – for example technical, transferable, English, maths and digital skills.

We expect you to ensure that route-based projects support students to:

• plan their approach to the project brief
• conduct research using appropriate techniques
• apply appropriate knowledge and skills
• produce a project outcome

This is to help students prepare for T Level employer-set projects, and ensure consistency for students.

There is a resource to support you in delivering the route-based project.

Personal development and enrichment

The T Level foundation year should include relevant and meaningful personal development and enrichment opportunities to support students to develop the study skills they will need for success on T Levels and the positive behaviours and key transferable skills for success in the workplace.

As set out in the core knowledge, skills and behaviours for the programme, this should include supporting students to:

• develop the study skills and behaviours that will prepare them for the type of level 3 study and assessments they will encounter on a T Level, to help students approach independent learning tasks and assessments with confidence
• develop positive social behaviours and transferable skills that underpin learning and employability, tailored to students’ development plans and career goals

Study skills and transferable skills should be developed through practical application in the context of knowledge acquisition, and should not be taught in isolation. This could be through, for example:

• group tutorials and activities
• integrating skills development into other elements of the programme - such as developing communication skills via the route-based project or developing study skills through the technical component

You should also provide additional opportunities for wider enrichment to support students’ personal development.

Enrichment activities should ideally be tailored to a student’s T Level route and career aspirations. This could include:

• trips
• youth social action activities like volunteering
• participation in programmes like National Citizen Service

Pastoral support

The T Level foundation year should:

• provide responsive pastoral care
• develop knowledge and behaviours that promote wellbeing and support students’ engagement with their learning on the programme

It is important that enough time is dedicated to this component from the start, with ongoing review, to ensure students receive support or signposting to relevant services, where they face issues that affect their ability to engage with and progress on the programme.

We expect you to ensure that:

• pastoral support responds to individual student needs, as identified through initial and ongoing diagnostic activities, including inter-agency support where this is needed
• students are supported to take an active role in their wellbeing, through the teaching of strategies that promote good mental and physical health and support learning and development
• students learn how and when to access mental health support, including, where needed, signposting to online resources and to counselling services or the senior mental health lead where available

We expect the above to be delivered alongside wider pastoral provision applicable to all students, such as citizenship, safeguarding, prevent strategy and British values.

There are mental health resources for children, students, parents, carers and school and college staff for young people, parents and carers, and education provider staff. AoC has resources on supporting health and wellbeing in colleges.

Additional flexible content

In addition to the above delivery expectations, education providers have the flexibility to add elements to the T Level foundation year, where this supports the needs of their students or provides important preparation to support progression to a particular T Level route. For instance, they can add content or qualifications in science, health and safety or first aid at work, or a food hygiene certificate.

Achievement 

The T Level foundation year is a study programme, so you will need to consider how students will demonstrate what they have achieved by the end of the programme, and ensure they feel supported in deciding their next steps.

Progress and achievement on the foundation year

We expect you to ensure that a student’s progress in each component is recorded to:

• allow students to reflect on what they have learnt
• help your monitoring, tracking and intervention practices

We also expect you to consider how students will be able to demonstrate what they have achieved at the end of the T Level foundation year. You may issue a certificate to students who complete the programme, using the national certificate template and guidance.    

You have discretion about how to determine successful achievement of the T Level foundation year, as you do for other 16 to 19 study programmes. We are collecting evidence on how education providers are currently doing this, and the approaches they are taking to record and certificate achievement.

We will take this evidence into account when reviewing our future approach to achievement and certification for the foundation year.

Progression from the T Level foundation year

The aim of the T Level foundation year is to prepare students to progress onto and successfully complete a T Level, so we want and expect most students to progress to T Levels. It is essential that you enrol students onto the programme in line with the core target group set out in this framework.

While completion of the foundation year should support progression to a T Level, it will not in itself lead to automatic enrolment onto a T Level. Students will need to apply for entry to a T Level as part of an education provider’s normal enrolment practices. Education providers retain the discretion to make the final decision on their T Level cohort. They will need to make this clear to students at the outset. 

Where progressing onto a T Level is not the right choice for a student, they will need to be supported to determine the most appropriate next step for them. This may include considering, for instance:

• other level 2 or level 3 study programmes
• apprenticeships
• direct entry to the workplace

The foundation year should have allowed students to develop a broad range of transferable knowledge, skills and behaviours, and given them valuable work experience they can reference in their CV.

We expect you to ensure that these students are given the appropriate careers guidance  to help them secure appropriate next steps and that they are supported to complete any qualifications, including English and maths, begun on the foundation year.

The National Careers Service provides free, up to date, impartial information, advice and guidance on careers, skills and the labour market in England. Young people aged 13 to 18 can access ongoing in-depth information, advice and guidance from the service via the website or local telephone-based advisers.

Planned hours and funding

 You will need to record T Level foundation year students accurately on the individualised learner record (ILR) and the school census.

Duration

In most instances, we expect the T Level foundation year to be a meaningful programme delivered in up to a standard academic year. You will have the flexibility to move students onto a T Level during the foundation year, where both:

• they have progressed enough to be ready
• this is a viable option

Where progressing early is not viable, you should engage students with meaningful, stretching and challenging activities in further preparation for their chosen T Level route.

You have the discretion to determine how best to meet the needs of students with SEND, in line with the broader 16 to 19 study programme guidance. For students with an EHC plan this might mean delivering the programme over a longer duration. The SEND Code of Practice sets out the responsibilities of post-16 providers for young people with SEND, both with and without an EHC plan.

Planned hours

The T Level foundation year must be delivered in the existing study programme funding rules. We expect it to be a full-time study programme (funding guidance has details of planned hours) to allow enough time to deliver the expectations set out in this framework. A part-time programme may be agreed in certain circumstances, as per the 16 to 19 study programme guidance.

Planned hours are timetabled and supervised by the education provider and are agreed between the institution and the student at the start of their study programme. You must ensure that the number of hours is realistic, deliverable and sustainable in the funding rules. You have the flexibility to consider how to use planned hours effectively to balance the different aspects of the programme.

Planned hours are a fundamental element of the funding allocation process, which uses data recorded in the individualised learner record (ILR) and the school census. This data is used to calculate future funding allocations so it must accurately reflect the learning activities taken by each student. Errors in recording planned hours are likely to have an impact on an institution’s funding allocation.

Core aim         

All study programmes must have a recorded core aim, which is the principal activity or core purpose of a student’s programme.

The ILR provider support manual and the school census guidance have the main recording guidance. There is information on how to record T Level foundation years.

For foundation year students, there is a new programme aim – the T Level foundation year aim – that must be used.

There is a new core aim that must also be used, which records the T Level route that students are preparing for. This is different to most other 16 to 19 study programmes, where the core aim is one of the following:

• one or more substantial academic, applied or technical qualifications, which prepares the student for further education or employment
• a substantial work placement to prepare the student for an apprenticeship or other employment

The core aim must be agreed between the student and the education provider. Subsidiary aims should also be recorded for additional qualification or non-qualification activity.

It is important that you record T Level foundation year students accurately in your ILR and school census returns. The new programme and core aims should only be used for students who are enrolled on the T Level foundation year.

You will need to complete the outcome field on the ILR for the new programme aim and new core aim.

Retention

The retention criteria for 16 to 19 study programmes applies to the T Level foundation year.

Each student who remains to the planned end date of their study programme, or who is recorded as completed or continuing, is classed as ‘retained’ and receives full funding.

Each student who is not retained attracts 50% of the full funding rate, as long as they have completed the qualifying period of 6 weeks for full-time students and 2 or 6 weeks for part-time students, depending on programme length.

Ensuring quality

We will use data on progression from the T Level foundation year from the early years of delivery, to support the development of accountability measures that will be published after national rollout.

This is to ensure a focus on getting the best outcomes for young people.

The data to be reviewed will be from our monitoring processes and will include:

• the number of students that start a T Level foundation year
• how many students complete the T Level foundation year
• where students go after completing the T Level foundation year, including the percentage that progress to and complete a T Level

As accountability measures for the T Level foundation year have yet to be determined, foundation year students have not yet been included in the qualification achievement rates (QARs) or school and college performance tables. They will not be included in the QARs or performance tables for academic year 2022 to 2023.

The treatment of T Level foundation year students in the QARs and performance tables for subsequent years will be communicated in due course.

The foundation year will be subject to Ofsted inspection under the education inspection framework, as 16 to 19 study programmes and T Levels are.

Monitoring

You have some discretion about who you enrol onto the T Level foundation year, as you are best placed to decide which individual students are most likely to benefit from it and progress onto and succeed on a T Level.

As part of its assurance processes, the Education and Skills Funding Agency  (ESFA) monitors the behaviour of education providers in relation to funding rules. We are enhancing this monitoring for the foundation year, to assess how well its delivery reflects the intended target group. This includes internal in-year monitoring of data on the volumes and characteristics of students enrolled on the programme, as well as data on subsequent completion and progression onto T Levels.

We will monitor information on:

• age
• disability
• sex
• ethnicity
• other relevant protected characteristics

This is to ensure young people in the core target group with these characteristics can access the T Level foundation year, and monitor the impact of the programme on them, to inform future development of the programme.

We are also using this monitoring to identify where education providers may not be enrolling students in line with the intended target group for the foundation year.

We will contact education providers, as with other funded study programmes, if this monitoring highlights unusual enrolment patterns. We may consider whether controls may be needed in future.