PD:Approval takes great pride in the standard achieved by our approved providers through the submission process, and will support you to maintain the quality of your delivery and service to your learners through a robust but collaborative quality assurance process.
Accreditation
CPD Endorsement
PD:Approval will be on hand to support you to maintain the quality of your delivery throughout each annual accreditation period.
After your Interim Approval has been confirmed, your allocated External Quality Assurer (EQA) will get in touch to introduce themselves and organise a Full Approval visit when the first assessment of your approved qualification is taking place. They will be accompanied by a member of REPS India (costs will apply which they will advise you off). This first EQA visit is your final step towards Full Approval and will focus on the practical skills of the team as well as the assessments/assessment portfolio and internal quality assurance to ensure you have met the required standards; you will receive full guidance before the visit. The EQA can also deliver tutor, assessor or internal quality assurance training for those who require it (fees apply). This is not in place of formal qualifications for these roles but can be used as a refresher or may be an action from the quality assurance report. After Full Approval, your EQA will make an annual quality assurance support visit each year that you continue to be accredited.
You will be required to pay a fee of £1250 (approximately INR 130,000) once dates have been agreed. (REPs India will advise you of their costs separately)
If training is required, either by your request or as a result of the EQA’s report, a further fee of £1200 (approximately 125,200 INR) will be charged which covers a minimum 6 places on each of the tutor, assessor and Internal Quality Assurer programmes. A fee of £150 (approximately 15,600 INR) per learner will be charged for additional attendees on the training. If the training is taking place outside of an EQA visit, a fee of £1250 will also be applied.
If the training is by your request, then this must be arranged before the EQA visit to ensure that full payment is received beforehand, all the people taking part are available, and that it can take place during the time the EQA is in India.
If training needs are identified on the EQA’s visit, this will be actioned in the EQA report for training to take place at the next available training day. We will advise you of dates when our EQAs will be in India again.
Once you have achieved Full Approval, your EQA will provide remote support to you during the remainder of your accreditation year and may also conduct a remote desk-based review of your training during that time. After renewal, your EQA will arrange the next quality assurance visit, which will be graded as outlined below.
Grade Characteristics: Outcomes for Learners
Your EQA will review and evaluate the overall effectiveness of the qualification, including the quality and effectiveness of teaching, learning and assessment and align their judgement and grading to the UK’s Ofsted grading characteristics*
EQAs will evaluate the evidence seen using the following grading scale:
1. Outstanding
The quality and consistency of the teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding. The content is highly relevant and there is evidence of a commitment to continuous improvement. All learners are achieving and are actively encouraged, through leadership, teaching and management to achieve their full potential. Read the further requirements of the Outstanding Grade here. Providers who achieve an Outstanding Grade are eligible for Centre of Excellence status.
2. Good
The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good or better. There is evidence of a positive and conducive learning environment. Most learners are achieving and learning outcomes are being met and there are measures in place to support learner achievement.
3. Requires improvement
The quality of teaching, learning and assessment, although it may good in places, is inconsistent in its overall quality. Some learners may be meeting the outcomes, and some learning and outcomes may require improvement.
4. Unsatisfactory
In general, the effectiveness of the programme is inadequate. The quality of teaching, learning and assessment and the outcomes for learners are inadequate. There are weaknesses in leadership and management and learners’ ability to succeed is impaired.
Full details of our Sanctions Policy can be found here.
Please note that if your quality status is Unsatisfactory or Requires Improvement, an additional fee of £380 will be payable for the additional support. If a visit is required, expenses will also be incurred. Additionally, there may be the cost of any training that your EQA has specified.
Areas that we quality assure:
- Delivery of training – an observed visit against robust criteria
- Assessment – an observation of learners undertaking the practical assessment
- Systems and processes – desk based and observational
- Certification - your process for providing the official certificates to your learners.
If you have any questions about quality assurance before being approved please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. However, if you have already been approved please contact your EQA.
*Ofsted, Handbook for the inspection of further education and skills, January 2015.
Endorsed providers are required to conduct their own internal quality assurance process to ensure that the standard of training and assessment that learners are receiving is of a consistently high standard.
For providers with Unlimited endorsement, PD:Approval (PDA) will undertake desk-based external quality assurance checks on behalf of REPS India to ensure that endorsed training programmes and assessments satisfy REPS India criteria.
Quality assurance checks will take place post approval at least once during each one year endorsement period and initially within the first 6 months of approval. The checks will be conducted by sector specific, qualified and experienced External Quality Assurers (EQAs) who will evaluate the training provision against the published endorsement criteria. A report will be issued and time framed actions may be required to be completed to ensure that any quality issues are managed.
For providers with Pay As You Go endorsement, PDA may require a formal self-evaluation check to ensure the standard of the evaluated submission is maintained. If you are selected, a self-evaluation pack will be sent out explaining all of the criteria and evidence required to be evaluated, eg internal quality assurance procedures, marketing and assessment. The completed pack must be formally submitted by a specific deadline. PAYG providers may also be visited as part of PDA's sampling process, where a PDA EQA will contact them to arrange a visit and observation.
The cost of the EQA desk-based check and self-evaluation is included in the endorsement fee, however if a visit is required as a result of a sanction or actions not met, the cost of £380 for the visit will be charged to the training provider, along with a fee of £1000.
Once an endorsed provider’s programme has been reviewed, the organisation will be graded according to their level of compliance to PD:Approval quality standards.
Grade Characteristics: Outcomes for Learners
Your EQA will review and evaluate the overall effectiveness of your programme, including the quality and effectiveness of teaching, learning and assessment and align their judgement and grading to one of the following statuses:
Low Risk
The programme and delivery meet REPS India standards.
Medium risk
The programme and/or delivery mostly meet REPS India standards but actions are required.
High risk
The programme and/or delivery do not meet REPS India standards and an EQA visit is required (fees apply).
Sanctions may also apply as a result of the EQA check, or if actions are not completed to meet the standard required or within the set deadline. Full details of our Sanctions Policy can be found here.
