White working-class pupils who fail English and maths GCSEs will soon benefit from a new “core skills diploma” designed to support students with lower attainment and end the cycle of repeated resits. The Department for Education (DfE) is set to unveil the qualification on Monday as part of a sweeping package of reforms aimed at addressing what ministers describe as a “lost generation” of pupils left behind by the current education system.
A ‘Stepping Stone’ for Struggling Students
Under the new plan, pupils who do not achieve passes in English and maths at age 16 will be able to pursue the core skills diploma as an alternative pathway to demonstrate literacy and numeracy competence.
The DfE said the qualification will “support white working-class pupils in particular,” as they are disproportionately more likely to fail the two core subjects. Around a third of all 16-year-olds in England failed English and maths in their GCSEs this summer.
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Among white British pupils eligible for free school meals, just 18.6% achieved a “strong pass” (grade 5 or above) in both subjects in 2023–24 — less than half the national state-school average of 45.9%.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said she is determined to address the long-standing issue of low attainment among disadvantaged white pupils, warning that the trend has become a “drag on national productivity.”
“For too long, white working-class children have been written off,” Phillipson said. “This reform will give them a real chance to build confidence and skills that lead to better jobs and futures.”
End of Mandatory Resits
Currently, pupils who fail English or maths are required to keep resitting the exams until they achieve a grade 4 , a rule that has drawn criticism from teachers’ unions for being “rigid and demoralising.”
The new diploma could mark the end of compulsory resits. While the Government did not confirm whether the rule will be abolished, the DfE said the new qualification will serve as a “stepping stone to better prepare students to retake GCSEs if they wish.”
Professor Becky Francis, head of Labour’s curriculum review, recently described mandatory resits as “too inflexible” and called for a broader approach that values practical achievement.
Opposition Warns of Lower Standards
However, critics have accused the Government of lowering expectations. Laura Trott, the shadow education secretary, warned that the reforms could “water down” academic standards.
“It’s astonishing that the Education Secretary claims to support white working-class children while dismantling the very reforms that raised standards,” Trott said. “In Wales, where a similar Labour model is in place, deprived pupils are falling further behind.”
Alongside the diploma, ministers will launch “V-levels”, a new qualification allowing sixth-form students to combine vocational courses — such as engineering, agriculture, and digital skills — with traditional A-levels.
Unlike the existing T-levels, introduced by the previous Conservative government, V-levels will be smaller in scope and designed to provide flexibility for students seeking a mix of academic and technical study.
For example, a student interested in the creative industries could take V-levels in craft and design and media production, alongside an A-level in music.
Phillipson said technical education would be central to the UK’s economic renewal:
“Technical and vocational education is the backbone of our economy. For too long, it has been an afterthought. That changes now.”
University and Funding Reforms Ahead
The white paper is also expected to include plans to tighten oversight of low-quality university degrees and reinstate maintenance grants for poorer students — a move that has been widely welcomed by education campaigners.
As Britain faces widening education inequality, the DfE insists that the reforms will “close gaps in opportunity” and prepare students — especially those from working-class backgrounds — for the modern workforce.
