Badge of Excellence FAQs
You can browse our Frequently Asked Questions below. If you cannot find what you are looking for then please Contact us.
Yes – you are able to apply come on board as a Badge of Excellence only Provider.
The process to do this is slightly shorter than for full Approval.
You cannot deliver any of our regulated qualifications through a Badge of Excellence only Approval
You can update your Badge of Excellence only Approval to a full Approval by providing additional information and paying an Annual Fee
Yes - if you are applying or have already applied for Open Awards full Approval, you can add Badge of Excellence to that Approval without needing to submit further information.
In this format, your first Badge of Excellence programme is not included in your Provider Approval and charged at £275. All subsequent Programme Applications are charged at £275 per programme.
The Programme Approval process begins once everything is in place in terms of the Provider Approval status.
The New Programme Request Form and supporting evidence are submitted via the Portal and will be reviewed by a member of our Quality Team.
Once passed to the Quality Team, they plan to complete the review within 3 weeks – during which time, they may ask for additional information and / or clarification.
Once reviewed, you will receive formal notification relating to the specific programme and feedback on your application.
Please note that each Programme needs to have its own validated Approval – the Badge of Excellence Approval is not a “blanket” Approval
The Badge of Excellence option differs from other products we offer in that we review and validate everything before we confirm approval.
As this is completed by our Quality Team, it removes the need for formal Internal and External Verification.
This does not mean however, that you do not internally monitor the quality of the programme, course delivery, learner feedback, resources etc.
All Badge of Excellence Programmes are validated for 2 years after which they are, if requested, reviewed / revalidated.
Registration & Certification £11 per learner
NB: Learners can be registered against Approved Programmes at any point throughout the year.
There are no levels associated with BoE, however providers can choose to title their programs with levels, so long as the title does not imply it’s a regulated qualification. For example, acceptable titles would include: Beginner, Intermediate, Expert. Unacceptable titles would include Entry Level 1-3, Level 1-3
NB: Certificates will only include the providers chosen title
Program approval lasts for two years, shortly before the course expires Open Awards will be in touch to enquire about revalidation, which will be charged at the same rate as a new course.
Applications need to include a complete review of the program, which includes reasoning for how your course adheres to Open Awards standards for excellence and any supporting policies, or procedures and case studies.
Full details of what should be included in a review can be found on the Open Awards Portal, on the Badge Of Excellence Application.
Currently there are no press packs in circulation. However, providers are able to use the Badge of Excellence and Open Awards logos with oversight from the Open Awards Marketing team.
Open Awards are in the process of developing a BoE provider Press Pack and some digital marketing tools that providers will receive alongside their Centre Agreement.
Please await a further update for more information.