Huge change to secondary education as A-levels and T-Levels to be combined

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Rishi Sunak has announced a major change to secondary education that will bring together A-levels and T-Levels. The Prime Minister told the Tory conference in Manchester on Wednesday that a new combined single qualification called the Advanced British Standard will bring the qualifications together.

He said: “We will introduce the new rigorous, knowledge-rich Advanced British Standard, which will bring together A-levels and T-levels into a new single qualification for our school leavers. “First, this will finally deliver on the promise of parity of esteem between academic and technical education. READ MORE: Andy Burnham and Northern leaders' last-ditch plan to save HS2 if Rishi Sunak axes Manchester legREAD MORE: The Tories have insulted Greater Manchester again - it all feels very familiara “Because all students will sit the Advanced British Standard. “Second, we will raise the floor ensuring that our children leave school literate and numerate because with the Advanced British Standard all students will study some form of maths and English to 18 with extra help for those who struggle most. “In our country no child should be left behind.” Under the plans sixth formers will study five subjects rather than three and students will spend more time in school, Rishi Sunak has said.

He said: “Our 16 to 19-year-olds spend around a third less time in the classroom than some of our competitors. “We must change this, so with our Advanced British Standard, students will spend at least 195 hours more with a teacher.” He added: “A-level students generally only do three subjects compared to the seven studied by our economic competitors. “The Advanced British Standard will change that too, with students typically studying five