Scope of the Policy

This policy is provided for YTP customers, partners, learners, employers, associates, and staff members who are using or delivering courses and qualifications offered by YTP.

 

Review arrangements

YTP will review this policy annually in line with self-assessment arrangements. This policy will also be revised as and when necessary, in response to any feedback, or good practice guidance issued by an awarding organisation or other regulatory body.

 

Location of the Policy

This policy is available for all with access to YTP’s central store, website, tutor drop box or on request.

 

Communication of the Policy

Everybody involved in the management, delivery, assessment, and quality assurance of qualifications offered by YTP, shall be made aware of this policy during their induction period of employment or when they engage with YTP. Learners undertaking qualifications shall be informed of this policy during their induction process.

 

Policy Statement

Quality Assurance is concerned with monitoring the learner's journey throughout their time undertaking a qualification at YTP.

 

Quality assurance involves monitoring the teaching, learning, and assessment activities and the quality of work learners produce, in terms of meeting the correct grading criteria. Quality assurance helps to ensure that assessment and Quality assurance activities are valid, authentic, sufficient, fair, and reliable.

 

Quality assurance measures the quality, delivery, processes, procedures, and learner achievements.

  

Statement of Principles

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Key concepts and principles of quality assurance of assessment include:

• ensuring quality standards throughout the learner journey

• ensuring accuracy and consistency of assessment decisions made by those involved

• identifying issues and trends that develop

• supporting and developing assessors, tutors, partners, and employers

• ensuring accountability for assessment decisions and quality standards, awarding body procedures and policies are maintained

• ensuring achievement made by learners and judged are recognised and meets the grading criteria

• ensuring the correct and appropriate assessment strategies are used

• ensuring the confidentiality of the learner and provider are always maintained

• ensuring sampling both interim and summative is occurring

• Quality assurance principles include ensuring standardisation activities take place, assessment decisions embrace inclusion, equality is promoted with learners and the diversity of learners is valued by all staff. It ensures that fairness is apparent in all assessment decisions and that there are auditable records to show this.

 

Other principles include maintaining health and safety practices, such as risk assessments. Also ensuring all staff has access to training and CPD, are motivated and that clear communication between takes place regularly.

 

Quality Assurance Activities

YTP will undertake sampling of assessment judgements in line with the sampling plans in place for all qualifications offered.

 

Sampling will be formative and summative and at 10% to 25% of learner evidence, depending on the experience of the deliverers, qualifications, and competency. (100% for new or newly qualified team members).

 

Sampling may take place formatively.

All completed qualifications will be formatively sampled.

All involved will receive a sampling report within three days of submitting a learner portfolio for sampling.

Any disagreements with the findings will be reviewed by the Lead IQA, who will have the final say on any judgements.

 Sampling plans will identify learners, assessors/tutors/employers, and the assessment criteria to be sampled. Sampling activities will meet the requirements of the awarding organisations YTP is approved with.

 

Standardisation activities will be undertaken regularly (at least every eight weeks) with IQAs, Assessors, Trainers, Employers, and relevant line managers present. Standardisation activities will meet the requirements of the awarding organisations YTP is approved with.

 

All meetings will have a set agenda and minutes shall be produced and disseminated to all relevant staff members.

 

Example Standardisation Meeting Agenda:

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• Actions from previous standardisation meetings

• Resources, H&S, E&D issues

• Progression and achievement of learners

• Examples of learners work to standardise

• Good practice from assessors

• Areas for improvements

• Internal quality assurance reports

• External quality assurance reports

• AO and qualification updates

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Observations of staff members will be determined by a yearly cycle, with all teaching, learning, and assessment staff members receiving a minimum of one observation per year. All involved will be required to be observed at grade two or above. Action plans and support will be in place for any staff members identified as ‘requiring improvement’.

All observations will be documented and moderated.

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All involved will receive access to regular, continuous professional development (CPD) and shall be encouraged to undertake reflective practice.

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Learner feedback shall be collected through surveys, focus groups and comments, complaints, and complements cards. Learner feedback will be regularly obtained and analysed, and improvements shall be highlighted and implemented across the organisation, where required.

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All documents relating to QA activities will be held securely, in line with Data Protection and confidentiality requirements. Access will be granted to all relevant awarding organisations to any assessment documents and related materials.

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