Terms and Conditions – NPQ

TERMS RELATING TO NATIONAL PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS (NPQ)

Please ensure you have read the General Terms and Conditions.  The following extracts of the terms relate specifically to the delivery of NPQs.

*Participants on a DfE scholarship please see 2:3 / 2:4

2:1 DEFERRING FROM AN NPQ QUALIFICATION

The current suite of NPQs are coming to an end in August 2022 and so we are currently not offering any deferrals to future cohorts in terms of programme completion.

Please refer to our Deferral Policy for further advice.

For our deferral policy in terms of assessment – where a programme has been completed (or anticipated to be completed):

Please refer to the assessment pages of our website that refer to your programme / start date.

 

2:2 ASSESSMENT CHARGES

Please refer to our assessment pages on our website and within our Moodle site for full guidance on assessments.  In summary, candidates are liable for the following charges relating to failure to submit and failed submissions.  The participant will be invoiced in the following circumstances:

NPQML / SL participants – Year 3 participants (starting their NPQ prior to March 2020)

If you do not book a submission window (without a prior agreed extension / deferral) or book a window and do not upload your assignment then you will be charged an administration fee of £100.

If you receive a final outcome of a ‘fail’ you will be provided with feedback and given a further opportunity to submit, as part of a future assessment window. There will be no charge for this first re-submission.

If an assignment fails again – a further opportunity will be provided to submit but participants will need to pay a re-submission / administration fee of £150.

NPQML / SL Year 4 Participants (commencing their NPQS after May 2020)

If you do not book a submission window (without a prior agreed extension / deferral) or book a window and do not upload your assignment then you will be charged an administration fee of £100.

If you receive a final outcome of a ‘fail’ you will be provided with feedback and given a further opportunity to submit, as part of a future assessment window – but participants will need to pay a re-submission / administration fee of £150.

 

2:3 WITHDRAWING FROM AN NPQ QUALIFICATION

No participant should feel compelled to complete or progress their project if they do not feel that they can, particularly if they feel it is affecting their well-being or capacity to complete their other professional requirements. If you wish to withdraw please see our terms and conditions before contacting .

That said, if a participant wishes to continue with their project using alternative mechanisms or submit without a required piece of evidence, you should email (cc’d to ) so the DfE and the QA Agent can consider these on a case by case basis.

Candidates wishing to withdraw from a qualification must provide reason(s) in writing and will be subject to charges and withdrawal fees. Charges for withdrawal will be invoiced to the applicant’s school in line with the framework below:

Withdrawal timescale                    Charge

Prior to programme                        £150 administration fee

After first delivered session         100% of fee retained

Please note that participants who withdraw at any stage during the programme would not be eligible for a refund.

 

2:4 SCHOLARSHIP PARTICIPANTS WITHDRAWING FROM AN NPQ QUALIFICATION

Those successful in claiming scholarship funding will be liable to repay funding if withdrawal takes place.   Participants must put in writing to ALL the reasons for withdrawal by completing a Deferral / Extension / Withdrawal Form. We will consider those with extenuating and exceptional circumstances (for example; long term sickness, bereavement, maternity/paternity leave) on a case-by-case basis. Withdrawal also includes those participants who fail to submit their final assessment and would therefore be deemed to have ‘withdrawn by default’ – in this case the withdrawal charges below apply. We endeavour to ensure that all participants receive adequate communication and support to ensure that completion and certification takes place and ‘withdrawal by default’ is always the very last resort.

Should we agree with the withdrawal or deferral in exceptional cases, the reasons given will be submitted to the DfE who will consider these fairly and consistently.

Withdrawal timescale                                                   Charge

After full registration and prior to programme      50% of fee retained

After first delivered session                                         100% of fee retained

Subsequent withdrawal at any time                           100% of fee retained

*Applicants should be mindful that a withdrawal may preclude them from applying for funding for an NPQ programme in the future.

2.4.1 Payment Liability

If a participant leaves their current employment and the employer had agreed to the participant accessing the DfE scholarship for the course/qualification costs, then liability for the clawback terms under 2:5 remains with the school.   Course/qualification fees will be invoiced at the point of withdrawal and will need to be paid within 30 days.

 2:4.2 Unsuccessful application for NPQ Scholarship

It is the applicant’s responsibility for ensuring they understand the eligibility criteria for scholarship funding as detailed on our website.

ALL will not take any responsibility for incorrect information provided by the participant in terms of the criteria set to access this funding.

If an applicant is unsuccessful in claiming scholarship funding due to not meeting the criteria the applicant’s school will become liable to pay the full cost of the qualification.