Following the Curriculum and Assessment Review, the government is introducing 3 new types of qualification for post-16 learners: V Levels, Foundation Certificates and Occupational Certificates. These qualifications will join A levels and T Levels to enable young people to take different pathways toward employment and further and higher education, using high-quality qualifications.
Ofqual has launched a consultation on the criteria that awarding organisations must meet to be recognised to deliver these new qualifications. This blog explains what we're proposing and why.
Why new recognition criteria?Delivering national qualifications is a demanding, complex endeavour. It requires mature systems and processes, sophisticated expertise, and the capability to deliver at scale. Awarding organisations must have policies and procedures that secure quality and fairness, as well as the capability to manage risk and ensure resilience – whether that's responding to cyber security threats or managing the logistical demands of running national assessments.
Ofqual's regulatory experience has shown the importance of these requirements. We've seen what happens when things go wrong, and we know the impact on students. Our approach is designed to protect learners taking these new qualifications.
Our proposed new criteria set the bar high for awarding organisations, because students deserve qualifications they can trust. Only organisations with proven capacity, capability and governance will be able to offer these national qualifications.
A phased approachThis consultation concerns the first tranche of the new vocational and technical qualifications, covering a small number of subjects for first teach in September 2027. The timetable is tight, and awarding organisations must be ready to deliver from day one.
We recognise that our proposals may mean relatively few organisations would secure recognition for the first tranche. Awarding organisations that do not yet have the necessary capabilities will have limited time to develop them before 2027.
However, all awarding organisations will have the opportunity during the first phase to understand our requirements and to develop the expertise, systems, processes and governance they will need to apply for recognition in later tranches.
We will review our approach before the second tranche (for qualifications with a first teach date in 2028) and will consult again. This gives the sector time to prepare and ensures our approach remains proportionate as the qualifications landscape develops.
What are we proposing?The proposed criteria focus on 4 areas:
Prior recognition: Applicants must already be recognised by Ofqual, so we can have confidence their experience was developed within our regulatory framework. Expertise: Awarding organisations must demonstrate proven capability in delivering qualifications at the required scale and complexity. Systems and processes: Organisations must have reliable, established systems in place at the time of application – not just plans to develop them. Governance: Organisations must show they have arrangements in place to make effective and consistent decisions throughout development, delivery and awarding. What happens next?We want to hear from awarding organisations and anyone with an interest in these new qualifications. Your views will help us ensure our criteria are effective and proportionate.
We believe that these proposals will enable the awarding organisations we regulate to successfully introduce a high-quality suite of new vocational and technical qualifications that will give post-16 students a clear, credible and flexible route into higher education and employment.
The consultation is open until 22 April. You can respond through our online consultation platform.
Catherine Large OBE, Executive Director of Policy, Ofqual
seen at 14:59, 12 March in The Ofqual blog.