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Prime minister Andy Burnham announced this week that new technical education pathways would be available to Year 10 students in schools from 2028, prompting fresh debate over the future of the curriculum.

Mr Burnham’s announcement came just eight months after the curriculum and assessment review and less than six months after the release of the schools White Paper, two landmark publications already requiring significant systemic change.

While a number of questions remain about how the new technical pathways will work, Mr Burnham has previously promoted entry into employment through technical education via the rollout of the Greater Manchester Baccalaureate (MBacc), reaching , SEND/alternative provision settings and colleges across the area.

But how many students across the whole of England currently take vocational qualifications, without the new pathways in place?

Rising numbers on vocational routes

National Pupil Database and Individualised Learner Record figures, collated by the , indicate that 10,100 students enrolled on 14-16 full- or part-time provision in the 2024-25 academic year. In 2025-26 this figure fell by over 1,000, to 8,970 students.

The Association of Colleges reported that the number for 2024-25 was , and said the 10,100 students in 2024-25 were enrolled on 14-16 provision at 160 further education colleges in England. The 10,100 figure represented an increase of around 30 per cent compared with 2020-21.

Other technical routes for this age group exist in the form of University Technical Colleges (UTCs), with the Baker Dearing Educational Trust charity saying that 44 UTCs remain open in England.

For those aged 16-18, Department for Education indicate that vocational studies are not as popular as alternatives such as A levels. Of nearly 630,000 students completing their 16-18 studies in 2024-25, almost 300,000 were A-level entrants, compared with under 12,000 16- to 18-year-olds in receipt of a T-level result.

In 2024-25, meanwhile, 74,990 young people aged under 19 started an , and the government is working to increase take-up of apprenticeships through a new bursary for households eligible for universal credit.

From 2026-27, students will also have the option of studying V levels, which were introduced under the previous government.

It is not clear how the new technical education pathways will be assessed, but speaking yesterday, Colin Hughes, chief executive of exam board AQA, said the 14-16 vocational qualifications “could and should provide a strong foundation for new V levels”.

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