Policies for SQA centres

SQA’s Awarding Body Code of Practice outlines how we ensure that:

• qualifications are of a high quality and fit for purpose
• assessment of these qualifications is monitored and maintained to a consistently high standard.

SQA’s policies are essential in ensuring public confidence by supporting how we safeguard the integrity of our qualifications and assessment standards.

Equality of Access

The Equality of Access to SQA Qualifications policy outlines the organisation’s commitment to promoting and facilitating access to our qualifications. This policy is there to ensure that our qualifications and assessments are not discriminatory. In practice, we:

• carry out an equality review of our qualifications to ensure our assessments are fair and equitable for all learners across all our qualifications.
• develop methods of assessment and quality assurance that are sensitive to the needs of all leaners.
• provide assessment arrangements (including considering reasonable adjustment requests) for disabled learners and those with additional support needs to access the assessment without compromising its integrity.

Equality of access to SQA qualifications (239 KB)

The Equality Impact Assessment (288 KB) and Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (139 KB) for this policy can be found on the Equality impact assessments webpage. Further information is also available on how SQA considers equality in its qualifications. Further information on how SQA considers equality in its qualifications.

Lifespan of SQA Qualifications

We review all existing qualifications periodically for currency and relevance, to ensure we continue to maintain a balanced portfolio of qualifications. This policy gives clear criteria for when we should retain qualifications and when we should remove qualifications from SQA's portfolio. It applies to all SQA self-regulated qualifications, and SQA qualifications regulated by SQA Accreditation, Ofqual, and Qualifications Wales.

Lifespan of SQA Qualifications Policy (175 KB)

Language of Assessment policies

The Language of Assessment and Certification policies set out which language should be used to assess different types of qualifications and explain the reasons for this. They do not refer to the assessment of languages, for example modern languages.

There are separate Language of Assessment policies for the following types of qualifications:

• Regulated qualifications, for example, SVQs and competency-based Awards, Certificates and Diplomas.
• Qualifications validated by SQA, for example, National Qualifications, Higher National Qualifications, Professional Development Awards, National Progression Awards.
• Qualifications offered internationally, in any country that is not in the UK.
• Customised awards, which are designed by another organisation and quality assured by SQA.

Our regulated and self-regulated policies have also been provided in Gaelic.

• Language of assessment and certification in units and qualifications validated by SQA (delivered in the United Kingdom)
• Cànan measaidh agus teisteanachaidh ann an aonadan agus teisteanasan air an dearbhadh le SQA (air an lìbhrigeadh san Rìoghachd Aonaichte)
• Language of assessment in customised products validated by SQA
• Language of assessment and certification in regulated qualifications offered by SQA (delivered in the United Kingdom) (175 KB)
• Cànan measaidh agus teisteanachaidh ann an teisteanasan riaghlaichte air an tairgse le SQA (air an lìbhrigeadh san Rìoghachd Aonaichte) (203 KB)
• Language of assessment and certification in units and qualifications offered internationally and validated by SQA (128 KB)

SQA Centre Qualification Approval Policy

To deliver SQA qualifications, a centre must be approved as an SQA centre, and then be approved to offer SQA qualifications.

This policy is for centres who already have systems approval, and are therefore SQA approved centres.SQA sets different approval requirements for its qualifications. This is to ensure that centres delivering them have the required expertise and resources to deliver and assess those qualifications to the defined standard.

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that SQA approved centres understand the requirements of them in terms of having the appropriate approval status to deliver qualifications. SQA must maintain the credibility of its qualifications and their assessment with all users of the qualifications.

SQA centre qualification approval policy (225 KB)