Further information
New Criteria for Approval (from October 2008)
The following criteria came into effect on 1 October 2008.
The criteria for the approval of qualifications under Section 96 of the Learning and Skills Act 2000 cover students in maintained schools, and under 19 year-olds in further and work-based education and training. It is proposed that the following criteria should apply to all qualifications in England. The Secretary of State retains discretion to make decisions on a case by case basis.
Criteria for the public funding of qualifications in England
The key purpose of qualifications is to show clearly and publicly the knowledge, skills and attributes that an individual has gained, especially to inform prospective employers and future providers of education and training. The value of qualifications is therefore in very large part defined by how well they are understood by those to whom they may be presented as evidence. Someone who has acquired the knowledge, skills and attributes necessary for a particular programme of learning or for employment, but whose qualifications are not understood is at a significant disadvantage in demonstrating that they are in fact qualified.
The more widely understood a qualification is, the more transferable it is. Other things being equal, a qualification understood in all sectors of the economy is more valuable to its holder than one understood by only a few. This remains the case for occupationally-specific qualifications: if a demanding training for a particular occupation is recognised through a widely understood qualification, the skills of the individual holding that qualification (including the capacity to complete the training in question) will be more likely to be recognised in another occupational area. This is a particularly important consideration in relation to the qualifications which are available to young people. For young people, choices about their future may not be settled and the flexibility to choose to change direction later is crucial. The qualifications that young people take need, therefore, to be widely understood and transferable to different contexts.
In order to secure these objectives, it is the Government’s policy that as far as possible, qualifications for young people eligible for use in maintained educational institutions should fall within a set of national qualification suites and frameworks: A levels and GCSEs; Diplomas; Apprenticeships; and the Progression Pathways for 14-19 year-olds within the Foundation Learning Tier.
A levels and GCSEs are the most widely understood qualifications available to young people. Diplomas, Apprenticeships and the Foundation Learning Tier Progression Pathways are broad frameworks which can contain within them a range of other qualifications, and in which young people can learn the functional skills (in English, mathematics and ICT) and the personal, learning and thinking skills. In the case of Diplomas, there is a range of qualification choices within the Additional and Specialist Learning component – which offers considerable opportunity to bring in much of the best of existing content.
Diplomas are new qualifications and the range of Additional and Specialist Learning is not yet complete. It will not be until the full range of Additional and Specialist Learning is complete and the qualifications have been tested in practice by a wide range of learners in different circumstances, that it will be possible to move over fully to the long-term goal of funding only those qualifications falling within the national suites. In addition, practical experience may show that there are some existing qualifications which serve the needs of particular learners or are important to particular employers, and that these particular needs cannot be met within the national suites. This is likely to apply to specific qualifications, for example in particular sectoral areas, rather than to suites of qualifications. Where this proves to be the case, it will not be the policy of the Government to withdraw funding from these qualifications, since the overriding priority will be to secure the interests of learners.
In this context, the criteria for public funding are set out below. They should be read in the context of the policy described above.
A. Prior accreditation by a regulatory body
Only qualifications that meet high-quality standards shall be eligible for public funding. Accreditation by Ofqual (or a regulatory body recognised by them) will be expected to provide these assurances.
B. Suitability for the age group
Account will be taken of whether the qualification is suitable for the age-group in terms of maturity, social well-being and health and safety requirements.
C. Fit with the National Curriculum
Where it is proposed to offer qualifications at Key Stage 4 in a National Curriculum subject, to be eligible for funding, qualifications must meet the requirements of any relevant programmes of study.
D. Criteria for qualifications forming part of one of the national suites or frameworks
Qualifications that form part of one of the following national suites or frameworks will generally be approved for funding:
· GCSEs and A levels
· Diplomas
· Apprenticeship frameworks
· Foundation Learning Tier Progression Pathways for 14-19 learners
However, these qualifications will generally be approved to be offered only within the programme or programmes of which they form part, unless they also meet the criteria for free-standing qualifications.
E. Criteria for new free-standing qualifications
There is a presumption against beginning for the first time to approve (as free-standing qualifications outside the national suites) qualifications which have not previously been approved for use. Only where the introduction of the new qualification would meet the specific needs of a group of learners, employers or higher education institutions whose needs cannot be met by the national qualification suites and frameworks, would the Secretary of State approve the new qualification as a free-standing qualification.
This presumption applies to new qualifications within existing suites, but not to re-developed versions of pre-existing qualifications coming forward for re-approval.
F. Criteria for re-approved free-standing qualifications
To continue to be approved as a free-standing qualification, an awarding body must demonstrate that a qualification has significant uptake for the under 19 age-group (typically, this will mean at least 100 certifications per year). Or if not, that there is a clear case that the qualification meets a specific need (of a group of learners, employers or higher education institutions) and which cannot be met in other ways.
Where a qualification has significant uptake, the following judgements will be made:
a. whether there are qualifications within the national suite which can meet the needs of young people, employers, universities and wider society as well as or better than this qualification. If this is not yet the case, then, where the qualification represents good value for money, it would continue to receive public funding.
b. if (a) is the case, whether the effectiveness of the qualifications within the national suite in meeting these needs has been demonstrated in practice in a sufficiently wide range of circumstances for this judgement to be made with confidence. If this is not yet the case, then the qualification would continue to receive public funding.
c. if (a) and (b) are the case, whether the qualifications within the national suite are nationally available. If there are parts of the country which have access to the qualification under consideration, but not yet the relevant parts of the national suite, then the qualification would continue to receive public funding.
If conditions (a) – (c) are in place, the qualification would not continue to be eligible for public funding. In determining whether conditions (a) – (c) are met, the Secretary of State will take advice from the Joint Advisory Committee on Qualifications Approval, representing the views of employers, HE, and the education and training system. This Committee will undertake a biennial review of the 14-19 qualifications available to young people to inform their decisions.
If condition (c) is not met, but it is clear that it will shortly be met, or if it appears to the Secretary of State that all the conditions may shortly be met, a decision may be made to continue approval only for a defined period, shorter than the period of accreditation.
Where a decision is made to withdraw approval from a qualification which has previously been approved, it may be appropriate to continue approval for a short period, in order to enable institutions which have been offering it to make a smooth transition to alternative qualifications.
G. Review
These criteria for public funding will be kept under review. In particular, the Government has committed to a first full review of general qualifications, including GCSEs and A levels, in 2013.
