AQA CALLS FOR NEW REGULATION TO ALLOW INNOVATION TO FLOURISH

The UK’s leading awarding body, AQA, has called for the new OFQUAL regulator to be more “Hands Off” in its approach to regulation of awarding bodies than the existing QCA.

In its submission to the consultation on how the new regulator should be structured, Mike Cresswell, AQA director general, said:

“It is important that any awarding organisation satisfies high expectations in terms of assessment quality and standards and AQA supports the proposals which will underpin these expectations. But if the present approach to regulation continues with the new OFQUAL, the danger is that innovation will be stifled.

“There is a real opportunity with the establishment of the new regulator to move away from the current prescriptive approach.  AQA believes that it is essential for the new regulator to operate strategically and allow awarding bodies the freedom to meet specified quality standards in innovative ways which are cost-effective and promote educational improvement.”