| Vocational Quality Assurance Manager Newsletter |
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Dear Colleague,
We are still welcoming new Quality Nominees to our community and so the content of this newsletter will continue to give details to ensure new QNs receive the amount of support necessary.
If you have any questions about quality assurance, please contact the team via live chat or the Pearson Support Portal. If you're not already a member, join our QN Community where we share the latest information, and you can network with other BTEC centres.
Features this month include: |
- Share the Centre Guide for Standards Verification with programme teams.
- Share sampling control measures with the relevant Lead Internal Verifier.
- Review assessment plans to ensure the required sample will be available in the required time frame.
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Your VQM team are continuing to contact centres who have been included in the Centre Check in activity this academic year. Contact will continue to be made with QNs up to April 2025. |
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| Please note: centres who made temporary structure claims for students who were ineligible for certification, have now been included in the Centre Check in Activity and will be contatced by the VQAM |
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Whether you are in scope or not your VQAM team always welcome requests from centres for support if you need it.
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| Please be aware of a change this year to the BTEC deletion deadline to 31 December (from 31 January). If your programme follows the academic year, you will have until 31 December to delete your registration (or withdraw a BTEC Tech After this date, you will need to withdraw the learner instead. |
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We know many of you are not responsible for registration administration, but we ask that you collaborate with Lead IVs and Exams Officer to ensure this change is known. |
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To help prepare for Standards verification, programme control measures (PCMs) will be sent to the Quality Nominee this week. Please remind teams that this is an annual activity, and all programmes must be sampled to ensure national standards are being met. For further guidance on PCMs, please review our Centre Guide to Quality Assurance, page 16.
It is important that QNs share the Centre Guide for Standards Verification with programme teams so that they can fully understand the process, what documents are required to be sent to the standards verifier, the timelines and size of sample to be prepared.
The allocation of standards verifiers for the Creative Sector has already started so please look out for those introductory emails.
Allocations for BTEC Level 1 QCF, BTEC Level 2 and Level 3 will commence in January 2025 and you can view who your standards verifier is by following our support article in the new year: BTEC: SV Allocation Details
Can I have more information about how my programme control measure was decided?
We are unable to provide specific justifications for individual control measures. Since decisions are based on a complex array of variables, it is not feasible to isolate and explain the weight of any single factor. However, rest assured that the system is designed to reflect a fair and balanced assessment of each centre’s profile.
If I’m unhappy with the programme control measure assigned, can I appeal?
To maintain the integrity of this holistic process, there will be no appeal process for control measures assigned under this approach. The process is designed to be holistic, considering multiple factors rather than a single criterion. Given the complexity and range of data considered, the control measures are the result of a comprehensive evaluation. An appeal on one factor wouldn’t provide an accurate reflection of the overall assessment, which is why we have decided to remove the appeal process.
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A reminder that the deadline for submission of Tech Award PSA marks and the sample is the 15th of December. The Learner Work Transfer platform is available now for upload if you wish to submit early. |
Whether you’re new to the role of Quality Nominee or just want a refresher our Roles and Responsibilities of the QN event will support you, we have a range of dates available to suit your schedule. Find an event and book your place.
Use our bitesize video library on our dedicated YouTube channel and on-demand materials to develop your staff CPD. The latest additions include ‘ Successful Certification of BTEC Learners’, ‘ The Quality Assurance Model in 24/25’, ‘ The Role of the Lead IV and Team Standardisation’ and coming later in the term, ‘ Guide to Standards Verification’. Explore our bitesize video library.
Download your free on-demand training pack. |
This is not a definitive list but for all those new Quality Nominees this is a quick guide that we hope will save you time.
Subject Advisors – on each subject webpage there is a link to the relevant subject specialist who can support content understanding and application of the assessment criteria. There are emails addresses and links to book a meeting with them on that page. Sign up for Subject Advisor updates and book an appointment here.
Customer service specialists – this team can support with a wide range of administration and will be the first port of call for your Exams Officer. Responsibilities include, Edexcel Online accounts, learner registration and claims, exam/external assessment bookings, authentication apps. Contact via the Pearson Support Portal or via the live chat link on the BTEC Exams Officer page.
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Kind regards,
Helen, Bill, Lee, Liz, Sally, & Sue
Vocational Quality Assurance Managers
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