SQA’s New Approach to Quality
Assurance
Matthew McCullagh
Quality Manager
Why Have a New Approach?
 Review of SQA Quality Framework (2006)
 Continue to protect SQA’s reputation and
credibility of our qualifications
 Feedback from Centres
What is our goal?
SQA should have a transparent intelligence-led,
risk based model for quality assurance of
centres delivering our qualifications
Key Changes to our existing
Approach
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Introduced from August 2012 onwards
Supported by on-line guidance for centres
Refreshed Quality Assurance Criteria
Introduction of Risk Rating
Introduction of Sanctions
Introduction of Action Plans
Refreshed Quality Assurance Reports
Introduced from August 2012
onwards
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Initial Launch to centres in September 2011
Ongoing Support from Mary Gao
Final Launch to centres in September 2012
All Quality Assurance activity follows the New
Approach from then on
Supported by on-line guidance for
centres
 http://cn.sqa.org.uk/Quality_Assurance
Refreshed Quality Assurance
Criteria
 Each criterion clearly describes what a centre must
do to demonstrate compliance.
 They are:
– Organised into 5 Categories
•
•
•
•
•
Management of a Centre
Resources
Candidate Supoort
Assessment and Verification
Records/Data Management
Refreshed Quality Assurance
Criteria
– Supported by examples of evidence
– Graded by their importance
– Linked to 4 different Quality Assurance
Processes
Introduction of Risk Rating
EV Rationale
Severe threat to integrity of assessment decisions
Significant threat to integrity of assessment decisions in short-term.
Moderate threat to integrity of assessment decisions in short-term and/or high
threat to integrity of assessment decision in long-term.
Low threat to integrity of assessment decisions in short-term and/or medium
threat to integrity of assessment decisions.
No identified threat to the integrity of assessment decisions.
Risk
Severe
Systems Rationale
Systemic high risk to effective support of SQA candidates
Significant
Localised and/or systematic high risk to effective support of SQA candidates in the
short term
Moderate
Significant threat to effective support of SQA candidates in short-term and/or high
threat to effective support of SQA candidates in long-term
Low
Very Low
Localised low risk to effective support of SQA candidates in the short term or
medium risk in the long term
No identified risk to effective support of SQA candidates
Introduction of Sanctions
EV Sanction
Risk
Systems Sanction
Withdrawal of specific qualification approval:
by verification group
by qualification
Severe
Suspension of specific qualification approval:
by verification group
by qualification
Significant
Withdrawal of devolved status
Withdrawal of all existing specific qualification approval
Suspension of specific qualification certification:
by verification group
by qualification
Suspension of approval application by verification group
Suspension of direct certification claim status:
by verification group
by qualification
Moderate
Suspension of all existing qualification approval
Suspension of devolved status
Suspension of centre certification
Suspension of certification for all qualifications with internally assessed components
Suspension of certification for all qualifications
with externally assessed components
Suspension of qualification approval application - whole centre
Entry in Action Plan
Low
Very Low
Withdrawal of centre approval
Entry in Action Plan
Refreshed Quality Assurance Reports
Summary Report
Introduction of Action Plans
 Action Plans will be generated during a visit
where one or more non-compliances are
identified
 Action points will be SMART
– Specific
– Measurable
– Agreed
– Realistic
– Time-bound
Introduction of Action Plans
 All action points are discussed and agreed with
centre management during the visit
 All action points within an action plan are
MANDATORY
 Failure to meet action points may result in an
increased risk rating and further sanctions
Refreshed Quality Assurance Reports
Action Plan
Summary
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Introduced from August 2012 onwards
Supported by on-line guidance for centres
Refreshed Quality Assurance Criteria
Introduction of Risk Rating
Introduction of Sanctions
Introduction of Action Plans
Refreshed Quality Assurance Reports
Questions