National Qualifications - Approval 2024-25

Qualification approval is an important process for both centres and SQA. It ensures that a centre has the staff, reference materials, learning materials, assessment materials, equipment and accommodation needed to deliver, assess and internally verify a qualification. We also need to ensure that centres understand the conditions of assessment for external assessments and that these will be met.

The majority of National Courses are auto-approved, however, a small number of courses are not. This means that, if your centre intends to deliver non-auto-approved courses for the first time this session, you must apply for approval. The deadline to apply for approval for 2025 certification is today, 30 September 2024.

It’s important that the approval process is complete before delivery starts. This is in the best interest of candidates, centres and SQA.

Schools have auto-approval for many qualifications but must apply for approval for qualifications that are not auto-approved.
Training providers must submit approval applications for all qualifications they intend to deliver for the first time.
Colleges can use their devolved authority for approval.

You can view a list of the qualifications your centre is approved to deliver in Navigator on SQA Connect.

When approval is given to deliver certain units and courses, the qualifications of both the staff member delivering or assessing and the centre internal verifier are a key factor. Centres must ensure that they have suitably qualified and experienced staff and the required resources in place to deliver qualifications. You must, therefore, establish a process to review your resources regularly to ensure they remain relevant, current, and available in quantities appropriate to the qualification requirements and candidate numbers.

For non-auto approved courses (listed below), you must not deliver the qualification if you are unable to provide the same level of staffing, resources, equipment, or accommodation as at the time of approval being granted.

Partnership working

For partnership working, you must act within the initial approval agreement and ensure that you’re aware of your responsibilities. Each partner must understand their role. The presenting centre must ensure that learners are prepared for their assessment and that all quality assurance processes (including external verification) are met.

Centres are responsible for:

ensuring sufficient resources and staffing are available to enable all candidates to achieve the competences defined in the qualifications they offer
authenticating candidate identity
implementing agreed assessment arrangements
implementing the assessment conditions specified by SQA
ensuring the security of assessments, including exam papers and scripts

National Qualifications which are not auto-approved

Skills for Work Automotive Skills
Skills for Work Building Services Engineering
Skills for Work Construction Crafts
Skills for Work Early Education and Childcare
Skills for Work Energy
Skills for Work Engineering Skills
Skills for Work Health and Social Care
Skills for Work Maritime Skills
Skills for Work Practical Experiences: Construction and Engineering
Skills for Work Uniformed and Emergency Services
Care *
Dance – National 5 *
Dance – Higher *
Sociology *
Psychology *
Philosophy *
Practical Electronics – National 5 *
Childcare and Development *
Music Technology - Advanced Higher

* Freestanding units, which were formerly part of these courses, are also not auto-approved. The requirements for approval to deliver the freestanding units are the same as those for the courses (as shown on the relevant NQ subject web pages, under ‘Deliver this qualification’).

Please remember that gaining approval to deliver a qualification at one level doesn’t automatically grant approval for all levels. Details of the requirements for approval are available on our National Qualifications subject web pages under ‘Deliver this qualification’.

As stated above, if there has been a change to staffing, resources, equipment, or accommodation since SQA granted approval for non-auto approved courses, then you cannot deliver this qualification.

Applying for approval

NQ approval forms are available on SQA Connect under the ‘Approval for National Qualifications’ section. These cover all types of National Qualifications and include a section on external assessment. There’s also a specific application form for the Scottish Baccalaureate Interdisciplinary Project. Please ensure that you use the current approval form from SQA Connect as this helps us to process applications efficiently.

Details of the approval status (auto-approved or not) of all National Qualifications are available in the ‘Catalogue of National Qualifications’, on our National Qualifications web page under ‘Related Information’.

We can only guarantee certification in 2025 if we receive applications by today, 30 September 2024, at the latest. If you don’t seek approval, or are unsuccessful in your approval application, you won’t be able to enter and result candidates for the qualification, even if delivery is already underway.

If you have any questions, or need advice on completing your approval application, please contact your SQA Business Development Account Manager.

Thank you for your co-operation in this important matter.