Annex A: overview of qualification funding approval process
This shows the step-by-step process that awarding organisations must follow to get funding approval in England for a qualification.
Awarding organisations must follow the step-by-step process in order to get funding approval for a qualification.
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If you’re an awarding organisation, add the qualification to Ofqual’s register of regulated qualifications for Ofqual to regulate it and provide a unique qualification number. If you’re an access validating agency, submit the qualification to the Quality Assurance Agency for the Quality Assurance Agency to regulate it and provide a unique qualification number.
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ESFA adds the qualification to Find a learning aim without funding validity, which can take up to 2 weeks.
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DfE downloads data about regulated qualifications from Ofqual and the Quality Assurance Agency on the second to last Tuesday of the month. It can take up to 5 weeks for data to appear in the download after regulation.
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If the qualification is affected by the moratorium, go to step 5. If the qualification is not affected by the moratorium, go to step 6.
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If the qualification meets the moratorium exemption criteria, go to step 6. If the qualification does not meet the exemption criteria, go to step 7.
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If the qualification meets the approval criteria, go to step 8. If the qualification does not meet the approval criteria, go to step 7.
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DfE does not approve the qualification for funding. DfE writes to the awarding organisation, mayoral combined authority, or Greater London Authority to explain the reasons.
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DfE updates the list of qualifications approved for funding. ESFA updates the qualification’s funding validity in Find a learning aim.