Success of new Diplomas dependent on future of A Levels

12 Nov 2007

In a {snippet: pdf} press release issued by the Oxford University Press Office, the success of the new Diplomas is said to depend on what happens to A Levels.

The new 14-19 Diplomas, heralded by the government as a mechanism for widening participation in education and training after the age of 16, are the focus of a new paper to come out of the Nuffield Review.

One of the main issues identified by the Nuffield Review in the publication, Issues Paper 1: ‘The New 14-19 Diplomas’ is that the government has to be clearer about whether A Levels and GCSEs are to be included in the Diploma framework or whether they will be run parallel to it. It concludes that if all 14-19 year olds can benefit from broader programmes of study, this decision cannot be delayed until 2013, because all Diplomas will suffer in the shadow of A Levels.