End-point assessment (EPA) newsletter updates

September 2025 Newsletter – NCFE EPA 

In this edition, you’ll find information on newly released assessment plans, system updates and important information relating to assessment.

Advice, guidance and support

Teaching Assistant - Q&A re-sit pilot

On Monday 8 September, we introduced a pilot to enhance our communication through the booking process for when an apprentice needs to re-sit/re-take the Teaching Assistant v1.1 Observation (Q&A).

If an apprentice has failed on less than three criteria, we'll book a Q&A only. The Q&A will be carried out remotely through Microsoft Teams and will focus on the failed criteria from the previous assessment. The assessment will be scheduled for an hour to allow our IEPA (Independent End Point Assessor) time for introductions and set up.

If the apprentice has failed more than three criteria, they will be required to complete the re-sit as a full observation and Q&A face to face.

You won't need to change how you apply for a re-sit/re-take, our team will automatically process this when we receive the re-sit/re-take form.

If you have any questions, please reach out to your relationship contact who will be happy to support you.

Post-Gateway requirements and submissions

Where apprentices are required to submit evidence during their EPA period such as a project, case study or presentation, please ensure that apprentices submit these as attachments to an email. We've experienced a higher volume of apprentices sharing access to these through cloud storage systems such as OneDrive. We don't have access to their work or personal cloud storage systems so can't access these files. This causes delays in evidence being submitted while this is resolved.

We've updated our email guidance that is sent to apprentices to clarify that evidence should be submitted as an email attachment, and how to resolve common technical issues.

Apprenticeship duration – policy change

Skills England has provided an update on their website reflective of the policy change regarding apprenticeship durations:

For new starts from Friday 1 August 2025, the minimum duration has reduced to 8 months (from 12 months). This policy change supersedes any reference to 12-month durations as currently set out in EPA plans. For those apprentices that started before Friday 1 August 2025, the 12-month minimum duration still applies.

We're currently in the process of updating our guidance materials and solution briefs to reflect the updated policy and will confirm when these are available.

If you have any questions, please contact [email protected].

Delivery

Assessment ID checks

At the start of each assessment, our IEPAs will ask apprentices to complete a quick ID check. We understand that, for religious or personal reasons, some apprentices may prefer this to be done by a female or male IEPA. We’re more than happy to arrange this.

To help us get everything set up smoothly, just let your Relationship Manager know before the assessment, and we’ll make sure the right support is in place.

Product

Foundation apprenticeships

We’re pleased to confirm that we have received Ofqual approval for the following foundation apprenticeships.

• Software and data foundation apprenticeship
• Health and social care foundation apprenticeship

These standards are now available on epaPRO for registration, with supporting guidance materials also accessible. We're currently planning a webinar to help you understand the assessment plans and outline our approach to apprenticeship assessment.

If you’re interested in partnering with us on either of these standards, please contact your Relationship team contact or [email protected].

New assessment plan: Healthcare Support Worker V1.2

Skills England has released an updated assessment plan for Healthcare Support Worker v1.2. Any new apprentices who start on programme on or after Friday 1 August 2025 will need to be enrolled on this version.

The guidance materials are available in the Support Materials section and is available for registrations for those who have delivered previous versions of this standard with NCFE. If you'd like to add this standard to your offer, please contact your Relationship colleague or [email protected].

Reminders from last month’s newsletter

Improvement to the gateway audit process

As part of our continuous improvements, if a gateway audit is rejected, we’ll now be able to lock sections of the checklist that are not related to the reason for rejection. This change is designed to help us focus the re-audit process solely on the areas previously flagged, ensuring a more efficient and streamlined experience.

If you require any part of the checklist to be unlocked before the learner is accepted, please contact us at [email protected]. Our team will be happy to support you.

Supporting apprentice mental wellbeing

We understand that EPA can sometimes be a source of stress or anxiety for apprentices. To help, we’ve created a dedicated support document offering practical advice and guidance on maintaining mental wellbeing during EPA.

This resource is available in the Support Materials section of epaPRO for apprenticeship providers, and it’s also sent directly to apprentices in their introduction email when their assessments are scheduled.

Our aim is to help apprentices feel more confident, reduce stress and approach their assessments with a positive mindset.

ESFA apprenticeship certification

We’ve seen an increase in cases where the apprentice information in epaPRO doesn't match the details held by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) through the individualised learner record (ILR). When this happens, it prevents apprenticeship certificates from being claimed.

Common issues include:

• name changes during the apprenticeship not reflected on both systems
• incorrect unique learner numbers (ULNs)
• double-barrelled names (with or without hyphens).

These discrepancies cause delays because we may need to confirm the correct details with you, and you may need to update the ILR before the claim can be submitted. To avoid this, please ensure that all information entered in epaPRO exactly matches the ILR. This will help ensure a smooth claim process and prevent delays in apprentices receiving their certificates.

ESFA apprenticeship certificate delivery

By default, apprenticeship certificates are sent to the workplace address listed in epaPRO. If you would prefer certificates to be sent to the apprenticeship provider address instead, this can be arranged at a provider level (but not on an apprentice-by-apprentice basis).

If this is not already set up and you would like to make this change, we've created a form you can submit to let us know your preferred certification location. The three options are:

• apprentice – sent to the workplace address, addressed to the apprentice
• apprentice mentor – sent to the workplace address, addressed to the mentor
• training provider – sent to the provider address, addressed to the main contact.

Updated English and maths requirements in apprenticeships guidance

The Department for Education (DfE) has updated the guidance in line with the announcements made during National Apprenticeship Week. You can find the updated guidance here. The equivalent qualifications remain the same as previous guidance.

This has replaced the previous spreadsheet produced by the DfE, please ensure that you use this updated guidance when reviewing English and maths requirements.

What apprentices can take into assessments

As part of an apprentice’s assessment, they may be allowed to take in documents to support. Detailed guidance for each standard and assessment component is available in epaPRO.

We’ve seen an increase in apprentices attending assessments without their portfolio, bringing only the plan and prepare template. Where an assessment is underpinned by a portfolio and apprentices are allowed to bring it, we strongly recommend they do so.

Having their portfolio during the assessment is invaluable, as it gives apprentices a direct reference to the evidence questions or discussion points that are related to it. Where permitted, apprentices may bring either a printed or digital copy of their portfolio.

New assessment plan: Early Years Lead Practitioner V1.1

Skills England has released an updated assessment plan for Early Years Lead Practitioner v1.1 which went live for enrollments on Friday 1 August 2025. Any new apprentices who start on this programme after this date will need to be enrolled on this version.

We’re 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 our guidance materials are available and can be found within the Support Materials section on epaPRO:

• Early Years Practitioner V1.1
• Healthcare Support Worker V1.2
• Learning and Skills Teacher V1.4
• Facilities Manager V1.3

If you don’t have access to these standards, please contact your Relationship colleague or [email protected].