Labour has promised to end the “remorseless cycle” of compulsory GCSE maths and English resits as part of its plans to reform further education (FE).

Currently, FE students are required to keep retaking GCSEs until they get at least a grade 4 (or a C under the old grading system) as a condition of college funding, even though many fail again and again.

Under Labour plans announced on Tuesday, students and colleges will be allowed to choose alternative qualifications instead to ensure that they meet the required standards in English and maths, rather than being forced down the GCSE route.

Experts in the sector have expressed mounting concern about the resit policy, which puts an enormous strain on FE resources and frequently fails to improve GCSE grades, despite numerous attempts by some students, even up to the age of 19.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said instead of struggling with GCSEs, students should be allowed to make progress in English and maths through high-quality functional skills programmes. “We welcome Labour’s commitment to end the remorseless cycle of GCSE English and maths retakes which the government has forced on further education,” Barton said.

“It’s absolutely right that students should be able to retake these important qualifications if they choose to do so. But there is no point in compelling large numbers of students to keep resitting qualifications with diminishing results. It is demoralising for both them and their teachers and puts an intolerable strain on scarce resources.”

In a speech to the Association of Colleges’ (AoC) annual conference on Tuesday, shadow education secretary Angela Rayner announced a series of reforms aimed at supporting FE students and raising the profile of FE in the education spectrum. “The prime minister promised that austerity was over, but it clearly isn’t for the 100 colleges facing the real risk of insolvency after years of relentless cuts,” she told the conference.

“Since 2010, funding for 16-18 year-olds’ education has been cut by 8% in real terms, with further and adult education having been cut by over £3bn a year.

“We have seen the number of adult learners fall by one million since 2010 and overall spending on adult skills cut by almost half, just at the time when we need to develop a skilled workforce more than ever, with Brexit looming.

“Labour will reform the system to put learners first, focusing on improving the quality of further education, widening access to these opportunities, and ensuring every learner is supported.”

AoC deputy chief executive Julian Gravatt said it was vital that every young person should leave education with strong foundations in maths and English. “Colleges have long called for flexibility in how to support learners to achieve this. A one-size-fits-all approach has not worked and does not work.”