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AoPE logo squareAward of Personal Effectiveness (AoPE)
Levels 1, 2 & 3

The AoPE qualifications have had their approval extended to July 2014, with certification until July 2016.

What is it?

The Award of Personal Effectiveness is a nationally recognised qualification, available at Levels 1, 2 & 3. It can accredit many of the imaginative and diverse activities undertaken by learners, both inside and outside of school. Assessment is based on a portfolio of evidence. The AoPE assessment units encourage the development of the communication and personal, learning and thinking skills required for progression to further education, training or employment.

AoPE is a nationally recognised qualification outcome of the ASDAN programmes. It is a shorter version of the Certificate of Personal Effectiveness (CoPE), sits within the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) and is approved as eligible for use in Foundation Learning provision at Level 1.

AoPE also offers:

  • nationally recognised certification for Levels 1, 2 & 3
  • opportunities to include activities both inside and outside school
  • Portfolio assessment – no examination – and Mode 3-style moderation
  • Half GCSE-equivalent "league table" points - 12.5 points at Level 1; 23 points at Level 2
  • Progression to CoPE or Wider Key Skills

Who is it for?

AoPE is suitable for a wide range of learners, within and beyond the 14-19 age group of students. The opportunity to choose the context in which the learner studies makes AoPE particularly attractive to those in secondary schools and non-formal education.

How to achieve AoPE

Students must:

  • Use the ASDAN AoPE recording documents to show that they have met the criteria for sufficient assessment units to achieve eight QCF assessment credits: 
    • Introduction to working with others (L1)/Team Working (L2, L3)
    • Planning and reviewing learning (L1, L2, L3)
    • Dealing with problems in daily life (L1, L2)/Tackling problems (L3)
    • Planning and carrying out research (L1, L2)/Research skills (L3)
    • Group discussion (L1, L2)
    • Preparing for and giving a presentation (L1, L2)/Improving skills in preparing and presenting information (L3)
    • Developing self (L1, L2)
    • Learning through work experience (L3)
    • Career exploration (L3)

Assessment process: After students' portfolios have been internally moderated, centres must register candidates' names for external moderation - at least four weeks before a regional moderation meeting. ASDAN will issue certificates following successful external moderation.

Training

All centres running AoPE (or CoPE) must have an ASDAN-trained co-ordinator.

FAQ

How much does the AoPE qualification cost?

The Costs page features information about registration costs for ASDAN Qualifications. The cost of candidate registration is the same as that for CoPE and candidates originally registered for CoPE who have not had their work externally moderated may transfer to AoPE at no additional cost. Please also take into account the annual centre registration fee, if your centre is not yet registered with ASDAN.

Is there any support for centres?

Centre co-ordinators and assessors from centres registered for AoPE and CoPE are invited to attend Support and Standardisation meetings every term. These meetings are free to all registered AoPE and CoPE centres and are run by Cluster Leaders – there are more than 50 clusters in the UK. For details of these meetings, see the CoPE secure area.

How can my centre start running AoPE?

If you are not yet registered with ASDAN, your first step is to complete an application for centre registration form, registering to deliver AoPE. See the Centre Registration section for more information.

Current ASDAN centres need to ensure AoPE is added to their centre's registration. To do this, please go to the Add to your Registration section and complete the additional programmes/qualifications form.

You must attend a CoPE or AoPE introductory training workshop or arrange suitable ASDAN in-house training in order to run CoPE and/or AoPE in your centre. If you have already attended a CoPE Introductory workshop or INSET this should be sufficient.

Secure Area for registered centres

Once your centre is registered with ASDAN for AoPE, you can access further information and resources via the website's Secure Area.

The secure area for AoPE contains all relevant updates, essential documents, meeting information and resources, and enables you to:

  • Download resources, including Standards with Guidance
  • Register your qualification candidate numbers and names
  • View updated support/standardisation/moderation meeting dates
  • Purchase materials from the online ASDAN catalogue
  • Check the list of candidates registered from your centre

There is no limit to the number of people from a centre who can register to use the Secure Area. You can register for a password online, by using the password request form.

Further information

If you would like to discuss the qualification or require further information, please contact Kath Grant or Jenni Robertson at ASDAN.

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