Document Control
| Field | Detail |
| Document title | Centre Approval Policy |
| Document reference | CEN-01 |
| Version | v0.1 Draft |
| Owner | Responsible Officer |
| Approved by | Governing Body |
| Effective from | [Insert date] |
| Next review date | [Insert date] |
| Applies to | Applicant centres, approved centres, centre staff, Albion Awards staff, contractors, reviewers, EQAs and all persons involved in centre approval, monitoring or sanctions. |
| Related documents | Centre Agreement; Centre Handbook; Quality Assurance Framework; IQA Procedure; EQA Procedure; Standardisation Procedure; Assessment Policy; Certification Procedure; Conflict of Interest Policy; Malpractice and Maladministration Policy; Complaints Policy; Appeals Policy; Reasonable Adjustments and Special Considerations Policy; Data Protection and Records Retention Policies; IT Systems Overview. |
1. Policy Statement
Albion Awards will approve centres only where it is satisfied that the centre has the governance, staffing, assessment capability, internal quality assurance arrangements, learner support, facilities, data protection controls and integrity arrangements needed to deliver and assess Albion Awards qualifications safely, consistently and fairly. Centre approval is a controlled regulatory process, not a commercial sales process. No organisation may deliver, assess, register learners for, or claim certificates for Albion Awards qualifications unless it has been formally approved and has signed the Albion Awards Centre Agreement.
2. Purpose
This policy sets out how Albion Awards approves, risk-rates, monitors, restricts, suspends or withdraws centres. It is intended to protect learners, maintain qualification standards, support valid and reliable assessment, prevent malpractice and maladministration, and provide evidence of effective centre control for Ofqual recognition and ongoing regulatory compliance.
3. Scope
This policy applies to all applicant centres and approved centres seeking to deliver Albion Awards qualifications, including training providers, colleges, universities, professional bodies, employers, consultancy organisations, online providers and other organisations approved to deliver or assess Albion Awards qualifications. It applies to initial centre approval, qualification approval, centre re-approval, centre monitoring, sanctions, suspension and withdrawal.
4. Regulatory Principles
- Centre approval decisions will be evidence-based, risk-based and proportionate to the qualifications being delivered.
- Albion Awards will retain control of qualification standards, assessment requirements, quality assurance, certification and regulatory reporting.
- Centres will be approved only for the qualifications and delivery models for which they have demonstrated capacity and competence.
- Approval will not be granted where centre capacity, staffing, governance, learner support, assessment control, IQA or data protection arrangements are inadequate.
- Commercial interest will not override regulatory judgement, learner protection or assessment integrity.
- Centre approval will be reviewed continuously through EQA, risk monitoring, learner outcomes, complaints, appeals, malpractice reports and certification data.
5. Roles and Responsibilities
| Role | Responsibilities |
| Governing Body | Approves the Centre Approval Policy, oversees high-risk centre decisions, receives centre risk reports, and approves suspension or withdrawal decisions where required by the Scheme of Delegation. |
| Responsible Officer | Has overall accountability for centre approval, centre monitoring, centre sanctions, regulatory escalation and ensuring that centre activity does not create an adverse effect. |
| Centre Approval Lead | Manages the centre application process, checks completeness of evidence, coordinates review activity and maintains the centre register. |
| Quality Assurance Lead | Reviews assessment, IQA and quality assurance capacity, approves EQA requirements and sets centre monitoring arrangements. |
| External Quality Assurer | Carries out centre approval reviews, qualification approval reviews, monitoring visits, sampling and action-plan verification where assigned. |
| Assessment and Standards Lead | Reviews centre assessment capacity, assessor competence, assessment security, authenticity controls and assessment administration arrangements. |
| Data and Systems Lead | Reviews learner record systems, secure storage, access control, data protection, retention and digital delivery arrangements. |
| Centre Senior Responsible Person | Accepts accountability for the centre’s compliance with Albion Awards requirements and ensures staff, resources, records and learner protection arrangements are maintained. |
| Centre Manager | Manages day-to-day centre liaison, staff records, learner registrations, assessment administration, IQA submissions, EQA actions and certification claims. |
6. Types of Approval
| Approval type | Meaning |
| Centre approval | Approval for an organisation to operate as an Albion Awards centre. |
| Qualification approval | Approval for a centre to deliver and assess specific Albion Awards qualifications. |
| Delivery mode approval | Approval for classroom, blended, workplace, online or remote delivery and assessment arrangements. |
| Assessment approval | Approval for centre staff, where permitted, to assess learner evidence. |
| IQA approval | Approval for centre staff to internally quality assure assessment decisions. |
| Re-approval | Periodic confirmation that a centre remains suitable. |
| Conditional approval | Approval subject to specific actions, restrictions or enhanced monitoring. |
7. Centre Eligibility Requirements
Applicant centres must demonstrate that they are legally established, appropriately governed and capable of delivering the qualifications for which approval is sought. Albion Awards will normally require evidence in the following areas:
| Area | Evidence required |
| Legal identity | Registered name, trading name, address, legal status, company or charity number where applicable, ownership and governance structure. |
| Senior accountability | Named Senior Responsible Person, Centre Manager, Data Protection Contact, Quality/IQA Lead and assessment contacts. |
| Financial and operational stability | Confirmation that the centre has sufficient resources to deliver, assess, support learners and retain records. |
| Staff competence | CVs, role descriptions, qualifications, occupational competence and assessment/IQA experience for tutors, assessors and IQAs. |
| Delivery capacity | Facilities, learning resources, online delivery arrangements, learner communication systems and accessibility arrangements. |
| Assessment capacity | Assessment administration, authenticity checks, secure storage, invigilation or remote assessment controls where relevant. |
| IQA arrangements | IQA policy or process, sampling plan, standardisation arrangements, assessor support and decision recording. |
| Learner support | Induction, guidance, reasonable adjustments, special considerations, safeguarding where relevant, complaints and appeals information. |
| Data protection | Privacy notices, secure learner records, access control, retention arrangements and UK GDPR compliance. |
| Equality and accessibility | Equality policy, accessible delivery arrangements and process for reasonable adjustments. |
| Malpractice controls | Malpractice and maladministration prevention, reporting and investigation arrangements. |
| Conflicts of interest | Centre-level conflict identification, declaration and mitigation arrangements. |
| Insurance and legal compliance | Public liability, professional indemnity where required and confirmation of relevant legal compliance. |
8. Centre Approval Process
Step 1 – Enquiry and information
Albion Awards provides information on the qualifications, centre requirements, fees, delivery expectations, quality assurance model and centre responsibilities.
Step 2 – Application submission
The applicant centre submits the Centre Application Form and uploads required evidence. The Centre Senior Responsible Person confirms that the information is accurate and that the centre accepts the regulatory responsibilities associated with approval.
Step 3 – Completeness check
Albion Awards checks whether the application is complete. Missing or unclear evidence is returned to the centre before substantive review.
Step 4 – Due diligence and risk review
Albion Awards reviews legal identity, governance, staffing, assessment capacity, IQA arrangements, learner support, data protection, equality, complaints, appeals, malpractice and conflicts of interest.
Step 5 – Qualification-specific review
For each qualification requested, Albion Awards checks whether the centre has appropriate staff, resources, assessment arrangements, learner support, IQA capacity and secure record systems.
Step 6 – Approval review meeting or visit
Where required, Albion Awards conducts a remote or on-site review with the Senior Responsible Person, Centre Manager, assessors, IQAs and relevant staff.
Step 7 – Decision and conditions
The application is approved, approved with conditions, deferred pending evidence, rejected, or escalated for Responsible Officer or Governing Body decision.
Step 8 – Centre Agreement
No centre may operate until the Centre Agreement has been signed by an authorised representative and accepted by Albion Awards.
Step 9 – Centre induction
Approved centres receive induction covering Albion Awards policies, assessment requirements, IQA, EQA, registration, certification, complaints, appeals, malpractice, reasonable adjustments and data protection.
Step 10 – First delivery monitoring
New centres are subject to enhanced monitoring, which may include early EQA review, increased sampling and certification holds until standards are confirmed.
9. Approval Decision Outcomes
| Decision | Meaning | Controls |
| Approved | Centre meets the required standard for specified qualifications. | Centre Agreement issued; induction completed; approved qualifications added to centre record. |
| Approved with conditions | Centre is suitable but specific actions or restrictions are required. | Action plan, deadline, restricted registrations, enhanced EQA or certification hold. |
| Deferred | Insufficient evidence to make a decision. | Additional evidence requested; no delivery or registration permitted. |
| Rejected | Centre does not meet approval requirements. | Reasons recorded; reapplication only after corrective action. |
| Escalated | Risk is significant or unusual. | Responsible Officer or Governing Body decision required. |
10. Centre Approval Criteria
| Criterion | Approval requirement |
| Governance and accountability | The centre has clear management accountability and a named Senior Responsible Person. |
| Staff competence | Tutors, assessors and IQAs have appropriate subject, assessment and quality assurance competence. |
| Assessment integrity | The centre can administer assessments securely, check authenticity and prevent inappropriate assistance. |
| IQA capacity | The centre has a robust IQA process and sufficient IQA resource for learner volumes and assessment methods. |
| Learner support | Learners receive accurate information, induction, support, appeals information and reasonable adjustment guidance. |
| Data and records | Learner, assessment, IQA and certification records are secure, complete, auditable and retained for required periods. |
| Equality and accessibility | Delivery and assessment arrangements are accessible and compatible with Equalities Law. |
| Complaints and appeals | The centre can handle local complaints and assessment queries and escalate matters to Albion Awards when required. |
| Malpractice prevention | The centre has arrangements to prevent, identify, report and investigate malpractice or maladministration. |
| Conflicts of interest | The centre declares, records and manages conflicts affecting delivery, assessment, IQA or learner outcomes. |
| Facilities and systems | The centre has appropriate physical, digital, remote or workplace facilities for the approved delivery model. |
| Financial and operational capacity | The centre can support enrolled learners to completion and maintain required records. |
11. Centre Risk Rating
All applicant and approved centres will be assigned a risk rating. The rating will inform approval decisions, EQA frequency, sampling levels, certification controls and reporting to the Governing Body.
| Risk factor | Examples considered | ||
| Centre experience | New provider, previous awarding body experience, track record, prior sanctions. | ||
| Qualification risk | Level, assessment complexity, professional judgement required, delivery mode. | ||
| Staffing risk | New assessors, limited IQA capacity, staff turnover, reliance on one person. | ||
| Learner volume | Rapid growth, unusually high claims, delivery across multiple sites or cohorts. | ||
| Assessment outcomes | Unusual pass rates, grade distribution, referral rates, resubmission patterns. | ||
| Quality assurance findings | EQA findings, action-plan history, IQA weaknesses, sampling concerns. | ||
| Integrity risks | Conflicts of interest, malpractice concerns, assessment security incidents. | ||
| Data and systems | Weak record keeping, insecure storage, delayed submissions, access-control concerns. | ||
| Responsiveness | Late responses, overdue actions, poor communication or repeated non-compliance. | ||
| Risk rating | Meaning | Minimum control response | |
| Low | Established centre with effective controls and no significant concerns. | Routine EQA and standard sampling. | |
| Medium | Some risk factors or recent changes requiring monitoring. | Enhanced sampling or targeted action monitoring. | |
| High | Significant concerns or limited evidence of effective controls. | Increased EQA, action plan, possible registration or certification restrictions. | |
| Critical | Risk to learners, standards, assessment integrity or regulatory compliance. | Immediate escalation, certification hold, suspension or investigation. | |
12. Centre Agreement
Approved centres must sign the Albion Awards Centre Agreement before registering learners or delivering qualifications. The Centre Agreement will require centres to:
- comply with Albion Awards policies, procedures, qualification specifications and assessment requirements;
- deliver only qualifications for which the centre is approved;
- ensure staff are competent, approved and free from unmanaged conflicts of interest;
- maintain secure learner, assessment, IQA and certification records;
- cooperate with EQA, audits, investigations and requests for information;
- report malpractice, maladministration, conflicts, complaints, appeals and adverse events promptly;
- protect confidential assessment materials and learner data;
- not make misleading claims about approval, qualification status or certification;
- allow Albion Awards to impose conditions, sanctions, suspension or withdrawal where required;
- support learners to completion where delivery is disrupted or centre approval changes.
13. Qualification Approval for Centres
Centre approval does not automatically permit delivery of every Albion Awards qualification. Each centre will be approved only for specified qualifications. Qualification approval will consider:
- subject expertise of tutors, assessors and IQAs;
- understanding of the qualification purpose, level, learning outcomes and assessment criteria;
- capacity to deliver the required guided learning and learner support;
- ability to administer the approved assessment model;
- sufficiency of IQA arrangements and standardisation activity;
- suitability of facilities, online platforms or workplace arrangements;
- capacity to manage reasonable adjustments, special considerations, appeals and complaints;
- readiness to comply with EQA, certification and record retention requirements.
14. Centre Staff Approval
Centres must maintain a current staff register. Albion Awards may require evidence of competence before centre staff undertake regulated activity. A staff member may be approved, conditionally approved, rejected or restricted from particular activities.
| Staff role | Minimum evidence normally required |
| Tutor | Subject competence, delivery experience, understanding of qualification specification and learner support requirements. |
| Assessor | Subject competence, assessment competence, knowledge of criteria, assessment integrity and feedback requirements. |
| IQA | Assessment and IQA competence, independence from own assessment decisions, sampling and standardisation capability. |
| Centre Manager | Operational competence, systems oversight, learner records, communication with Albion Awards. |
| Data Protection Contact | Understanding of secure records, data access, retention and incident escalation. |
15. Ongoing Centre Monitoring
Centre approval is not permanent. Albion Awards will monitor centres through a combination of planned and risk-based activity, including:
- EQA reviews and sampling of learner evidence, assessor decisions and IQA records;
- review of learner registration and certification claims;
- assessment outcome monitoring and centre variance analysis;
- review of complaints, appeals, reasonable adjustments and special considerations;
- monitoring of malpractice, maladministration, conflicts of interest and data incidents;
- centre action-plan tracking and closure evidence;
- standardisation attendance and assessor/IQA performance;
- annual centre declaration and re-approval checks;
- Governing Body reporting on centre risk and quality assurance activity.
16. Centre Conditions, Sanctions and Withdrawal
Where a centre creates risk to learners, standards or regulatory compliance, Albion Awards may apply proportionate controls. The following sanctions ladder will be used, although serious matters may move directly to higher-level intervention.
| Level | Sanction or control | Typical use |
| 1 | Advice and guidance | Minor issue, first occurrence or clarification needed. |
| 2 | Action plan | Non-compliance requiring documented corrective action. |
| 3 | Increased EQA sampling | Weakness in assessment, IQA, records or learner support. |
| 4 | Temporary certification hold | Risk that achievement claims may not be reliable or complete. |
| 5 | Restriction on new registrations | Capacity, staffing, quality or compliance concerns. |
| 6 | Restriction on qualification approval | Centre may continue some activity but not deliver specified qualifications. |
| 7 | Suspension of centre approval | Serious or unresolved risk; no new delivery, registrations or certification claims without approval. |
| 8 | Withdrawal of centre approval | Centre is no longer suitable or fails to correct serious issues. |
| 9 | Malpractice or maladministration investigation | Suspected wrongdoing, assessment compromise or serious regulatory concern. |
| 10 | Regulatory notification | Where an adverse effect has occurred or may occur and notification is required. |
17. Suspension and Withdrawal Process
Before suspending or withdrawing centre approval, Albion Awards will normally inform the centre of the concern, request relevant evidence, assess learner impact, consider proportionality and record the decision. In urgent cases, immediate suspension or certification hold may be imposed to protect learners, standards or assessment integrity.
Where approval is suspended or withdrawn, Albion Awards will identify affected learners and agree a learner protection plan. This may include transfer to another centre, completion under enhanced monitoring, alternative assessment arrangements, additional EQA scrutiny or other proportionate measures.
18. Learner Protection
Albion Awards will ensure centre approval decisions take account of learner interests. Centres must provide accurate pre-enrolment information and must not enrol learners onto Albion Awards qualifications unless they are approved for that qualification. Where centre approval is restricted, suspended or withdrawn, Albion Awards will seek to protect registered learners and maintain access to assessment, quality assurance, appeals, complaints and certification where learners have met the requirements.
19. Systems, Records and Data Protection
Centre approval records will be maintained in controlled systems. The Albion Awards Platform will provide the long-term centre portal, centre register, evidence upload, risk-rating, EQA action and regulatory evidence dashboard. Until each platform module is fully operational, controlled interim registers and workflows will be used to ensure centre records remain complete, secure and auditable.
| Record | Minimum contents |
| Centre register | Centre name, status, approved qualifications, risk rating, contacts, approval dates and conditions. |
| Centre application file | Application form, evidence, review notes, decision, approval conditions and signed declaration. |
| Staff register | Approved tutors, assessors, IQAs, role evidence, approvals, restrictions and declarations. |
| Centre agreement record | Signed agreement, date, authorised signatory and current status. |
| EQA record | Review reports, sampling, findings, actions, closure evidence and risk rating changes. |
| Sanctions record | Action plans, restrictions, holds, suspension, withdrawal and learner protection actions. |
| Audit trail | User, action, date, decision, approval authority and reason for key changes. |
Centre records will be handled in accordance with Albion Awards Data Protection and Records Retention Policies. Access will be role-based. Centres will not be able to view another centre’s learner, assessment, EQA or certification records.
20. Online and Remote Delivery
Where a centre seeks approval for online, blended or remote delivery, Albion Awards will review additional controls, including learner identity checks, secure assessment submission, authenticity declarations, online learner support, digital accessibility, record security, remote professional discussion arrangements and controls for AI-assisted work or inappropriate collaboration.
21. Conflicts of Interest
Applicant and approved centres must declare actual, potential and perceived conflicts of interest. Conflicts may include relationships between centre staff and learners, assessor involvement in teaching or coaching, financial or ownership links, use of Albion Awards staff or associates, or any interest that could affect assessment, IQA, EQA, centre approval or certification decisions. Failure to declare a relevant conflict may be treated as maladministration or malpractice depending on the circumstances.
22. Appeals and Complaints About Centre Approval Decisions
A centre may request a review of a centre approval, restriction, suspension or withdrawal decision where it believes the process was not followed, evidence was misunderstood, or the decision was unreasonable. Reviews will be handled in accordance with Albion Awards complaints and appeals arrangements. A review will not normally permit delivery, registration or certification to continue where Albion Awards considers there is a risk to learners, standards or regulatory compliance.
23. Quality Indicators and Management Information
| Indicator | Use |
| Number of applicant, approved, conditional, suspended and withdrawn centres | Governing Body oversight of centre network and growth. |
| Centre approval turnaround times | Operational capacity and service monitoring. |
| Open and overdue centre actions | Quality assurance and risk management. |
| EQA findings by centre and qualification | Standards protection and centre risk rating. |
| Learner registrations and certification claims by centre | Growth, capacity and outcome monitoring. |
| Pass, referral and grade distribution by centre | Comparability and reliability monitoring. |
| Complaints, appeals and malpractice cases by centre | Learner protection and integrity monitoring. |
| Reasonable adjustments and special considerations by centre | Equality and accessibility monitoring. |
| Certification holds and release delays | Awarding control and risk indicators. |
24. Policy Review
This policy will be reviewed annually by the Responsible Officer and approved by the Governing Body. It will also be reviewed sooner where there is a significant centre incident, adverse effect, change in Ofqual requirements, internal audit finding, EQA trend, centre failure, malpractice case or change to the Albion Awards operating model.
Appendix 1 – Centre Application Evidence Checklist
| Evidence area | Required evidence | Received / Comments |
| Legal identity | Company/organisation details, address, registration number where applicable. | |
| Senior accountability | Senior Responsible Person, Centre Manager and key contacts. | |
| Governance | Management structure and decision-making arrangements. | |
| Staff competence | Tutor, assessor and IQA CVs, role descriptions and declarations. | |
| Delivery model | Classroom, blended, workplace, remote or online delivery arrangements. | |
| Assessment administration | Secure assessment handling, submission, authenticity and feedback process. | |
| IQA | IQA process, sampling plan and standardisation arrangements. | |
| Learner support | Induction, guidance, reasonable adjustments and support arrangements. | |
| Equality | Equality and accessibility arrangements. | |
| Complaints and appeals | Local handling and escalation arrangements. | |
| Malpractice | Prevention, reporting and investigation arrangements. | |
| Data protection | Privacy, access control, secure storage and retention. | |
| Conflicts | Conflict declaration and mitigation arrangements. | |
| Insurance | Public liability and professional indemnity where required. | |
| Facilities/systems | Physical and digital facilities appropriate to delivery model. |
Appendix 2 – Centre Approval Decision Record
| Field | Record |
| Centre name | |
| Application reference | |
| Qualifications requested | |
| Delivery model requested | |
| Reviewer name | |
| Review date | |
| Risk rating | Low / Medium / High / Critical |
| Decision | Approved / Approved with conditions / Deferred / Rejected / Escalated |
| Conditions or restrictions | |
| Required actions | |
| First EQA requirement | |
| Certification hold required? | Yes / No |
| Decision maker | |
| Approval date | |
| Review date |
Appendix 3 – Centre Risk Rating Template
| Risk area | Low | Medium | High/Critical | Notes |
| Centre experience | Established record | Limited record or new to Albion | No relevant experience or previous sanctions | |
| Staff competence | Approved competent staff | Some gaps or new staff | Insufficient or unverified staff competence | |
| IQA | Effective and evidenced | Developing or limited evidence | Weak or absent IQA | |
| Assessment security | Robust controls | Some controls need strengthening | Insecure assessment or authenticity concerns | |
| Data and records | Secure and complete | Minor weaknesses | Significant data or record risk | |
| Learner support | Clear and accessible | Some development required | Insufficient learner support | |
| Integrity | No concerns | Minor conflicts or issues managed | Unmanaged conflicts, malpractice or serious concern | |
| Responsiveness | Timely and cooperative | Occasional delays | Repeated non-response or overdue actions |
Appendix 4 – Centre Approval Workflow
- 1. Centre enquiry received.
- 2. Centre information and application pack issued.
- 3. Centre application and evidence submitted.
- 4. Completeness check completed.
- 5. Due diligence and qualification-specific review undertaken.
- 6. Remote or on-site review completed where required.
- 7. Risk rating assigned.
- 8. Approval decision recorded.
- 9. Centre Agreement issued and signed.
- 10. Centre induction completed.
- 11. Centre activated for approved qualifications only.
- 12. First delivery and EQA monitoring scheduled.
Appendix 5 – Evidence Links for Ofqual Submission
| Evidence reference | Document or record |
| CEN-01 | Centre Approval Policy |
| CEN-02 | Centre Agreement |
| CEN-03 | Centre Handbook |
| QA-01 | Quality Assurance Framework |
| QA-02 | IQA Procedure |
| QA-03 | EQA Procedure |
| QA-04 | Standardisation Procedure |
| ASM-01 | Assessment Policy |
| ASM-02 | Assessment Design Procedure |
| ASM-03 | Marking and Grading Guidance |
| ASM-04 | Certification Procedure |
| GOV-05 | Conflict of Interest Policy and Register |
| OPS-03 | Data Protection Policy |
| OPS-04 | Records Retention Policy |
| OPS-05 | IT Systems Overview and Albion Awards Platform specification |