1. LINKING LONDON ACCESS TO HE PRACTITIONER FORUM MARCH 2015 Supporting the learner journey

2. The Context  New Access to HE Diploma Specification from September 2014  Introduction of 24+ Advanced Learning Loans  Funding for GCSE Maths and English qualifications for adults  New developments

3. What has changed with the new Access qualification specification from 2014?  45 graded level 3 credits which must all come from units based on academic subject content  Remaining 15 credits can be either ungraded level 3 or level 2  Learners can only be registered and certificated for 60 credits.  GCSE Equivalences are no longer regulated by QAA as part of the Access to HE Diploma qualification

4. Impact of the New Specification and 24+ loans so far… FE Entry requirements  Asking for learners to have one or two of the English and maths GCSEs up front  Setting up GCSE maths and English courses or offering a Pre Access course Recruitment of Access learners  Numbers generally lower this year  Some Diploma courses not running this year  Smaller numbers in classes/ fewer cohorts

5. Implications and Impact of the New Specification so far… IAG for Access Applicants  Advise on checking HE entry requirements for the courses /institutions they wish to apply to  Do they have the level 2 entry requirements? If not, should they be considering a two year course  Importance of completing their Access course for 24+ loan waiver

6. Implications and Impact of the New Specification so far… 24+ Loans  Lower take up of loans this year  Link to lower numbers in e.g. nursing  Waiver of Access loan on completion of HE course key to take up by Access learners Internal Progression  Providers looking to develop Access courses to provide internal progression on to Foundation Degrees, Higher Nationals and vice versa

7. Information for HEIs and making offers 1  QAA has published updated guidance for HEIs on the new specification and on making offers  AVAs liaising with and visiting key receiving HEIs to update them on the new specification  Different Diploma structures nationally. Advisable for HEIs to base entry requirements on the 45 graded credits  Not all learners will have the opportunity to achieve 60 credits at level 3

8. Information for HEIs and making offers 2  All students who have achieved the full Diploma will offer: exactly 60 credits exactly 45 credits from graded level 3 units concerned with academic subject content

9. Information for HEIs and making offers  In conditional offers, ensure that any specification of requirements does not exceed 60 credits  When making requirements and offers based on achievement of grades specify the number of credits (not units) to be achieved at Merit or Distinction (within the maximum available of 45 credits)  Consider asking for a second reference to gain more information about students' academic potential

10. Predicted Grades and Access to HE  Providing predicted grades can be very difficult for Access tutors, especially at the point of application  By February tutors should be able to provide approximate projections of potential progress on the basis of work produced so far

11. Access to HE UCAS Developments ABL  UCAS Awarding Body Linkage – for 2014-15 results, these should include learner grade profiles UCAS Tariff  QAA will be putting forward a proposal for the inclusion of the Access to HE Diploma qualification to be included in the new UCAS tariff

12. Access to HE QAA Developments  Continued development of subject descriptors  Focus on Diploma subjects with high numbers/professional body requirements (e.g. Nursing, Midwifery, Social Work). Draft for Nursing – does not use all credit – some space for ‘local’ determination of content  Development of system for benchmarking grading distribution to be applied by QAA and AVAs  The future of QAA’s role in the regulation of Access to HE after 2017

13. For further information OCN London Website www.ocnlondon.org.uk QAA Access to HE Website www.accesstohe.ac.uk Marisa Castellini - Curriculum Development Manager - Access to HE m.castellini@ocnlondon.org.ukm.castellini@ocnlondon.org.uk