Quality Assurance – Assessment and Accreditation

The Network has developed and adopted a set of Quality Assurance guidelines for all Awards in the Framework of Awards.

An analysis of the assessment, accreditation and quality assurance processes of Award organisation’s was undertaken. Following the completion of a self-assessment questionnaire by the Award organisation, visits were arranged to specific delivery centres in order to observe the learning, guidance and assessment of the learners against the Award programme criteria in use at that centre. This visit also looked at the ongoing learning within the Award and used a set of NICATS (NQF) level indicators to establish the level at which the young people were learning and performing. This was done with reference to three essential criteria defined by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority – intellectual skills and abilities, processes, and accountability of the learner.

As a result of this work Quality Assurance Guidance for Non-formal Awards was produced and agreed by the Awards Network in December 2004. It provides a basis for young people achieving Awards and those delivering them to be eligible for credit, which will count towards school league table points and, more importantly, will give young people appropriate credit for their learning.

In 2007 the Awards Network began an annual cycle of proofing the QA guidance in practice, through a process of self-assessment and peer review. Each Award organisation undertook a self-assessment review of their Awards in relation to the key criteria in the QA document. They produced a portfolio of evidence against each criteria. The portfolio and evidence was then reviewed by a panel of other Award organisations. One of the reviewing organisations then met with the organisation being reviewed. They agreed an improvement action plan for enacting and review towards the end of the cycle, with a report back to the Awards Network.

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