Qualification-type funding approval criteria: T Level foundation qualifications
Source: gov.uk (2025-02-06)

This qualifications type is not included in the current funding approval round. This page is available for reference only.

This qualifications type is not included in the current funding approval round. This page is available for reference only.

This section explains the additional funding approval criteria for T Level foundation qualifications.

1. Qualification must be for an appropriate route

We will only consider approving T Level foundation qualifications in the following routes:
- agriculture, environmental and animal care
- business and administration
- creative and design
- construction and the built environment
- digital
- education and early years
- engineering and manufacturing
- health and science
- legal, finance and accounting
- sales, marketing and procurement
We have removed 2 routes from the cycle 2 approvals process for T Level foundation qualifications:
- the hair and beauty route - there will no longer be a combined hairdressing, barbering and beauty T Level, and the government is exploring a T Level focused on the beauty sector
- the catering and hospitality route - the catering T Level is delayed to beyond 2024 to ensure it meets the needs of the sector
Once this work is completed, we will review its implications for T Level foundation qualifications in each of these routes.

We will not approve more than one T Level foundation qualification for the same route from the same awarding organisation, because they would need to cover the same content to meet the requirements for funding approval.

Criterion 3 covers the content requirements for T Level foundation qualifications.

2. Qualification must have an appropriate sector subject area

The qualification must have an appropriate sector subject area (SSA) classification, based on its content. The SSA must be within your scope of recognition.

We expect the SSAs for T Level foundation qualifications to align with the SSA classifications for T Level technical qualifications in that route, because their content will align with T Levels in the same route.

T Level technical qualifications that are already available can be found on Ofqual’s register of regulated qualifications (https://register.ofqual.gov.uk/).

We expect the below SSAs to be used for T Level foundation qualifications, based on their content and the T Level technical qualification SSAs, where available.

We have removed the relevant SSAs for the hair and beauty and the catering and hospitality routes.

Where we have indicated two relevant SSAs for a route, your scope of recognition must include both SSAs. However, you will need to choose the most reasonable SSA to classify your qualification, based on the proportionate match between its content and the SSAs.

You should check your scope of recognition before submitting qualifications for funding approval and, if necessary, apply to Ofqual to expand your scope of recognition (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/application-for-recognition-supporting-information/supporting-information-application-for-recognition#if-you-are-already-a-regulated-awarding-organisation) before submitting a qualification for funding approval.

3. Qualification content must appropriately cover the national content for the route

We will only consider approving T Level foundation qualifications where their content is based on the national technical outcomes (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/t-level-foundation-year-national-technical-outcomes) for the T Level foundation year. The content of the qualification will be assessed against the criteria below.

The qualification must be based on the national technical outcomes for one route only.

The qualification must include all the outcomes, knowledge and skills specified in the national technical outcomes for the route, including all the options specified for that route, where applicable. Where the national technical outcomes include options, all these options must be available to students taking the qualification:
- in the agriculture, environmental and animal care and the health and science routes, students can choose to take outcome A or outcome B
- in the construction and the built environment and the creative and design routes, students can choose to cover different content to meet a particular outcome
The qualification may cover the specified knowledge and skills in more detail than is set out in the national technical outcomes:
- the detailed content must be relevant to demonstrating the associated outcome
- you may use the illustrative examples of breadth and depth, provided as supplementary information in the national technical outcomes, but this is not expected or required
The qualification may include additional knowledge or skills beyond those specified in the national technical outcomes, only if:
- the overall extent of additional content is minimal, given the size guidelines in criterion 6
- it is relevant to demonstrating one or more outcomes
- there is a clear rationale for including the content in the qualification
- its inclusion does not change the focus of the associated outcomes
- no additional outcomes are incorporated into the qualification, beyond those that are set out in the national technical outcomes
The overall amount of knowledge content in the qualification must ensure there is sufficient time in the guided learning hours for skills development, which takes time.

What you need to do

You need to provide a qualification specification that must clearly show:
- how the content covers the national technical outcomes
- that all the knowledge and skills included in the national technical outcomes are incorporated in the qualification
You can decide how to present this in the specification.

Where applicable, provide a statement that explains:
- what additional content, beyond the national technical outcomes, is included in the qualification and why - explain how it contributes to the associated outcome
- what specific content in the national technical outcomes is excluded from the qualification and why - explain why excluding it will affect the associated outcome
4. Qualification must assess demonstration of the outcomes for the route

The qualification must assess students’ demonstration of the specific outcomes set out in the national technical outcomes for the route, through the application of knowledge and skills together.

The agriculture, environmental and animal care route, and the health and science route, include an outcome that only contains knowledge. The assessment of these outcomes will only focus on the application of knowledge.

The national technical outcomes for some routes include options. This is explained in criterion 3. For these routes, assessments must be available for all the options specified in the national technical outcomes for the route.

This includes options between outcomes and within an outcome. Students must be assessed on the option they take, not on every option available in the qualification.

What you need to do

Provide a short statement explaining how the qualification assesses demonstration of the specific outcomes in the national technical outcomes.

Provide an assessment strategy that:
- complies with Ofqual’s assessment strategy requirements
- has regard to Ofqual’s assessment guidance for T Level foundation qualifications
Provide sample assessment materials that cover all the assessments that students are required to complete to obtain the qualification, including for all the options that can be taken in the qualification. These need to include mark schemes and a specification content coverage record, where applicable, for each assessment in the qualification.

The qualification must meet Ofqual’s:
- general conditions of recognition (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/ofqual-handbook)
- qualification-level conditions for progression qualifications (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/qualification-level-conditions-for-progression-qualifications)
Awarding organisations must also have regard to Ofqual’s guidance on assessment for T Level foundation qualifications (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/qualification-level-conditions-for-progression-qualifications/guidance-on-assessment-for-t-level-foundation-qualifications-level-2).

5. Qualification supports progression to T Levels

We will approve qualifications that are informed by and support the T Level foundation year, in preparing students for T Levels. You must demonstrate:
- how the qualification’s design is informed by the T Level foundation year framework for delivery (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/t-level-transition-programme-framework-for-delivery-2022-to-2023)
- how it could contribute to the holistic preparation for T Levels in the route
- how you have involved education and training institutions, including T Level foundation year or T Level providers, in designing and developing the qualification
- what impact the education and training institutions’ involvement had on design decisions
T Level foundation qualifications will be taken by young people as one part of the T Level foundation year, which is a one-year study programme designed to prepare students for progression to T Levels in a particular route. An important principle of the programme is to provide a holistic and integrated approach to developing core knowledge, skills and behaviours, where different components of the programme complement and reinforce students’ development and T Level preparation.

We do not expect additional content or guided learning hours to be added to the qualification for the purpose of supporting holistic preparation for T Levels.

We expect you to involve institutions currently delivering the T Level foundation year, T Levels or both while developing the qualification, to inform its detailed content and design. We have published a list of providers delivering T Levels and the T Level foundation year (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/providers-selected-to-deliver-t-levels).

What you need to do

You need to:
- provide a statement explaining:
- how the T Level foundation year framework for delivery informed the qualification design
- how the qualification supports holistic preparation for progression to T Levels in the route
- provide details of the institutions, the roles of staff and their subject area expertise involved during the qualification’s development
- indicate where these are T Level foundation year or T Level providers, and how and when they were involved
- provide a statement explaining what impact the involvement of institutions had on the qualification design
You need to provide letters from at least 6 institutions explaining why, specifically, they support the qualification for delivery in the T Level foundation year. These institutions must be approved to receive funding from the Education and Skills Funding Agency.

These could be the same letters you are submitting to meet the common funding approval criterion 7 (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/qualifications-funding-approval-manual-2025-to-2026/common-funding-approval-criteria#evidence-of-demand) on evidence of demand for the qualification, if those letters also include why the institution supports the qualification. They could also include more letters from other institutions you involved in developing the qualification.

You can use our list of questions to address in letters of support from providers (PDF, 116KB) (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/661d19aec8225636d5bd3e33/Questions_to_address_in_letters_of_support_for_T_Level_Foundation_Qualifications.pdf). Providers should address these questions as a minimum.

Responses can be in a standalone letter, on headed paper and signed by an appropriate member of staff. The member of staff could be a:
- course leader
- head of department
- curriculum lead
- principal or vice-principal
Alternatively, responses to these questions can be included as part of the letter which shows evidence of provider demand.

6. Qualification is an appropriate size

We expect T Level foundation qualifications to fall within the guideline size of 120 to 150 guided learning hours. This is based on the design of the national technical outcomes.

These qualifications will support the delivery of the technical component of the T Level foundation year. We do not expect this to be the largest part of the programme.

We will only consider approving qualifications that are larger or smaller than the guideline where you have clearly demonstrated why this is necessary to cover the national technical outcomes.

The size of the qualification relates to guided learning hours. Ofqual has published guidance on activities that contribute to guided learning hours (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/ofqual-handbook/section-e-design-and-development-of-qualifications#criteria-glh).

What you need to do

You need to provide a statement explaining your justification for the guided learning hours. Explain, where applicable, why this needs to be larger or smaller than the guideline size to cover the national technical outcomes.

7. Qualification must have an appropriate title

The title of the qualification must include the words ‘T Level Foundation Qualification’. You may also add the abbreviation TLFQ in brackets after the title, but do not do this instead of using the full wording.

For example, you could say:

T Level Foundation Qualification in Education and Early Years (TLFQ).

The title must also include the T Level route that the qualification relates to, as explained in criterion 1.

8. Qualification meets Ofqual’s regulatory requirements

The qualification must meet Ofqual’s:
- general conditions of recognition (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/ofqual-handbook)
- qualification-level conditions for progression qualifications (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/qualification-level-conditions-for-progression-qualifications)
Awarding organisations are also expected to have regard to Ofqual’s guidance on assessment for T Level foundation qualifications (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/qualification-level-conditions-for-progression-qualifications/guidance-on-assessment-for-t-level-foundation-qualifications-level-2).

As part of the funding approval process for T Level foundation qualifications, Ofqual will review qualification materials you submit and will feed back the outcome of their review to DfE.

We will consider Ofqual’s feedback when deciding whether a qualification should be approved for funding.