Awarding Body / SSC Conference Dennis Dunne Senior Regulation Manager SQA Accreditation Regulatory Principles

Background Started off as a Four Nation project to allow common regulation throughout the UK Has been the subject of 2 full consultations and a series of workshops Changes in the Act bringing Ofqual into being, required changes to the regulation for EWNI. Discuss the ASCL Act and the prescriptive nature of the Act being reflected in the Conditions for Recognition

Background Accreditation Committee requested that we devise overarching Principles together with Guidance which would cover the Conditions for Recognition Carried out one final consultation and updated the Principles and Guidance Principles and Guidance have been signed off by AC, the Guidance will be a live document which will be updated as required. The Principles will be reviewed annually. Where there are perceived gaps in the principles additional principles or criteria can be added at any time to ensure the market is adequately regulated.

2012 - 2013 The Principles will go live on 1 April 2012 Awarding Body audits in 2012 – 2013 will be given the option of using the Principles or the current Awarding Body Criteria Change to how we audit Issues Recommendations State that the AB choice will dictate how the centres are monitored. 14 audits scheduled over the next financial year. Any new Abs will be approved using the Principles From 1 April 2013 all Abs will be monitored against the Principles. Letters will be sent out shortly to advise Abs when they are due for audit. No longer using non compliances, the AB will indicate how via an action plan it will address issues and detailing the timescales, this will be agreed with the auditor and the report will be published on the web as normal. Quickr place will change to allow banking of documents against the Principles A mapping of the Key Goals against the Criteria will be published on the web, but we would expect Abs to carry out their own mapping to ensure they have covered all requirements. The QER process will remain as is, a three year cycle based on the scoring of issues against risk. The CMV activity will remain as normal, a sample of AB Centres on an annual basis. The transition is not Big Bang as you are currently meeting the ABC and the criteria are within the new principles