Aspire 2 Sue McGlynn William Blacklock

Aspire 2  We’ve reached ‘the end of the beginning’  Next step  address any outstanding issues  complete any action plans due to the regulator  Step after that  ensure on-going compliance  be prepared to supply evidence to Ofqual at short notice and respond promptly when asked

Aspire 2  Involve the staff, management and Governing Body in all key decisions and keep records  Develop an evidence log against the General Conditions of Recognition (GCR)  Make sure you have easy access to records and reliable data  Be open and transparent and publish information on your website

Aspire 2  Commit to an on-going review process  Assess and capture how processes and procedures work in practice  Consider GCR when planning new initiatives  Develop active risk management across the board  Always be proactive – don’t be reactive

Aspire 2  Need to consider compliance with:  Dealing with inactive organisations  Issue around guided learning hours (GLH)  Regulated qualifications must appear on the Register  Maintenance of confidentiality  Fitness of purpose of assessments

Aspire 2  Supports prioritisation of resources  Most concern raised by academic qualifications because of the danger of systemic risk  Ofqual will be ‘crawling all over’ the big AOs  Ofqual characterised as ‘Air Traffic Controller’ and not ‘Car Crash investigator’

Aspire 2  Learners – performance is not recognised or is evaluated incorrectly through inadequate assessment  Standards – the benchmark demanded by a particular qualification is not aligned with public expectations  Efficiency – cost effectiveness and value for money  Public confidence – possibility of damaging confidence in the whole system

Aspire 2  170 AOs offer ‘other’ qualifications - do more bodies create greater risk?  Risk rating for most ‘other’ qualifications is assessed as ‘medium’ or ‘low’ – is this supportable?  What about Level 3 or Level 4 vocational qualifications leading to Foundation Degrees – low risk or high risk?  75% of all ‘other’ achievements come from 8% of qualifications (Ofqual, 2012)

Aspire 2  Indications of lack of resource or of expertise  Evidence of lack of effective management and governance  Unsatisfactory self-evaluation procedures  Questions around the quality and standards of qualifications  Perceived lack of cooperation

Aspire 2  End to end audit of ways of working  Full forensic audit  Focused investigation by Ofqual team  Requirement for analysis of extra data and information

Aspire 2  Tools at Ofqual’s disposal include: Imposing conditions of recognition Applying accreditation requirements Entry and inspection powers Giving a direction Imposing a fine Withdrawing recognition Recovering the costs of enforcement

Aspire 2  Temptation to try and ‘fly under the radar’  Confusing ‘risk-based’ regulation with ‘light touch’ regulation  Minimising risk in some areas of operation whilst overlooking others  False sense of security  Regulatory resources do not align with needs of ‘other’ qualifications and their AOs  We have entered the new regulatory arena!