Ofqual/Defra
Understanding Ofqual regulated qualifications and Defra licensing standards.
Index
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- Introduction
- Ofqual
- RQF
- Some key terms that may assist potential learners
- How to check if your chosen course is an Ofqual regulated qualification
- Useful Background Information
- The levels of qualifications in the RQF
- A Guide to comparing qualifications in the UK and Ireland
- Recognition of regulated qualifications in the UK
- Meeting Defra’s licensing standards
- Animal Licensing in England vs Scotland vs Wales
Introduction
This section is designed to help you understand the UK’s educational framework and the training, knowledge and experience necessary to meet Defra’s animal licensing requirements.
Ofqual, the RQF, and other related terms are key components of the educational landscape in the UK. Understanding these terms can help potential learners navigate their education and qualification options more effectively.
Ofqual
The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) is a non-ministerial government department that regulates qualifications, exams, and tests in England. Its role includes maintaining standards and confidence in qualifications. It also regulates the organisations that offer a wide range of qualifications.
It ensures that:
- Students get the results they’ve earned and deserve;
- Qualifications are correctly maintained and reported;
- Standards are kept consistent over time.
RQF
The Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) is a system for recognising skills and qualifications in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It’s designed to help people understand how qualifications relate to each other by providing information about their size and challenge.
Each qualification in the RQF has a level between 1 and 8, with 8 being the most difficult. These levels reflect the challenge and depth of the material covered in the qualification.
A qualification’s size, measured in Total Qualification Hours (TQH), indicates how long the average learner will take to achieve it. TQH includes all the time a learner spends to achieve their qualification, not just the hours of teaching or instruction.
Here are some key terms that may assist potential learners:
Awarding body/organisation:
An organisation recognised by Ofqual that designs, delivers and awards qualifications. eg AIM Qualifications; iPet Network
Qualification:
An official record of achievement that recognises the successful completion of education or training, or the successful demonstration of a skill or competence.
Unit:
A part of a qualification. Some qualifications are divided into units, each of which covers a specific part of the course content. Each unit is usually assessed separately, and the combination of unit assessments makes up the overall qualification.
Credit:
This is a way of recognising how much time it takes a learner to complete a qualification or unit. One credit represents ten hours of total learning time.
Guided Learning Hours (GLH):
These are a measure of the amount of time a learner is expected to spend in direct guidance or supervision from a teacher or tutor.
Total Qualification Time (TQT):
This represents the total amount of time it is expected that a learner will need to take to achieve a qualification. It includes both guided learning hours and time spent in independent study, preparation, and assessment.
How to check if your chosen course is an Ofqual regulated qualification
Search the Register of Regulated Qualifications (Register.Ofqual.gov.uk) to find out:
If a qualification is regulated (officially recognised) – ask the training provider for the course qualification number to check the qualification is listed on the Ofqual Register; and what level it is on the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF). This should give you peace of mind.
Useful Background Information
In the context of the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) in the UK, the terms “Award,” “Certificate,” and “Diploma” refer to the size or volume of a qualification, not its difficulty level.
The “Level” of a qualification, on the other hand, indicates the difficulty and complexity of the knowledge and skills associated with that qualification.
Award: An Award qualification is the smallest in size and typically involves 1 to 12 credit points, which translates to 10 to 120 hours of total qualification time. This includes both guided learning hours and additional self-study or homework.
Certificate: A Certificate qualification generally involves 13 to 36 credit points, which means approximately 130 to 360 hours of total qualification time.
Diploma: A Diploma is the largest type of qualification and typically requires 37 or more credit points. This means it usually involves 370 or more hours of total qualification time.
The levels of qualifications in the RQF range from Entry Level to Level 8:
Entry Level: These qualifications recognise basic knowledge and skills and the ability to apply learning in everyday situations under direct guidance or supervision. Entry Level qualifications are at three levels –
Entry Levels 1, 2, and 3.
Level 1: This level recognises basic knowledge and skills and the ability to apply learning with guidance or supervision. The learning is about activities that are mostly routine and predictable.
Level 2: At this level, the learner has a good knowledge of the subject and has gained some specific skills. This level is equivalent to GCSE grades 9-4.
Level 3: This level involves more complex systems and procedures, and the learner has gained substantial depth of understanding of the subject. This is equivalent to A-level.
Levels 4 – 5: These are equivalent to the first two years of undergraduate degrees. They include Higher National Certificates (HNCs) and Higher National Diplomas (HNDs).
Level 6: Level 6 qualifications are degree-level qualifications, equivalent to Bachelor’s degrees.
Level 7: This level is equivalent to Master’s degree level.
Level 8: The highest level of the RQF, this is equivalent to Doctorate level qualifications.
Each level represents the challenge or difficulty of the work, with Level 1 being the least challenging and Level 8 being the most. So a learner might complete an Award at Level 2, or a Diploma at Level 3, for example. The level is an indication of the challenge of the content, and the designation of Award, Certificate, or Diploma indicates the size of the qualification.
A Guide to comparing qualifications in the UK and Ireland
The link below provides information that allows you to look at the ways qualifications are organised in the UK and Ireland. It shows which qualifications in other countries are broadly comparable in terms of the level of challenge to your qualifications (or those that you are interested in taking).
https://scqf.org.uk/media/e5pjypw4/qccb-web-oct-2019.pdf
(SCQF) is equivalent to the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) in England and Wales. This means that an Ofqual Level 3 qualification is equivalent to SCQF Level 6.
So, if you have an Ofqual Level 3 qualification, you can be confident that it will be recognised in Scotland.
If you are interested in learning more about how Ofqual Level 3 qualifications are recognised in Scotland, you can contact Skills Development Scotland. They can provide you with more information about the SCQF and how it compares to the RQF.
Recognition of regulated qualifications in the UK
(SCQF) is equivalent to the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) in England and Wales. This means that an Ofqual Level 3 qualification is equivalent to SCQF Level 6.
So, if you have an Ofqual Level 3 qualification, you can be confident that it will be recognised in Scotland.
If you are interested in learning more about how Ofqual Level 3 qualifications are recognised in Scotland, you can contact Skills Development Scotland. They can provide you with more information about the SCQF and how it compares to the RQF.
Meeting Defra’s licensing standards
When Defra (the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs) refers to the need for licence applicants to evidence an Ofqual Level 2 or the higher standard, Level 3 under LAIA (Animal Welfare Regulations 2018) in an appropriate subject, it is referring to the qualifications needed for those wishing to run a licensed establishment involving the care of animals.
For those wishing to meet the “Higher Standard” qualification criteria under the Animal Welfare Regulations 2018, subject to the niche, the licence pet care either needs to complete a course that provides an Ofqual regulated Level 3 qualification in a relevant subject, or in the case of the home boarding for dogs niche, the licensing guidance stipulates the Level 3 qualification as one of the ‘optionals’. Such a course should be officially recognised by the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual).
For example, upon completion of the Canine Care, Behaviour & Welfare course and successfully passing the assessment, participants will receive a Level 3 Award in Canine Care, Behaviour and Welfare certificate or a similar award, depending on the species of animals they are caring for. The exact course and award would be determined by the species of animal being cared for and the specific requirements of the licensing process.
From 1st October 2018, it became a DEFRA requirement for those wishing to run a licensed animal establishment that the licence holder or a designated manager and any staff employed to care for the animals must have competence to identify the normal behaviour of the species for which they are caring and to recognise signs of, and take appropriate measures to mitigate or prevent, pain, suffering, injury, disease or abnormal behaviour.
The training for these individuals must cover a range of areas, including:
- Animal welfare, including recognising poor welfare and understanding the 5 welfare needs.
- Animal handling.
- Animal behaviour.
- Cleanliness and hygiene.
- Feeding and food preparation.
- Disease control.
- Recognition and first aid treatment of sick animals.
This training must be a minimum of an Ofqual regulated level 2 qualification in a relevant subject, or there must be clear evidence of knowledge and experience.
To meet the “Higher Standard”, a person responsible for the care of the animals requires a relevant Ofqual regulated Level 3 qualification in a relevant subject and the qualified person must be present on the premises during the working day.
Animal Activity Licensing in England vs Scotland vs Wales
The Dog Business School offers an additional unit, “Licensing Guidance in (eg Home Boarding or (Commercial) Day Care or Kennels or Breeding + a Live 1-2-1 Tutorial” to accompany either the AIM Qualification Level 2 Award in Canine Care & Welfare or Level 3 Award in Canine Care, Behaviour & Welfare. This additional unit is an immersion in the English statutory guidance for the related activity eg Day Care.
Both Scotland and Wales have road maps to standardise their approaches to regulated services but at the moment both countries are on a journey so they continue to operate under the 1963 Animal Boarding Establishments Act with local authority licensing variations.
To help aspiring licensed pet carers in Scotland and Wales, the Dog Business School uses the English licensing model as a framework (it’s a useful guide) but in the 1-2-1 tutorial that we offer, we will use your specific local authority licensing guidance and walk you through their specific guidance.