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Post 16 education in this system is for ages 16 and older. For ages, 16-18 education will be state funded and at university, level tuition will also be state funded. For ages 16-18 this system is called compulsory education, this is because everyone must attend one form and apprenticeships are not institution/school-based. This system will aim to be inclusive, democratic and individual. It is not that either of these current systems is not inclusive, once an individual is accepted, they work hard to accommodate most, it is that they are exclusive in their approach. Everyone must meet minimum grade requirements for these kinds of education. The main changes which will be made to improve post-16 education in these areas are the removal of minimum grade requirements, the ability to vote on some subjects and topics which can be taught and the ability to pick the method of assessment and learning which best suits them. There will be other changes made in order to help accommodate these changes and to solve practical issues which may be caused by changing this system.

Compulsory education is for ages 16-18, in this age group, there will be no minimum grade requirements. Individuals with Special Educational Needs (SEN) are less likely to get 5 grade 9-4 qualifications at GCSE (DfE 2018), in this alternative, students will have done assessments, but results do not exclude anyone from the next step. There are other effective ways of deciding who to offer places at colleges to, for example, interviews and personal statements may be more inclusive and just as effective (Hardigan et al. 2001). Options for extra help will be the same, this can come in the form of extra financial help for low-income families, extra help with academics for individuals with specific learning difficulties (SpLDs) and any support for any other challenges. The 16-18 institutions will have the power to make reasonable adjustments to help such students (Dickinson 2005).

For students at this level, they can choose to take B-Tech, A-Levels or apprenticeships. These are all worth the same, while technically this is the case currently the attitude toward them is not the same (Lasonen 1996). Students who take B-Tech or A-Level qualifications will also be allowed to decide on an assessment method which suits their learning style (Knowles 1980), this allows for students to excel in any subject, but they must use a variety of methods to maintain motivation and interest (Cauley and McMilan 2010). Those who choose to study with an apprenticeship will be assessed using a mixture of observations and knowledge testing when appropriate. Allowing students to pick their assessment means that every student can succeed in any subject they wish to (Cauley and McMilan 2010). However, allowing individuals to choose their assessment method could be problematic, if they are not pushed out of their comfort zone, they will not be prepared for adult life which is one of education’s purposes (Phelps 2011).

Democracy will only be used in B-Tech and A-level study. This is because in an apprenticeship is training for a job and so must learn everything which pertains to that job. During B-Tech and A-Level study there will be opportunities for students to vote on what is to be taught (Dultz 1999). These students will have learned during their compulsory schooling how democracy works and how to use it, so they should be ready to exercise this by 16 (Bailey 2014). The main problem with this is that not everyone will be happy with what is selected but ultimately this is how society works when being democratic.

This alternative compulsory education system is mostly practical since it mostly uses the same infrastructure, institutions and current qualification types will remain and the changes are not too drastic. However, if institutions are going to be inclusive to all they will need to dedicate time and resources to make that happen (Farrel 2007). It will also take work to change the perceptions of B-Tech and Apprenticeship study because while they technically are equal most view them differently (Lasonen 1996). This system may not be fair though, by ensuring that nothing is grade dependent to include one group, another group may feel excluded. Those who do well in examinations but do not perform well in an interview setting will find it unfair that their grades do not immediately count for anything. This may cause further practicality issues: if student’s do not see the immediate repercussions for poor results, they may not work as hard to attain the best results they can, this can be mitigated by instilling the value of education as an end in itself from an early age (Phelps 2011).