ASDAN Qualifications

All of ASDAN's Qualifications have been approved by the regulatory authorities for England (Ofqual), Wales (DCELLS), and Northern Ireland (CCEA), and are approved by the Secretary of State under Section 96 and 97 of the Learning and Skills Act, for pre and post 16 provision.

Approval for QCF Qualifications

ASDAN has been formally recognised and approved to offer units and qualifications in the QCF (Qualifications and Credit Framework). All the current QCF qualifications are now undergoing review and will have their approval extended for use over the next four or five years.

News of Extended Qualifications

The Certificate of Personal Effectiveness qualifications at Levels 1 and 2 have now had their approval extended by Ofqual, with a certification end date of December 2014, and Level 3 has been extended with a certification end date of December 2015.

ASDAN has received confirmation from Ofqual that the Wider Key Skills qualifications have had their approval extended. The last date for certification will now be 31st August 2013 for Level 1, 31st August 2014 for Level 2 and 31st August 2015 for Level 3.

ASDAN ALAN qualifications (Adult Literacy and Adult Numeracy at Levels 1 & 2) have had their accreditations approval extended until 2012, with final certification August 2014.

All ASDAN QCF qualifications (AoPE, CVQ, Employability, Personal Progress and PSD) are in the process of review and will have their approval extended by Ofqual for four or five years.

Functional Skills news

After much careful consideration and discussion at ASDAN, we have decided not to proceed with the submission of Functional Skills qualifications for accreditation. This means that ASDAN will not be offering Functional Skills qualifications for the planned 'roll-out' from September 2010. Click this link for an explanation of the reasons for this decision.

We are committed to completing year three of the pilot and to providing full support to pilot centres, offering three assessment opportunities (January, March and June 2010) for English, Mathematics and ICT at all levels from Entry 1 to Level 2 as planned. Download this document for advice to pilot centres.

Qualification Codes and Performance Points

ASDAN Qualifications are now counted alongside GCSEs in League Tables, as the revised School and College Achievement and Attainment Tables now include points for ASDAN's qualifications. Please click here for Qualification codes and performance points, click the following link for information on how data is processed, and click here for information on funding.

UCAS recognises CoPE Level 3 as worth 70 UCAS points. It confirmed the place of CoPE in preparing students for HE and supporting the Diploma in the UCAS January mailing to Admissions Officers in Higher Education Institutions - read this extract for information.

The UCAS Tariff Board has also confirmed that the following UCAS Tariff points have been agreed (see this press release for further details):

  • Level 3 Certificate of Community Volunteering (CVQ) - 50 points
  • Level 3 Award of Community Volunteering (CVQ) - 30 points

Foundation Learning

Click here for further information about Foundation Learning. A series of half-day briefing seminars will be taking place during Spring and Summer 2010 to showcase ASDAN's approved qualifications in Foundation Learning. See the Training and Events section for more information.

ASDAN Qualifications

Please click on the relevant qualification title below for further information, including details of structure, costs, and staff training/development opportunities:

Centre Approval

This is a mandatory requirement. Centres registering for any ASDAN qualifications (Key Skills, Wider Key Skills, Skills For Life (Basic Skills/Adult Literacy and Numeracy), Career Planning, Community Volunteering, CoPE/AoPE, Employability, PSD, Personal Progress) must complete the Centre Approval Checklist and Staffing Update Record in order to comply with QCDA regulatory requirements.

Please note: There is no requirement for centres to complete these forms if they are going to offer ASDAN Award Programmes only (e.g. Bronze Award).

Centres registering for QCF Qualifications - important information

Quality Assurance: Safeguarding the Standards

Centres need to be aware of the role QA plays in maintaining the validity and reliability of the qualifications they offer to their learners. Click here for an explanation of what QA means in the context of sampling and moderation, so that next time external moderation comes round you will be fully prepared to meet the requirements.

Diploma and Personal Learning and Thinking Skills (PLTS) Developments

ASDAN is a Component Awarding Body for the Diploma - "an exciting new 14-19 qualification that will bring an innovative approach to learning and enable students to gain knowledge, understanding and hands-on experience of sectors that they are interested in, while putting new skills into practice." (QCDA website)

Click here to access information about ASDAN's contributions to the Diploma and the development of Personal, Learning and Thinking Skills (PLTS).