Regulating the National Curriculum and Qualifications & Credit Framework

Thursday, 04 March 2010 11:47

Our regulations mainly target awarding organisations and organisations rather than specific qualifications or units. We aim to focus as far as possible at system and organisation level. We don’t specify the mechanisms for checking compliance as these are likely to continue developing and improving.

We use the five principles of regulation established by the government's Better Regulation Executive

• Proportionality: we only intervene when necessary; remedies are appropriate to risks and costs minimised
• Accountability: we can justify decisions and are subject to public scrutiny
• Consistency: our rules and standards are linked and implemented fairly
• Transparency: our work is open and our regulations are simple and easy to use
• Targeting: we focus on problems and seek to minimise side effects

Regulatory aims

It’s our regulatory responsibility to ensure that standards for qualifications and assessments are maintained (including comparability of qualifications), and that the qualifications market is fit for purpose for all users. We encourage innovation and best practice and support diversity and equality of access. Our duties also include promoting public confidence in qualifications and ensuring that qualification users’ concerns and enquires are dealt with in a fair, timely and helpful way.

Our responsibility for the Qualifications and Credit Framework and National Curriculum

We’re responsible for regulating the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF), along with our partner regulators in Wales (DCELLS) and Northern Ireland (CCEA). The QCF is a system for recognising skills and qualifications, awarding credit for qualifications and units (small steps of learning).

We developed the regulatory framework (system of regulations) for National Curriculum assessments, including the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). These are delivered by the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency (QCDA). The Regulatory Framework for National Assessments (2011) governs all aspects of the assessment process, from the development of tests to the collection and reporting of results data, and sets the criteria we use to monitor the system.

More about the National Curriculum

Our regulatory instruments

Our regulatory instruments are the basis for our risk-based monitoring of awarding organisations and qualifications. We review them regularly to take account of innovations in the qualifications market. There are four types:

• Statutory regulations
• Qualification and subject criteria
• Codes of practice
• Regulatory principles

Details of National Curriculum regulation

Our regulatory responsibilities include monitoring QCDA activity, including test development and delivery. We ensure they maintain standards and establish whether their assessments are fair and effective in measuring achievement by pupils. Our specific activities include:

• Maintaining a framework to monitor development and delivery of assessments for pupils aged 3 to 14
• Ensuring that assessment standards stay the same over time
• Supporting the appeals process to ensure that complaints are investigated where appropriate, both about the assessment process and the conduct of QCDA and its contracted agencies
• Ensuring that regulatory activities are coherent and implemented fairly
• Specifying an annual programme of work for regulatory activities
• Publishing the regulatory instruments and keeping them under review
• Ensuring that the regulatory instruments are followed
• Employing (or commissioning) and training people with appropriate expertise to monitor activities
• Keeping QCDA informed of the form and purpose of any regulatory activity
• Providing advice on assessment policy and associated risks

Assessment criteria

The five common criteria against which assessments are judged are:

• validity
• reliability
• comparability
• minimisation of bias
• manageability

Subject-specific criteria are reviewed annually and revised.

More on common regulations for general qualifications

Details of QCF and NQF regulation

We make sure that requirements for QCF awarding organisations are clearly established and implemented. We cover all the requirements for awarding organisations, the units and rules of combination they may develop and the credits and qualifications they may award. We therefore don’t use other regulatory criteria or codes of practice. We do, however, produce supporting requirements, information and guidance from time to time.

Organisations may be recognised to carry out one or more of the following functions:

• Developing and submitting units
• Developing rules of combination for qualifications
• Submitting qualifications for accreditation, assessing units and awarding credits and qualifications

More about units and credits within the QCF and NQF

Organisational criteria

The requirements for awarding organisations and organisations fall into three categories:

• General requirements
• Requirements for developing and submitting units
• Requirements for developing rules of combination for qualifications
• Requirements for awarding organisations

More on common regulations for awarding organisations

Qualification criteria

There are a number of common regulations that apply to all accredited qualifications and a smaller number that are specific to the type of qualification.

More on common regulations for vocational qualifications

Last Updated on Tuesday, 24 May 2011 09:59 Tags: Ofqual, education, examination regulation, qualifications, assessments