GovWire

Ofqual gives notice that it intends to accept a settlement proposal under which NCFE:

• admits that it breached its Conditions of Recognition in connection with incidents which occurred in 2022 and 2023,
• agrees to pay a monetary penalty in the sum of 300,000,
• agrees to give a regulatory undertaking which underpins a multi-year, multi-million-pound transformation programme, and
• agrees to pay Ofquals reasonable legal costs.

In September 2022, Ofqual required NCFE to withdraw, redetermine and reissue every students result for its Technical Qualifications in Healthcare, Healthcare Science, and Science. Technical Qualifications form part of T Levels. Ofqual intervened because it had identified issues with the assessment papers which, as NCFE acknowledged, meant those assessments were not fit for purpose.

Two subsequent Ofqual investigations identified repeated failures by NCFE to follow its own policies in respect of the production of assessment materials in 2022, as well as in the way it identified and managed risks which could affect the delivery of valid assessments and results. NCFE encountered further issues with the delivery of assessments in summer 2023 and experienced complications in the management of some evidence it received from colleges; this caused some results to be delayed while a number of other results were put at risk.

A further Ofqual investigation identified that NCFE had not adequately considered the risks associated with the new systems it put in place for summer 2023 and that other issues were again caused by a failure to make sure its staff followed the processes it had put in place. NCFE had also failed to report to Ofqual when an issue occurred which could adversely affect its ability to get results to students on time.

NCFE has admitted it failed to comply with the Conditions in relation to these incidents. NCFE has commissioned an independent review to evaluate and report on the systems and processes affected by the incidents in 2022 and 2023. NCFE has now committed to a multimillion-pound transformation programme by which it will implement improvements to its systems and processes to guard against the possibility that any similar issues will recur in the future. NCFE has given a regulatory undertaking in respect of the transformation programme and its ongoing review.

Interested parties now have 14 days to make representations in respect of Ofquals proposal to impose a monetary penalty of 300,000 on NCFE.