New qualifications will be introduced aimed at supporting students to resit English and maths GCSEs, the government has said.

The plans are contained in a Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, which education secretary Bridget Phillipson announced in a parliamentary statement this afternoon.

The White Paper says the new qualifications will help students with a grade 2 or below in English and maths to “consolidate the foundational skills and knowledge needed” to take a GCSE resit.

They would “allow students and teachers the space and time they need in Year 12 to secure these foundations and gain recognition for that, before then progressing onto the GCSE”.

Students who pass this new qualification would “then be better prepared to study towards and achieve the GCSE the following year”, the White Paper says.

Students with a grade 3 would “continue to access the GCSE [resit] directly”.

GCSE resits: a ‘morale-sapping system’

The government plans to work with the sector to develop the new qualifications, and will consult on them in 2026. 

Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said he was “pleased” to hear the government acknowledge that “a new approach is needed” to supporting students resitting English and maths. 

“This must move us away from the current morale-sapping system of mandatory GCSE resits. We need an approach that builds confidence in these subjects and gives young people the best possible opportunity to achieve qualifications of which they can be proud,” he said.

A DfE spokesperson said the new resit qualifications will support white working-class children in particular, as more than six in 10 white British pupils eligible for free school meals do not achieve a grade 4 or above in English and maths by the end of key stage 4.

This means they are twice as likely to need to resit these exams post-16 than their peers. 

V levels introduced

The White Paper also includes plans for new qualifications to sit alongside A levels and T levels, to “rewire the education system and support young people into work”.

A DfE spokesperson said V levels are new “vocational qualifications tied to rigorous and real-world job standards” and that they would replace other qualifications and provide a “clear option for young people who want to get on in the world of work, university or apprenticeships but want to explore different key sectors”. 

According to the government, V levels will help pupils explore “engineering, agriculture, digital or creative” careers and they will be able to choose where they wish to specialise. 

School enrichment and work experience

The government has launched a consultation to support the introduction of V levels, which also expands on previously announced plans to introduce an “enrichment framework” for schools by the end of 2025.

It says the framework “is being co-developed with a working group consisting of experts from further education, schools, youth, sports and arts organisations and research” and “will support schools as well as further education and sixth-form colleges in developing their enrichment offer”.

It says it will do this “by identifying and reflecting effective practice and will provide advice on how to plan a high-quality enrichment offer more intentionally and strategically”.

This support for wider employability, enrichment and pastoral activity “will be particularly important for students with lower GCSE prior attainment and SEND, who may therefore benefit from more tailored support and/or increased engagement in extracurricular activity”, it adds.

There will also be a focus on making work experience “the best it can be”.

‘Duty’ on schools to support students into post-16 study

The White Paper also states: “We will introduce an automatic guaranteed college place in reserve for all 16-year-olds, so no one is left behind after their GCSEs”.

It adds: “To support learners, we will place duties on schools to support young people who are transitioning into post-16 study, with an automatic backstop of a place in college”.

The government said it “would provide clearer information and guidance on outcomes from different education and training pathways, and provide practical experience that supports learners as they progress through education and training”.

Support would also be improved for learners with special educational needs and disabilities.

Labour education plans

Announcing the plans today, Ms Phillipson said: “Technical and vocational education is the backbone of this country’s economy and central to breaking the link between background and success, helping hundreds of thousands of young people get the skills they need to get good jobs”.

Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer previously told the Labour Party conference that he will introduce a new target for two-thirds of young people to go to university or further education or do a “gold-standard apprenticeship” by the age of 25.

Chair of the curriculum and assessment review, Professor Becky Francis, said today: “I am delighted that the government has recognised and accepted our recommendations to promote excellence and improve young people’s life chances by ensuring a choice of strong, well-regarded qualifications.”

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