The Department for Education’s decision to adjust post-16 education funding from 2026/27, as part of broader changes to national education priorities, will reduce funding available for International Baccalaureate (IB) programmes. This development is deeply disheartening and will make it extremely difficult for state schools in England to continue offering the IB Diploma and Career-related Programme.
We are working closely with IB schools and the Government to explore all possible options to ensure IB courses remain available to these students .
For nearly 50 years, the IB has provided young people in state schools with access to a world-class education, complementing national qualifications and equipping them with the knowledge and critical skills needed for higher education, apprenticeships, and careers. These programmes are recognised for their rigour and success in enabling students to secure places at leading universities and contribute meaningfully to professions in England and abroad.
The IB plays an important role in broadening access to a rigorous education. Many IB schools in England are state-funded and serve diverse student populations. By providing students from a wide range of backgrounds with internationally recognised qualifications, these schools expand opportunity and social mobility across England.
If the Department of Education carries out this plan, its savings will be minimal, but there will be significant costs to students in loss of choice and opportunity in a globally competitive environment. Nearly 5,000 students will lose access to programmes critical to future success.
We urge ministers to reconsider this decision and keep open pathways to students’ futures by ensuring access to rigorous, transformational curricula that prepare young people for a changing world.
The value of an IB education in England
A 2021 study1 underscores the impact of the IB in helping students succeed in higher education. It found that:
- IB Diploma students were three times more likely than matched A level students to enrol in a top-20 higher education institution.
- They were 21% more likely than matched A level students to continue into their second year of study or to complete their intended qualification.
- IB Diploma graduates were 40% more likely than matched A level peers to obtain a first- or upper second-class honours degree.
1 Duxbury, V, Westlake, C, Joice, W and Jones, E. 2021. International Baccalaureate students studying at UK higher education institutions: How do they perform in comparison with A level students?
