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That's interesting, as we've always had auditors accept a sit down exam as the Actual End Date!
In the 24/25 16-18 rules, under "Example student timetables for funding auditors", Examples 1 says "The qualification planned hours include practical supervised laboratory work together with specific subject supported revision and the exam time as this is delivered as part of the qualification curriculum".
If Exams can count as Planned Hours, they must also contribute to AED. I'd use that principle across funding streams.
That's good to know. Thanks Ruth Canham-James. I didn't know about the 16-18 rules so this is news (good news) to me but something I can incorporate within my guidance to the teams now.
We also don't use the exam date as the learning actual end date, but on the basis that exams don't count as off-the-job.
The provider must ensure that the following activities are not included as off-the-job training:
- Initial assessment and onboarding activities;
- English and maths training;
- Training to acquire knowledge, skills and behaviours that are not required by the apprenticeship standard;
- Progress reviews;
- Examinations and other testing; and
- Training which takes place outside the apprentice’s normal working hours (unless the apprentice has been paid for these additional hours or been given time off in lieu).
In combination with
Why are examinations and other testing excluded?
Examinations and other testing allow the apprentice to show what they have already learned at a point in time. This does not meet the definition of off-the-job training.
I had that same thought Ben James, but Functional Skills don't count as OTJ anyway. It's just not clear for apprenticeship Functional Skills, and when it's not clear, I try and apply the logic across funding streams (rightly or wrongly).
I just remembered this extra bit from the 24/25 16-18 rules which is what I use to justify exams being used for AEDs:
Q7 A student on a one-year learning aim stops attending at Easter to revise at home yet turns up and sits the examination in early June. When is the date of withdrawal?
A7 Early June. Sitting the examination is assessment of the student’s achievement and will count as learning. In practice, given the relatively short period of nonattendance, it is unlikely institutions would treat such students who passed their examination and qualification as withdrawals, instead recording them as successful completions.
My logic for Exams counting for the AED is that the ILR spec says AED is "The date that the learner completed the learning activities". An auditor would struggle to argue with that.
Fully appreciate that functional skills are separate from off-the-job, but I do think in this case that it's a bit of a red herring. I think as you've pointed out, the operative issue is what constitutes 'learning activity'.
Our approach has been to apply a consistent (not necessarily correct) interpretation of rules, regardless of what the aim is. So if the published guidance for off-the-job suggests exam/assessment does not represent learning, and could not therefore be used as the learning actual end date, it would be reasonable to assume (at least in our estimation) the same position where functional skills are concerned.
I can't (nor do I wish to) argue with your logic, as clearly the 24/25 16-18 rules state explicitly that assessment counts as learning; my concern is simply that a) we approach things consistently, and b) that an auditor may say "yes, but we don't audit you on those rules.."
My kingdom for concrete clarification..
Also, to go back to Jessica De Melo's original point, we don't record Achievement date for Functional Skills regardless of funding stream, it's only used (as Completion Date) for the App Programme aim.
Jessica De Melo
Functional Skills Learning End Date
Created
For Functional Skills, can we use the exam dates as the ILR aim learning end date, or should the exam date only be used as the achievement date?
TIA