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In 2007, the qualifications regulators established 'accreditation windows'. An accreditation window identifies a deadline by which awarding organisations submit qualifications proposals for GCEs, GCSEs, Diploma Principal Learning, Project qualifications and, from 2010 in England only, Functional Skills for accreditation, and a second deadline by which the regulators take accreditation decisions (accredit/accredit with conditions/do not accredit). Accreditation windows are agreed with relevant awarding organisations once the regulators publish the qualification and any relevant subject/line of learning criteria. It is necessary to consider all the relevant qualifications together in an accreditation window to ensure comparable standards and to give centres information on new qualification specifications in a controlled timeframe.
Proposals must be submitted on or before the agreed date. Proposals submitted after this date will not be considered until the next agreed window. The regulators will determine whether to accredit, accredit with conditions or not accredit proposals on or before an agreed date and communicate this information to the relevant awarding organisations.
For GCSE subjects to be accredited for first teaching in September 2010, the accreditation window is between 1 July 2009 and 30 November 2009. All proposals to be considered in this timeframe must have been submitted by 1 July (15 July for Mathematics) and there are other deadlines for submission as we move towards the completion of the accreditation process on 30 November.
For Diploma Principal Learning, an additional accreditation window to reconsider those proposals that were not accredited in June 2009 will be available in January/February 2010, with exact dates to be determined shortly. The phase 4 Diploma qualifications accreditation window, covering new Principal Learning for phase 4, additional Principal Learning for phases 1-3 and additional Project qualifications, will run from 19 May to 30 June 2010.
For Principal Learning (Wales) qualifications available as an Option within the Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification from September 2009, 2010 and 2011, DCELLS has agreed separate accreditation schedules with the awarding organisations involved. The accreditation window for Essential Skills Wales has been agreed with DCELLS as being from August 1st 2009 - 11th September 2009.
Pilot proposals are not necessarily restricted to accreditation windows and arrangements must be agreed separately with the regulators.
These rules will be reviewed by the regulators in 2010 to reflect Ofqual's changed responsibilities post vesting.
