Headteachers and colleges have united in a joint bid for a substantial increase in funding for vocational education.
They are also working on joint proposals for 14-19 year old vocational qualifications and assessment to back up the recent education Green Paper.

150 colleges currently work with schools to deliver vocational education, typically for half a day a week. But the Government has given just £38 million over two years to support expansion. The Association of Colleges, the Secondary Heads Association and the National Association of Head Teachers are bidding for funding increases, and lobbying for a range of qualifications and modes of assessment to be made available to support the planned changes.

David Gibson, Chief Executive of the Association of Colleges said: "The Government’s commitment to 14-19 education is greatly to be welcomed, but the Chancellor must use the spending review to fund vocational education fully if it is to succeed. And we want to see a fair deal for students on A Levels too – a £1000 less for an A Level student in a college just is not acceptable. Colleges and schools have done much work together to develop these programmes, so we can help ministers to get the funding and qualifications right.”

David Hart, General Secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, added: "Colleges, schools and business should work together to put some flesh on the bones of the Green Paper over pre and post-16 vocational qualifications. We shouldn’t wait for others to make the running. Nobody has yet got it right."

And John Dunford, General Secretary of the Secondary Heads Association said: "We totally support the Government’s decision to focus on 14-19 education, but as well as proper funding for the new system, a great deal more attention needs to be paid to the role of assessment in the new structure. This is the black hole in the Green Paper."