The government has launched a consultation on its proposed funding levels for students taking the new T-level qualifications.

The consultation outlines plans to place each of the 25 new T levels within one of four funding bands.

In the consultation document, the Department for Education says different T levels will require differing hours of study, and will involve an average of 900 hours per year - 50 per cent more than the current study programmes at level 3.

The proposed T-level funding bands are based on the current £4,000 per year base funding rate for 16- to 19-year-olds. They are then applied on a pro rata basis to calculate the T-level funding rates:

• Band 6 - Small T levels: £8,340 (paid at £4,170 per year)
• Band 7 - Medium T levels: £9,670 (paid at £4,835 per year)
• Band 8 - Large T levels: £10,670 (paid at £5,335 per year)
• Band 9 - Very large T Levels: £11,670 (paid at £5,835 per year)
   

The first three T levels, which will be taught at selected providers from 2020 - education and childcare; design surveying and planning; and digital production design and development - are all in band 7.

An additional £550 will be paid to providers to cover industry placements, which the government plans to pay half of each year.

English and maths resits

Students who do not hold a GCSE grade 4 or above or a level 2 functional skills qualification in maths and or English by the start of their T level will need to continue studying these subjects as part of their T-level programme.

To cover the cost of level 2 English and maths, the DfE is proposing providing a one-off payment of £750 per subject per student during the first year of a T-level programme. Under these plans, where a student does not reach level 2 by the end of their first year, and needs to continue study into the second year, no extra funding will be allocated.

A spokesperson for the Sixth Form Colleges Association said the government should focus on the vast majority of students who will be pursuing non-T-level options, and funding for them should be based on the more generous amounts offered for T levels.

The consultation will run until 19 February 2019 and it can be completed online here.