We have received enquiries from students working towards their Access to HE Diplomas this week about arrangements for this summer. We understand your concerns and are working closely with QAA (the Access to HE regulator) and all our providers to best mitigate against the impacts of COVID-19.
Our priority is to ensure that we continue to support all Access to HE Diploma students during this challenging time and are encouraging our providers to apply adaptations to delivery and assessment as required and has special arrangements to support students who have difficulties studying under the current lockdown.
We are sharing feedback received in relation to the proposed approach with QAA and with our providers to ensure we are all working towards supporting students to access fair assessment decisions this academic year.
QAA's statement to Access students can be found at https://www.accesstohe.ac.uk//en/news-events/support-and-information-covid-19. Should there be any changes to this statement, Open Awards will update providers and students immediately.
In the meantime, you may be interested in attending QAA's Access to HE student forum on 13th January https://www.accesstohe.ac.uk/news-events/events/access-to-he-student-forum-awarding-the-access-to-he-diploma-2020-21 to find out more about the arrangements currently in place.
The link below is to the latest Access to HE student guidance from QAA (our regulatory body for Access Diplomas). https://www.accesstohe.ac.uk/news-events/support-and-information-covid-19/arrangements-for-the-award-and-assessment-of-the-access-to-he-diploma-2020-21-update-for-students-jan-21