Public Consultation on Post-16 Level 3 and Below Pathways
Task
The Department for Education's Post-16 Education and Skills Strategy (October 2025) responded to the Curriculum and Assessment Review's interim report, which recognised A Levels and T Levels as high-quality Level 3 qualifications, but identified the need for a third pathway for students who do not follow these routes. The Review highlighted a confusing qualifications landscape, with approximately 900 Level 3 and 1,600 Level 2 qualifications available for 16 to 19-year-olds, many with mixed outcomes and limited comparability.
At level 3, while A Levels and T Levels delivered well for their students, no coherent vocational pathway existed for those who preferred applied learning but were not ready to commit to a specific occupational route. At Level 2, socio-economically disadvantaged and vulnerable students were overrepresented, with prior attainment in English and Maths at key stage 4 identified as the primary barrier to Level 3 progression.
To address this, the Department for Education proposed two new pathways for 16 to 19-year-olds in England:
Further Study Pathway: Foundation Certificates (240 guided learning hours) for students requiring additional time to develop knowledge and skills before progressing to T Levels, V Levels, or A Levels.
Occupational Pathway: Occupational Certificates for students seeking Level 2 employment, with content based on occupational standards published by Skills England, delivered over a two-year study programme.
A public consultation ran from 20th October 2025 to 12th January 2026, seeking views from a wide range of stakeholders, which TONIC was commissioned to analyse.
Our Approach
TONIC produced a summary of responses to the consultation by conducting quantitative analysis for all closed (multiple choice) questions, and thematic analysis for all open (free text) questions.
Thematic analysis was chosen to highlight the similarities and differences across the dataset to generate insights. The process facilitated the organisation and description of the feedback that was received in detail, to interpret the research aims of the consultation. The analysis followed six steps involved in the process:
A detailed reading of the data to become familiar with the text
Initial codes ascribed to the data and organised into meaningful groups relevant to consultation questions
Codes conceptually related to one another grouped together and identified as themes
Themes reviewed to determine whether they are internally coherent and distinct from each other
Defining and naming themes and subthemes, which provide structure to the analysis
Writing up results, providing a narrative summary of the relationship between codes, subthemes and themes, including examples from the data to illustrate the essence of each theme
In total, the consultation received 758 responses, with 47% submitted on behalf of organisations, and 52% from individuals. Most organisational responses were received from education colleges, followed by schools, sixth form colleges, awarding organisations, and representative bodies. For those responding as individuals, the majority were teachers and lecturers.
Outcome
TONIC produced a detailed written report that presented the findings of the consultation, alongside an executive summary. The report was structured around the core questions of the consultation, with a table of themes identified broken down by frequency of occurrence, alongside deeper analysis of the most prominent themes. Analyses were supported with direct quotes taken from the consultation and anonymised for privacy.