New qualifications watchdog must have teeth

6th February 2009

Commenting on proposals contained in the new Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill to create and empower the new qualifications watchdog Ofqual, Mike Cresswell, Director General of the UK's leading Awarding Body, AQA said:

"I am pleased with indications that Ofqual will adopt a more strategic approach than its predecessor. Detailed regulatory involvement in procedural matters tends to stifle innovation without, in itself, guaranteeing standards.

However, there is currently one specific omission from the Government's proposals which is crucial: to be able to discharge its primary purpose as the strategic regulator of the qualifications market, Ofqual must be empowered to intervene, if necessary, to ensure the setting and maintenance of appropriate examination standards.

I therefore believe that Ofqual needs to be given an explicit statutory power to enable it, if necessary, to direct an awarding body to set standards at a particular level. It needs to have this power so that it can give credible public assurance that standards are comparable between awarding bodies and maintained over time. It is particularly important that Ofqual has this power in place in order to support public confidence about the standards set in the new A-levels, GCSEs, Diplomas and Functional Skills assessments which are being introduced over the next few years."

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