2. SPS Quality Healthcheck: Supporting Customer Excellence

3. Customer Support Managers Janice AndersonBob Allan Frank Allan Claire Farmer Barbara Irvine Veronica Kirk Isabel MillarSarah McRoberts David Ross Brian Stokes Val Yaneske

4. Quality Assurance Function  To monitor and evaluate the quality of systems supporting the provision of SQA qualifications  To ensure consistency of standards Customer Support Managers will help you to ensure that you continue to meet SQA’s centre approval criteria

5. Centre approval criteria (1) Customer Support Managers consider:  Coherent approach to quality assurance  Management of information  Arrangements for responding to external verifier reports  Management of resources

6. Centre approval criteria (2)  Management of staff involved in assessment and internal verification  Management, induction, support and guidance of candidates  Appeals procedure for internal assessment  Internal verification procedures

7. Criterion 1.1: Management of Internal Quality Assurance  Do you have an up-to-date SQA procedures manual?  Do you routinely date all documents?  Are the roles of assessor, internal verifier, and centre contact documented?  Do you have evidence of review of procedures and roles and responsibilities in the last year?

8. Criterion 1.2: Management of Information (1)  Can you show that all candidates agree to share their personal data with SQA under the terms of the Data Protection Act (1998)?  Are you sure that you are using the correct Scottish Candidate Number (SCN) for each candidate?

9. Criterion 1.2: Management of Information (2)  Have you informed SQA of any relevant changes in your centre? (eg contact names, phone numbers/e-mail addresses, software types and software media, candidate address details)  Do you have written agreements for all partnerships? (e.g. sharing resources/staff, ‘buying in’ assessment or internal verification)

10. Criterion 1.3: Management of Resources (1)  Can you show that all staff assessing and internally verifying are appropriately qualified/experienced: - in the subject area? - to assess/internally verify?  Can you show that staff assessing and internally verifying SVQs are working to the standards of the Assessor/Verifier Units? (eg CPD records)

11. Criterion 1.3: Management of Resources (2)  Can you show how you ensure that you continue to have appropriate resources to support delivery and assessment of SQA qualifications?

12. Criterion 1.4: Management of External Quality Assurance  Do you have a written procedure for managing external verification visits?  Are responsibilities in relation to external verifier visits included in written role descriptions?  Can you show that feedback in external verifier reports is acted on?

13. Criterion 1.5: Management of Candidates (1)  Can you show that every candidate receives an appropriate induction to the qualification?  Does every candidate have a completed induction checklist, which they have signed?  Do candidates have a formal statement from you specifying your responsibilities to them?

14. Criterion 1.5: Management of Candidates (2)  Can you show how you ensure that all candidates have equal access to assessment? (e.g. in relation to additional support needs, remediation and reassessment)  Do you have a candidate complaints/grievance procedure?

15. Criterion 1.6: Appeals  Does your internal appeals procedure have an independent third stage?  Can you show that all candidates know how to appeal against an assessment decision?

16. Criterion 3.1: Internal verification (1)  Do you have formal checks to ensure that you are using the current Unit/award?  Can you show that all proposed assessments are subject to internal verification before use?  Can you show that assessment materials are safely stored, and only available to authorised staff?

17. Criterion 3.1: Internal verification (2)  Can you show that your internal verification sampling policy is implemented?  Can you show how you ensure that assessment evidence is the candidate’s own work?  Do you have evidence of review of internal verification practices? (end of checklist)

18. How did you do?  Yes to all?: congratulations, fully competent!  No to some?: not yet fully competent and/or  Unsure about some?: insufficient evidence - Consult your Customer Support Manager for help in developing your systems