Introduction to section 96 qualifications
Under sections 96, 98, 100 and 101 of the Learning and Skills Act 2000, schools, institutions and employers in England can offer under 19-year-olds a course leading to an external qualification. This would be funded either by a local authority or by the Young People's Learning Agency, as long as the qualification is approved.
This section lists qualifications the Secretary of State has approved for pupils in maintained schools, and for under 19-year-olds in further and work-based education and training. You can download all approved qualifications using Microsoft Excel, so that you can view or print them.
Qualifications accredited and approved for funding for adults from 1 August 2010 onwards can be found on the QCF website
It is your responsibility to ensure that the qualifications you wish to offer are approved for the age group of your learners.
Section 96 Interim Arrangements – update 20 July 2011
Ministers removed the former Section 96 (Learning and Skills Act 2000) criteria for the approval of vocational qualifications for use in maintained schools and colleges up to the age of 19 in late 2010. This decision was taken as the former Section 96 criteria were out of date and did not support the Coalition Government's priorities for academic and vocational education.
In place of the previous arrangements, interim arrangements were put in place whilst Professor Alison Wolf conducted her review of vocational education. Professor Wolf's report was published on 3 March 2011.
The Government responded to Professor Wolf's report on 12 May 2011 and accepted all the recommendations contained in the report. The interim criteria for Section 96 approval have since been reviewed and they have now been updated to meet current policy. These criteria remain under review and they will continue to reflect the implementation of Professor Wolf's recommendations and emerging Government priorities.
The Government published a Statement of Intent outlining the future publication of headline performance indicators on 20 July 2011. The statement can be viewed at this link: http://www.education.gov.uk/performancetables/
All qualifications which were submitted to the Department for consideration for funding approval under Section 96 before 20 July will be processed according to the interim arrangements in place up to that date. Qualifications submitted to the Department for consideration for funding approval under Section 96 after 20 July will be processed in accordance with the new interim criteria which can be viewed at this link: http://www.education.gov.uk/section96/content_29.shtml
Processing of data on qualifications seeking Section 96 approval
New qualifications will be processed monthly. Ofqual and the Department will use RITS data to identify those qualifications for which funding approval in England is requested. Note that Section 96 approval will not be considered for any qualification unless formally requested through RITS.
Where qualifications meet the current criteria in full they will be approved and added to Section 96. Qualifications which partly meet the criteria will be added to Section 96 in line with the criteria they do meet. Any qualification which fails to meet any of the criteria will not be added to Section 96.
Changes to qualifications (such as extensions to review dates and setting operational end dates) will be processed monthly. Ofqual and the Department will use RITS data to identify those qualifications for which changes to the funding approval already granted in England is requested. Changes to the existing approval will not be considered for any qualification unless it is formally requested through RITS.
Where a requested change meets the current criteria the change will be approved and the entry for the qualification will be amended on Section 96.
Certification End Dates for qualifications added to Section 96
One of the effects of the migration to RITS is that Certification End Dates do not now exist for all qualifications, e.g. for new qualifications submitted via RITS where the AO has yet to identify an Operational End Date (although these may be added at a later date). When such qualifications are added to Section 96 a date is required in the Certification End Date field to enable the system to function properly. Where required a 'default' date of 31 December 2099 is shown in the Certification End Date field on the Section 96 web site for these qualifications.
Review of qualifications included on Section 96
The Section 96 web site automatically archives qualifications at the point at which their Review Date or Operational End Date is met. AOs are therefore reminded to ensure that qualifications are reviewed in good time before the current Review Date is reached. Unless new dates are received via RITS before the current Review Date is reached for any qualification, that qualification will disappear from the live site the day after the current Review Date.
If you have any queries on the current position on Section 96, or if you would like further information, please e-mail us at section96.mailbox@education.gsi.gov.uk