Ofqual publishes consultation findings
Friday, 08 April 2011 12:12
We have published an independent report on the responses from our consultations about our approach to regulation.
We are changing the way we regulate qualifications and will be moving from an approach in which we check each qualification to one in which we regulate the awarding organisations that develop and award the qualifications.
Our recent consultations sought feedback on a range of issues in preparation for this change, and the responses we received enabled us to further develop our new approach. We are pleased to note, in the report by YouGov, the continuing support for our new, more strategic and risk-based approach to regulation.
The key principle of our new approach, and a premise on which our regulatory model will be based, is that each awarding organisation we regulate will be accountable for the quality and standards of its qualifications and for the efficiency with which it works. We will require each awarding organisation to provide evidence of the steps it is taking to secure continuing compliance with our set of general conditions. These conditions will require awarding organisations to work in way that secures the standards of their qualifications, that enables the public to be confident in their qualifications and to be aware of the benefits of regulated qualifications, and to deliver value for money.
The awarding organisations we regulate will need to change the ways in which they work, as will we. The consultation has allowed us to understand the concerns that change inevitably brings and to respond where appropriate.
Our chief executive, Glenys Stacey said: “The success of the regulatory approach relies on the strategic regulator, and those regulated, understanding what is expected of them and the types of behaviours that will enable the new model to work. We hope that the publication of the report will help us all to understand our mutual expectations. We are grateful to everyone who responded to our consultations for providing us with valuable feedback that has helped us to further refine our new approach.”
A number of events will be held for awarding organisations in April and May to explain how we will regulate in the future. We plan to publish the conditions that will apply to all awarding organisations later in May and these will come into force in July.
The report can be downloaded here:
Analysis of consultation responses [PDF 3MB]
