June 2026 Esports update
1 June 2026
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Welcome to the June Esports subject update.
In this month's newsletter look out for:
- Key Dates for the 26/27 academic year for UK centres
- New Ofqual Podcast for teachers
- Digital certification for vocational qualifications
- Free tickets to the Esports Student Champs Grand Final
| 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
|
| 9th June 2026 at 3.30 - 5.30 BST | Getting ready to teach Esports |
-
Key dates for your planner 25/26
Key dates for your planner 26/27 (TBC)
The UK’s best young gamers will face-off this summer to represent their schools and colleges in the British Esports Student Champs 2026 Grand Finals!
Where: University of StaffordshireCollege Road, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 2DE
When: Tuesday 23 June-Wednesday 24 June • 10 AM-4 PM
Reminder and new guidance for you and your students!
Your students can receive a digital credential alongside their vocational qualification this summer. We’re getting in touch with a quick reminder and some new guidance to help you make sure eligible students at your centre receive theirs.
A digital credential gives them a verified, shareable record of their achievement that they can use when applying for jobs, apprenticeships or further study.
How to make sure your students receive their digital credentials
To make sure everything runs smoothly at results time and eligible students receive their digital credential, you need to upload student email addresses in Edexcel Online.
We recommend using each student’s centre email address. Once their digital credential has been issued, students should change this to a personal email address in Credly.
If a student’s email address hasn’t been added, we won’t be able to issue their digital credential.
For students who are eligible to certificate before August results day, their digital credential will still be issued in August, as long as their email address is added before they are certificated.
NEW | guidance to support you and your students
We’ve added new, practical guidance to help you understand digital credentials and to make it easier to explain them to students.
For you
- Digital Credentials for Vocational Qualifications: FAQs
- Digital Credential Overview and Issuing Guide (Centres)
- Digital Credentials Learner Email Address Bulk Upload / Update Guide
- Digital Credentials Communications Guide (Centres)
For your students
We’d encourage you to share guidance directly with students so they know what to expect, how to access their credential and how they can use it.
Ofqual is launching a podcast for teachers and school leaders.
'Can I Just Qualify That?' will be built around conversations that matter and advice you can use.
The first few episodes will cover everything from qualification reform and how GCSE and A level grading works, to helpful tips for exam season, results days, and cyber security.
Episode one drops on Thursday 4 June on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music. Subscribe to Ofqual's YouTube channel now so you don't miss it:
On the 9th of June Pearson are hosting a live training session, with our Senior Standards Verifier, Sean Chambers. Please sign up today using the details outlines above in the training section.
We are also 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.
The last few events of the summer, this June - see scheldule in the link below.
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!
There is a NEW guide for Post-16 vocational educators in schools and colleges in England!
Alongside the Pearson BTEC Level 3 and Level 2 Funding Guides, we have developed a comprehensive Guide to Funding and Support to help educators plan for the future. It gives information of what we know now, what's to come whilst also detailing Sector Transition Plans.
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
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.
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
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
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
The SV Support Page brings together the latest updates and guidance to help you navigate upcoming teaching, learning and assessment activity. We’ll continue to contact you directly if anything changes that affects your centre, but you can always check back on this page for the most up-to-date information.
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 should have contacted you by now and discussed the process for, their role and the sampling process this series.
The deadline to share samples with your standards verifier is to be mutally agreed by the SV and centre, although we recommend that this takes place at the earliest opportunity.
All samples will be remote for both Standard and Enhanced control measures and 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.
We know the ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to affect students, families and centres in very real ways. This page brings together the latest guidance and support available for students whose learning and assessments have been disrupted, with any new updates added here as the situation continues to evolve.
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.
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)
