E-bulletins archive

Important actions and reminders

• New T Level industry placement delivery approaches
• Book your students onto their Occupational Specialism

Supporting your delivery

• Learning resource offer update
• Upcoming T Level support events

Digital specific updates

• Our new engagement pack

Education and Childcare specific updates

• Resources update

Health, Healthcare Science and Science specific updates

• Upcoming in-person T Level Health and Science teach event
• The Employer Set Project (ESP) results

Supporting our T Level development work

• Could you or someone you know support our development work?
• Would employers in your network like to help us shape T Levels?

Important actions and reminders

• Book your students onto their Occupational Specialism
• Submitting learner evidence for moderation
• Referring to the specification for T Levels

Supporting your delivery   

• Funding boost to support T Level roll out
• Learning resource offer update
• Changes to how to access our past papers, mark schemes and chief examiner reports

Digital specific updates

• Upcoming Digital support events
• Our Digital Engagement pack

Education and Childcare Specific updates

• Upcoming Education and Childcare events
• The Grade Standard Exemplification Materials for Education and Childcare now available
• Updates to Hodder Education’s textbooks for the Education and Childcare
• Introducing our Employer Guide to Education and Childcare Programmes including the T Level in Education and Childcare

Health, Healthcare Science and Science specific updates

• Update to task timings within the Health Occupational Specialism tutor guidance
• T Level resource survey
• Upcoming Health and Science support events
• Upcoming in-person T Level Health and Science teach event

Supporting our T Level development work

• Flexible worker vacancies
• Working on our Technical Education Advisory Board

Sharing best practice and feedback

• Sharing best practice (adapting T Levels to support SEND learners)
• You said, we did

Important announcement please read

• Update to launch date for T Levels in Hairdressing, Barbering and Beauty Therapy; Craft and Design, and; Media, Broadcast and Production

Important actions and reminders

• Updated sample assessment materials for Health, Healthcare Science and Science
• Book your students onto their Occupational Specialism
• Autumn 2022 results slips
• Key Dates Schedule
• The T Level approval window is now open

Supporting your delivery

• Post results services
• Accessing assessment materials and submitting learner evidence for moderation
• Sharing marks with students prior to the assessment window closing
• Submitting learner evidence for moderation
• Learning resource offer update
• Use of third-party suppliers

Education and Early Years Specific updates

• Education and Childcare T Level route and pathway name change
• Learner marks and sampling for Education and Early Years
• Assessment window for moderation of the Occupational Specialism Early Years Educator and Assisting Teaching
• Upcoming events

Health, Healthcare Science and Science specific updates

• Record your Practical Activity Assessment (PAA) schedule
• • Standardisation training – these sessions are now completed. To access the recording register here.

Supporting our T Level development work

• Help us to connect with employers in the Digital, Education and Childcare and Health sectors
• T Level examiner vacancies

April 2023 Updates: 

Important announcement please read

June 2023 Updates: 

Last updated: 14/06/2023

Important announcement please read

• Submit approval to deliver T Levels from September 2023: We want to remind you that the approval window is now open and will close on 30 June.

Assessments and reviews

• Upcoming Core Exam Assessments: As we begin the summer series of core exams, we'd like to share some useful reminders with you to help ensure these assessments go smoothly.

• Exams department support: Our exams officer webpage includes key information for assessments to support your exams department, please remember to share this link with them.

• Preparing for moderation: View information on the next steps after submitting marks and evidence.

• Assessment audit report timescales: We’ve extended our assessment audit report timeframes to accommodate an increase in the number of required visits owing to the addition of various qualifications to our portfolio
• Updates to qualification materials for T Levels following annual reviews: You’ll find information on the qualification specifications that have been updated, the support available for you and more.

Supporting your delivery

• T Level week with Linking London: Join Linking London for their first ever T Level week. They’ll be hosting a range of online events aimed at T Level students, parents, carers, as well T Level staff.

Digital updates

• Submitting approval for Digital Production T Level: We want to remind you if you’re currently offering Digital Support Services or Digital Business Services T Levels and want to offer the Digital Production, Design and Development T Level, you’ll still need to seek approval from Pearson to deliver this qualification.

Education and Early Years updates

• What do the changes for the Early Years Educator criteria mean for the sector?: The new Early Years Educator (EYE) criteria has now been published and the new standards will come into effect from 1 September 2024. In our recent webinar, we discussed the changes and what these mean for the EYE sector and T Levels.
• Upcoming events: View our upcoming Education and Early Years events to support your delivery.

Health, Healthcare Science and Science updates

• Upcoming Health, Healthcare Science and Science events: View our upcoming events to support your delivery.

Supporting our development work

• Can you or someone you know support our development work? We’re always looking to collaborate with experts in our qualification sectors. See how you could work with us in the coming months.

July 2023 Updates: 

Last updated: 11/07/2023

Important announcement please read

• Wave 4 update: Craft and Design, and Media, Broadcast and Production 
  
  Last week, the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) confirmed that NCFE will be transferring our T Levels in Craft and Design, and Media, Broadcast and Production to Pearson. The technical content already developed by NCFE and the contribution of our expert stakeholders will form a key part of this transition. This decision has been taken jointly by IfATE and NCFE, to ensure we are able to focus on our existing provision.
  
  NCFE will continue to deliver the T Levels in Education and Early Years, Health, Healthcare Science, Science, Digital Support Services and Digital Business Services, and support the best interests of students, as well as the overall success of the T Level Programme.
  
  Arrangements are still being finalised with regard to the future delivery of the Hairdressing, Barbering and Beauty Therapy T Level, and an update will be provided on this in the coming months.
  
  We’re here to support you and your students, so please email [email protected] with any queries.
  
  

Important actions and reminders

• Approvals window is now closed: The approval window for September 2023 delivery for T Level qualifications is now closed. The approval window for September 2024 delivery will open from February 2024 to June 2024.
• Resolving queries – evidence and paperwork: We’re still working through a number of urgent queries regarding assessment evidence and paperwork. Please ensure you check your emails regularly and respond to our questions as soon as you can, so we can resolve any issues and your students can receive their results this summer in a timely manner.  
• Looking ahead to results: Results will be released to providers on 16 August in preparation for students receiving these on 17 August, and we’re here to support you every step of the way. They will be available on the Portal in the ‘Results’ area.

Assessments and reviews

Updates to qualification materials for T Levels following annual reviews: You’ll find information on the qualification specifications that have been updated, the support available for you and more.

Exams department support: Our exams officer webpage includes key information for assessments to support your exams department, please remember to share this link with them.

Supporting your delivery

Preparing for moderation: View information on the next steps after submitting marks and evidence.

Digital updates

Submitting approval for Digital Production T Level: We want to remind you if you’re currently offering Digital Support Services or Digital Business Services T Levels and want to offer the Digital Production, Design and Development T Level, you’ll still need to seek approval from Pearson to deliver this qualification.

Education and Early Years updates

Students are now able to use ‘onsite’ facilities for some industry hours: Providers’ on-site facilities can be used for a maximum of 105 hours of a SEND student’s placement. This will enable students to prepare for their placement with an external employer, alongside pastoral support. This period of on-site provision may also identify non-visible disabilities in some students that may require extra or ongoing pastoral support.

Find out more in the Department for Education’s T Level industry placements: delivery guidance.

Health, Healthcare Science and Science updates

Upcoming Health, Healthcare Science and Science events: View our upcoming events to support your delivery.

Updates to the Health specification: This specification has been more extensively updated to ensure that the full depth of content covered is relevant to Health. Please follow the link to learn more about the updates and what they mean to you.

We need your thoughts: In our communication about the new qualification specification for the T Level in Heath, we asked for your views on the approach to resits for the new specification and the use of a responsive manikin as a resource. We want to ensure we hear from as many of you as possible and therefore we’ve extended the deadline for the survey until Friday 21 July to allow more time for responses.

Supporting our development work

Teaching Assistants, can you support our development work? We're always looking to collaborate with experts in our qualification sectors and we’re particularly interested in hearing from Teaching Assistants to support with some development work on our Education and Early Years T Level, and its Assisting Teaching pathway.

Employer support needed: If you have employers in your network who support industry placements, we’d like to speak to them about T Levels. This will enable us to continue to shape and validate the content, ensuring it is relevant for the future workforce. Please encourage any employers you work with to get in touch with us using the form.

September 2023 Updates: 

Last updated: 27/09/2023

Important announcements please read

• Updated 27/09/2023: Share your feedback for the annual review of T Level Technical Qualifications  - To ensure T Level Technical Qualifications remain at the forefront of education, each year they’re supported by industry representatives and providers to ensure they remain valid and reflective of current industry practice. As part of this process, we’d like to invite you to share your feedback. In the short form, we ask four key questions in relation to the validity and currency, and your feedback will help to inform the review process. Share your thoughts via this Smartsheet form before 31 October 2023. 

• Decoupling – changing the way students can take the core exam and ESP in their first attempt: Between March and May 2023, Ofqual consulted on changes to the qualification level conditions for T Levels, following a Department for Education (DfE) decision to change the way in which students can take the core exam and core employer set project (ESP) in their first attempt at these assessments.

  Previously, students were required to attempt both core sub-components (the core exams (both papers) and the core ESP) in their first attempt. However, following this consultation decision, students are now able to decouple the two core sub-components, allowing them to take only the core exam (both papers), or only the core ESP in their first attempt.

• Key Dates Schedule for 2023-24 and 2024-25: Following two periods of provider consultation, between April and June 2023, we’re pleased to share with you our T Level Key Dates Schedule for 2023/24 and 2024/25, along with a comprehensive tailored response to points raised by providers throughout the consultation process.  

Important actions and reminders

• T Level insights survey: Complete our latest survey to feedback on your experience with T Levels, which will inform us on how we can best support you going forward. The survey will close on 28 September 2023.
• Registration reminder: We wanted to share some important information about registrations, as all new 2023-24 students need to be registered before 1 November 2023.
• Occupational specialism (OS) bookings for moderation: See the process for booking your students on their OS.
• Administration training: This mandatory training will be available from the end of September for the OS moderated components.
• Standardisation training: This mandatory training will be available from 1 October 2023 to 29 February 2024. Materials will be made available to providers on the Portal once their students have been booked onto the OS.

Supporting your delivery

• Employer set project (ESP) exemplar materials are now available: To support your delivery, we’ve developed exemplar materials for the ESP.
• An update on our learning resources offer: To support you in your delivery, we've continued to expand the suite of essential and additional materials available. View our resource offer publication to see a breakdown of the resources available. This includes additional OS sample materials across Digital Support Services, Health, Healthcare Science and Science.

Digital specific updates

• New Cyber Security OS: We’re pleased to inform you that the Cyber Security OS is now available for registrations against the T Level Technical Qualification in Digital Support Services (Level 3) (delivered by NCFE) (603/6901/2) qualification. Assessments will be available in line with the Key Dates Schedule.
• Digital events: We're running a number of events in the coming months to support your delivery.

Education and Early Years specific updates

• Updated 27/09/2023: Changes to T Level Education and Early Years employer set project (ESP) task 3 evidence: We’ve made two minor changes to the way that evidence is provided for the ESP task 3 for both Early Years Educator and also Assisting Teaching.

• Education and Early Years OS bookings for moderation: See the support available to you during the moderation process.
• Schedule of assessment: We want to remind you that to support moderation, we have a dedicated area on our Portal where you can submit and amend your schedule of assessment.
• Preparing for moderation: View the information and guides to support you in preparing for moderation.
• Education and Early Years events: We’re running a number of events in the coming months to support your delivery.
• Updated 27/09/2023: Education and early years student conferences: Sign your students up for our free, virtual education and early years student conference taking place on 10 October at 10:30am-1pm. This event will focus on ‘Professional development for the reflective practitioner’ and students will learn about the career opportunities available to them within the early years and supporting teaching and learning sector. You’ll also find dates for our February and June conferences.
• Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage (EYFS): Please note the changes to ratios as identified in the EYFS from September 2023.
• Updated version of the Development Matters non-statutory curriculum guidance for the EYFS published: This guidance can help meet the requirements of the EYFS statutory framework, as linked above.
• Updated 27/09/2023: Reflecting on two years of T Levels: Sector Manager for Education and Childcare at NCFE, Janet King, assesses the qualification’s impact on the sector.

Health, Healthcare Science and Science specific updates

• Updated 27/09/2023: Important updates on resits and assessments for the T Level in Health: Find out about the new qualification specification and how this affects assessments and resits for your different cohorts of students. 
• Foundations of T Level Health Education: Nurturing Effective Clinical Educators - Workshop 1 - 26 September, 4-5:30pm: We’re hosting a workshop that is tailored for clinical professionals who are preparing to become educators in the T Level Health sector.
• Health, Healthcare Science and Science events: We’re running a number of events in the coming months to support your delivery.

Supporting our development work

We need your support: Level 2 qualification reforms – find out how you can get involved.

October 2023 Updates: 

Last updated: 06/11/2023

Important announcements please read

• T Levels autumn assessment series – what you need to know: If you have students registered for either the core exams or Employer Set Project (ESP) in the autumn assessment series, we wanted to share some useful reminders with you to help ensure these assessments go smoothly. 
  

• Advanced British Standard – what we know so far: Last week, the Prime Minister announced a new qualifications programme for 16-19 year olds with the aim of putting technical and academic education on an equal footing and delivering ‘world class education for all’. In brief, the Advanced British Standard would ultimately replace A Levels and T Levels, increase teaching hours by 15%, and introduce mandatory English and maths to 18. In terms of structure, students would choose a minimum of 5 bigger and smaller subjects (called majors and minors) from both technical and academic options. It’s important to note that this is a decade-long reform and nothing is set to change in the short term. There will also be a consultation this Autumn which will give you the opportunity to get your voice heard. We’ll continue to keep you informed every step of the way as we explore the detail behind these proposals, and you can read more about the Advanced British Standard here. 

Important actions and reminders

• Registration reminder: We wanted to share some important information about registrations, as all new 2023-24 students need to be registered before 1 November. 
• Share your feedback for the annual review of T Level Technical Qualifications: A reminder that we require provider input to ensure T Levels remain valid and reflective of current industry practice. This needs to be completed by a member of your team by 31 October.  
• T Level Technical Qualifications Provider Survey Summer Term 2023: All T Level Technical Qualifications are approved and managed by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) who annually survey providers on the services that we provide to you. IfATE would welcome your views and feedback by completing this short survey The survey is now live and will close on 10 November at 11:59pm. 
• Autumn series booking reminder: As we approach the Autumn series, we'd like to remind providers of the fast approaching booking cut-off dates. With this, we would also like to remind providers that the Autumn series is primarily aimed at students starting their second year of delivery requiring a resit or first attempt.  
• Annual Monitoring Review (AMR) self-assessment form: If you have not yet completed your AMR self-assessment form, please do so as soon as possible. The link will be sent to your AMR contact by your quality reviewer. This is required to confirm that you have the resources in place to deliver your T Levels. The deadline for completion is 10 working days after you’ve received the email (with the final completion deadline being 31 October).
• Administration training: The mandatory administration training videos are now available for the Occupational Specialism (OS) moderated components.

• Standardisation training: This mandatory training is now available until 29 February 2024. Materials will be available on the Portal once your students have been booked onto the OS. 
• Book your students onto their OS: If you have students planning to sit assessments in the summer 2024 session, please ensure they’re all booked onto their OS by the deadlines outlined in our T Level Technical Qualifications Key Dates Schedule 2022-23 and 2023-24. It’s important to note that any bookings made after these deadlines will be subject to late booking fees. For providers delivering  T Level Technical Qualification in Education and Early Years, once your learners are booked, you’ll then be allocated a moderator within 7 working days.  
• Change of contact details: If any contact details at your centre such as programme contact, head of centre, finance or exams contact have changed it is important that you let us know. Please complete our change of centre contact details form. 
• Withdrawing students: If any of your students have completed the first year of their T Level but are not continuing into the second year, please inform [email protected] so that they can be withdrawn on our system. 

Supporting your delivery

• Uploading digital evidence: To support you in uploading digital evidence to the Portal, we’ve created a guidance document on all the information you need, including file size and formats.  
• Enhancing T Level Health and Science delivery with expert support: Join us for our upcoming term one monthly drop-in clinics, where you'll have the opportunity to connect with fellow providers. These sessions are designed to address your questions and concerns about teaching and delivering T Level Health and Science qualifications. 
• An update on our learning resources offer: To support you in the delivery of T Levels, we've continued to expand and update the suite of essential and additional materials available.  
• Supporting you to engage with parents and students around T Levels: We want to remind you about the range of materials available on our website to support you as a provider to explain the value of T Levels to parents and students. 

Education and Early Years specific updates

• Education and Early Years student conference: Last week we hosted our first student conference of 2023-24 and were joined by a fantastic range of speakers. Focusing on professional development for the reflective practitioner: Early Years and Supporting Teaching and Learning, students learnt about the career opportunities within this rewarding sector. Catch-up on the recording and register for our upcoming conferences.  
• Learner story: Chloe Perrin was one of the first students in England to undertake a T Level. After completing her course at Gateshead College, Chloe progressed on to Northumbria University where she is currently studying social work.  We caught up with her during her first year at university to see how the T Level had prepared her for higher education and beyond. 

Digital

• Sector Manger Surgery, Digital T Level (core assessments), 31 October at 12-12:30pm: Sign-up to our Digital surgery which aims to support the teaching and delivery of NCFE Digital T Levels. Whether you are new to delivery or already delivering, this is an opportunity to get answers to any questions you may have around the Digital core exams in relation to feedback from the Chief Examiner’s Report.  

Health, Healthcare Science and Science specific updates 

• Important updates on resits and assessments for the T Level in Health: Find out about the new qualification specification and how this affects assessments and resits for your different cohorts of students. 

December 2023 Updates: 

Approval window opens soon!

From 26 February, you’ll be able to request approval to deliver additional T Levels from September 2024.

Autumn assessment series

If you have students registered for either the core exams or Employer Set Project (ESP) in the autumn assessment series, take a look at these useful reminders to help ensure these assessments go smoothly.  

Important actions and reminders

• Mandatory training: Mandatory training for providers delivering T Level qualifications with moderated assessments is now live. Providers must ensure this is completed by 29 February 2024.

Supporting your delivery

• Professional Development Week: From 18-21 December, our Provider Development team is hosting a Professional Development Week, aiming to deliver a variety of live and recorded remote sessions to our Providers that will support and enhance teaching and learning practice whilst also giving insight into our processes. 

• Coping with exam pressure - guide from Ofqual: To support students with the autumn assessment series for T Levels, we’re sharing a new guide to help them feel more confident about exams and assessments, and how to best plan their revision.  

• New T Level qualification materials: Grade standard exemplification materials (GSEMs) for the Summer 2023 assessment series are now available on the T Level qualification pages (via ‘support materials’) on our website. Additional employer set project (ESP) exemplar materials are also available; these include E grade exemplars for Assisting with Healthcare Science, Digital Business and Laboratory Sciences and contain student responses, alongside examiner commentary to support you and your students. 

• Learning resource offer update: To support you in the delivery of NCFE supplied T Levels, we've continued to expand and update our suite of essential and additional materials .  All materials can be accessed from the ‘Teaching Materials’ tab on the relevant qualification page on our website. 

Education and Early Years specific updates

• Join our first Education and Early Years Assessor and Teacher Network on Monday 18 December, 3-4:30pm: With input and ideas from NCFE Moderators and TQ providers, the sessions will allow for the sharing of ideas and experiences and provider ‘top tips’ for success.  

• Updated support materials for Education and Early Years T Level: There’s now an updated version of the Early Years Educator Assignment 2 Competence Observation Criteria available on the website for providers who are currently delivering the Early Years Educator Occupational Specialism to their year 2 students. This can be found in the support materials section of the qualification page under 'Early Years Educator Assignment 2'.  

Digital

• Explore our events to support your delivery of the Digital T Levels: These include our ‘Year 1 Core Assessment Support’ webinar and ‘Maximising success in the Employer Set Project (ESP)’ bitesize videos.  

Health, Healthcare Science and Science specific updates 

• Health, Healthcare Science & Science teaching and delivery support:  Explore the range of support we have available to you, including bitesize videos, student packs and training events. 

• NCFE and RCNi are working in partnership to support learners ahead of a journey into the nursing workforce: