Qualifications subject to an accreditation requirement

What is the accreditation requirement?

13.1We will be able to determine that certain qualifications or descriptions of qualifications are subject to an accreditation requirement, which would mean that the forms of qualifications could not be offered as regulated qualifications unless we had accredited them. For example, we could make all GCSEs or all 14–19 Diplomas subject to an accreditation requirement. This means that an awarding organisation recognised to award the qualification could not offer the qualification to learners unless it had been accredited, that is accepted by Ofqual, following a check against the published criteria.

13.2If all the criteria are met the qualification that was subject to an accreditation requirement will be a regulated qualification, like any other regulated qualification. A qualification will not have a particular status, compared with other accredited qualifications, because it has been subject to an accreditation requirement and it should not, therefore, be described as an ‘accredited qualification’.

13.3We will also be able to make subject to an accreditation requirement all or some of the qualifications that a particular awarding organisation wants to offer, if deemed appropriate.

Why will only some qualifications be subject to an accreditation requirement?

13.4 The new legislation puts an emphasis on regulating awarding organisations and on their responsibility for the qualifications they develop and offer. By contrast, the previous legislation required that every qualification that was regulated was individually accredited.

13.5 The new legislation is more explicitly in line with the principles of good regulation in this regard as it will enable us to target our resources and to focus on qualifications that might pose a higher level of risk to learners, to standards and to public confidence, including where a qualification is particularly complex. Where we have confidence that an awarding organisation can develop and award a qualification successfully, we will no longer need to check the qualification before it is made available as a regulated qualification, though the awarding organisation will still need to meet the conditions of recognition and any specific requirements for the qualification - and we will monitor that it does.

13.6We propose that an accreditation requirement would be used in the following contexts:

For new qualifications that are high volume and high stakes

13.7 We propose that an accreditation requirement should be used when a new qualification is introduced for use within a so-called ‘national suite’ of qualifications, and where we judge that the accreditation requirement is necessary to ensure comparability of standards, for example because there are complex grading structures and content requirements. These qualifications are typically taken by large numbers of learners and the outcome can be particularly significant for learners and their future options.

13.8 We might be able to lift the accreditation requirement as it applies to a specific qualification or description of qualifications, once there is sufficient evidence that awarding organisations are consistently interpreting and applying the qualification standard and meeting the content and assessment requirements. However, there might be qualifications or descriptions of qualifications for which an accreditation requirement will continue to be appropriate even after the qualification is established.

13.9 Where a new qualification of this type is being developed, we might require it to be piloted (see section 14 on piloting new qualifications).

When an awarding organisation wants to offer qualifications that require new or additional resources and/or expertise

13.10 We propose that an accreditation requirement should be used when an awarding organisation has been recognised to offer qualifications that will require significant new or additional resources and/or expertise. The accreditation requirement would allow us to check whether the proposed qualifications were of sufficiently good quality.

13.11 In judging whether a particular awarding organisation’s qualifications should be subject to an accreditation requirement in relation to the new qualifications, we would take into account the nature and range of the organisation’s existing portfolio of qualifications, the confidence that can be placed in the organisation’s capacity to recognise the limits of its expertise and capacity, and its track record.

When an awarding organisation with limited experience is recognised

13.12 We propose that an accreditation requirement should apply to all the qualifications developed by an awarding organisation which has little or no relevant experience of developing and managing some or all of the qualifications for which it is recognised – and when recognising an organisation we may do so on the assumption that we will initially impose an accreditation requirement on all its qualificaitons. Once the awarding organisation had demonstrated that it is able consistently to develop and offer the relevant qualifications to a high quality and appropriate standard the accreditation requirement would be lifted.

When there are concerns about the quality or standards of an awarding organisation’s qualifications

13.13 We propose that we should apply an accreditation condition to an awarding organisation if there are concerns about the quality or standard of its qualifications. Concerns might be raised as a result of our monitoring, the volume of appeals or complaints, or concerns might be raised directly by users. Where appropriate, we would address concerns about those existing qualifications through our enforcement powers. However, we propose that an awarding organisation should not be free to offer further qualifications without accreditation if there was evidence of qualifications within its existing portfolio being deficient. The accreditation requirement could be applied to a particular qualification or to all descriptions of qualifications for which it was recognised. The accreditation requirement would remain in place until confidence in the awarding organisation’s ability to deliver qualifications of an appropriate quality and standard was restored, or recognition was surrendered or withdrawn.

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