Pre-existing QCF BTEC Nationals - where funding is being removed from 31 July 2020, and transfer arrangements
Last updated Tuesday 11 February 2020
On the 22 July 2019, the DfE announced it would be removing funding approval from older, pre-existing QCF qualifications after 31 July 2020, where an equivalent qualification has been developed by the same awarding organisation for inclusion in 2020 performance tables. This removal of funding was announced as part of the first stage of the DfE’s wider review of post-16 qualifications at level 3 and below.
Download the full list of pre-existing QCF BTEC Nationals.
Download the final registration dates for ALL QCF BTEC Nationals (PDF 10MB).
New transfer arrangements for learners taking larger pre-existing QCF BTEC Nationals qualifications in 2020/21
After 31 July 2020, any learner who started a smaller QCF BTEC National in the 2019/20 funding year will not be able to progress to a larger pre-existing QCF BTEC National in 2020/21 and still be funded. This is because the ESFA will remove funding from the pre-existing qualifications after 31 July 2020.
In order to ensure learners are not disadvantaged, the ESFA has put in place a transfer process for these larger pre-existing QCF BTEC Nationals. This does not impact all larger QCF BTEC Nationals. It only affects the ones identified by the DfE as ‘pre-existing’. This new process is only in place for the identified pre-existing qualifications.
Rather than top up to the larger qualification, students can instead start on the larger pre-existing QCF BTEC National in the 2019/20 funding year and, if they choose not to progress to the second year, they can be transferred to the smaller qualification in the same suite. Learners will need to meet all the assessment requirements for the smaller qualification, and have achieved it in the first year.
The ESFA has published full guidance on the transfer process including what you need to do in the individualised learner record (ILR), or Learning Provider portal system from the Student Loans Company (SLC), to complete a transfer and when you need to do it. You must complete all transfers by 18.00 on 22 October 2020. The ESFA has confirmed that transferring a learner to the smaller qualification will not affect your qualification achievement rates (QAR), or the ESFA audit of your organisation, as long as you follow the steps outlined in their guidance.
The transfer process means that you can continue to support learners on pre-existing qualifications to take either a one-year or a two-year qualification.
Learners will need to meet all the assessment requirements for the smaller qualification, and the centre must complete all learner transfers on Edexcel online by the 30 September 2020 at the very latest.
Qualification checker - if my learners may move to larger pre-existing qualifications in 2020/21 - which qualification should I enrol them on?
Given the impact of this new process, we have provided you with a quick way of checking the qualification you can enrol your learners on in the 2019/20 funding year, so they can transfer should they need to. Please refer to our guide:
Choosing your QCF pre-existing qualification in the 2019/20 funding year
FAQs
Only those QCF BTEC National qualifications identified as pre-existing are affected. Download the full list of pre-existing qualifications - the QCF BTEC Nationals that will no longer be funded after 31 July 2020.
We have provided a quick way of checking the larger qualification you can enrol and register learners on in the 2019/20 funding year, so they can transfer to the smaller qualification should they need to. Please refer to our Guide to choosing your QCF pre-existing qualification in the 2019/20 funding year.
The transfer process is in place for learners who started a smaller QCF BTEC National qualification in 2019/20, and may transfer to a larger pre-existing QCF BTEC National qualification in 2010/21, and who would have previously used the top-up process. I.e. those learners that would have started a smaller pre-existing qualification in the 2019/20 funding year, and then used it to count towards achieving the larger qualification in the same suite in the 2020/21 funding year.
If you are delivering pre-existing qualifications that are part of a suite of nested qualifications in the 2019/20 funding year, the ESFA strongly encourages you to start a learner on the larger qualification. The learner must also agree to start on the larger qualification.
If the learner achieves the smaller qualification within the 2019/20 funding year, and chooses not to progress to the second year of the larger qualification, you can transfer the learner onto the smaller qualification.
The ESFA has published full guidance on the transfer process, including what you need to do in the individualised learner record (ILR), or Learning Provider portal system from the Student Loans Company (SLC), to complete a transfer and when you need to do it. You must complete all learner transfers by 18.00 on 22 October 2020. Although you have until 22 October 2020, you should transfer learners at the earliest opportunity within the 2019/20 funding year.
The ESFA has confirmed in this guidance that transferring a learner to the smaller qualification will not affect your qualification achievement rates (QAR), or the ESFA audit of your organisation.
The process is only available for the 2019/20 funding year.
A top-up is when a learner moves from a smaller qualification in their first year of study, to a larger qualification in their second year of study. The transfer process will mean learners will instead start on the larger qualification in the 2019/20 funding year and transfer to the smaller qualification in the same suite if they choose not to progress to the second year. To transfer, learners will need to meet all the assessment requirements for the smaller qualification, and have achieved it in the first year.
From 1 August 2020, any learner who started a smaller pre-existing qualification in the 2019/20 funding year will not be able to progress to the larger pre-existing qualification in the 2020/21 funding year, and still be funded. This is because the ESFA will not approve the pre-existing qualifications for funding from 1 August 2020.
The ESFA do not want to disadvantage learners who may be affected by the implementation of this policy, so has put in place a transfer process for these nested pre-existing qualifications for the 2019/20 funding year only.
The ESFA has confirmed that transferring a learner to the smaller qualification will not affect your qualification achievement rates (QAR), or the ESFA audit of your organisation, as long as the transfer is processed according to ESFA guidance/regulations.
You must complete all learner transfers so that the data is present and accurate within your ILR(R14) by 18.00 on 22 October 2020. This exceptional flexibility from the ESFA for the 2019/20 funding year expires at this hard close-time/date. After this date, the 2019/20 ILR will close and you will not be able to transfer the learner without this having an effect on your QAR and audit.
The ESFA has advised that although you have until 22 October 2020, you should transfer learners at the earliest opportunity within the 2019/20 funding year if the learner is not continuing in the 2020/21 funding year. The ESFA has published full guidance on the transfer process.
We strongly recommend that you transfer and claim certification for learners on the smaller qualification as soon as they complete the qualification in the 2019/20 funding year, if you know they have chosen not to progress to the second year of the qualification. This will ideally be by Friday 7 August 2020.
This is to ensure that the earner receives their certificate or results-notice by August 2020 and they can be included in the government’s statistical analysis of the 2019/20 results.
Learners can be transferred to the smaller qualification after this date, and up until 30 September 2020. However, results claimed from Pearson after this date, may not be included in the government’s statistical analysis of the 2019/20 results.
Yes. You can enrol and register eligible learners on larger pre-existing qualifications this September and they will be funded for the duration of their learning programme on this qualification (up to the certification end-date for each qualification of study, as per the funding rules). The transfer model only applies if your learners choose not to progress to the second year of the larger qualification.
Yes. You can enrol and register eligible learners on larger QCF BTEC pre-existing qualification, or move them from a smaller to a larger QCF BTEC pre-existing, after this September, as long as this is done before the end date for the qualification (i.e.31 July 2020). They will be funded for the duration of their learning programme on this qualification (up to the certification end-date for each qualification, as per the funding rules). The transfer model only applies if your learners choose not to progress to the second year of the larger qualification.
Yes. Pearson provides a refund to those centres who have had learners move to a shorter BTEC qualification. The refund due is calculated as the difference between the cost of the larger and smaller qualification, minus an administration fee. Please refer to our fees for further details.
Yes. Pearson charges an administration fee for topping up to a larger qualification or for transferring to a smaller qualification. The administration fee for transferring to a smaller qualification will not be more than the top-up administrative fee. Please refer to our fees for further details.
No. This funding announcement applies to England ONLY and does not impact other nations.
No. Only qualifications identified as ‘pre-existing’ are being switched off from 31 July 2020. Pre-existing qualifications are where an equivalent redeveloped qualification has been developed by the same awarding organisation for inclusion in 2020 performance tables.
However, Pearson has also made the decision to withdraw the majority of the remaining QCF BTEC Nationals where there is a suitable RQF replacement. The last registration date for the remaining QCF BTEC National qualifications will be the 30 September 2020.
The transfer process for pre-existing qualifications does not apply to these qualifications, and you can continue to use the usual top-up process, i.e. top up learners to the larger qualification by the qualification end date.
Download the final registration dates for ALL QCF BTEC Nationals
Yes, for example Public Services, and some Land qualifications only have QCF versions. They are not classified as pre-existing qualifications and therefore you may continue to teach them. Please check the funding hub for last registration dates for these qualifications.
The transfer process for pre-existing qualifications does not apply to these qualifications, and you can continue to use the usual top-up process, i.e. top up learners to the larger qualification by the qualification end date.
No. The transfer process for pre-existing qualifications does not apply to these qualifications, and you can continue to use the usual top-up process, i.e. top up learners to the larger qualification by the qualification end date.
