The method
Every submission is assessed outcome by outcome against the Standards. The assessor records, for each outcome, whether it is met and what evidence supports that. There is no overall impression score and no weighting: an outcome is met or it is not.
Assessors work from the evidence the provider supplies rather than from reputation, size or prior accreditations. A large provider with a weak outcome to assessment mapping fails that outcome in the same way a sole trader would.
Who assesses
Assessors are experienced in learning design and assessment. Where an activity is technical enough that subject judgement is needed, a subject specialist is added to the assessment rather than the generalist assessor deciding alone.
Every recommendation is reviewed by a second assessor before a decision is issued. The second assessor sees the submission and the report, and can disagree.
Protecting independence
An assessor does not assess an activity from a provider they have advised, delivered for, or hold a financial interest in. Assessors declare interests at the point of allocation, and an assessment is reassigned where a conflict exists.
Assessment decisions are separated from the commercial relationship. The people who agree fees do not make accreditation decisions, and an assessor is not told whether a provider is a large or small account.
Queries rather than refusals
Where evidence is missing or ambiguous, the assessor raises a written query. Most submissions that eventually pass do so after one round of queries, usually about how learning outcomes are evidenced.
A query is not advice. Assessors will tell you which outcome is not yet evidenced and why. They will not design your assessment for you, because doing so would compromise their ability to judge it.
What we record
- The submission as assessed, including the version of each document.
- The assessment report, outcome by outcome.
- Any queries raised and the responses received.
- The second assessor review and the decision.
- The register entry, including any conditions and the review history.
Providers receive the full report, not a summary. Where a decision is appealed, the appeal panel works from the same record.
Monitoring after a decision
Accreditation is not a one off event. Providers complete an annual review, report material changes before delivering them, and can be asked to produce learner records.
We also act on reports from learners, employers and other providers. A report does not by itself change an accreditation, but it can trigger a review, and a review can lead to conditions, suspension or withdrawal.