Personal and Social Development

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About this course

What are Personal and Social Development Qualifications?

ASDAN’s Personal and Social Development (PSD) Qualifications are regulated, portfolio-based qualifications for learners aged 14 and over, including adults. Available as Awards and Certificates from Entry 1 to Level 2, they provide a flexible framework for developing and recognising personal, social, wellbeing, independent living and work-related skills.

Flexible unit choices allow delivery to reflect learners’ starting points, needs, interests and aspirations. Learners can explore topics including healthy living, managing money, relationships, personal safety, community participation, using technology and preparation for work.

The qualifications can accredit learning delivered through PSHE, life skills, preparation for adulthood, work-related learning and other formal or non-formal activities. Learners demonstrate their achievement through a portfolio of evidence rather than a final examination.

Read the PSD specifications

Centres delivering ASDAN’s Personal and Social Development Qualifications for the first time must arrange an external quality assurance sampling activity during the first year of delivery, for a date when at least one unit has been completed, assessed and internally quality assured. 

Updated PSD materials for September 2026

ASDAN is refreshing its Personal and Social Development Qualifications and supporting materials following a scheduled review.

Learners working towards the existing specifications must be registered by 31 August 2026 and certificated by 31 August 2028.

Learners registered from 1 September 2026 will work towards units in the updated specification. Supporting resources will be available from autumn 2026.

We will provide centres with further information and guidance ahead of delivery.

Learner age 14+, 14–16, 14–25, 16+, 16–19, 19+, Adults
Level (indicative for non-regulated courses) Entry 1, Entry 2, Entry 3, Level 1, Level 2
Key Stage Key Stage 4, Key Stage 5
Education setting Mainstream school, Special school, Justice system (including youth offending), Further education, Community Education, EOTAS, PRU, Academy / Multi-academy trust, Training provider, Adult education, Independent school, Secondary
Guided learning hours 60–100 hours, 100–180 hours
Regulated Qualification
Certification Externally certificated, hard-copy only
Location International (including Channel Islands and Ireland), Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England
UCAS points No UCAS points available
Available on Equitas No
Pathway Independent Living

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To teach this course you must be an ASDAN member.

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Who are the PSD qualifications for?

ASDAN Personal and Social Development Qualifications are suitable for learners aged 14 and over, including adults. They can be delivered in schools, colleges, alternative provision, special schools, EOTAS, youth justice settings, training providers, and adult and community education.

Available from Entry 1 to Level 2, the qualifications can support learners with different starting points, abilities and aspirations. Their flexible, practical structure is particularly valuable for learners who benefit from personalised, portfolio-based learning.

The qualifications can complement PSHE, personal development, life skills, preparation for adulthood and work-related learning.

Facts and figures

  • Accreditation for existing PSHE and PSD activities
  • Opportunities to include activities both inside and outside of school and in non-formal situations
  • Following amendments to the school and college performance tables in England, qualifications that do not rely on a written examination for assessment purposes, such as ASDAN qualifications, do not, themselves, contribute to the tables. There is however strong evidence that ASDAN qualifications improve performance in English and Mathematics, which have a double weighting in school performance measures such as Progress 8
  • In Wales and Northern Ireland, ASDAN qualifications can contribute towards school/college performance measures. Download this information sheet for details.

Structure

Learners complete a combination of units to achieve the required number of credits.

  • At Entry 1-3: 6 credits are required for an award, and 13 credits for a certificate.
  • At Levels 1-2: 8 credits are required for an award, and 13 for a certificate.

Each credit is equivalent to around 10 hours of learning time.

Centres should refer to the relevant qualification specification and rules of combination when selecting units.

Download the new (2026) table of PSD units.

Download the legacy (pre-2026) table of PSD units.

The full specification is available from the course resources section below.

Units and standards

PSD units cover areas such as community action, healthy living, managing money, social relationships, personal safety, preparation for work and using technology.

Centres registered to deliver PSD can access the delivery guide, which explain how to interpret and apply the unit requirements.

Exemplar portfolios

These exemplar unit portfolios have been created to provide guidance for centres on the type and amount of evidence required for PSD units.

Become a member

To deliver this course, your organisation must be an ASDAN member. Visit our membership page to find out what is included and how to apply.

Register your interest in ASDAN membership

Create a cohort

Once your organisation is an ASDAN member and has approval to deliver this course, you can create a cohort of learners in the members’ area. You will need to specify a course coordinator, the expected completion date and the number of learners taking the course.

Learners should be registered within 60 days of starting any ASDAN course and before any assessment takes place.

Access the members' area

Access resources

ASDAN provides a wide range of supporting resources, including course standards with guidance and assessment materials. All resources related to your course can be found on the course webpage.

Quality assurance

All ASDAN courses are assessed through portfolios or projects, instead of exams. Appropriate internal quality assurance (IQA) and external quality assurance (EQA) will take place according to the course and you will be guided on this by our team.

ASDAN training supports educators to deliver this course successfully. Sessions provide an introduction, alongside guidance on planning, delivery, assessment and internal quality assurance. Training is not mandatory but is strongly recommended. 

Centres should ensure that staff have the appropriate knowledge and skills and meet the requirements set out in the qualification specification.

Training is included in ASDAN membership for organisations joining or renewing after 1 April 2026, excluding tailored INSET.

Book training in the members area

ASDAN members can also take part in our special interest groups. These online sessions focus on specific areas of practice and provide opportunities for discussion, collaboration and networking with other members.

All registration costs are per learner.

Item Price
Personal and Social Development:   
Award (all levels) £37
Certificate (all levels) £37

Public funding for ASDAN qualifications delivered in the UK

Some qualifications are approved for public funding for eligible learners. Funding status can change. Members should check the current government qualification record for the relevant level and size before registering learners or making funding decisions.

Course resources

PSD Entry 3 recognising progress

PSD Entry 2 recognising progress

Learning log

Scheme of work template

This template can be used to plan and create a scheme of work for any ASDAN programme or qualification. Also included is a completed example showing a scheme of work for Module 3 of the Personal Development Programmes.

PSD Level 1 generic worksheets

PSD Level 1 assessment checklists

PSD Level 1 assessment plans

PSD Level 1 unit activities

Please note that there is no minimum number of challenges required to achieve units from the Personal and Social Development qualifications. Assessors should choose enough challenges for their learners to produce evidence which meets the requirements across all assessment criteria within the unit. Additional challenges may be completed to support the development of learner understanding and/or skills. You can contact your education development partner, or the Quality and Qualifications team, if you are unsure about what your learners need to do to achieve an ASDAN qualification.

PSD Level 1 unit worksheets

PSD Level 1 controlled challenges

PSD Level 1 completed example assessment plans

PSD L1 summative challenges

Success stories

PSD provides ‘refreshing GCSE alternative’ and improves learners’ focus

Of the 17 students who completed the Personal and Social Development (PSD) Level 2 qualification at Integrated College Dungannon in Co Tyrone last year, all went on to sixth form or college.
Progression pathway
Personal Progress
Employability