Outstanding centres
Recognised Centres are expert education providers which we approve to deliver our products. Our products consist of regulated qualifications, regulated apprenticeship solutions, learning experiences and recognition schemes.
We will grant Recognised Centre status based upon your capacity and capability to comply with the Transcend Centre Recognition Criteria. These are inclusive of the Product Approval Criteria outlined to each product specification. Recognition status cannot be achieved without applying to become approved to deliver at least one product.
To gain recognised centre status you must identify which product you aspire to offer and then apply for recognition and product approval through our fair, unbiased and robust process. When status is granted you are expected to comply with the Transcend Recognised Centre Conditions in the management of your organisation and in the delivery of all products you are approved to offer.
We are committed to excellence and have created a recognised centre compliance reward scheme. This means we do not charge for centre recognition or product approval and only apply fees based upon risk-based monitoring results where non-compliance and performance risks are detected. If you are an expert education provider operating in our sectors, please make an enquiry.
This portal is designed to provide applicant organisations and recognised centres with guidance into our criteria, conditions, mandatory processes and services.
Any potential or recognised centre is eligible to make an enquiry or request advice on any aspect of our service at any time. We have an expert and helpful team in place to acknowledge enquiries within one working day of receipt. Where a technical response is needed, we provide a detailed response within five working days of the acknowledgement.
Please note that we are not obliged to disclose information if to do so would breach a duty of confidentiality or any other legal duty.
There are a number of benefits for organisations aspire to gain recognised centre status with us:
- No charges for recognised centre applications
- No charges for recognised centre extension applications
- No charges for external quality assurance for high performing and compliant centres
- No charges for annual renewals for high performing and compliant centres
- Access to fit for purpose and accessible products developed by industry experts
- Access to our recognised centre for excellence scheme
- Access to our product consultations to ensure fit for purpose and accessible products
- Access to our complimentary and standardised sample policies and tools
- Access to our complimentary and standardised delivery models
- Access to our complimentary and standardised assessment tools
- Access to our complimentary and standardised internal moderation tools
- Access to our product proposals process to enable us to meet demand through new products
We have adopted the EFQM Excellence model to drive a culture of excellence. We are committed to ensuring outstanding practice in the delivery of our products and have aligned our recognised centre criteria and conditions to an adapted version of the model. Adaptations were made to prevent unnecessary or unduly burdensome requirements.
Our approach supports efficiency whilst maintaining the value-added concepts in order to improve performance, maintain compliance and mitigate risk. The alignment of the EFQM Excellence Statements to our recognised centre criteria and conditions will drive the success of each recognised centre and encourages outstanding delivery of each product. This promotes engagement, satisfaction and learner achievement as the highest priority. At the annual renewal for each recognised centre, we conduct a review of each centres profile. Those that have an achieved an outstanding compliance and performance profile in accordance with our conditions will receive their annual excellence certificate.
We are committed to excellence and quality service and we have high expectations of our centres with regards to their service to learners. To support you our expert team is on hand to support you every step of the way! This is a complimentary service. We do not charge for centre recognition applications.
Our recognised centre application process is the same for those who aspire to offer regulated or unregulated products. To apply for recognised centre status, we have a fair, unbiased and systematic process in place. The process can take up to six weeks from start to finish and the timescale is dependent upon your ability to provide evidence to meet our criteria. It is very important that you do not advertise any of our products until you have been successfully granted recognised centre status.
Before requesting access to our recognition application, you should identify the products you would like to deliver, check your eligibility and review the step by step application process. To choose a product please browse the Products section of this website and familiarise yourself with each product specification and associated product approval criteria. Be aware that we only allow applications for a single product or a suite of products in the first instance for risk mitigation purposes.
To ensure your eligibility you should review and also understand the Transcend Recognised Centre Criteria with which you must evidence compliance during the application process. The Transcend Recognised Centre Conditions must then be complied with upon successful completion of the process.
To extend your portfolio of approved products, we have a fair, unbiased and systematic process in place. The process can take between five working days and up to six weeks. This is dependent upon your ability to meet the criteria and complete the application in full and also whether an external quality assurance intervention is required.
This is a complimentary service! We do not charge to extend your portfolio of approved products. We do however have robust processes in place and expect a high level of compliance. You should make sure you are fully compliant with all Transcend Recognised Centre Conditions and Product Approval Conditions for the products you are approved to offer. If you have any outstanding compliance actions, pending investigations or sanctions we will decline your application.
To make an extension application identify the product and check your eligibility against the product conditions. You can then submit an application via the Transcend Awarding Management system [TAMS]. Upon receipt of your application, we will review your eligibility and conduct a range of due diligence checks which consist of a review of our own internal Intel and records and a review of your performance, compliance and risk profiles. If you are not eligible to make the application, we will decline the request within five working days. Should additional information or clarification be required the application will be returned with comments or an action plan.
Upon receipt of the fully completed application, we will conduct rigorous checks on the application and evidence to ensure all criteria has been met. Once satisfied we confirm the outcome. We will always respond within five working days of receipt. Where the EQA intervention is required the EQA will contact you to plan the visit ten days in advance and will conduct the visit in accordance with their plan to sample and verify all evidence as required by the Transcend Centre Recognition Conditions and Product Approval Conditions.
You are required to manage your centre in accordance with the Transcend Recognised Centre Conditions. Upon gaining recognised centre status and approval to deliver our products you must remember to inform us where there are any changes to the information you supplied in your initial applications. To understand these requirements, you should refer back to the Transcend Recognised Centre Conditions.
In the management of the centre and the delivery of our products, you are required to ensure efficient and effective operations and administration which embed the appropriate security and quality control in accordance with legislation and regulation. You are required to engage with the Transcend Awarding Management System [TAMS] to manage your records, book events, confirm learner registrations, requests for reasonable adjustment and special consideration, report results and request certification. This is also the mechanism to review your external quality assurance reports and your performance, compliance and risk profiles.
Remember that you must operate in accordance with our service and payment timescales.
In the management of the centre and the delivery of our products, you are required to ensure efficient and effective operations and administration which embed the appropriate security and quality control in accordance with legislation and regulation. You are required to engage with the Transcend Awarding Management System [TAMS] to manage your records, book events, confirm learner registrations, requests for reasonable adjustment and special consideration, report results and request certification. This is also the mechanism to review your external quality assurance reports and your performance, compliance and risk profiles. Remember that you must operate in accordance with our service and payment timescales.
Your priority as a recognised centre is to the learners. To ensure that learners are effectively supported you should:
- Ensure effective learner recruitment by managing expectations and representing the products accurately
- Conduct a fair and unbiased initial assessment
- Review access needs to identify and request reasonable adjustments
- Ensure each learner commits to the learner agreement prior to registration
- Manage learner registrations, updates, transferals and withdrawals
- Manage effective learner inductions, introductions and expectations
- Deliver the training programmes as required by the product specification
- Deliver authenticatable assessment as required by the product specification
- Manage any quality assurance as required by the product specification
- Manage any learner remarks and reassessment and quality assurance
- Ensure learners complete the product evaluation report
- Report learner results and request certificates
All recognised centres are subject to risk-based monitoring whether they deliver regulated or unregulated products. All organisations are subject to annual risk profiling based upon their activity and the intel we receive during the annual cycle. The level of monitoring on regulated qualifications is particularly robust due to the need to ensure the validity of the results and maintain public confidence.
With specific regard to our regulated provision, we conduct EQA monitoring and moderation interventions. This enables us to be reassured that the delivery of assessment is valid, authenticatable and delivered in accordance with the assessment conditions.
We have a compliance reward scheme in place for compliant recognised centres in the delivery of our regulated qualifications. Compliant centres are not charged for external quality assurance interventions. However, those centres that fail to maintain full compliance and are subject to compliance actions which are live at the point in time that an EQA intervention is due will be charged for the intervention. Similarly, every minor compliance action instigates a £25 management fee. Any major compliance action associated with a sanction will be charged at £100. Investigations are charged at £500 which is returned to the recognised centre where the outcomes are in their favour.
Recognised Centre Status is granted based upon your capacity and capability to comply with the Transcend Recognised Centre Conditions. Legal, binding, written and enforceable agreements are confirmed during the application phases.
The agreement is required to be renewed annually. We conduct an annual profiling activity which leads to the renewal or withdrawal of recognised centre status based upon the behaviour and actions of each centre during the annual cycle.
We will conduct the profiling activity within one month of the anniversary of the confirmation of Recognised Centres status each year. We consider all intelligence that we have collated throughout the annual cycle and will report results in the Transcend Awarding Management System [TAMS] Recognised Centre Annual Renewal form. We will submit the form to you via the system. You are required to review the outcomes and confirm your ongoing commitment to the Transcend Recognised Centre Conditions.
Scenarios where status will not be renewed will be associated with performance inactivity, poor compliance or risks which cannot be controlled. Alternatively, a recognised centre may choose to withdraw their status. In both such circumstances, it remains the recognised centre’s legal responsibility to continue to support all learners registered for the duration of their registration period and in the event of any appeal. Failure to do so will constitute legal action.
We do not charge for centre recognition status or an annual renewal fee. We do have an annual reconciliation fee for those centres who fail to comply with our minimum spend annually. This serves to protect our financial sustainability and protects the interests of all of our learners. Any recognised centres that require withdrawing after a period of two years of inactivity will be charged £100 administration fee. Those who withdraw their status prior to this time will not be charged.
In all cases, the recognised centre is required to return the Recognised Centre Annual Renewal form via the Transcend Awarding Management System [TAMS] within 20 working days of receipt. Upon receipt, we will confirm outcomes within five working days through the closure of the form and receipt of an automated notification from Creatio our system supplier.
Recognised centres that wish to withdraw their Recognised Centre and/or Product Approval statuses are required to complete the Recognised Centre Withdrawal form which is contained in the Transcend Awarding Management System [TAMS]. All withdrawals are subject to screening and checks to evaluate whether there are any learners outstanding. In all such cases we will consider a withdrawal in accordance with our risk management process. This will enable us to establish controls and contingencies which serve to inform the withdrawal plan, drive any notifications or regulatory escalations and protect the interest of the learners.
The deployment of any withdrawal plans, and learner’s transfers are close and continuously monitored to ensure the learners interests are protected as the highest priority. Any recognised centres that requires withdrawing after a period of two years of inactivity will be charged £100 administration fee. Those who withdraw their status prior to this time will not be charged.
Every product developed is reviewed by a consultation committee. We actively encourage our centres to engage with us in our consultations to ensure each product is fit for purpose and accessible.
Every product is also subject to continuous evaluation. Your feedback and that of your licensed workforce is critical. All positive indicators collated for approval at the monthly Product Validation Committee. Any negative indicators will be subject to immediate intel validation, investigation and corrective action where required.
We pride ourselves on a quality service and ensure our products are fit for purpose and accessible. Your feedback is critical and we solicit regular updates on our policy, processes, products systems and services in support of our continuous improvement.
Our policy, processes, systems and service levels are subject to ongoing and annual review. Your satisfaction is critical to our success and we are grateful for your engagement. All positive indicators will be collated and published annually. Any negative indicators will be subject to immediate intel validation, investigation and corrective action where required.
Our policy, processes, products, systems and services are subject to immediate review upon receipt of valid incident or inefficiency reports. Please inform us of any incident related to these or if you have intel which compromises the validity and accessibility of a product.
We will validate the intel and investigate any situation which may result in an adverse effect or where there is an opportunity to improve. This may in turn lead to the modification of our approach to a specific product itself. We will acknowledge reports confirming timescales and details for any investigation within five working days of receipt.
A conflict of interest is a situation in which an organisation or individual has competing interests or loyalties. In the case of an individual, the conflict of interest could compromise or appear to compromise their decisions if it is not properly managed.
A conflict of interest may be perceived or actual. A perceived conflict of interest is a situation which a reasonable person would consider it likely to compromise their objectivity. An actual conflict interest occurs where a reasonable person would consider that a situation has occurred, and an individual’s objectivity has been compromised and gives risk to adverse effects. In both cases, the conflict must be identified to enable us to evaluate the scale of the threat and to be able to prevent, mitigate or manage the associated risks.
Recognised centre conflicts of interest can cause your organisation or your workforce to act out of interests that are divergent from those of our awarding organisation and our stakeholders. You and your workforce should avoid any behaviour or choices that could potentially represent a conflict of interest. Our senior officers have identified the following acts as a potential recognised centre or workforce conflicts of interest which could have an adverse effect. You and your workforce should not:
- engage in leadership, management, administration, learning, assessment or quality assurance activities where objectivity or confidentiality is compromised
- engage in leadership, management, administration, learning, assessment or quality assurance activities which are associated with a family member, close relative, friend or colleague without prior agreement. In certain circumstances, this may be agreed where there are no other opportunities for the family member to attend for training or assessment and in these cases, external quality assurance interventions will be deployed. The conflict must be reported to enable this activity to be initiated
- participate in the conduct of assessment or quality assurance activities where there is a personal interest in the result of the assessment
- participate in the conduct of assessment and internal quality assurance activities for the same cohort of learners
- participate in activities that compromise the recognised centre or the awarding organisation’s legality
- participate in activities that compromise the recognised centre status or the awarding organisation’s regulated status and compliance with Ofqual General Conditions of Recognition
As a trusted recognised centre, we expect that you disclose any conflicts associated with your organisation and your workforce at the recognition application stage, at any point in the annual cycle where circumstances change which might impact on your integrity or on an annual basis at our request to proactively remind you of your obligations.
Our expert team is on hand to help you to identify conflicts of interest, put controls in place and to maintain and monitor our register. Where any individuals associated with your workforce identify a perceived or actual conflict of interest, we ask that they report this to us to enable us to investigate the situation and mitigate any adverse effects.
We endeavour to ensure high-quality service is provided to all stakeholders and are confident of the delivery of exceptional service. However, should an individual feel they have encountered a level of service that is below our expectations in line with our published standards, strategy, policy or process, a customer service complaint may be reported. In completing the report, it is important to provide:
- full description of your complaint including the subject matter, dates, times and any reference numbers, if known
- names of any people involved in the matter
- names of any people you have dealt with
- copies of any documents or letters connected with the complaint.
Evidence in support of the complaint to facilitate effective evaluation of the situation should be forwarded via email to services@transcendawards.com. We will acknowledge receipt of a complaint within five working days and aim to investigate the complaint in accordance with the Transcend Investigations Policy within 20 working days. Where the complaint is more complex, we will extend this timeframe and providing an update or outcome within or every 20 working days.
Investigations are carried out rigorously and objectively by an independent person of appropriate competence who has no personal interest in the outcome. This serves to prevent conflict and to maintain objectivity in the investigation activities. In situations where a complaint has been upheld, or where an investigation following notification from a regulator indicates a failure in our processes, we pay due consideration to the outcome and will take appropriate action. If you remain dissatisfied with our response to the complaint you may request a procedural appeal.
We are committed to the safeguarding of children and vulnerable people. We operate in accordance with Working Together to Safeguard Children (DfES, 2017), the Children Act (2004) and the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act (2006) and expect the same from our partners. Safeguarding is paramount! It is our collective duty to protect our learners, our industry and wider society.
We adopt a child and vulnerable person centred and coordinated approach to safeguarding which is underpinned by two key principles. These are considered in every aspect of the development, delivery and awarding of our products due to the needs of our learners and nature of our industry. We believe:
- safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. For services to be effective each organisation, professional and individual should play their full part in a child and vulnerable person-centred approach. For services to be effective we should all have a clear understanding of the needs and views of children and vulnerable groups.
As a recognised centre we expect you to engage with and champion these principles. We require that you actively work with us to ensure safeguards are embedded within all processes, products and services.
If you identify a safeguarding concern in the development, delivery or awarding of any of our products please report this to us immediately. It is critical that this is done in a confidential manner to protect all those involved. We will acknowledge reports within one day of receipt, confirming timescales for investigation and communications with relevant authorities as appropriate.
We are committed to ethical practice and comply with all relevant legislation and regulation. Failure to abide with law, regulation and our policy is considered as non-compliance; categorised as malpractice or maladministration dependent upon the circumstances. Malpractice and maladministration definitions and scenarios on the part of the recognised centre are detailed in full in our malpractice and maladministration policy and are aligned in full to the recognised centre conditions.
We expect that all recognised centres and any other third party will disclose any suspicions of malpractice and maladministration to us as soon as this is detected. In all cases we will log the matter and will oversee the investigations. We expect that the centre will work with us to collect evidence and to enable us to make appropriate decisions and take action proportionate to the offence. Any related evidence should be sent via email to our services email address.
Upon receipt the matter will then be referred to the Strategic Management Committee to manage the investigation in accordance with the Transcend Investigations Policy, which can be located within the Policies section of this website. All those involved will be informed of the situation within five working days of receipt of any allegation with timescales for investigations. Updates or outcomes will be reported every 25 working days.
The centre may be subject to a visit and will be expected to co-operate fully in accordance with their centre agreement and the Transcend Recognised Centre Conditions and may be asked to contribute to the investigation. We will then collate all outcomes and the final investigation report will be checked and challenged by the Strategic Management Committee and recommendations made to the Transcend Board for final decision making and corrective action to be confirmed where necessary.
Our recognised centres are eligible to receive guidance on how to prevent, investigate, and deal with malpractice and maladministration. Recognised centre violations of our protocol are unacceptable, and any reports of non-compliance will result in investigation and/or risk assessment which serves to identify whether malpractice or maladministration has occurred and will enable corrective action to be taken.
We grant recognition status to expert education providers and expect outstanding practice in the delivery of our products. Confirmed maladministration or maladministration on the part of our recognised centres will lead to disciplinary action and penalties proportionate to the offence. Recognised centres are required to comply with the recognised centre conditions and all legislation and regulation. We utilise our sanctions matrix in accordance with the recognition conditions with the view to preventing, mitigating or managing any adverse effects. Our matrix provides an indication as to the level of sanction that will be applied in association with the gravity of the situation and demonstrates a stepping stone approach. However, we will not hesitate to take action proportionate to the offence and associated adverse effects at any level of sanction where we are required to do so to protect our learners and our integrity.
We endeavour to ensure a fair and unbiased service is provided to both potential and currently recognised centres. We believe it is important that you have an opportunity to appeal a procedural decision where you believe that our decision-making process was not handled ethically and in line with established procedures. All appeals are handled objectively and by individuals who have no personal interest in the decision being appealed. Procedural appeal scenarios for potential and currently recognised centres might refer to:
- decisions related to centre recognition status
- decisions related to product approval status
- decisions related to external quality assurance interventions
- decisions from an investigation into malpractice or maladministration
- decisions related to sanction or compliance action
- decisions related to centre profiles
- decisions related to centre workforce approval
- decisions related to centre site approval
If you believe you have appropriate grounds for an appeal, please report this to us within 20 working days of receipt of the original decision. We will validate the intel and review the grounds for the appeal. This is checked and challenged by the Governing Body for independence purposes. An acknowledgement will be sent within five working days to agree on the grounds for the appeal and to explain the next steps. Alternatively, we will confirm a rationale as to why the grounds of the appeal have not been accepted. Potential adverse effects and the scale of the threat is evaluated, driving the independent review priorities and any escalations to the regulator or other organisations as necessary. The grounds on which to base an appeal must have either information and/or evidence to contravene and potentially change the original procedural decision or information and/or evidence to demonstrate that the original decision-making process was not handled in line with the established procedure.
We are committed to maintaining compliance with regulatory conditions and promptly notify the regulator, other awarding organisations and the authorities where appropriate when there is a cause to believe that any event has occurred or is likely to occur which could have an adverse effect.
We conduct independent reviews and where you remain dissatisfied will refer the matter to an independent panel. If you are dissatisfied with the outcomes of our independent panel and you believe you have grounds to confirm that we did not follow our established procedure you may then make a complaint to our regulator The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual). If you complain to the regulator, they ask that it is within twelve months of the action you are complaining about, and that you have completed all stages of the awarding organisation’s complaint process. But, when the matter appears to us to be urgent or in the wider public interest, they may choose to look at a complaint before the awarding organisation’s final decision.