End-point assessment (EPA) newsletter updates

Advice, guidance and support  

Supporting apprentices during assessment start times 

We’re introducing a new process for when an apprentice has failed to access their Microsoft Teams assessment link within three minutes of the agreed start time, to support them to access the assessment. 

If an apprentice doesn’t join their Microsoft Teams assessment call within this timeframe, we‘ll promptly reach out to check if they’re experiencing technical difficulties and offer support. If the apprentice doesn’t answer, we’ll attempt to contact their on-programme assessor (as listed on epaPRO) to ensure the apprentice has every opportunity to join within the allowed timeframe. 

Keeping apprentice contact details up to date 

To ensure smooth communication throughout the EPA process, please make sure apprentice contact details are accurate and up to date in epaPRO. These details help us with booking assessments and reaching out to apprentices when necessary. 

You can review and update contact information in the apprentice’s profile or during the Gateway confirmation stage. 

New foundation apprenticeships 

Last month, the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) announced the launch of the first seven foundation apprenticeships, designed to offer a more accessible route into apprenticeships. 

We’re looking at the approval process to become an assessment organisation for two of the foundation apprenticeships: 

• Health and Social Care 

• Software and Data 

If you have any queries or questions about foundation apprenticeships or would like any further information, please contact your Relationship team contact or [email protected]. 

Active IQ – contact update 

Now that the integration of Active IQ and NCFE into one EPAO is complete, the Active IQ EPA mailboxes and phone lines have been closed. 

If you have any questions, please contact us directly via:  

[email protected]  

0191 240 8950 

Our team is here to support you with any queries or guidance you may need. 

PARS bursary application 

The NCFE PARS (Post-Apprenticeship Recognition Scheme) bursary, available to eligible learners on Level 2 or 3 apprenticeships, is still open for applications.  

We spoke to two former apprentices about their experiences with the Post-Apprenticeship Recognition Scheme - Sha’delle Momus, a 38-year-old from Streatham, London, recently completed a Level 3 apprenticeship in Business Administration, and Tracey Savage, a 55-year-old from Warrington in Cheshire, who returned to education after a cancer diagnosis. Read about their experiences. 

To learn more about the NCFE PARS bursary, visit our dedicated webpage. 

Delivery 

Exporting feedback from epaPRO 

We’ve made it easier for you to share assessment feedback with your apprentices. 

Previously, feedback from epaPRO could only be downloaded as an Excel document, which we know isn’t always the most user-friendly format. We’re pleased to let you know that feedback is now also available to download as a PDF, making it easy to share with your apprentices. 

Product 

Update to Assessor Coach and Learning Mentor dispensations 

The temporary dispensation from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE), which removed the requirement for apprentices to hold a Level 2 ICT qualification at Gateway, has now ended. 

This means that apprentices on the Level 3 Learning Mentor and Level 4 Assessor Coach standards must now achieve a Level 2 ICT qualification before progressing to EPA. 

Please note, this change applies only to the retired versions of these assessment plans. It doesn’t affect the new Level 3 Learning and Skills Assessor or Level 4 Learning and Skills Mentor standards. 

New assessment plan: Early Years Educator V1.5 

Skills England launched a new version of the Early Years Educator (V1.5) standard for enrolments from 12 June 2025 to clarify the professional recognition requirements. The new update doesn’t impact any of the knowledge, skills or behaviours (KSBs) or the EPA. 

Previously this read: 

“This apprenticeship aligns with Department for Education for Full and relevant at Level 3 

Please contact the professional body for more details.”The updated version reads: 

“This apprenticeship aligns with Department for Education for Full and relevant at Level 3. To count within the ratios at level 3, staff holding an Early Years Educator qualification must also have achieved a suitable level 2 qualification in English. Setting managers must hold a suitable level 2 qualification in maths or must achieve one within two years of starting in the position. These are additional EYFS requirements that are independent of the apprenticeship requirements. 

Please contact the professional body for more details.” 

We’ve added the new version to epaPRO for registrations and our guidance materials will be available shortly. 

New assessment plan: Early Years Practitioner v1.1 

IfATE has released an updated assessment plan for Early Years Practitioner v1.1 which goes live from 1 August 2025. Any new apprentices who start on programme on or after this date will need to be enrolled on this version  

We’re developing guidance materials, and we’ll confirm once these are live. If you have any questions in the meantime, please contact your Relationship team contact or [email protected]. 

Updated sample papers now available 

We’ve updated our Healthcare Support Worker V1.0 and Oral Health Practitioner V1.0 sample papers for the multiple-choice questionnaire to ensure they remain accurate and relevant. 

 They’re available to download from the Support Materials section on epaPRO. 

Reminders from last month’s newsletter 

EPA pricing update 

Last month we shared information on our fees and pricing for the 2025-26 academic year, including the good news that we’re freezing prices for EPA across most of our standards (with the exception of Healthcare Support Worker and Senior Healthcare Support Worker). Read more on our fees webpage. 

New reports now available to support your learner outcomes 

Remember to access our four new reports on epaPRO to help you gain clearer insights into learner performance and support continuous improvement. 

These reports give you a detailed view of pass/fail and first-time pass rates, helping you track performance across each assessment component and overall certification.  

• The reports offer actionable insights that can support quality improvement, curriculum planning and learner support strategies. 

 EPA booking contact details 

To help us keep the right people informed and ensure a smooth EPA journey for your apprentices, please remember to include the relevant contacts when submitting EPA booking requests. 

When requesting EPA, please ensure the on-programme assessor and mentor email address fields are completed. If you’d like a generic mailbox, for example, a team mailbox, to be copied into communications, please enter it in either the on-programme assessor or mentor field. 

This helps us share timely updates and important EPA information with the right contacts throughout the process.  

Apprentice availability 

To help us arrange assessment dates as smoothly and quickly as possible, please ensure that any dates the apprentice is unavailable for assessment are shared with us at the Gateway stage. 

We’re seeing an increase in cases where no availability restrictions are provided, which can lead to delays in scheduling assessments. 

By informing us in advance of any dates the apprentice cannot attend their assessment, we can: 

• offer suitable dates first time 

• avoid unnecessary delays 

• support a better experience for both you and the apprentice 

• ensure your apprentices access EPA within our SLAs. 

May 2025 Newsletter – NCFE EPA 

Hello and welcome to May’s EPA newsletter. 

In this edition, we’ll provide you with updates on supporting apprentices with their end-point assessments, information on updated policies, and a change to business hours. Please read on to discover the latest insights that will help you achieve your apprenticeship goals. 

Advice, guidance and support  

New reports now available to support your learner outcomes 

We’re pleased to let you know that four brand new reports are now available on epaPRO to help you gain clearer insights into learner performance and support continuous improvement. 

These reports give you a detailed view of pass/fail and first-time pass rates, helping you track performance across each assessment component and overall certification. Here's a quick overview: 

• Assessment pass/fail report – Understand how your learners are performing at each assessment component level, with a breakdown of pass and fail rates per standard. 

• Assessment 1st time pass report – View how many of your learners are passing each component on their first attempt, helping you identify strengths and opportunities for targeted support. 

• Certification pass/fail report – Provides a clear picture of your overall pass and fail rates per standard, supporting wider strategic planning and quality assurance. 

• Certification 1st time pass report – Monitor first-time achievement rates at the full certification level to inform your delivery approach and learner readiness strategies. 

These reports have been developed with your needs in mind, offering actionable insights that can support quality improvement, curriculum planning, and learner support strategies. 

You can access these reports now through epaPRO. If you have any questions or would like support using them, please contact your dedicated point of contact within the Relationship team. 

Active IQ integration – contact update 

We’re pleased to share that the integration of Active IQ and NCFE into one end point assessment organisation is now complete. As part of this transition, the Active IQ mailboxes and phone lines have now been closed. 

To ensure a smooth handover, please contact us directly via: 

[email protected] 0191 240 8950 

Our team is here to support you with any queries or guidance you may need. 

EPA booking contact details 

To help us keep the right people informed and ensure a smooth EPA journey for your apprentices, please remember to include the relevant contacts when submitting EPA booking requests. 

When requesting EPA, please ensure the on-programme assessor and mentor email addresses are completed. If you’d like a generic mailbox, for example, a team mailbox, to be copied into communications, please enter it in either the on-programme assessor or mentor field. 

This helps us share timely updates and important EPA information with the right contacts throughout the process.  

Apprentice availability 

To help us arrange assessment dates as smoothly and quickly as possible, please ensure that any dates the apprentice is unavailable are clearly shared with us at the Gateway stage. 

We’re seeing an increase in cases where no availability restrictions are provided, which can lead to delays - offered dates may be declined, new ones need to be found, and the process can repeat. 

Informing us in advance of any dates the apprentice cannot attend their assessment, we can: 

• offer more suitable dates first time 

• avoid unnecessary delays and back-and-forth 

• support a better experience for both you and the apprentice 

• ensure your apprentices access EPA within our SLAs. 

EPA pricing update 

We are pleased to inform you that we will be freezing our fees for our end point assessment services for the 2025/26 academic year across all standards, with the exception of Healthcare Support worker and Senior Healthcare support worker where a price increase will be applied to all apprentices that successfully pass through gateway on or after 1 August 2025. 

The integration of Active IQ and NCFE into a single, unified end-point assessment organisation has now been successfully completed. As part of our commitment to supporting Active IQ customers throughout this transition, we have maintained existing fees during the transition period. This fee structure will remain in place until 31 July 2025.  From 1 August 2025, the fees outlined in the NCFE Fee Guide will apply to all apprentices. 

This decision reflects our ongoing commitment to providing consistent, high-quality assessment services while supporting our customers through a time of change in the sector. We understand that the landscape of apprenticeships is continually evolving, and we are closely monitoring developments. Please be assured that we will review our position on fees as more information becomes available and any changes in the sector are confirmed. 

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support and partnership and we look forward to continuing our work with you. 

Reminders from last month 

End-of-year timeline and SLAs 

Remember to access our timeline and tips document that covers everything you need to know to ensure your apprentices complete their end-point assessment (EPA) by 31 July 2025. This can be found in the Support materials section on epaPRO. 

Online assessments 

Apprentices can now access their online assessments from the originally scheduled start time, with access remaining open until 11:59pm on the day the test is scheduled. 

If any issues arise with the assessment links, please contact us at [email protected] or call our Customer Support Team on 0191 240 8950 

Changes to apprentice assessment feedback  

Last year, we revised our approach to providing feedback on each assessment component for apprentices. Our feedback forms detail all the KSBs and grading descriptors, along with the grade achieved for each. We’ve further refined this approach based on customer feedback. Going forward, apprentices will receive a summary from the IEPA, highlighting where they met the criteria effectively, with examples of how they achieved this. This enhancement will offer apprentices more insight into their performance. The updated feedback form will apply to grades released from Monday 31 March 2025, issued within five working days of the assessment. It will be available on epaPRO, within the Q&A section on the results page. 

Updates to the Dental Nurse Integrated standard  

The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) has released an update regarding the ST0113 Dental Nurse apprenticeship standard. Version 1.3 will now remain open for new starts only until 31 July 2025. 

This is a change from the previously planned end date of 31 August 2025, which has been brought forward due to learners enrolling on the alternative standard, ST1431 Dental Nurse (GDC). 

Delivery 

Exporting feedback from epaPRO 

We’ve made it easier for you to share assessment feedback with your apprentices. 

Previously, feedback from epaPRO could only be downloaded as an Excel document - which we know isn’t always the most user-friendly format. We’re pleased to let you know that feedback is now also available to download as a PDF, making it quicker and easier to view, save, and share with your apprentices. 

This improvement is part of our ongoing commitment to making the EPA experience as smooth and efficient as possible. 

Product 

Updated sample papers now available 

Our Healthcare Support Worker V1.0 and Oral Health Practitioner V1.0 sample papers for the multiple-choice questionnaire have recently undergone routine maintenance and updates to ensure they remain accurate and relevant. 

The refreshed sample papers are now available to download from the Support Materials section on epaPRO. 

We recommend reviewing and sharing the updated materials with your apprentices to help them prepare effectively for their assessment. 

New assessment plan: Early Years Practitioner v1.1 

IfATE have released an updated assessment plan for Early Years Practitioner v1.1. 

Early Years Practitioner v1.1 goes live from 1 August 2025. Any new apprentices who start on programme on or after 1 August 2025 will need to be enrolled on this version. 

We are currently in the process in developing our guidance materials and will confirm once these are live. 

If you have any questions in the meantime, please contact your Relationship Colleague or [email protected]. 

New standards 

The following standards are now live for registrations on epaPRO and the guidance materials can be found within the Support Materials section on epaPRO.  

March 2025 EPA newsletter

Advice, guidance and support 

Apprentice assessment feedback

Last year, we updated our feedback approach for apprentices, providing detailed insights for each assessment component. Our feedback forms now include all relevant Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours (KSBs), grading descriptors, and the achieved grade. Based on customer input, we’ve further refined this process.

Starting from Monday 31 March 2025, apprentices will receive a summary from the Independent End-Point Assessor (IEPA), outlining where they met the criteria, supported by specific examples. This enhancement aims to offer apprentices a clearer understanding of their performance. For any results released from Monday 31 March 2025, the feedback form will include the enhancements and will be available on epaPRO within the results page's Q&A section.

Plan and Prepare document

In response to valuable customer feedback, we are removing the mandatory use of the Plan and Prepare sheet for recording key discussion points during assessments. While we still recommend its use, apprentices who are unable to print the template may opt to use a blank sheet of paper or a similar template for structuring their responses.

Please be aware that no more than two sheets may be used during assessments. The IEPA will confirm compliance with this rule before the assessment begins. Additionally, reading long, pre-structured sentences will be considered a breach of assessment conduct for presentations, interviews, or discussions.

An updated version of the Plan and Prepare sheet, along with an example, is now accessible under the Support Materials tab on epaPRO.

End-of-year timeline and SLAs

We recently announced a reduction in Service Level Agreement (SLA) durations for some standards where assessment plans allow. These revised SLAs are aligned with the end-of-year schedule, providing you with sufficient time to meet important deadlines.

To help you plan effectively, we’ve created a comprehensive timeline and tips document, offering all the necessary information for completing end-point assessments (EPAs) by Thursday 31 July 2025. This resource can be found in the Support Materials section on epaPRO.

Support Materials on epaPRO

epaPRO has introduced an updated landing page for the Support Materials section, making it easier to find standard-specific guidance. If you prefer the previous layout, you can revert by selecting the 'Old View Support Materials' button located in the top right corner of the 'View Support Materials' section. 

Delivery and assessments

Assessment re-sit/re-takes

If apprentices need to complete a re-sit or re-take, they’ll only be assessed on the criteria they didn’t pass previously. They’ll have the full assessment duration to provide any additional information. However, if the assessment plan includes a capped grade policy, they’ll not be able to achieve a higher grade, regardless of any extra content they submit.

Portfolios within assessments

We’ve noticed an increase in apprentices attending assessments without their portfolios. Access to portfolios during an assessment is often a key requirement outlined in assessment plans, as it supports apprentices in demonstrating their best performance during their end-point assessment. Therefore, we strongly encourage all apprentices to bring their portfolios to their assessments.

We understand that preparing for an assessment can be challenging, so we have adjusted our approach to ensure every apprentice has the opportunity to access their portfolio if needed.

At the beginning of each assessment, there is a 15-minute window for apprentices to join, receive an overview, and prepare. If an apprentice does not have their portfolio, they may use this time to retrieve it. Alternatively, they can choose to proceed without it.

However, if an apprentice wishes to use their portfolio but cannot obtain it within the 15-minute window, the assessment will be stopped and rescheduled as a re-sit. If this is the apprentice's first attempt, the re-sit will not be subject to a grade cap.

Product and resources

New standards

The following standards are now live for registrations on epaPRO and the guidance materials can be found within the Support Materials section.

• Team Leader v1.4
• Operations Manager v1.4
• Senior Healthcare Support Worker v1.6
• Customer Service Specialist v1.2

Sports Coach - project outline template and project report template

We’ve recently introduced a project outline template and project report template for apprentices to complete to present at gateway and once they have carried out their project. This ensures apprentices capture all key information.

Quality and compliance

We've updated Appendix A of the EPA Cancellation, Re-sit and Re-take Policy, presenting it in a clearer format to make the rules for re-sits and re-takes easier to understand. The updated policy can be found on our website.

February 2025 - EPA Newsletter

• January 2025 - Newsletter

• Summary of policy changes

• Integration

September 2024 EPA newsletter

NCFE and Active IQ EPAO integration update

In April 2024, we shared the decision to integrate the NCFE and Active IQ end-point assessment organisations (EPAOs) into one single EPAO, regulated through NCFE. We’re sharing more information about this on a regular basis so please look out for emails coming from our Relationship team about platform changes, key dates and support.

Gateway and bookings

Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) Apprenticeship Funding Rules 2024-2025

The ESFA has recently published the 2024-2025 Apprenticeship Funding Rules that came into effect from 1 August 2024.

The rule (equivalent gradings) has been updated to reflect the latest gov.uk guidance. The grading change clarifies that GCSE grade D to G or 3 to 1 are equivalent to a Level 1 qualification, and therefore apprentices holding these grades have met the requirement to hold a Level 1 in English and maths. This change will apply to both new starts from 1 August 2024, and apprentices who are currently on-programme.

The ESFA has confirmed they will be updating the English and maths requirements in apprenticeship standards at level 2 and above in due course.

Delivery and assessments

Business Administrator evidence tracker

We’d like to remind you to use the updated evidence tracker stored on the Resources Library, released in March 2024, to reflect the Business Fundamentals criteria no longer being assessed within the portfolio-based interview. You can download the latest version of the evidence tracker from the Resources Library.

Employability Practitioner assessments

Remind your Employability Practitioner apprentices during their Gateway preparation meeting that they need to complete the Q&A session after the observation. The Q&A session must be completed in a room that is quiet and free from distraction, so the assessment can be conducted under exam conditions. 

Clinical Coder and Prosthetic and Orthotic Technician

We’ve decided to withdraw from the apprenticeship provider and assessment register (APAR) for the following standards from 1 October 2024:

• Clinical Coder
• Prosthetic and Orthotic Technician.

Please get in touch with the Relationship Team if you have any further questions at [email protected].

Quality and compliance

Reasonable adjustments

Read our top tips to support you when completing reasonable adjustment forms, to avoid delays and ensure you’ve shared all the information we need. You should include:

Details of the reasonable adjustments being selected: These should match the SEPA drop down list.

• A description of the apprentice’s disabilities and/or conditions where appropriate: This should include the type of disability and how it affects the apprentice.
• Relevant supporting evidence: We require the supporting evidence that the apprentice has available historically, and/or during EPA. The apprentice may have had previous support plans such as an EHCP, a SEN or a medical consultant report. If there are no supporting documents, please share with us information on what measures have been put in place on programme to support the apprentice. Types of evidence that could be submitted are support plans or cognitive reports. Unfortunately, we cannot accept a self-diagnosis or a statement confirming that an apprentice may benefit from a reasonable adjustment.
• Information on how reasonable adjustments are currently used: The apprentice will most likely have had support in assessment either historically or during the on-programme element of their apprenticeship. The use of reasonable adjustments could also be in use in the apprentice’s workplace. This section covers what they have done during the on-programme element and how this reasonable adjustment currently supports the apprentice. The details must evidence what the reasonable adjustment is, how it is currently used, and how it’ll support the apprentice in assessment. Knowing what kind of disability or condition the apprentice has will help us to understand what methods they can be used in, and how we can support. 

If you have any queries on reasonable adjustments, please contact our Relationship team.