Quality Assurance
The purpose of the quality assurance system is to work with Recognised Centres to develop their internal quality assurance systems to ensure the safe and secure award of credit.
NB The Access to HE provision is covered by a separate quality assurance system.
Quality monitoring - Once a Centre has been recognised LASER undertakes ongoing monitoring through an assigned Quality Reviewer. Monitoring will focus on the following areas:
- ensuring Centres are operating against the Centre Recognition criteria
- ensuring the Centre’s quality systems are robust
- confirming that the Centre has appropriately qualified staff and resources to deliver the Qualifications, courses and units.
Quality Reviewers undertake a schedule of Centre quality review visits for all new and existing LASER Centres. Centres receive a copy of the Centre Recognition Monitoring Report on completion of the visit.
Quality Improvement Plan – Actions identified and agreed during the quality review visits and from the customer service team, including development, operations and finance, will be incorporated into a Centre Quality Improvement Plan and against which progress will be reviewed.
Direct Claims Status –The direct claims status is based upon the Centre having staff who are Approved Internal Verifiers and where quality assurance systems are operating effectively. It is the mechanism whereby Laser Learning Awards approves named individuals to authorise the Recommendation of the Award of Credit (RAC) for specific courses at a recognised Centre.
External Verifiers are appointed to a Centre by Laser Learning Awards, where there are no Approved Internal Verifiers; requirement of the Qualification or specialist subject where large numbers of learners have been registered.
The purpose of standardisation is to ensure the consistency in the application of level and credit across QCF provision and to ensure consistency of practice in assessment and verification.