College 16-18 English and maths surveys

16-19 Level 1 English and maths ‘stepping stone’ qualifications - AoC FE sector pulse survey report 2026

The Department for Education (DfE) consulted on the design of proposed new Level 1 'stepping stone' qualifications for 16-19 Level 1 English and maths. The Association of Colleges (AoC) jointly with Mathematics in Education and Industry (MEI) and the FE Literacy Movement undertook a short pulse survey on some of the key design features proposed in the consultation document.

The survey was aimed at two groups of college staff:

• individual English and maths practitioners submitting their own views, this includes multiple responses per college
• principals or other senior leaders on behalf of the main college corporation/group, this includes only one response per college

Key findings from English and maths practitioners
English and maths practitioners believe that the proposed ‘stepping stone’ qualifications should:

• aim to address student disengagement, build confidence and support achievement (98% support)
• have a modular structure (89% support) with three or four modules (79% support), gaining credit for each module (90% support)
• be supported with specific resources, guidance and CPD for staff (97% support)

Key findings from principals and senior leaders
Principals and senior leaders believe that the proposed ‘stepping stone’ qualifications should:

• aim to address student disengagement, build confidence and support achievement (98% support)
• have a modular structure (91% support) with three or four modules (90% support), gaining credit for each module (95% support)
• be supported with specific resources, guidance and CPD for staff (98% support)

AoC English and maths stepping stone qualifications survey report 2026 FE Week Blog

AoC English and Maths Survey Report 2025

Improving post-16 English and maths outcomes for learners continues to be a major public policy priority, creating significant challenges for the college sector. This AoC English and maths survey aims to establish the major concerns colleges have and how they are responding. Our last survey of this type was conducted in 2022.

Among the most significant findings:

• The greatest challenges faced by colleges are low student attendance in English and maths and recruiting and/or retaining English and maths teachers.
• Almost every college reported that student attendance in English and maths is lower than for students’ other programmes, but is above 70% in over 80% of colleges.
• 78% of colleges report difficulty in recruiting maths teachers (up from 36% in 2022), and 65% of colleges reported difficulty in recruiting English teachers (up from 24% in 2022).
• The most common approach is to enrol either all retake students or all grade 2 and 3 students on a one-year GCSE programme. One key factor for this is the greater currency of GCSE.
• Most colleges do not offer Level 2 Functional Skills because of the low pass rate and the greater currency of GCSE.

AoC English and Maths Survey Report 2025