Frequently Asked Questions
Q1.
What is an external qualification?
Q2.
What does awarded or authenticated by an outside person mean?
Q3.
How does a qualification become approved?
Q4.
Who approves external qualifications?
Q5.
How long does an approval last?
Q6.
How do I get funding for a qualification which isn’t approved?
Q7.
Where do I find out about funding?
Q8.
How often is the list updated?
Q9.
What happened to Schedule 2(a) and section 400?
Q10.
Where can I find the point score for a qualification?
Q1.
What is an external qualification?
An external qualification is a qualification awarded or authenticated by an outside person.
Back to TopQ2.
What does awarded or authenticated by an outside person mean?
A qualification is awarded by an outside person if it is awarded by a person other than the institution or a member of its staff.
A qualification is authenticated by an outside person if it is awarded by the institution and is authenticated by a person other than the institution or a member of its staff.
Q3.
How does a qualification become approved? The central criterion for approval is that the qualification has been accredited by Ofqual in England, or by the regulatory authority in Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland. Once this has happened the Secretary of State decides whether to approve qualifications for use in maintained schools and colleges for students up to 19. Further interim criteria also apply to approval of qualifications until further notice. Details of these are on the home page of this website.
Q4.
Who approves external qualifications?
The Secretary of State approves external qualifications for receipt of public funding. The approval procedures and principles are set by the Secretary of State.
The central criterion for approval is that the qualification has been accredited by Ofqual in England, or by the regulatory authority in Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland.
Q5.
How long does an approval last?
The length of the approval varies. In the database you’ll see that each qualification is given an approval start date, an approval end date and a certificate end date.
Candidates may register for the qualification at any time between the approval start date and the approval end date. Any candidate registered for the qualification at its approval end date may complete their course up to the certificate end date.
Q6.
How do I get funding for a qualification which isn’t approved?
For learners under 19, only courses leading to qualifications that have been approved under Section 96 are eligible for public funding.
Funding, if it leads to more informal certification or is not certificated, is for the funding authority (the Learning and Skills Council or the local authority) to decide.
Q7.
Where do I find out about funding?
Funding matters are for the relevant funding authority to determine. They are the Local Education Authorities and the Young People's Learning Agency. Consult the Yellow Pages for your local education authority.
Q8.
How often is the list updated?
The list is updated monthly.
Information on qualifications added, withdrawn or amended in each update can be accessed through selecting those options on the left hand menu on the main Section 96 screen.
Q9.
What happened to Schedule 2(a) and section 400?
The Learning and Skills Act 2000 replaces Sections 400 and 401 of the Education Act 1996, Section 37 of the Education Act 1997 and Section 3 and Schedule 2 to the Further and Higher Education Act 1992.
Q10.
Where can I find the point score for a qualification?
You can find point scores listed under performance figures for the majority of qualifications on the National Database of Accredited Qualifications (NDAQ).
http://www.accreditedqualifications.org.uk/