Notice

ISM Education Ltd: Regulatory Notice(s)

Published 10 September 2025

Applies to England

21 July 2025

Regulatory Notice

Ofqual gives Notice under Condition H2 of the General Conditions of Recognition that ISM, from the date of this Notice, is hereby required to:

a) include Moderation (as set out in General Conditions H2.3, H2.4 and H2.5) in relation to all Learners within the first cohort of Learners at each ISM approved Centre. That cohort being the first Learners where ISM conducts its scrutiny of Centre marking, on or after the date of this Notice. That cohort could comprise of registrations for one specific ISM qualification or a number of them;

b) ensure Moderation is completed on 100% of assessment marked by Centres in in respect of the first cohort; and

c) ensure the Moderation includes an in-person visit to each Centre by ISM personnel, e.g. an EQA (notice provided under H2.2)

AND

Ofqual gives Notice under General Condition H6.2 of the General Conditions of Recognition requiring ISM to refrain from issuing results until it has submitted a statement of assurance to Ofqual confirming that in relation to each cohort of Learners, that it is assured:

a) Moderation has been completed for the Centre and which Learners (in that first cohort) have or have not met the required standard of the qualification

b) each Learner exists

c) each Learner has been properly registered with the AO

d) each Learner has completed the assessment under the required conditions

e) the assessment criteria have been applied accurately and consistently

ISM must not issue results until Ofqual has responded to the Statement of Assurance in respect of the first cohort for that particular Centre.

ISM is required to document and retain all information pertaining to the requirements imposed by this Notice.

Purpose

Ofqual imposes the above requirements in order to perform its functions, namely to protect the interests of Learners and maintain public confidence in qualifications.

Ofqual considers that the requirements are both necessary and proportionate and the rationale is set out more fully in the attached Statement of Reasons.

Please note the following important information:

1. Failure to comply with the requirements set out in this Notice may represent a breach of the General Conditions of Recognition and Ofqual may take regulatory action.

2. If you are unable to comply with the terms of this Notice you should notify Ofqual as soon as possible, explaining why you are unable to comply.

3. The requirements imposed in this Notice will remain in force until further notice. The requirements will be reviewed again on or after 20 July 2026. ISM can apply for the requirements to be removed at any time; any request must be submitted via the Portal and be accompanied with reasons why the requirements are no longer necessary.

4. All information submitted in response to this request will be retained by Ofqual and may be used for other purposes in accordance with Ofqual’s objectives and duties. Personal data will only be used for another compatible purpose and/or anonymised or pseudonymised where possible.

5. Ofqual may share information with other agencies or authorities where appropriate or where required by law.

Should you have any queries about this Notice please respond via the message chain of this communication.

Director of Operations, Vocational and Technical Qualifications