| Vocational Quality Assurance Manager Newsletter |
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Dear Colleague,
We are sure you have hit the ground running as we rapidly move through this first term. In this newsletter we will be highlighting those key activities that are moving towards deadlines and those activities which catapult us into the next stages of the quality assurance cycle.
If you have any questions about Quality Assurance, please contact the team in the via Live Chat or the Pearson Support Portal and, if you are not already a member, hop over and join the QN Community where we for share the latest information and you can network with other BTEC Centres.
Features this month include: |
- QNs for all types of qualifications complete the Annual Quality Declaration - Deadline 14 October 2023. If you require guidance, book onto the Annual Quality Declaration Walkthrough live event
- Ensure Lead Internal Verifiers register for their programmes and carry out Centre Standardisation Deadline 14 October 2023 - failure to meet the deadline of 14 October will result in the relevant programme being allocated an Enhanced Programme Control Measure for Standards Verification
- If contacted by a Centre Assessment Standards Reviewer, please reply promptly to make arrangements for the Holistic Review activity.
- Make BTEC external assessment entries for the winter series and PSA entries for the Tech Awards 2022 by 17 October 2023
- Ensure learner registrations are made before 1 November 2023 and prior to any formal assessment taking place
- Check out our full schedule of Live Support events to help staff with all aspects of quality assurance and BTEC Assessment Rules
- Contact your named VQAM for individualised quality assurance support
- Book onto the QA Catch-up sessions
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To fully prepare yourself and your vocational delivery teams please ensure you make full use of our extensive portfolio of online events; whether you are new or experienced as a Quality Nominee it is important that you stay up to date and fully aware of the quality assurance processes to have a successful year.
Our On Demand CPD packages remain available to you for use at a time that suits you and your staff.
We will continue to offer weekly half hour QA Catchups so that you can ask any questions you have and get a very quick headline update to keep you on track. The links to join these are on our events webpage using the link above. If you have not attended these before this short video explains their importance and value of these catch-ups.
Most importantly, your VQAM team are back on the road and are looking forward to supporting more centres with individualised support, whether that be through visits to your centre or centre specific online activity.
Contact us via the Live chat or the Portal to let us know how we can help you to help your vocational teams. |
We have one week until the deadline to submit the Annual Quality Declaration (AQD).
All centres that have existing ‘live’ registrations or plan to make new registrations on Pearson vocational qualifications during this academic year must complete the AQD before 14 October 2023. (There are different completion deadlines for the Alternative Providers section – 30 November; and Higher Nationals section – 23 February)
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Centres delivering qualifications covered by BTEC quality assurance must register a Lead Internal Verifier (LIV) for each programme and complete standardisation between 1 September - 14 October (or prior to any formal assessment taking place whichever is soonest).
Lead IVs will need an Edexcel Online account and will need to have OSCA2 checked within their profile by the Exams Officer who is the key administrator for Edexcel Online within each centre.
Important – please note that failure to meet the deadline of 14 October will result in the relevant programme being allocated an Enhanced Programme Control Measure for Standards Verification.
**A note about Standardisation Materials**
We are aware of ongoing problems with accessing standardisation materials. As a result of this, standardisation materials have now been placed on the subject webpages > course materials > internal assessment. Lead IV’s are reminded to tick the box on the LIV registration page when standardisation has been completed after accessing the materials this way. |
The Centre Guide to Quality Assurance has been updated, please see page 14. If you have any learners retaking an internal component, we have provided guidance on the use of learner work from previous PSA submissions for a retake.
If your learners are completing a PSA in this series, remember:
Please note for your year 1 cohorts, learners should have sufficient teaching and learning to prepare them for assessment. Therefore, the first assessment series (for moderation in December/January of year 1) is not intended for use by learners starting the programmes from September.
If you have not already attended, join us for our Quality Assurance for the BTEC Tech Awards online event - book your place here. |
Welcome to the new year to both our existing and new T Level Providers. The Monitoring Cycle is about to get underway for 23/24, so look out for the introductory emails from the Pearson T Level Quality Reviewers (TQRs) in the coming week. The cycle comprises termly calls, carried out remotely, and your TQR will be able to explain the process in more detail.
Further guidance and answers to many of the FAQs can be found from the T Level homepage. |
The Holistic Review is a key part of the quality assurance cycle and will be underway shortly. The Centre Assessment Standards Reviewers (CASR) will be in touch, via email, with the Quality Nominees for those centres that fall in scope in due course. Please look out for the email confirming arrangements. If you have not heard from a CASR by the 20 October, you will not be scheduled for the Holistic Review this year. |
It is our aim to provide additional support to centres who are newly approved to deliver any of the Pearson vocational qualifications. We want to make sure your first year of being with us is fully supported so that you can safely navigate the quality assurance processes to lead to successful certification for your learners.
In order for us to do this we would appreciate you taking 2 minutes to complete this short MS Form – New Centre - Welcome |
Kind regards
Helen, Bill, Lee, Liz, Sally, & Sue
Vocational Quality Assurance Managers |
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