The regulatory requirements for the Diploma

The regulatory requirements for the Diploma cover the regulation of overarching arrangements, and how the different constituent qualifications combine for the award of the Diploma, together with the regulation of principal learning and project qualifications.

The regulators monitor the performance of awarding organisations and evaluate their qualifications to make sure that the way awarding organisations operate is fair, consistent and follows their regulations.

The qualifications regulators may impose sanctions, where needed, to reinforce an awarding organisation’s compliance with the relevant regulations and to protect the interests of users. The level of sanction imposed will depend on the nature of an awarding organisation’s non-compliance, the risks posed to the quality of qualifications and the interests of users.

Further information is available in Regulatory monitoring and reporting (QCA1, DELLS2, CCEA3, SQA4, 2007).

The regulatory requirements consist of the following elements:

  • regulatory aims for the Diploma that set out what the regulatory requirements for the Diploma are designed to achieve, see Regulatory aims for the Diploma.
  • for awarding organisations: recognition requirements for component and Diploma awarding bodies which apply in addition to the requirements for recognising awarding organisations for regulated qualifications, ‘Criteria for awarding bodies’ procedures’ published in The statutory regulation of external qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (QCA, ACCAC5, CCEA, 2004). All component and Diploma awarding bodies must also be recognised as awarding organisations for regulated qualifications.
  • for awarding organisations: operating rules for component and Diploma awarding bodies that set out the regulatory requirements for the operation of the Diploma. The operating rules should be read and complied with in conjunction with the recognition requirements for component and Diploma awarding bodies and relevant qualification codes of practice. In particular, principal learning and project component awarding bodies must comply with the operating rules along with the current GCSE, GCE, principal learning and project code of practice April 2010.
  • for Diploma qualifications: Criteria for accreditation of Foundation, Higher and Advanced Diploma qualifications version 2 – covering the relevant aspects of the ‘Common criteria for all qualifications’ published in The statutory regulation of external qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland 2004.
  • for each subject/sector area for the Diploma: criteria for the accreditation of lines of learning qualifications.

In addition to the regulatory requirements for the Diploma, there are Ofqual-agreed arrangements to support the operation of the Diploma with component and Diploma awarding bodies, covering key areas to help to ensure a consistent experience for centres in relation to these qualifications, for example, the timeline for Diploma awarding. The arrangements are established with principal learning and project component awarding bodies and Diploma awarding bodies and are kept under review. Information on the arrangements is communicated to component and Diploma awarding bodies and is provided on Ofqual's website: www.ofqual.gov.uk. Information on related regulatory publications for the Diploma is set out at Regulatory publications for the Diploma. 

Diploma awarding bodies award and certificate whole Diploma qualifications for the lines of learning for which they are recognised, once the award has been aggregated by the Diploma Aggregation Service (DAS). Diploma awarding bodies provide information and guidance to centres on the lines of learning they award, through their websites, customer service teams and training. A Diploma awarding body has to offer and award one or more constituent qualifications that can contribute to the lines of learning for which it is recognised. Therefore, all Diploma awarding bodies are also recognised as component awarding bodies.

Principal learning and project component awarding bodies must comply with the GCSE, GCE, principal learning and project code of practice April 2010, in conjunction with this document. The code promotes quality, consistency, accuracy and fairness in assessment and awarding. It helps to maintain standards, both within and between awarding organisations and from year to year.

  1. Qualifications and Curriculum Authority was a predecessor to Ofqual and QCDA. [↩]
  2. DELLS (Department for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills) is now DCELLS (Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills) [↩]
  3. The Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment [↩]
  4. Scottish Qualifications Authority [↩]
  5. ACCAC (Awdurdod Cymwysterau, Cwricwlwm ac Asesu Cymru), the Qualifications, Curriculum and Assessment Authority for Wales, was a predecessor of DCELLS. [↩]