England to offer vocational GCSEs from 2029 in major school shake-up

From 2029, pupils in England can take new vocational GCSEs in subjects such as construction, creative media production and child development alongside compulsory English, maths and sciences—the biggest qualification change in over a decade. Two-year courses in years 10 and 11 will be Ofqual-regulated to the same standards as academic GCSEs, targeting a crisis that has left nearly a million young people out of work or training as the prime minister Andy Burnham expands vocational paths.