New GCSE in digital tech coming to UK schools
Key Points
- Digital Tech is among new Vocational GCSEs planned from September 2029
- The qualifications will replace Technical Awards with nationally set content
- Ofqual will regulate grading to match traditional GCSEs
- First Digital V Levels open to 16-year-olds from September 2027
- Government wants employers to offer 200,000 extra work experience placements
Digital Tech is among the new Vocational GCSEs the Department for Education (DfE) plans to introduce from September 2029.
The DfE and Education Secretary Lucy Powell announced the qualifications on 23 September, and they will eventually replace the current Technical Awards taken by pupils in England.
Other subjects under consideration include Business Management and Finance, Creative Media Production, Child Development, and Building and Construction.
The new qualifications will match traditional GCSEs in size, with nationally set content based on advice from subject experts. Ofqual will regulate assessment and grading to give them full parity with traditional GCSEs.
The DfE said Technical Awards currently vary by provider, have no nationally set content and do not consistently support progression to further study.
Pupils will still study English, maths and science as a common entitlement alongside the new Vocational GCSEs.
The qualifications form part of broader technical pathways starting in September 2028, with students able to progress to T Levels, V Levels or A Levels in the same subject areas.
The first V Levels, in Education, Finance and Digital, open to 16-year-olds from September 2027.
“Our new Vocational GCSEs will give young people a stronger connection to the careers and industries shaping our economy, helping them discover and develop their talents while maintaining high standards across our education system,” said Lucy Powell, Education Secretary.
“That one-size-fits-all approach isn’t working, so we’re building an education system that values both academic and technical paths,” said Andy Burnham, Prime Minister.
The government also plans to place greater emphasis on practical skills and assessment in existing GCSE subjects, including Computing, Design and Technology, and Music.
Local leaders, employers, schools and colleges will help decide which subjects to offer, and the DfE will launch a consultation on the qualifications later this year.
The government will also adapt school performance measures so that Ofsted and the accountability system give schools an incentive to offer the new qualifications.
Work experience push
Alongside the new GCSEs, the government launched a National Mission on Work Experience with the Good Growth Business Forum.
It calls on employers to provide an additional 200,000 work experience placements for pupils aged 14 to 16, including at digital media companies, accountancy firms and construction companies.
Employers can pledge placements through their local Careers Hub, while No10 North will host its own placements for 14 to 16-year-olds this academic year.
The DfE said the reforms aim to tackle the 1 million young people currently not in education, employment or training.
