Cambridge OCR has welcomed UK Government plans to overhaul education for 16 to 19 year olds, while calling for the sector to be given the time and space to properly prepare for new qualifications.

This Department for Education announcement includes the introduction of new ‘V Levels’, a streamlined qualification that can be sat alongside A Levels.

The proposals include plans for new support to help pupils achieve the “vital pass” they need for GCSE maths and English. This follows Cambridge OCR’s warning that the vast majority of those resitting GCSEs do not go on to achieve a good pass.

The Government said a new qualification will be “targeted at students with lower attainment as a stepping stone to better prepare them to resit these GCSEs”.

In response to the V Level plans, Myles McGinley, Managing Director of Cambridge OCR, said: "If we get this right, this could be a tremendous opportunity for young people. The sector needs the time to collaborate and develop qualifications that meet the needs of students, offer lasting value, and elevate the esteem in which vocational qualifications are held. We also need to learn the lessons from developing and implementing previous vocational qualifications. Schools and colleges must be given the space and resource to prepare to teach V Levels to the highest standard.”

GCSE resit reforms

This summer Cambridge OCR led calls to end the GCSE 'resit crisis’.

Myles McGinley said: "Too many students are stuck in a distracting and dispiriting resit cycle, inhibiting post-16 education. It's essential that we tackle this resit crisis. The government is showing a welcome willingness to take this on.

"Now the government must deliver targeted reforms to GCSE, including reducing the volume and intensity of exams at 16.”