How to become an approved centre

How to become an approved Centre of The Real Consultancy Company

Introduction

Prior to offering The Real Consultancy Company level 4 diploma qualifications a provider will need to seek and achieve centre approval. The centre approval process requires providers to meet our centre quality assurance criteria, to deliver our qualifications and assessments to the required standards. Approval is the first stage of our comprehensive quality assurance model. Following this, we continue to monitor approved centres’ capacity to meet our quality assurance criteria.

Quality assurance is undertaken by an External Quality Assurer appointed by The Real Consultancy Company ensure that assessment and internal quality assurance activities have been conducted in a consistent, safe, and fair manner.

The external quality assurer undertakes this role behalf of The Real Consultancy Company organisation for each approved centre which offers their qualifications. This is to ensure that the learners who have been registered with The Real Consultancy Company have received a quality service, and that the assessment and internal quality assurance decisions are valid and reliable.

The external quality assurer will check the accuracy of centre assessment judgements, and provide feedback, improvement actions, or adjustments where necessary. All centres in their first year of approval will have a 90 day visit from their appointed external quality assurer who will adopt a risk-based approach to quality assurance, which will determine the frequency of assessments from year 2 onwards and the type of monitoring activities are based upon the type of qualification, the assessment methods, as well as the risks presented at centre and/ or qualification level.

All approved centres need to have a clear quality assurance policy that includes details regarding internal quality assurance and standardisation of assessment decisions. The policy needs to monitor and ensure an inclusive high quality of teaching and learning offer is in place. The external quality assurer will use their monitoring visits to gather learner feedback, observation of teaching and learning and assessment activities and will use qualitative and quantitative data to inform their judgements.

Organisations wishing to offer The Real Consultancy Company qualifications must first become an approved centre. The centre approval process requires you to meet our centre quality assurance criteria, to deliver our qualifications and assessments to the required standards. Approval is the first stage of our comprehensive quality assurance model. Following this, we continue to monitor approved centres’ capacity to meet our quality assurance criteria.

We have designed our centre approval process to be clear and straightforward, whilst maintaining our rigorous quality assurance standards. Our dedicated Central Services team are available to support centres through the approval process. Centre approval includes an initial qualification approval. Approved centres wishing to offer additional qualifications must complete the qualification approval process. This document outlines the key steps in the approval process for prospective centres, from initial expression of interest through to approval being granted. It is for use by any staff involved in the approval process.

Centre Approval Application Form and the Qualification Approval Application process:

All interested organisations need to submit a Centre Approval Interest form available on our website. On receipt of the form TRCC will conduct an organisational credit check. Once these have been processed, we will set you up with access to our secure online administration system.

You will then receive two emails:

1. The link and access details to the online platform which gives immediate access to the centre approval form that must be completed.

2. An introduction from the Central Services team who will process and manage your centre approval.

Please refer to the fees for costs of approval that are stated on our website.

The centre approval form must be completed and submitted within ten working days of access being granted to the online portal. Once your form has been submitted, the Central Services team will arrange for the quality assurance team to review it to ensure all required information has been submitted and then allocate a TRCC external associate to your centre.

Their role is to ensure that all required systems, resources, and procedures are in place before approval can be awarded.

The Centre Approval Application

All interested organisation are required to complete the following:

Contact Details

Centre address, quality contact (for all quality queries), head of centre

Type of organisation seeking approval (further education, training provider, etc). Statement confirming if the prospective centre intend to subcontract some aspect

of assessment delivery to another organisation.

Detail whether the organisation has or had any approval with The Real Consultancy Company Limited previously.

Current / Previous Approvals

To confirm staff who will have access to TRCC Online Portal and the type of system profile they will have. To confirm that qualification assessment and Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) procedures are in place as well as required policies (as detailed in the Centre quality assurance criteria).

Data System

Confirmation that there are systems are in place to track learner progress and support them through their qualification.

Learner Support

Explain how the organisation will monitor and evaluate the assessment and quality assurance of the qualification.

Quality Assurance and Performance

Qualification Details

Information regarding the qualification approvals being sought, estimated number of candidates to be registered, staffing involved, delivery and assessment methodology.

Existing Approvals

Confirmation as to whether the organisation has approval for the qualification with another awarding organisation.

Delivery and Resource

Confirmation that the organisation has the staff and physical resources required for the qualification assessment and IQA arrangements. This includes appropriate assessment sites.

Possible Sources of Evidence

Confirm the sources of evidence the organisation will provide to support the application.

Declaration

Head of centre signs and confirms acceptance of The Real Consultancy Company Limited’s conditions.

Payment Method

Confirmation that the organisation will pay for centre approval.

If you have any questions at all about completion of the form, please do get in touch with our Central Services Manager info@therealconsultancycompany.com. We process all centre approval application forms within 30 working days of receipt.

Centre approval and qualification approval support activity

Allocated external associates will confirm with the centre the date for the approval support activity to take place. During this activity a centre verification report is completed by the external associate. This report is split into three sections and outlines whether the centre meets our approval requirements:

Evaluation by the external associate of the supporting evidence provided by the centre in respect of its human and physical resources and quality assurance requirements. This will include good practice identified as well as areas for improvement.
Action Plan (where applicable) and any actions the centre needs to implement to meet our centre approval and quality assurance criteria. These will also include a timeline for their completion.
Additional Comments: any other relevant information that the external associate feel may affect the approval application. The Real Consultancy Company will confirm the decision in writing and make the centre verification report available to the Head of Centre. Where actions have been raised, the centre will be required to provide the evidence to the Central Services team to confirm the actions have been met. If required, a further support activity may be arranged.

Where approval is granted, The Real Consultancy Company will write to the organisation to confirm it is now an approved The Real Consultancy Company centre and provide them with a unique six-digit centre number. A certificate of centre approval will be issued. Future external quality assurance activities will also be arranged at this stage, depending on the types of qualifications being offered.

Centres can then register candidates for the qualifications they are approved for on The Real Consultancy Company Portal and undertake delivery and assessments (in line with the guidance in the relevant qualification and/or assessment documentation).

For qualifications where centres can claim certificates themselves, they will require a first positive EQA sampling activity before claims can take place.

Centre quality assurance criteria

The centre quality assurance criteria are what an initial centre approval is measured against and represent the minimum requirements that centres must adhere to, to retain this approval.

The table below lists the criteria, along with the sources of evidence that organisations will need to supply at approval, and upon subsequent ongoing external quality assurance monitoring.

Centre quality assurance criteria

Sources of evidence

The centre has a single named Centre Quality Contact

A documented named point of accountability for management of quality assurance, with secure contact details (specific to the centre).

The centre can hold and securely transmit details of assessment outcomes

Documented procedures to ensure security when sending and receiving details of learner information to us.

The centre has the staff, resources and systems needed to support:

The delivery of assessment.
Where necessary, the recording of any appropriate exemptions.

Documented procedures to ensure security when sending and receiving details of learner information to us.

Documented quality assurance procedures
An organisational chart.
Up-to-date CVs, original certificates, and/or assessor qualifications of the assessment/delivery team
Documented procedures for registering learners within 12 weeks (unless there is a specified exception to this rule)
Learner tracking documentation
Procedures for recording exemptions, internal appeals, complaints, malpractice, maladministration, reasonable adjustments and special considerations, and plagiarism.
Induction plans for centre staff involved with delivery, assessment, and internal quality assurance.
A documented Equal Opportunities policy and procedures, along with evidence of their implementation.
A documented Health & Safety policy and procedures, along with evidence of their implementation.

The centre has administrative systems in place to track the learner’s progress.

The centre has arrangements in place that allow for the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

The centre documents the respective roles and responsibilities of any partnership arrangements, including satellite centres, additional assessment sites and subcontracted providers. This includes their contractual relationship.

The centre must give access to premises, people and records, and to cooperate with any of the allocated quality assurance activities.

The centre declares any withdrawn centre and/or qualification approval from The Real Consultancy Company or other Awarding Organisations. The centre contact declares if they have been a director or centre contact for any centre that has had any approval removed.

Records of learner tracking system.
Assessment records.
Individual Learning Plans (ILP) – where appropriate.

Records of initial assessment procedures.
Learner induction plans.
Individual Learning Plans (ILP).

Partner contracts and service agreements.
Recorded agreements for roles and responsibilities.

Records of initial assessment procedures.
Learner induction plans.
Individual Learning Plans (ILP).

The centre approval form at approval should be completed to include this information if applicable
Completion and sign-off of the Centre Update Form for ongoing compliance.

Centre Document Library

This is a resource area available through the online portal, designed for our centres and has practical guidance information to assist with offering our qualifications. The guidance covers everything from initial approval and centre charges, malpractice, to learner examination administration, policies and procedures.

E: info@therealconsultancycompany.com