Ministers have this week confirmed that the Applied General qualification category will be retained for school performance tables in England.

As recommended in the Skills Plan, the DfE has reviewed the contribution of these qualifications for preparing students for higher education and what part Applied Generals, such as OCR’s Cambridge Technicals, can play in a reformed post-16 system.

Applied Generals are Level 3 qualifications designed to be part of the post-16 academic route alongside A Levels.