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- > Centre consortia
Centre consortia
Centre consortia are collaborative partnerships that enable centres to work together to deliver Pearson qualifications. Discover how to create and manage centre consortia for both academic and vocational qualifications, supporting your learners’ success every step of the way.
Responsibilities within a consortium arrangement for general qualifications
| Home centres | Lead centre |
|---|---|
| Centres that make entries and registrations within the collaborative arrangement programme, and are responsible for all administrative processes, including entries. | A centre that delivers the consortium programme to students from other centres and is responsible for delivery & assessment and moderation (where appropriate). |
Candidates from different centres may be taught and assessed together but entered through the centre at which they're enrolled. In these cases, you'll need to let us know that your centres wish to be treated as a consortium.
If your candidates are learning and being assessed together across different centres but are entered for qualifications through their own (home) centre, it’s important to inform us that you’d like your centres to be recognised as a consortium. This ensures we can support your collaborative approach and provide a seamless experience for your learners.
Please note that this applies to GCSE’s, international GCSE’s, GCE A level and international Advanced Level qualifications as well as BTEC Tech Awards.
How to apply for centre consortium approval
To tell us about your consortium:
- Nominate a consortium coordinator to liaise with us on behalf of your consortium
- Visit the JCQ Centre Admin Portal
- Complete the online Centre Consortium Arrangements form
- This will inform Pearson of the consortium arrangement so we can make appropriate arrangements to support you
Our knowledge-based (KB) article explains how and where to access the Centre Admin Portal (CAP).
Consortium co-ordinators must submit an online form for each series using CAP, no later than: 1 October for the following November examination series and 31 January for the following June examination series.
How the consortium will work
When you're set up as a consortium, your candidates will be treated as a single group for the purposes of coursework or controlled assessment moderation (non-examined assessments NEA).
The consortium coordinator must ensure that internal standardisation is carried out by all the teachers involved in the subject in the consortium.
The same moderator will be allocated to every centre within the consortium for a particular component, with confirmation or adjustment of marks being applied to all centres within the consortium.
Do I need to apply to Pearson every year?
Yes, the consortium co-ordinator will need to submit an online application for each exam series using CAP Centre Admin Portal (CAP).
Visit the Pearson article for the Centre Admin Portal
What do I do next?
To find out more about offering qualifications as part of a collaborative (consortium) arrangement, contact Pearson Support.
When candidates from more than one centre are taught and assessed together, but registered at their home centre, it’s important to inform us that you wish your centres to be recognised as a collaborative (consortium) arrangement. This ensures we can support you effectively and provide the right guidance for your partnership.
Please note that this only applies to BTEC qualifications including
- BTEC Introductory,
- BTEC First and Nationals and AAQ’s
- BTEC Specialist
- BTEC Higher Nationals
- BTEC Functional Skills (reviewed on a case-by-case basis)
If you are delivering BTEC Reformed Tech Awards 2022 (RTA) or GCE / GCSE qualifications in partnership with another centre, please visit the Academic qualifications tab.
Responsibilities within a collaborative (consortium) arrangement for vocational qualifications (Formal Collaborative or Exceptional Collaborative Arrangements)
| Home centres | Lead centre |
|---|---|
Centres that make entries and registrations within the collaborative (consortium) arrangement programme, and are responsible for all administrative processes, including registrations, entries, claims and certification. In the case of Higher Nationals, delivered in an exceptional arrangement with an approved provider, you will usually be responsible for delivery & assessment. |
A centre that delivers the collaborative (consortium) arrangement programme to students from other centres and is responsible for delivery, assessment and quality assurance. In the case of Higher Nationals, the lead centre will be the centre that receives the funding and is responsible for overseeing the delivery, assessment and quality assurance. The lead centre will make the learner registrations. |
You must gain approval for any collaborative (consortium) arrangement before any delivery takes place. You can do this by submitting an online application to Pearson.
Before you complete and submit your application, please read through these documents:
Once the collaborative (consortium) arrangement application has been approved, we will issue the lead centre with a consortium programme number (the number with ‘consortium’ in the title) which will also be visible to all the centres in the approved arrangement.
The home centres will be responsible for their candidates’ registration against this consortium programme and all the related administrative processes.
The centres involved in the collaborative (consortium) arrangement will be allocated the same standards verifier / external examiner and sampled as one cohort, providing one SV/EE report for all centres in the arrangement. This is important so that multiple SV are not allocated, which can delay claims being released.
Do I need to apply to Pearson every year?
No. Once approved at qualification level, the consortium programme approval will continue until the qualification expires, unless you ask us to withdraw the arrangement. There is no need to re-apply annually, but please check that you have approval for the appropriate qualifications annually, before any delivery starts.
What happens if we no longer need the arrangement or one of the centres leaves the arrangement?
Your Quality Nominee or Exams Officer should contact Peason Support, to we can either amend or withdraw the arrangement.
What do I do next?
To find out more about offering qualifications as part of a collaborative (consortium) arrangement, contact Pearson Support.