FAQ
Access to HE Diploma
The Access to Higher Education (HE) Diploma is a nationally recognised level 3 qualification which is designed to provide a preparation for study in higher education (HE) for adults returning to education.
It is intended for those age 19+ and living in the UK, who want to study in higher education but who do not have the necessary entry qualifications, such as A Levels.
The qualification is regulated by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA). The QAA licenses Access Validating Agencies (AVAs) to quality assure, validate, and award the Diplomas.
As an AVA, OCN London have developed Access to HE Diplomas in over 40 subjects which offer progression into a range of HE courses and careers, such as Nursing, Policing, Medicine, Biosciences and Engineering.
The Access to HE Diploma is a credit-based qualification, comprising of 60 credits in total. Of those 60 credits, 45 credits must be achieved at level 3 from graded units and the remaining 15 credits must be achieved at Level 2 or 3 from ungraded units.
The rules of combination for each Diploma title can be found in the Diploma specification.
Learners are assessed based on their achievement of unit learning outcomes. Assessment tasks are designed and set by the provider. Assessment methods used must be appropriate for the academic subject matter as well as the progression path.
OCN London have support materials available for over 70 units across a wide range of Diplomas, which providers can use. The support materials include OCN London devised assignment briefs, tutor guidance, internal moderation forms.
Learner’s work is internally assessed and moderated, according to systems monitored by Access Validating Agencies (AVA).
The work produced by learners are also externally moderated by moderators who act on behalf of AVAs to ensure that academic standards are maintained, in terms of:
- The academic demand of assignments
- Consistency and competence in the performance of learners recommended for the award of specific credits, grades and Diplomas
Further information can be found in our Access to HE Guide.
To be able to deliver Access to HE Diplomas, a provider needs to apply for centre approval and course recognition. The Access to HE team will work with you throughout the process. For further information, please complete the form and we will get back to you to discuss your needs further.
If you are already delivering Access to HE Diplomas with OCN London and would like to add another Diploma to your offer, please contact our Access to HE Development Coordinator, Michelle Wood (michelle@ocnlondon.org.uk).
Regulated Qualifications
The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) is the independent qualifications regulator for England. They ensure that qualifications are sufficiently valid, reliable, and trusted. Ofqual set out the rules and regulations that awarding organisations must be compliant with when designing, delivering, and awarding regulated qualifications within the Regulated Qualification Framework (RQF).
OCN London’s role as an awarding organisation, is to design regulated qualifications that meet the requirements of the relevant sector and to develop assessment methods that ensure that learner’s skills and knowledge are measured fairly and accurately.
Once a qualification has been developed by an awarding organisation and regulated with Ofqual, they can be found on the register of regulated qualifications.
Visit our Qualifications search page to explore what regulated qualifications we currently offer.
Colleges, Independent Training Providers and Schools and Sixth Form Colleges. Many of our regulated qualifications can be funded via the Adult Education Budget and/or other public funding streams.
If you don’t already work with us but would like to be approved to deliver our regulated qualifications, you will need to follow our Become a Centre process.
You will need to have the following in place to apply for approval with us.
- A permanent address in England
- The title of the qualification(s) you wish to deliver
- An estimate of the numbers of learners you plan to deliver the qualification(s) to
- Your company number or charity number
- Evidence of your experience in delivering post-16 education or training
- Details of qualifications and experience of your tutors/assessors
- Appropriately experienced/qualified Internal Quality Assurers
- Appropriate arrangements, policies, and procedures
Click here to complete our Become a Centre online initial enquiry form.
ESOL Skills for Life
ESOL Skills for Life qualifications support speakers of other languages based within the UK to develop their English language skills for work, further learning, or everyday life.
These qualifications are designed for anyone based in the UK who needs to improve their understanding and use of written or spoken English. This could be to gain employment or progress at work, to get prepared for further study, to access public services and information, or just to function more effectively in English-speaking surroundings.
ESOL Skills for Life qualifications are based on the National Standards for Adult Literacy, and anyone involved in teaching or assessing must be familiar with the Adult ESOL Core Curriculum.
If you don’t already work with us but would like to be approved to deliver any of our ESOL qualifications, you will need to follow our Become a Centre process.
You will need to have the following in place to apply for approval with us.
- A permanent address in England
- The title of the qualification(s) you wish to deliver
- An estimate of the numbers of learners you plan to deliver the qualification(s) to
- Your company number or charity number
- Evidence of your experience in delivering post-16 education or training
- Details of qualifications and experience of your tutors/assessors
- Appropriately experienced/qualified Internal Quality Assurers
- Appropriate arrangements, policies, and procedures
Click here to complete our Become a Centre online initial enquiry form.
ESOL International
ESOL International qualifications have been designed to support learners emigrating or working in an English-speaking country or those who are looking to learn English as a new language.
Available from Intermediate (RQF Level Entry 3/CEFR B1) to Proficiency (RQF Level 3/CEFR C2), they are suitable for candidates who are preparing for entry to higher education or employment in English speaking countries or where speaking the English language is a requirement.
ESOL International Qualifications are designed for non-native speakers of English who wish to achieve a high quality, UK accredited qualification that can be delivered, and is recognised worldwide.
ESOL International qualifications are based on the National Standards for Adult Literacy, and anyone involved in teaching or assessing must be familiar with the Adult ESOL Core Curriculum.
If you don’t already work with us but would like to be approved to deliver any of our ESOL qualifications, you will need to follow our Become a Centre process.
You will need to have the following in place to apply for approval with us.
- A permanent address in the country that you wish to deliver the qualification(s)
- The title of the qualification(s) you wish to deliver
- An estimate of the numbers of learners you plan to deliver the qualification(s) to
- Your company number or charity number
- Evidence of your experience in delivering post-16 education or training
- Details of qualifications and experience of your tutors/assessors
- Appropriately experienced/qualified Internal Quality Assurers
- Appropriate arrangements, policies, and procedures
Click here to complete our Become a Centre online initial enquiry form.
Bespoke Qualifications
They are courses and training programmes that organisations have developed themselves, specific to their industry requirements, and for which they are seeking accreditation from an awarding organisation. Bespoke accredited courses are non-regulated qualifications designed by your organisation and accredited by us. Learners on bespoke qualification courses will receive recognition for their achievements from us and we will quality assure the content and assessment of the course and award records of achievement to learners.
Bespoke Qualifications are the ideal solution for organisations with identified training needs, measurable learning outcomes and assessment criteria, but aren’t yet recognised by an awarding organisation.
They are also suitable for sector specialists who might be looking to develop a qualification from scratch, to address industry wide skills or knowledge gaps.
Initially, you will need to apply to become an OCN London approved Centre. You may already be delivering these courses, but with the support of our experienced curriculum team we will ensure that your programme clearly demonstrates the skills and knowledge that learners will have at the end of the course, and then it will be accredited by us.
We can also work with you to develop new units that are tailor-made to suit particular needs, mapped to the content of your courses. All our bespoke units contain learning outcomes and assessment criteria, and we encourage flexibility and variety in approaches to assessment – something that our centres really like.
Click here to complete our Become a Centre online initial enquiry form.
OCN London Endorsed
Our OCN London Endorsed service is designed for organisations and employers who are seeking a quality badge for the in-house training that they develop and deliver. Different from our other services, OCN London Endorsed does not involve the assessment of learners and the requirement to provide evidence of achievement from them.
Instead, OCN London Endorsed would give organisations and employers the option of gaining recognition from OCN London for the quality of the courses created. It would also provide a means for helping to assess the effectiveness of delivery against its aims and purpose.
Any organisation who has a CPD strategy and deliver in house training courses to their employees.
You will need to complete our online General Enquiry form, and a dedicated Centre Reviewer will be appointed to review the course or training quality control systems and report back.
When ‘OCN London Endorsed’ status is confirmed, any courses or training programmes subject to the quality control systems reviewed can be registered as ‘OCN London Endorsed’.
OCN London Endorsed status can also be conferred within two weeks of receipt of the initial application in most cases.
