Commentary on Sections Part 7: Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation Chapter 2: Functions in relation to qualifications
403.Under the Education Act 1997, which established the QCA as the regulator of qualifications, the QCA regulates at qualification level – in other words, it accredits individual qualifications. The Education and Skills Act 2008 amended the 1997 Act to give the QCA the additional function of recognising awarding bodies. Under the 1997 Act as so amended, only qualifications offered by recognised bodies are eligible to be accredited. Under the provisions in this Act, the general requirement to accredit individual forms of qualifications will be removed, so that the focus of Ofqual’s regulation will be at organisational level. Provided that a body has been recognised in respect of a specific qualification or description of qualification, it will not necessarily have to obtain accreditation for a form of the qualification which it awards or authenticates. But Ofqual will still be able to require accreditation of forms of qualifications, either where it judges that this is required in relation to a particular type of qualification, or where it is concerned about the performance of a specific awarding body.
404.The following table sets out the possible combinations of recognition and accreditation.