April 2026 Esports update
1 April 2026
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Welcome to the April Esports subject update.
In this month's newsletter check out:
- the latest on curriculum reform at Level 3 and what this means for Esports
- a quality nominee events in your area
- how an Esports tournament, in Devon, secured ITV coverage
- an OFQUAL Blog on having the AI conversation with learners
- the consultation on a new UCAS system
| Date | Activity |
| BTEC key dates and term-time checkpoints | We recently published the BTEC key dates and term-time checkpoints for 2025/26. While your exams officers will take the lead on most of these activities, your support will be important to help meet these deadlines, so it’s useful to be aware of what is required and when
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| 05 May 2026 09:00 - 11:30 GMT | Introduction to Teaching the International BTEC Level 3 in Esports |
Now we have had the outcome of the CAR report and the subsequent findings following the consultation period, the roadmap is becoming clearer for Level 3 pathways.
What we do know is that Esports will be very much on the curriculum for 'first teach' until 27/28 and fully funded through to successful certification (see table below)
However, it will be June when we should hear further regarding the longer term future for this qualfication, at this level.
In the meantime we have a variety of pages devoted to keeping you informed about the reforms and what the current state of play is across the whole curriculum.
Level 2
Our Level 2 Esports qualifications have been extended for delivery in England, Northern Ireland and Wales.
The last registration date is 31 July 2027.
The last certification date is 31 July 2029.
Level 3
We know many of our centres and students use the UCAS application service, when applying to Higher Education in the UK. We wanted to let you know that UCAS are currently consulting on the operation of the UCAS undergraduate admissions cycle, including:
- the number of initial choices a student can make
- the firm and insurance choice
- application deadlines, including the early (October) deadline and January Equal Consideration Date.
This is an opportunity for you to have your say. You can find out further details about the consultation and respond on the UCAS website. The deadline to respond is 18:00 (UK time) on 22 April 2026.
Ofqual has published a new blog highlighting the importance of open, honest conversations with students about the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in coursework.
AI tools are now part of everyday life for many young people. But it’s important that students understand where the boundaries are. Using AI to generate coursework without proper disclosure is cheating, and the consequences can be serious - including the loss of a qualification.
The blog is designed to help you start those conversations with confidence. It includes:
- A ready‑to‑use lesson plan to support classroom discussion about AI and assessed work.
- A senior leadership team briefing pack to help schools and colleges develop a clear, whole‑school approach to AI in coursework.
Together, these resources can help ensure students are informed, supported and clear about expectations - before assessment pressures begin.
More than 100 students from across the West Country took part in an esports tournament at Teignmouth Community School in Devon last week.
The Southwest Schools Showcase 2026 – the biggest student esports event of its kind in the region – hosted tournaments in Rocket League, F1, FC 26 and Fortnite.
Teignmouth Community School esports students delivered the event on February 26th to highlight how esports can bring together students of different ages and backgrounds from a wide range of schools, offering an inclusive tournament where everyone can compete on equal terms.
This was the second Southwest School Showcase following last year’s inaugural event, and it has grown significantly, from six schools competing in a single game title last year to 10 schools taking part across four titles this year.
This year, Teignmouth said it also placed a strong emphasis on engaging more girls in esports, with multiple schools entering all-girl teams in Rocket League and Fortnite.
Our face-to-face networking events return this summer!
These will be a great opportunity to connect with local colleagues, exchange best practice and delve into essential quality assurance themes for the coming year, and we're running events all over the country to try to reach as many of you as possible
You’ll get to meet your regional vocational quality assurance manager and curriculum development manager, with insights on:the latest updates on ongoing level 2 and level 3 reforms and our available support2026/27/ quality assurance cycle updates for BTEC Entry/Level 1 to 3 qualifications, BTEC Level 3 Nationals (AAQs) and BTEC Tech AwardsFind your nearest event on our events page and we look forward to seeing you!
Our annual BTEC Higher Nationals Student Survey is live!
We encourage all students to get involved and have their say as their responses will influence the future design of our qualifications. Plus, two lucky students will be selected at random to win a £100 Amazon voucher!
Find out more about the survey and how you can promote to your students here:
This is a great hour of chat to share with your learners to showcase the life of an Esports athelete!
The latest information page from the JCQ includes
- guidance for teachers on malpractice
- presentations for teachers and learners
- an information sheet for teachers
- a poster for learners
We are looking to create a NEW Esports Bitesize playlist based on all the questions and queries our centres want answering or resources they want to access.
Please use this form to submit questions for your Senior Standards Verifier, so we can get the most frequently asked questions or wants to you in the most efficient and easily accessible way.
Whether you’re ready to start, scale or strengthen your esports vision, British Esports are here to help.
They provide tailored end-to-end solutions for organisations across education, community, commercial sectors and beyond in the following 10 areas:
- Esports facility development, procurement services and project management – a turnkey solution
- Funding advice, bid and grant writing services for esports projectsCurriculum support, planning & student pathways (covering BTECs, V-Levels, degrees and more)
- Business case development, feasibility studies and revenue modellingStaff and teacher CPD (Continuing Professional Development), training and certificationEsports and gaming strategy development
- National and regional esports policy developmentEsports business advice, acceleration and incubation programmes
- Education day trips, residentials and workshopsTeam apparel, student and staff esports uniform and kit design
A great article from the British Esports website that I am sure every Esports learner in the country would be interest in. How to best compete!
Are you at a school or college in the UK which wants to get started in esports, but isn’t sure how?
Gil Hamilton, Esports Lecturer and Head Coach of the Esports Academy at South Gloucestershire and Stroud College, shares her top five tips on getting started in esports and taking part in the national British Esports Student Champs, with sign-ups now open for 2026.
At Pearson we are committed to understanding the efficacy of our qualifications and continuously improving and updating them to support the best outcomes for students.
We regularly evaluate the effectiveness of our provision and are pleased to share the findings of two of our recent research projects looking at outcomes associated with the BTEC Level 3 Nationals, specifically
- Salary outcomes using Longitudinal Educational Outcomes (LEO)
- Higher Education (HE) continuation rate (i.e. proportion of students that successfully progress into their second year of a degree).
These two projects speak to the dual purpose of BTECs, supporting entry direct into employment and HE.
Standards verification is an integral part of our quality assurance model, and its timely completion will help ensure the successful release of student results.
Standards verifiers will contact you in the first instance to introduce themselves, their role and the sampling process.
Please make sure you share this information with the relevant lead internal verifier(s), who will then be responsible for working with the standards verifier to get the process underway.
If your centre has multiple subsites under one main number, (e.g. 12345 A & B), you’ll be allocated one standards verifier across all subsites. If you operate sites with different centre numbers, each site may have a separate standards verifier allocation. If you’re part of a consortium arrangement, you’ll see a single standards verifier allocation across all the sites in the consortium.
The deadline to share samples with your standards verifier is 15 May, although we recommend that this takes place at the earliest opportunity. This will be agreed with your standards verifier upon review of the assessment plan(s), so do check in with the lead IVs and ensure that the document has been shared.
Remote samples for both Standard and Enhanced control measures must be submitted via the Learner Work Transfer platform, accessed via Edexcel Online.
We are here and ready to support you through this process. Contact us if you have any questions about the standards verification process, or if you have not yet received an SV allocation for any BTEC programme.
The updated Centre Guide to Standards Verification will provide all the information you need in terms of sampling requirements and please share the new bitesize videos to Standards Verification with your curriculum teams.
Please scroll down the page linked to below to find a map with details of schools and colleges delivering esports.
For help with:
- delivery
- the Esports learner and teacher
For help with:
- assessment
- grade statistics
As we go into the new year, each centre will be allocted a standards verifier (SV) for this academic year.
Please do get in touch if you are yet to hear from your SV or have any questions or queries via the support portal.
Standards verification is an integral part of our quality assurance model, and its timely completion will help ensure the successful release of student results.
Standards verifiers will contact you in the first instance to introduce themselves, their role and the sampling process.
Please make sure you share this information with the relevant lead internal verifier(s), who will then be responsible for working with the standards verifier to get the process underway.
The deadline to share samples with your standards verifier is 15 May, although we recommend that this takes place at the earliest opportunity. This will be agreed with your standards verifier upon review of the assessment plan(s), so do check in with the lead IVs and ensure that the document has been shared.
Remote samples for both Standard and Enhanced control measures must be submitted via the Learner Work Transfer platform, accessed via Edexcel Online.
We are here and ready to support you through this process. Contact us if you have any questions about the standards verification process, or if you have not yet received an SV allocation for any BTEC programme.
The updated Centre Guide to Standards Verification will provide all the information you need in terms of sampling requirements,
Level 2 Esport is an available qualification to our international centres. Currently, we do not have a dedicated Level 2 International webpage - however the UK qualification can be taught in international centres.
These qualifications are for learners who want to develop a range of skills within the esports and related industries. They are designed for learners at post-16 but are suitable qualifications for 14-16 where appropriate, as part of their wider study programme. They are ideal qualifications for learners intending to progress to further education at level 3 or to an apprenticeship within esports and related industries.
We have a variety of pages devoted to keeping you updated with the specifications, teaching resources, sample assignment materials as well as all authorised assignment briefs and Pearson Set Assignments.
The National Esports Performance Campus (NEPC) is a multi-site entertainment and education complex located in Sunderland.
NEPC is the home of British Esports and provides access to state-of-the-art equipment, training, and investment. The facility offers luxury accommodation for esports bootcamps, providing a comfortable and focused environment for players. The campus boasts cutting-edge technology, including a 100-seater esports arena, training rooms, and broadcast facilities.
Multi factor authentication was rolled out to nearly a quarter of a million Pearson Portal users last year. Although it has now become a standard way of accessing our systems, it can sometimes present challenges if a smart device is lost or replaced.
You can read more information, see a quick start guide and access FAQs and troubleshooting for our authenticator app in our Pearson Portal Authenticator support article.
Based on feedback received this graphic was created to answer some common questions.
You can read more information, see a quick start guide and access FAQs and troubleshooting for our authenticator app in our Pearson Portal Authenticator support article.
Subject advisor
Sarah Mark
BTEC Business, Enterprise, Marketing, Esports
Phone :
+44 (0) 344 463 2535
(Teaching Services team | Mon-Fri, 8am - 5pm GMT)
