General Questions

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Is this a nationally recognised award?

Yes. Educational organisations across the country are engaging with the Quality Mark and have achieved the award.

Is The CPLD Quality Mark a bone fide quality mark?

Yes. The CPLD Quality Mark has been fully quality assured and approved by the national IP Office as a Quality Mark for use in the educational sector. Copyright is held by the Quality Mark.

Why should I choose The CPLD Quality Mark?

It is the leading quality mark in the UK dedicated to CPD in educational settings. It has been devised by experts in consultation with nurseries, schools, colleges and Work Based Training Providers. The writers and contributors have senior leadership experience in all of these settings ensuring that it embraces the realities and challenges faced by them. It also took note of Ofsted themed inspections into effective CPD and has an inspector on the advisory team to ensure that it reflects current Ofsted requirements.

It has been rigorously tested in each of the various settings and refined on the basis of feedback. The CPLD Quality Mark is a mature product.

The Quality mark is also offered at Bronze, Silver and Gold levels enabling settings to refine and improve their practice in incremental ways.

How long will it take us to achieve the Quality Mark?

Once you have undertaken your Self Review against the Framework at Bronze, Silver or Gold tiers you will have a good idea of your development timeline. Some schools will choose to undergo an Assessment Visit almost immediately whilst others will spend 6-12 months configuring their CPD provision to the relevant tier level. One of our consultants will be happy to explore the options with you and provide a forum to ‘bounce your ideas off someone’

Once you have achieved the award how long does the accreditation last for?

Upon successful accreditation the award lasts for three years but you can be assessed for a higher tier at any point during the three year time frame. You will need to be re-assessed after the three-year period to ensure that the Framework is still being met. The Awarding Body will send a reminder to you six months in advance of your forthcoming re-assessment.

Do we have to wait three years to gain accreditation at a higher level?

No. Once you think that you meet the evidence requirements for a higher level you can apply for assessment and, hopefully, achieve the higher level.

Can we gain accreditation for what we already do?

Yes, if what you do is of sufficient quality, you will be able to gain accreditation quickly. You will still need to perform your Audit of your practice against the Bronze, Silver or Gold frameworks. If you match the evidence requirements of one of the tiers, you can request an Assessment Visit. Our specialist consultants can provide you with all of the guidance to assist your school in gaining accreditation.

Will the CPLD Quality Mark help us to ensure that our CPD for our staff will improve and be more effective?

Yes. This is exactly what it is designed to do. The feedback from school/college/nursery and Workplace Training Providers categorically confirms this.

Can the CPLD Quality Mark support Ofsted Inspection?

Yes. Using the Quality Mark framework demonstrates a strategic approach to developing your workforce to make improvements for learners. Ofsted are particularly interested in the leadership and management of CPLD and Performance Management to improve the quality of provision and outcomes for learners. The CPLD Quality Mark has these aspects at it core and the evidence for the Quality mark provides excellent evidence for Ofsted….you have it ready and waiting.

How does it compare with Investors in People?

The CPLD Quality Mark is dedicated to educational settings and includes current educational issues unlike the Investors in People Framework which is a generalist Framework applying to all sectors. Our consultants and assessors are educational experts as opposed to generalists that work for IiP assessment centres.
Some schools and colleges have chosen to do both awards – this is entirely your choice – and they do support each other.

Can federated schools and Trusts work together on the Quality Mark?

Yes. We encourage this and offer attractive discounts to schools working together. Our principal consultant will give you specific guidance on how to make this effective.

Can a local consortium of schools/nurseries/Work Based Training Providers work together on gaining accreditation?

Yes. We encourage this as we have direct experience of this working very well through efficiencies of scale gained from collaborative work such as joint training and development work, shared induction provision etc. This way of working enables good practice sharing between settings and is very popular with practitioners. Ofsted are keen to examine and find evidence of how Joint Practice Development [JPD] is supporting improvement.
We offer attractive discounts to consortia though each setting will need to register and be assessed separately.

What happens if we federate / become an academy /are re-organised and change our name during the three-year period after gaining accreditation?

How do I change the contact details you hold for our setting?

If the contact person or details change please let us know via the Contact Form to ensure that we can remain in contact with you and keep you up-to-date on all developments etc.

Confidentiality – do you comply with legislation?

Yes. We are legally required to do this. We do not pass your details to any third parties. All of the information and documentation that you share with us is confidential.
If we would like to use your success story for our website or Newsletter then we will do this in agreement with you and you have full control over the content.

Getting Started

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How do we get involved and get started?

Use our Contact Form or give us a call and we will email you a Registration Pack.
The Quality Mark process is in two Stages.

Stage 1 – Audit and Development work

Stage 2 – Assessment and accreditation

We will clarify our Stage 1 charges with you and once your payment has been processed you will be sent all of the materials [The Toolkit] to get you going. This will be sent electronically.

Can we pay by instalments?

Yes. You can pay in two parts to enable you to spread the costs:

Stage 1 The Toolkit – to get you going.
Stage 2 Assessment – accreditation and Certification – pay when you are ready for Assessment.

What support do we get from you during the Development and Assessment Stages?

During the Development Stage – Stage 1:

As much as you need. You have free telephone and email support as part of Stage 1 – just telephone or email the office. The office will pass your support request to a consultant who will contact you within 24 – 48 hours during term time.

During the Assessment Planning Stage – Stage 2:

As much as you need. Once you have applied for assessment, your assessor will provide as much support and guidance as necessary. We have devised a clear process for this that has worked every time thus far.

Assessment

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How do we know if we are ready for assessment?

The Guidance Notes in the Toolkit explain this. Essentially, if you think that you meet the rules you can send your Audit and Development Tool to us for an initial check and we will provide feedback on your readiness.

How is the assessment visit organised?

You are provided with an Assessment Plan that tells you exactly what to do. The details of this are provided in the Guidance Notes.

Can we fail an assessment visit?

If you follow the Assessment Plan and your assessor’s advice this is unlikely.

If we aim for Silver or Gold and don’t quite make it, will we achieve the level below?

Yes, as long as you meet the requirements for the lower level. You will be told exactly what to do to gain the higher level that you originally wanted.

Who are the assessors?

Our Assessors are CRB certified individuals with senior leadership experience in all settings or individuals with experience of local authority or sector advisory work. They have the interpersonal skills to make your Assessment Visit experience positive. All Assessors are vetted and trained by our Internal Verifier for this Quality Mark and their ongoing work regularly monitored for quality assurance purposes.

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