All qualifications are subject to annual monitoring under the Standard Conditions of accreditation. This section of the Handbook explains the process and material required.
Every year by a date approved by ARB, the provider must submit information that will enable the Accreditation Committee to see that:
- ARB’s Criteria/Competency Outcomes (Outcomes) have been met by all graduates
- ARB’s requirements and Standards for Learning Providers (the Standards) continue to be met
- All conditions of accreditation continue to be met
The following information is not exhaustive. Please refer to the associated pages and documents linked to throughout this section of the Handbook for more details.
Please note that during the ‘transition period’ – from January 2024 until the new Outcomes have been implemented or prescription ceases – references to ‘Outcomes’ in the Standards and elsewhere also include the outgoing Criteria (General Criteria, Graduate Attributes and Professional Criteria) applicable to Parts 1, 2 and 3 qualifications.
When to submit
| 1.0 | When applying for accreditation, providers choose an annual monitoring submission date. Providers with more than one accredited qualification must have the same annual monitoring date for all of those qualifications. |
| 1.1 |
Once accredited, the provider is responsible for submitting its annual monitoring return on time – on or before the agreed date – every year. Late or incomplete submissions will be noted and can affect ARB’s confidence in the provider and its qualification(s). This may result in more frequent reviews, additional condition(s), and/or other action(s) deemed by ARB to be necessary and appropriate for accreditation to continue. If you believe you will have difficulty meeting your submission deadline, you must contact the Accreditation Team (Qualifications@arb.org.uk) as soon as possible. |
How to submit
| 2.0 | Annual monitoring must be submitted to Qualifications@arb.org.uk. |
| 2.1 | Documents can be supplied in their original format(s). There will typically be no need to convert them into an alternative format (e.g. PDFs) for submission, and they will not need to be combined into a single document.
Each document must be under 20MB in size and clearly labelled. |
What to submit
| 3.0 |
Providers must submit the following material in every annual monitoring return:
Within their annual reports (or in an accompanying statement made at the same time as their annual report), all external examiners are expected to explicitly confirm (based on the sample seen) whether they were satisfied or not that all passing students had met all of ARB’s Criteria/Outcomes at the relevant level. Please note that broad reference(s) to the qualification delivering the Criteria/Outcomes (which is a separate matter) and/or general PSRB requirements having been met are not sufficient for this purpose. |
| 3.1 | In addition to the items listed above, providers may be required to submit other material with annual monitoring – regularly or on a one-off basis – as appropriate and necessary. |
3.2 Changes to qualifications
| 3.2.1 |
The Standard Conditions require providers to notify ARB of any changes affecting a prescribed/accredited qualification. Changes that must be notified include changes to the content, title, delivery and awarding body. |
| 3.2.2 |
Under the previous prescription procedures, providers could retrospectively report changes for approval with annual monitoring. Under the new Accreditation Rules, from January 2024 any changes to qualifications must be approved by ARB before they are implemented. Please contact ARB at Qualifications@arb.org.uk to discuss any planned changes, the notification and approval process, and the information that must be submitted. |
3.3 Implementation of the Standards for Learning Providers
| 3.3.1 | The new Standards for Learning Providers (the Standards) apply to all providers and qualifications from January 2024. |
| 3.3.2 |
For providers with prescribed qualifications, a staggered approach to demonstrating compliance with the Standards will be taken. The following is a guide – providers may be required to submit material relating to particular Standards sooner or at other times, where necessary. Providers will be required to submit:
Details of the evidence that must be sent each year will be confirmed prior to the relevant annual monitoring submission, and providers should familiarise themselves with the Standards and evidence that will be expected in preparation for this process. |
| 3.3.3 |
Providers that wish to make like-for-like changes to their Parts 2 and/or 3 qualifications in order to deliver the new Outcomes (for example, by revising a two-year Part 2 to become a two-year master’s-level qualification) will need to submit a transition change application encompassing the proposed qualification changes, compliance with Standard 1 (Educational Content) and Standard 2 (Assessments), and some material relating to other Standards that is relevant to the qualification changes. See the Transition section of the Handbook for further information. Under the new initial education and training model, ARB will no longer accredit qualifications at Part 1 level. Part 1 qualifications will remain accredited until December 2027 and subject to light touch monitoring, unless the provider chooses to withdraw accreditation from their Part 1(s) sooner. |
| 3.3.4 | All of the Standards must be met as part of an application for accreditation of a new qualification. |
Following submission of annual monitoring
| 4.0 | ARB will confirm receipt of the submission and notify the provider of any issues or missing material. |
| 4.1 | Once the submission has been reviewed, if any clarification and/or additional information is required, ARB will request this from the provider and specify the deadline for response. The provider will typically be given two weeks to respond, though the time given may vary. |
| 4.2 | When ready to do so, the Executive will present the submission and its recommendations to the Accreditation Committee for consideration. In some cases, the Committee may require the Executive to obtain further explanation(s) or material from the provider before making its final decision about whether to approve the annual monitoring return. |
| 4.3 | The provider will be informed in writing of the outcome of the Committee, and of any matters identified for particular attention in the next annual monitoring return and/or review. |
| 4.4 | Information received through the annual monitoring process will help to inform the accreditation review process. Therefore, providers will still be required to submit annual monitoring in those years when a review is expected to be undertaken. |
Changing the annual monitoring date
| 5.0 |
If a provider is regularly having difficulty submitting annual monitoring by the agreed deadline, it can request to change the date. Such a request must be made in writing – sent to Qualifications@arb.org.uk – and include the reason(s) for the request and a proposed alternative submission date. ARB is entitled to approve or reject such a request, or to set a different submission date to that proposed. The provider will be notified in writing of ARB’s decision and, where relevant, reason(s). |
| 5.1 |
ARB can change a provider’s annual monitoring submission date at any time. In such cases, ARB will notify the provider with the reason(s) for the change. The provider will have the opportunity to make representations in writing to ARB before a final decision is made. |
