The EPQ is a wonderful and rewarding qualification for learners, and can bring to life their individual passions through a formal and accredited route at sixth form. It is equally as rewarding for the educators who support and administer the qualification alongside their own subject specialisms and teaching responsibilities, particularly for the centre lead.

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Why is it important to have a centre lead?

Whether your centre has a cohort of 2 learners or 200 learners, the centre lead holds an important role in ensuring the following:

  • Learners are enrolled onto the centres’ EPQ programme at the start of, or throughout the academic year.
  • When learners are committed to submitting their project, they are formally registered prior to submission through the centres’ exams office.
  • The course programme follows a central plan to deliver the 120 guided learning hours.
  • All learners remain on track to complete the various milestones for the EPQ, completing their evidence regularly throughout the programme.
  • Learners are given sufficient mentoring support throughout their project.
  • Where there are large cohorts, a team of staff are coordinated in order to share the responsibility for delivering the programme, including mentoring learners throughout, and managing the process of presentations and the eventual marking of all learner work.
  • · Learners lower down the school receive information (such as a presentation as part of an information evening or open day) on the benefits of an EPQ, as part of a wider post 16 offer.
  • Learners of all ages throughout the centre have a single point of contact when seeking advice relating to the EPQ.
  • Parents, teaching staff and school leaders know who to speak to in relation to the EPQ qualification, which typically sits outside of any one faculties responsibility within the centre.

Recognition for EPQ centre leads

As part of Pearson Edexcels’ commitment to supporting teachers, we are proud to launch a recognition programme specifically to acknowledge the efforts of teachers involved in the EPQ.
Credly badge

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This badge is awarded to centre leads for:

  • Completion of an assessment cycle for the EPQ with a cohort of 16-19 year old students
  • Successfully delivering a programme equating to 120 guided learning hours
  • Ensuring all learners within a cohort receive sufficient mentoring support
  • Carrying out marking and internal standardisation of learner work prior to submission
  • Submitting all required learner evidence to the Learner Work Transfer platform and submitting accurate marks through Edexcel Online.

Centres who have learners awarded the EPQ in either the January or the June 2023 series will be able to register their centre lead this Autumn 2023, and will automatically receive their badge.

For new centres delivering the Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Extended Project Qualification for the first time, and entering their learners for the January or June 2024 series and beyond, we will be issuing centre leads with badges post exam series (February or August respectively). New centres should register their intention to offer our qualification

Sign up.

We will be adding further Credly badges to our EPQ offer, including recognising centres offering a wide range of unit approaches, large centres, centres where learners are encouraged to engage with some of our bespoke topics and themes (such as Sustainability and Climate), and for any teacher who becomes a moderator for Pearson Edexcel. Please come back to this page in the near future to keep up to date with the evolution of our PQ recognition programme.

What does a Credly badge offer?

For anyone new to digital credentials and micro credentials, Credly badges allow the owners of any badge to showcase recognition for their skills, knowledge and experience through a verified and reputatable external provider, who in this instance is Pearson Edexcel. For educators, badges will recognise an ongoing commitment to professional development, and support the evidencing of what they are doing through their role as centre lead. Each badge will include a detailed list of transferable skills such as leadership, project management and communication, which are applicable both within the education sector and more broadly. For more information about Credly badges, visit www.credly.com