Covid-19 Updates

Tuesday 14 December 2021

On 9th December, the Department for Education (DfE) newsletter to the sector included an update for all education providers which refers to January assessments, it states: 

“There are exams for vocational and technical qualifications timetabled for January. Students who are due to sit these exams will be prepared and it is right that they should be given every opportunity to demonstrate what they have learnt.  Exams and formal assessments will go ahead. Consequently, it is essential that students continue to prepare for these assessments.”  This statement applies to all formal assessments within vocational and technical qualifications.

We would like to take this opportunity to remind you that in line with the VCRF, Skillsfirst have put adaptations in place to support our customers and learners. Please contact our team at [email protected] to discuss the adaptations available in more detail.

For our Functional Skills Maths and English qualifications we offer: 

  • remote invigilation, exams are invigilated by independent Skillsfirst Invigilators, with flexible booking times
  • on-screen assessments available 24/7
  • remote assessment of Speaking, Listening and Communicating (SLC) assessments. Further information on the remote assessment of SLC assessments can be found here.

Wednesday 30 June 2021

For the latest information relating to Functional Skills TAG results, appeals and special considerations, please refer to the dedicated page, which can be accessed from the column on the right hand side of this page.

For the latest information relating to Skillsfirst’s VTQ adaptations, please refer to the dedicated page (the Vocational Contingency Regulatory Framework (VCRF)), which can be accessed from the colum on the right hand side of this page. 

Friday 30 April 2021

The latest updates on Functional Skills Teacher Assessed Grades (TAG) can be found on the dedicated page, which can be accessed from the column on the right hand side of this page.

Wednesday 17 March 2021

Functional Skills Teacher Assessed Grades (TAG) 

We thought it would be useful to provide an update on the alternative assessment arrangements for Functional Skills qualifications for 2021.

As you may be aware, the second phase of the Ofqual consultation concluded on Thursday 11th March and we anticipate that the results will be published next week. Regular meetings between Ofqual and awarding organisations are continuing to ensure a consistent approach to the Teacher Assessed Grades (TAG) process.

We understand that additional communication from the Department for Education will be issued shortly. We also intend to provide further guidance on our approach to the TAG process in the coming days.

In the meantime, the clear direction from DfE and the Government is that Functional Skills assessments should continue wherever possible, either face-to-face (where it is safe to do so) or via remote arrangements (see below for more detail). Learners will only be eligible for a TAG where evidence can be provided to show that they cannot complete their assessments by one of these methods.

Remote arrangements can refer to the use of remote invigilation, remote assessment, or both:

Remote invigilation

Skillsfirst provides live, remote invigilation of the Functional Skills Maths, English Reading and Writing exams. The invigilator is in a different location to the learner and ensures assessments are completed under the required exam conditions. Email [email protected] for more information.

Remote assessment

A live assessment of a timed task completed in a different location to the learner, such as Speaking, Listening and Communication (SLC).

Please note that remote assessment and remote invigilation can take place in a location outside of an approved centre (such as at the learner’s home or an employer’s premises).

Thursday 25 February 2021

Update on the Consultation on Alternative Arrangements for the awarding of VTQs

We hope you continue to keep safe and well during this period of lockdown.

As you will be aware, the first phase of Ofqual’s consultation on alternative arrangements for the award of VTQs in 2021 has recently concluded. As we move into the second phase of the consultation, there are a number of key updates relating to Functional Skills Qualifications (FSQs) that we wanted to communicate with our customers.

Firstly, it is important to stress that government policy is that learners should continue to take Functional Skills assessments wherever possible, either face-to-face (where safe to do so) or via remote invigilation/assessment.

Where this is not possible, alternative arrangements will be made available so that learners are able to achieve their Functional Skills qualifications (FSQ). These alternative arrangements (Teacher Assessed Grades (TAGs)) will be eligible for any learners due to complete their FSQs between 1st August 2020 and 31st August 2021. The term TAGs will be the same across GQ and VTQ, which Ofqual hope will make it simpler for centres, teachers, parents and learners to understand.

We are currently working with Ofqual and awarding organisation colleagues to establish a common approach to TAGs, and will provide further information as soon as we can. However, we can confirm that there will be a requirement for centres to make an application of eligibility for TAGs on a learner-by-learner basis. In addition, the earliest date for results release will be April 1st 2021, though further detail on timescales will be provided at the conclusion of the consultation.

In the meantime, we will continue to provide remote invigilation for Maths and English FSQs with weekly results releases throughout this period. If you wish to find out more about this solution please email [email protected]

Those Skillsfirst qualifications where adaptations have been applied can continue where applicable.

We would also encourage all customers to respond to the second phase of the consultation, which can be found here. Results of the first phase of the consultation can be found here.

Tuesday 12 January 2021

We hope you continue to keep safe and well in these difficult times.

In light of recent government guidance and the escalating cases of the coronavirus, all Skillsfirst employees are currently being asked to work from home for their own safety. This means that we are unable to print or despatch hard copy certificates at the current time.

However, all certificates will be available to view through our secure VERifirst portal and we will be publishing certificates Monday – Wednesday each week. VERifirst is available to providers, learners and employers and will enable you to provide evidence of achievements for funding agencies.

If you need to set-up access to VERifirst please don’t hesitate to contact us. Please email [email protected] with your request. As soon as we’re able to get back to the office we’ll aim to print your hard copy certificates as quickly as possible.

Tuesday 24 November 2020

Functional Skills Proctoring – Now available with Skillsfirst Awards

At Skillsfirst Awards we are very aware that the ongoing covid-19 pandemic is making it very difficult for many of our customers to invigilate Functional Skills exams.

Fortunately, our remote invigilation (proctoring) solution is now available, following a six week pilot with more than 320 learners.

Our offer includes:

  • Level 1 or 2 Maths or English exams invigilated by independent Skillsfirst invigilators
  • Flexible booking times
  • Invigilation fees from £25 per exam
  • Results in 5-10 working days
  • PDF versions of certificates available

It is worth noting that our Functional Skills registration fees are also the most competitive in the market – £16 per subject/level, including one free resit.

If you are interested in providing this service to your learners and want to find out more please get in touch via [email protected].

Thursday 22 October 2020

Extension to Legacy Functional Skills English and Maths Levels 1 and 2

The Secretary of State for Education has agreed to further extend the certification end dates for legacy Functional Skills qualifications in Maths and English to 31st July 2021.

To support our customers and learners, Skillsfirst Awards will be extending our qualifications in line with this date. Hopefully, this will allow sufficient time for learners to complete outstanding assessments given the ongoing disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic.

For information, the final onscreen testing date for learners completing their legacy Functional Skills exams will be Friday 28th May 2021. We do not plan to offer any paper-based assessment opportunities for these qualifications, but will continue to accept reasonable adjustment requests on a case-by-case basis.

Please note, as previously communicated, learners have two attempts to pass their legacy exams onscreen in each subject between 3rd August 2020 – 31st May 2021, this does not include any failed attempts prior to these dates.

Our final registration and certification dates for ICT Functional Skills remain unchanged.

Thursday 24 September 2020

Final registration date for Functional Skills ICT Level 1 and 2 qualifications

Following the withdrawal of apprenticeship frameworks, Skillsfirst Awards has seen a significant decline in Functional Skills ICT level 1 and 2 registrations, as anticipated.

Therefore, our final registration date for these qualifications will be 18th December 2020.

To ensure learners are registered with Skillsfirst successfully, please submit registrations no later than 5pm on Tuesday 15th  December 2020. The final certification date for these qualifications is 17th December 2021.

We do not plan to offer paper-based assessments for these qualifications in the future, as we have not received a request for more than 12 months. However, we will consider this for the purposes of reasonable adjustments on a case by case basis. If you do have a request for a reasonable adjustment, please contact [email protected].

Please ensure that all centre staff involved in the delivery of ICT Functional Skills are aware of these deadlines, including assessors, tutors, invigilators and administrators.  

Currently, it is not our intention to offer Digital Functional Skills or Essential Digital Skills as a replacement for the current Functional Skills ICT Levels 1 and 2 qualifications.

Monday 21 September 2020

Functional Skills Proctoring Update

Following discussions with Ofqual and updates to our testing platform, we are delighted to announce that we are aiming to make remote proctoring of Functional Skills exams available to all Skillsfirst customers before the end of 2020.

We will be starting a pilot next week with a small number of providers and employers, using the same proctoring software we have used to deliver more than 1,500 EPA tests since lockdown. As you would expect, this will enable us to ensure the systems are working effectively and the integrity of the exams is not compromised.

We believe this is one of the most exciting developments in the delivery of Functional Skills exams and will provide great benefits to learners, providers and employers, particularly at the current time.

We will provide further updates on the results of the pilot in the next few weeks. Should you wish to find out more please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Wednesday 19 August 2020

Exceptional arrangements for Summer 2020

Issue of Centre Assessed Grades (CAG) Results

We have worked within the VTQ extraordinary regulatory framework provided by Ofqual to issue almost 5k results to learners this summer, enabling them to progress to the next stage of their learning or employment. 

The moderation algorithm used in awarding general qualifications was not applied in the awarding of any Skillsfirst Awards vocational qualifications.

The model that we have used to calculate grades is bespoke, it is built to the particular features of the qualifications that we offer and is based on the most trusted evidence available. We applied a robust form of quality assurance, often collecting additional evidence to support teacher judgements.

We are confident that we have applied our chosen model fairly and in accordance with our processes. Where that is not the case, and learners believe that we have acted outside of the process, they are able to appeal (see information below).

As a result, Government’s decision to review the way in which A level and GCSEs are awarded this summer does not impact the results issued by Skillsfirst Awards.

Appeals

Skillsfirst aims to ensure that all assessments and assessment results are fair, consistent and based on valid judgements.

Where an adapted assessment is used, a learner can only appeal the result with their centre. This is in line with Skillsfirst’s Appeals Policy which can be located here.

Wednesday 5 August 2020

Learners are expected to sit exams and SLC assessments for all Functional Skills qualifications when they are ready to do so.

Where exams and assessments continue, they may take place as normal or there may be some changes to the assessments. For example, where it is possible to do so, some assessments may take place remotely, or if there are restrictions within the workplace regarding access, the Head of Centre could train an appropriate person within the workplace to carry out the role of the Invigilator, providing learners with continued access to the assessment.

If learners are ready, but unable to sit an exam or SLC assessment safely either in person in the centre, workplace, or other suitable venue in line with public health guidance, or remotely, then they may be able to receive a result based on a Teacher Assessed Grade (TAG). The deadline for centres to submit TAGs is 21st June 2021.

Friday 31 July 2020

This update includes important information relating to all Skillsfirst Awards Functional Skills qualifications, with changes effective from Monday 3rd August 2020.

Please ensure this is shared with all centre staff involved with the administration, delivery and invigilation of Functional Skills.

Functional Skills assessments go-live following the CAG process

We are pleased to confirm that you will be able to schedule Functional Skills exams from Monday 3rd August 2020.

As a centre it is your responsibility to ensure centre staff and learners comply with social distancing measures in the examination room.

New exam platform for legacy Functional Skills English, Maths and ICT Levels 1 and 2

Skillsfirst will no longer be using the SecureAssess or SecureClient platforms for the scheduling or taking of legacy Functional Skills exams.

Effective from Monday 3rd August 2020, all Functional Skills exams will be scheduled and taken within the XAMS platform. This now includes legacy Functional Skills English and Maths as well as ICT Levels 1 and 2.

For those centres already using XAMS for Reformed Functional Skills exams, your current logins will allow you to schedule legacy Functional Skills and ICT automatically.

Those centres who have not yet used XAMS will need to submit user requests for centre staff. Please complete and return the attached form to [email protected]. If you deliver Functional Skills through one of our awarding organisation (AO) partners, please send the form to them, rather than Skillsfirst.

Once your account has been created, you will receive an email confirming your login details. This email will also include a link to our website where you will find our XAMS user guide, as well as all the information you will require to set up the exam platform.

Legacy Functional Skills English and Maths Levels 1 and 2 (FSE01, FSE02, FSM01, FSM02) withdrawal plan

You will be aware the certification end dates for the above qualifications have been extended until 31 December 2020.

On-screen assessments (exams) for the legacy Functional Skills English and Maths Levels 1 and 2 qualifications will be available to learners from 3rd August – 31st October 2020.

Learners will have a maximum of two opportunities to take on-screen assessments during this period. If learners fail the assessment after the second attempt, the centre will be required to transfer the learner to the relevant Reformed Functional Skills qualification.

In addition, all Speaking, Listening and Communication (SLC) assessments for legacy Functional Skills English Level 1 and 2 qualifications must have been completed and submitted to Skillsfirst no later than 31st October 2020.

Failure to meet these timescales will result in learners having to be registered on the relevant Reformed Functional Skills qualification.

Accessing learners’ results in SecureAssess

Centres will have access to review all legacy Functional Skills English, Maths and ICT Levels 1 and 2 results up to Friday 28th August 2020, after which time this system will no longer be available. Please ensure you have checked all results by this deadline.

Functional Skills ICT Levels 1 and 2

For those centres offering Functional Skills ICT Levels 1 and 2, further information will be sent to you early next week regarding the specific changes relating to these exams.

Remote invigilation

We plan to offer the opportunity for centres to carry out remote invigilation of our Functional Skills exams very soon.

To ensure the system is robust and the security of our exams are not at risk, we are currently carrying out testing of the proctoring and XAMS systems. We will be providing further information relating to this, including any related costs very soon.

If you have any other queries relating to this update please email [email protected].

Tuesday 23 June 2020

Exceptional arrangements for awarding qualifications

To help navigate the approach for qualifications this summer, Ofqual have launched an interactive tool to help navigate the approach for qualifications this summer. The tool allows learners, and the users of these qualifications, to understand what’s happening with the qualifications which matter to them. Find out more here.

Friday 12 June 2020

Extraordinary Regulatory Framework – Skillsfirst Vocational Qualifications

As you will have seen, we recently published our guidance for Centre Assessed Grading (CAG) for Functional Skills qualifications.

Following direction from Ofqual and the Secretary of State for Education, we will also be providing guidance very soon on our approach to adaption of assessments for our other vocational qualifications.

This will enable learners who had planned to take assessments between 20th March and 31st July 2020 to progress onto further education and employment without delay.

In summary, adaption is proposed for qualifications where:

  • An estimated (or calculated) grade is not possible
  • Learners are completing qualifications where the primary aim is to signal occupational competence
  • The validity of the assessment will remain protected
  • It does not conflict with identified health and safety or safeguarding issues

Our overall aim is to provide as many learners with sufficiently valid and reliable results this summer as possible. In order to minimise the burden on our centres and learners, delaying or re-scheduling assessments should be the option of last resort.

More comprehensive guidance on our approach to adaption will be issued by 16th June.

Tuesday 2 June 2020

Functional Skills

We wanted to take this opportunity to remind our customers that the window for centre assessment grade (CAG) submissions is now open (1st June – 29th June 2020).

To ensure your learners are given the opportunity to achieve the functional skills grade they need to progress, you can find our template submission forms and FAQs, which we are updating on a daily basis following feedback from centres.

Can we also remind you that during the CAG window we are unable to allow Functional Skills live assessments to take place, either in normal invigilation conditions or remotely. This has been stipulated by both the Secretary of State for Education and Ofqual.

Finally, we’d like to thank everyone who attended our CAG guidance webinars during the last few days, the feedback from over 100 centres has been very positive. If you believe you would benefit from other webinars of a similar nature, or have any other queries relating to this update please email [email protected].

Monday 18 May 2020

Functional Skills

Our Centre Assessment Grading for Functional Skills document can be found here.

Certificate dispatch update

We have had a number of queries relating to the dispatch of Skillsfirst certificates during the Covid-19 crisis.

Despite the gradual easing of lockdown, for the time being Skillsfirst employees will continue to work from home for their own safety. This means that we are still not printing hard copy certificates at the current time.

However, all certificates are still available to view through our secure VERifirst portal. This is available at no cost to providers, learners and employers and enables you to provide evidence of achievements for funding agencies.

If you need to set-up access to VERifirst please don’t hesitate to contact us. Please email [email protected] with your request. As soon as we’re able to get back to the office we’ll aim to print your hard copy certificates as quickly as possible.

Thursday 14 May 2020

Customer Service Practitioner Standard

IfATE have announced today that the observation within the Customer Service Practitioner end-point assessment (EPA) may be replaced with a witness testimony from someone familiar with the apprentice’s work. The apprentice would then be assessed through Q&A with a Skillsfirst Independent End-point Assessor.

This Covid-19 temporary discretion has been agreed until further notice and can be found on the individual standard page on the Institutes website.

We believe this is a very positive development and will enable many apprentices to complete their apprenticeships.

It is important to note:

  • The alternative method (agreed discretion) is not mandatory. The apprentice retains the option to pause EPA until such a time that an onsite practical observation can take place safely.
  • Retakes/resits can be undertaken via this alternative method and/or paused to await the original observation method.
  • There is not change to grading outcomes from those detailed in the assessment plan for the observation method – pass/distinction/fail

We are aiming to provide more detail on the Expert Witness, Witness Testimony and Witness Testimony Q&A before the end of this week. This will also include information on how Skillsfirst Assess will manage this new discretion.

Wednesday 6 May 2020

EPA – Online proctoring update

We hope you continue to keep safe and well during this period of lockdown. We wanted to update you on the progress we have been making with online proctoring for EPA multiple-choice tests during the last two weeks. This solution is currently available for the following standards:

  • Adult Care Worker
  • Lead Adult Care Worker
  • Business Administrator
  • Team Leader / Supervisor
  • Operations Departmental Manager

Encouragingly, all of the live tests we’ve managed so far have been completed successfully and we’ve had some very positive feedback. It’s clear that this is going to be a popular solution, providing the flexibility required to help apprentices complete their apprenticeships.

Thus far, members of the Skillsfirst team have been undertaking all of the invigilation to ensure that the proctoring software is working as it should. We were planning to hand invigilation over to providers in the next few days, but have decided to delay this until Tuesday, May 26th. This will enable us to further integrate the proctoring software with our XAMS testing platform. Invigilation will continue to be charged at £10 per test.

To ensure we can adequately support each apprentice, we are requesting that any test session does not include more than four apprentices at any time. It is worth noting that apprentices are not aware that they are being invigilated at the same time as others, and that this has no bearing on how long they take to complete their own test.

For further information on proctoring and to find out how you can book your apprentices in, please email [email protected]

Friday 1 May 2020

Functional Skills update

We hope you continue to keep safe and well during this period of lockdown.

As advised in our functional skills update earlier this week, Ofqual have launched their consultation on proposals for awarding vocational and technical qualifications this summer, including Functional Skills. The consultation is open for responses until 11.45pm on Friday 8th May 2020 and all providers and stakeholders are encouraged to respond.

Government policy states that learners due to take functional skills assessments between March 20th and July 31st 2020 should receive a calculated result, rather than an adapted or postponed assessment.

In light of this, we believe it would be beneficial if you started to consider the types of evidence that you could submit to support assessor/tutor grade calculation. This could include: 

  • Results of practice papers
  • On-programme learning evidence
  • Assessor records
  • Evidence of GLH being met
  • Evidence of additional teaching that has taken place after failed exams
  • Mock SLC assessments and records
  • Main aim evidence which could relate to Functional Skills
  • Formative assessment, such as marked exercises and assignments which are carried out after a teaching session

Please note, this is not an exhaustive list, we are working with Ofqual and other awarding organisations to provide detailed guidance for our customers. This will be published following the completion of Ofqual’s consultation.

It is also worth highlighting that you will be expected to provide both pass and fail calculated grades for learners due to take assessments between the dates specified above.

As always, if you have any queries relating to this update please email [email protected].

Monday 27 April 2020

Functional Skills update

We hope you continue to keep safe and well during this period of lockdown. There are a number of significant Functional Skills related updates this morning.

Firstly, Ofqual have launched their consultation on proposals for awarding vocational and technical qualifications this summer, including functional skills. This consultation is open for responses until 11.45pm on 8 May 2020.

It is important to note that Government policy is that learners due to take a functional skills qualification before the end of the summer should receive a calculated result, rather than an adapted or postponed assessment. You can find further detail on the proposals and a link to the consultation here, all providers and stakeholders are encouraged to respond.

Following the outcome of the consultation, Skillsfirst will provide further guidance on the evidence we require from centres to calculate grades.

In light of this, the DfE have also announced that ‘the rule requiring level 2 apprentices to study towards, and attempt, the functional skills assessments at level 2 is suspended temporarily’. I’m sure you will agree that this is a sensible development.

In addition, the regulation end date for legacy functional skills qualifications has been extended from 31 August 2020 to 31 December 2020. We will update on any potential implications associated with this extension in future updates.

As always, if you have any queries relating to this update please email [email protected].

Thursday 23 April 2020

Functional Skills update

Following recent meetings with Ofqual and other Functional Skills AOs, we have made the decision to make onscreen Functional Skills exams available for those centres who can deliver them safely to learners.   

We understand, given the current lockdown situation, that this will not be possible in many circumstances, as social distancing must be applied from an invigilation perspective. However, we are keen to ensure that learners are able to achieve their qualifications where they can do so safely and within government guidelines.

It is likely this current arrangement will be in place until the conclusion of the Functional Skills estimated grades consultation, due to be published early next week.

Please note that remote invigilation (via proctoring or other means) has not been agreed by the regulator as an adaptation to the invigilation of Functional Skills qualifications.

If you have any queries please email [email protected]

Tuesday 21 April 2020

Online Proctoring – EPA exams

At Skillsfirst Assess we have been exploring flexible solutions for end-point assessment (EPA).  We are therefore delighted to announce that our online proctoring tool for EPA exams is now ready to launch.

This means that apprentices will be able to complete multiple-choice exams from the comfort of their own home, with live invigilation conducted by the provider/employer.

Full integration with our XAMS testing platform will be complete on 1st May, at which point Skillsfirst Assess customers will be able to schedule and manage their exams on an on-demand basis. In the meantime, we are able to schedule exams on your behalf with 72 hours’ notice. There will be a small fee of £10 per exam to cover the use of additional software.

Online proctoring will apply to exams that are included in the following standards:

  • Adult Care Worker
  • Lead Adult Care Worker
  • Business Administrator
  • Team Leader / Supervisor
  • Operations Departmental Manager

To find out more about how you can benefit from online proctoring please contact us at [email protected].

Monday 20 April 2020

Functional Skills Update

Following our last update, we have been meeting regularly with Ofqual and fellow awarding organisations to ensure a standard approach to estimated grades for Functional Skills qualifications.

In light of this, we believe that an Ofqual consultation on plans for estimation will be released later this week. As soon as we can confirm more detail about the content and timescales for response we will let you know.

In the meantime, can we ask that any Speaking, Listening and Communication (SLC) assessments that have been recorded as a pass are claimed in our REG system as soon as you are able. This will ensure that we are able to process any estimated grades as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Can we also take this opportunity to remind you that – following a request to all awarding organisations from Ofqual – no Functional Skills exams are currently allowed to take place.

If you have any queries please contact [email protected].

Thursday 9 April 2020

Functional Skills

Ofqual have announced that teachers/tutors will be asked to estimate grades for all vocational and technical qualifications which are used for progression to higher and further education, including legacy and reformed Functional Skills. This will apply to all learners who are unable to sit assessments due to the coronavirus crisis

The detail of how this will work, including evidence awarding organisations will require from centres, is still to be decided. As soon as we have further clarification we will let you know.

In the meantime, we would request that no further Functional Skills exams take place after Friday, April 10th. We would also ask any centres that have made the decision to close during the coronavirus lockdown to let us know, please email [email protected].

Skillsfirst Awards are committed to supporting our customers throughout this difficult period and we are keen to ensure that no learners are disadvantaged

Wednesday 8 April 2020

End-point Assessment Update – Multiple Choice Tests, Remote Invigilation

Despite the difficulties we are all facing at the moment, we are very aware that employers and providers are keen to progress apprentices to end-point assessment (EPA) wherever possible.

Please be assured that Skillsfirst Assess are looking at a number of options to ensure no apprentices are disadvantaged and that assessments can be completed where feasible.

We are therefore pleased to report that we are in the advanced testing stage of our proctoring tool for online multiple-choice tests. This flexible, secure, easy-to-use tool will be built into our existing testing platform and will enable apprentices to take their tests at home.

We are confident that online proctoring will be available within the next two weeks, but will provide further updates as soon as we can.

If you have any queries relating to the delivery of EPA please do not hesitate to contact us ([email protected]).

Wednesday 1 April 2020

We hope everyone is keeping safe and well at this incredibly difficult time. We are very conscious of the challenges facing the sector, so want to assure you that we are exploring a number of options to make working with Skillsfirst and offering assessments more flexible.

Certificate Despatch Update

As you would expect, all Skillsfirst employees are currently being asked to work from home for their own safety. This means that we are unable to print hard copy certificates at the current time. However, all certificates will be available to view through our secure VERifirst portal. This is available to providers, learners and employers and will enable you to provide evidence of achievements for funding agencies.

If you need to set-up access to VERifirst please don’t hesitate to contact us. Please email [email protected] with your request. As soon as we’re able to get back to the office we’ll aim to print your hard copy certificates as quickly as possible.

Functional Skills

We are receiving a lot of queries from customers about remote delivery of Functional Skills exams and speaking, listening and communicating (SLC) assessments. Ofqual have asked all awarding organisations to hold-off on communicating to centres for the time being, as they want to ensure there is a co-ordinated and consistent approach to messaging. Please follow this link to read Ofqual’s latest statement

However, we did think it would be worth updating you on the situation as it currently stands.

Last week we released guidance on how to apply to deliver assessments where you believe the impact of a postponement would have a detrimental impact on the learner. We continue to review these on a case by case basis.

It is worth remembering that remote SLC assessments for Reformed Functional Skills can already be carried out using video conferencing platforms (Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Skype etc).

The following conditions should be applied:

  • Software must allow a split screen (gallery) image of the learners which allows the upper body (including arms) to be visible. This is because body language and non-verbal communication are an implicit part of presentations and discussions.
  • The group must consist of at least 3 learners. If only two learners are available then the third group member can be a non-learner, but they must participate and act as a learner. The person assessing the SLC assessment cannot be the third member. In the case of a Level 2 SLC assessment, the non-learner must conduct a presentation session, but can use a pre-prepared presentation created by the centre.
  • The session must be carried out using one of the approved Skillsfirst SLC tasks.
  • The session must be recorded and documentation completed. Documentation includes the scoring sheet, the learner information and confirmation of assessment sheet, any learner handouts or notes and any additional notes by the assessor.  This is because the External Verifier may request the recording and accompanying documentation be sent for sampling. 

We are currently seeking clarification from Ofqual as to whether the same remote SLC assessment guidance can be applied to Legacy Functional Skills whilst we are experiencing these extenuating circumstances.

In addition, we are currently piloting a proctoring solution, which we hope will enable centres to invigilate Reformed Functional Skills exams remotely. As mentioned previously, we will need confirmation from Ofqual that this is acceptable, but we’re hopeful the functionality will be available in the next two weeks. We will provide further updates as soon as we can.

Finally, we anticipate a response from Ofqual and DfE in the near future about an extension to the final certification date for Legacy Functional Skills. This is currently set at 31st August 2020, but it is hoped this will be extended until early 2021.

As always, if you need further clarification please do not hesitate to contact us. To ensure we are able to respond to queries as efficiently as possible, please use the following email addresses where possible:

Awarding queries (quality assurance, registration and certification): [email protected]

Functional Skills: [email protected]

End-point Assessment: [email protected]

Should you need to speak to us, please call 0121 270 5100 as normal.

In these difficult and unprecedented times, we remain committed to supporting our customers and learners, please let us know if there is anything we can do to help.

Wednesday 18 March 2020

In response to recent COVID-19 (Coronavirus) guidance from government, we have planned for all Skillsfirst employees to work from home from today (Wednesday 18th March).

Fortunately, we are in a position where this should not impact on the service we can provide to support both awarding and end-point assessment. To ensure we are able to respond to queries as efficiently as possible, please use the following email addresses where possible:

Awarding queries (quality assurance, registration and certification): [email protected]

Functional Skills: [email protected]

End-point Assessment: [email protected]

Should you need to speak to us, please call 0121 270 5100 as normal.

In these difficult and unprecedented times, we remain committed to supporting our customers and learners, please let us know if there is anything we can do to help.

Tuesday 10 March 2020

In response to the recent COVID-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak, we would like to reassure all of our customers that we are monitoring the situation very closely.

At the present time, following guidance from Ofqual, Skillsfirst has no plans to make any changes to our services, which includes approval visits, external assessments (including End-point Assessment bookings) and External Verifier support.

However, we will continue to review the situation on a daily basis, as our priority remains the safety of our employees, customers and learners.

You can read the latest guidance from Ofqual here.

We understand that customers may have queries or concerns relating to the delivery of specific assessments. If you would like to discuss this in more detail please contact [email protected] or call 0121 270 5100.