Service messages

November 2025  

Registrations 

Remember to register your learners to avoid late registration fees  

We wanted to send another reminder about our late registration fees to ensure you have all the information you need to register your learners on time and avoid any additional charges.  

T Levels: the late registration period is now open, in line with our fees and pricing guide.  

V Certs: the registration deadline for V Certs is 31 January 2026.  

All other qualifications (excluding Functional Skills): 

• Learners should be registered within 3 months of their start date.  

• Registrations made after the 3-month period will incur an additional 10% of the registration and certification fee.  

Read more on late registration fees and make your registrations on our Portal. 

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Term-time checkpoints (timely delivery of VTQ results) 

We’ve communicated arrangements with your heads of centres and exams contacts to ensure the timely delivery of vocational technical qualifications (VTQ) results for learners in 2025-26.    

We’ve created a webpage with everything you need to know ahead of our term-time checkpoints this year, including:     

• qualifications in scope of these arrangements     

• key dates for our two term-time checkpoints and results    

• information we need from you     

• consequences of failure to meet deadlines for information requests     

• further support and FAQs.     

Visit our term-time checkpoints webpage  

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Qualifications updates and withdrawals  

View this month’s Horizons update for the latest qualification changes and withdrawals.  

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Updates to our travel and tourism qualifications  

We’ve refreshed our qualification specifications for our travel and tourism qualifications. The changes are focused on ensuring alignment with current industry practice, improving readability and updating references. 

The updates include: 

• New references to the business travel association (BTA), travel management companies (TMCs), online travel agents (OTAs), and the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions sector (MICE). 

• Inclusion of electronic travel authorisation (ETA), sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), air passenger duty (APD), and updated European Union (EU) aviation security regulations. 

• Updated traveller types and job role examples and modernised terminology (for example, remote work hubs). 

• Improved inclusivity in wording, clearer timelines, and additional environmental considerations in event planning. 

Please ensure you are using the most up-to-date qualification specification from our website. You can access these through the qualification webpages. 

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Direct claims status (DCS) for Spectator Safety qualifications  

From 1 January 2026, the following qualifications will be eligible for DCS:  

• 603/6703/9 NCFE Level 2 Award in Understanding Stewarding at Spectator Events  

• 603/6704/0 NCFE Level 2 Certificate in Spectator Safety  

• 603/6756/8 NCFE Level 3 Certificate in Spectator Safety Supervision  

We will get in touch with programme contacts at centres currently delivering these qualifications with further information. FAQs are also available on our website. 

If you’d like to move your EQA review forward to earlier in 2026 to gain DCS, please contact your Sport, Exercise and Fitness EQA as soon as possible. Please note: EQA capacity may be limited as demand increases.  

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Supporting your delivery 

Sign up for our upcoming assessor and IQA training events   

Sign up now for our assessor and IQA training events.  

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Learning resource offer update: Level 3 Early Years Educator qualifications  

We’ve updated our learning resources for our Level 3 Early Years Educator qualifications.   

If you’ve previously purchased or downloaded our learning resources for the following qualifications, please download the new versions:   

• NCFE CACHE Level 3 Diploma for Working in the Early Years Sector (Early Years Educator) (610/4164/6)   

• NCFE CACHE Level 3 Technical Occupational Entry for the Early Years Workforce (Early Years Educator) (Diploma) (610/3984/6)  

• NCFE CACHE Level 3 Extended Diploma for Working in the Early Years Sector (Early Years Educator) (610/6133/5)  

The updated learning resources can be accessed from the ‘Teaching Materials’ tab on the relevant qualification pages on our website. If you’ve previously purchased resources, you’ll find the updated version on your centre dashboard.   

What learning resources are available and what updates have been made?  

If you have any queries about the updated learning resources, please contact our Learning Resources team via email at [email protected]  

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Qualification-specific updates 

• Functional Skills  

• Including information on the last date your learners can sit paper-based bookings before the break and the first date your learners can sit paper-based bookings in the new year.  

• Details on our upcoming CPD events. 

• T Levels  

• V Certs 

October 2025  

Registrations 

Remember to register your learners to avoid late registration fees  

We wanted to send a reminder about our late registration fees to ensure you have all the information you need to register your learners on time and avoid any additional charges. 

As a reminder, we introduced a late registration fee from 1 August 2024 for all of our qualifications (with the exception of Functional Skills), to ensure we’re able to support learners at every stage of their journey and ensure we have the appropriate resources in place to support you during busy assessment periods. Please note that for V Certs and T Levels, late and very late registration fees are calculated differently. 

How much are late registration fees? 

For the products this applies to, if the learner is registered more than 90 days after their start date, a 10% late fee will be applied (which is 10% of the applicable registration and certification fee).  

For example, if you register a learner on 1 December 2025, but the learner’s start date was 1 August 2025, the late registration fee would apply as they’ve been registered with us more than 90 days after the learner started on the qualification. 

Read more about late registration fees, and which products they apply to, in our fees and pricing guide. 

V Cert late registration fees 

As of Friday 1 August 2025, we’ve introduced new V Cert late, and very late registration fees for registrations made after Saturday 31 January 2026. This will help us to ensure we have the resource to quality assure your learners’ work in a timely manner and ensures that we can best support you during periods of high demand.  

Read more information on learner start dates and late registration fees on our fees webpage.   

T Level late registration fees 

For T Level qualifications, you need to register your new cohort of students before Saturday 1 November. After this date, you’ll be charged a late registration fee (from Sunday 2 November until Tuesday 23 December) or a very late registration fee (from Wednesday 24 December until Friday 31 July), in line with our fees and pricing guide. You’ll be unable to register students for the 2025-26 session after Friday 31 July 2026. Take a look at our T Level Portal User Guide for instructions on how to register students.   

Further queries 

If you have any queries about late registration fees, please contact our Customer Support team via Live Chat on our website or by email at [email protected]. You can also speak directly to your Account Executive if you have any concerns.   

Please note: registering learners on a two-year course 

If learners are on a two-year course such as a Level 3 CACHE Diploma, please ensure that they are only registered once. If they’re progressing from the Award or Certificate to the Diploma, please use the transfer button in the Portal, rather than creating a new registration.  

Term-time checkpoints (timely delivery of VTQ results) 

We wanted to confirm key dates with you for the timely delivery of VTQ results this year. Please note that direct comms to centres in scope of the arrangements will be sent before half term. 

 *Most external assessment results release dates have been brought forward to Friday 10 July 2026. NCFE CACHE Technical Level 3 Diploma in Childcare and Education (Early Years Educator) 601/8437/1 is released in August and the deadline for claiming will be Thursday 6 August 2026.  

Quality assurance and annual monitoring reviews  

Arrange your external quality assurance and annual monitoring reviews (AMRs) as soon as possible  

You can now arrange your external quality assurance reviews for the 2025-26 session by contacting your External Quality Assurer directly (if you haven’t already done so). Every centre with live registrations will require annual monitoring review (AMR) this session, and quality reviewers are currently organising these if they weren’t booked last year.    

If your centre has multiple accounts but operates as part of a group and has separate AMRs, you may only need one AMR to cover all accounts. If this is not already in place, please contact your allocated quality reviewer to discuss.    

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Reasonable adjustments: form to complete 

If you need to record reasonable adjustments for internally assessed units and components, please use our new reasonable adjustments tracking document. 

This is a replacement for JCQ’s VQ/IA form, which has now been removed from their policies.  

Please note: If you have already recorded reasonable adjustments using JCQ’s previous VQ/IA form, you don’t need to transfer this information on to the new form.  

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Qualifications updates and withdrawals  

View this month’s Horizons update for the latest qualification changes and withdrawals.  

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Changes to our processes and systems  

 Improved security for the Portal: multi-factor authentication  

We’re making changes to the Portal. You’ll shortly need to set up multi-factor authentication to log in. We’ll let all Portal users know via email ahead of the change being made.   

What is multi-factor authentication?  

Multi-factor authentication is a security process that requires users to provide more than one method of verification to gain access to an account or system. It's a crucial step in strengthening online security and protecting against unauthorised access.   

Why are we enabling multi-factor authentication in the Portal?  

We're committed to ensuring the highest standards of security for our systems. This extra layer of protection will help to safeguard sensitive learner data. With MFA, the Portal will be better protected against unauthorised access, reducing the risk of security breaches.  

Will I need a new account for the Portal?  

No, but the first time you log in, you’ll need to create a new secure password.  

Need help setting up multi-factor authentication?  

We'll be adding information to the Portal User Guide to walk you through the process of logging in with MFA.  

Can I opt out of using multi-factor authentication?  

No, this extra layer of protection will help to safeguard sensitive learner data. With multi-factor authentication, the Portal will be better protected against unauthorised access, reducing the risk of security breaches.  

This will go live from Friday 24 October, and we’ll contact all Portal users directly to confirm this. 

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Supporting your delivery 

Sign up for our upcoming assessor and IQA training events   

Sign up now for our assessor and IQA training events.  

Our assessor training events will provide you with an opportunity to:    

• explore the general principles of the assessment process    

• understand what we expect from assessors    

• get to know our paperwork and processes    

• highlight and share good practice    

• meet and network with other practitioners.    

Our internal quality assurance (IQA) events will provide you with an opportunity to:    

• explore the general principles of the internal quality assurance process    

• understand what we expect from you    

• get to know our paperwork and processes    

• review current practices and develop ideas for improvement    

• understand how to achieve and maintain Direct Claim Status (DCS)    

• meet and network with other IQA practitioners.    

Each event costs £75 per delegate and is delivered via Microsoft Teams as an interactive session. Please ensure you have a microphone, camera, and chat availability to take part in the discussions. The registered delegate will be eligible to receive a digital credential for attending.  

If you have any further questions, please contact our team on [email protected].  

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New learning materials available: supporting learners completing units on nutrition, health, fitness and food  

We’ve launched new learning materials focused on dietary requirements that are suitable to use across a range of qualifications with relevant units relating to nutrition, illness, health, fitness, and food. These materials are free and designed to complement your teaching and delivery and provide CPD opportunities for your learners. 

The materials include: 

• a glossary providing concise definitions of key terms with useful links to external websites 

• information displays: printable A2 displays featuring key facts on dietary subjects 

• interactive knowledge quizzes: an eLearning resource which learners can use to test and develop their knowledge of key areas. 

They can be found in the teaching materials section of each relevant qualification page and are the same across each qualification. Relevant qualifications include, but are not restricted to:  

• NCFE Level 1/2 Technical Award in Food and Cookery (603/7014/2)  

• NCFE CACHE Level 2 Certificate in Common Health Conditions (601/4306/X)  

• NCFE CACHE Level 2 Certificate in Working with Children in Early Years and Primary Settings (603/5937/7)  

• NCFE Level 3 Certificate in Sport and Physical Activity (Sports Coaching) (601/8878/9/COA)  

• NCFE CACHE Level 4 Diploma in Adult Care (603/2614/1).  

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Qualification-specific updates 

• Functional Skills  

• T Levels  

• V Certs 

September 2025  

Assessments and reviews  

Arrange your External Quality Assurance and Annual Monitoring Reviews (AMRs) as soon as possible 

You can now arrange your external quality assurance reviews for the 2025-26 session by contacting your EQA directly (if you haven’t already done so). Every centre with live registrations will require an Annual Monitoring Review (AMR) this session, and Quality Reviewers are currently organising these if they weren’t booked last year.   

If your centre has multiple accounts but operates as part of a group and has separate AMRs, you may only need one AMR to cover all accounts. If this is not already in place, please contact your allocated Quality Reviewer to discuss.   

Deadline for external quality assurance reviews ahead of summer 2026 results 

If you have learners registered on VTQs, your external quality assurance review will need to take place on or before 30 June 2026, to ensure learners receive their results on Level 3 results day.   

Please keep learner data in the Portal up to date, including planned end dates, and withdraw any learners who are no longer on programme.   

Update your centre contact details   

If any contact details have changed at your centre such as a programme contact, head of centre, or a finance or exams contact, please notify us as soon as possible using our change of centre contact details form. Keeping contact details up to date ensures that EQAs can organise reviews effectively and important updates reach the right people. 

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Instructions for conducting non-exam assessments (NEAs)   

We’ve been working with colleagues across other awarding organisations and JCQ to create instructions for the supervision, marking, internal standardisation, and external moderation of NEAs in centres. You should use these instructions in addition to NCFE instructions (which will always take precedence) when delivering NEAs to ensure compliance with assessment and marking requirements.    

These instructions are applicable from 1 September 2025 and apply to NEAs for the following qualifications:   

• alternative academic qualifications   

• Level 1/2 Technical Awards  (V Certs) 

• T Levels.  

You can find the instructions on our mandatory policies and fees webpage. 

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Updated assessment timetable for 2025-26    

We’ve updated our assessment timetable for all relevant V Cert and CACHE qualifications for 2025-26 and 2026-27. Follow this link to view the timetable and supporting documentation.    

Since the consultation period and previous version of this document, we’ve:   

• included details of V Cert registration cut-off dates for the next two academic years years (please note that the deadline for registrations for summer 2026 is 31 January 2026, but from summer 2027 onwards, the deadline will be 31 January of the first year of the standard two-year delivery of these qualifications)   

• provided clarity that V Cert booking cut-off dates and NEA submission dates are 30 April for the year of assessment   

• changed dates for three of our summer 2026 V Cert external assessments to avoid clashes with high-volume GCSE exams.    

The qualifications impacted, and the details of the changes, are as follows:    

*please note a change from previous communications  

The above changes should support you in your assessment administration in an already busy period – avoiding clashes and minimising impact on learners – and in most cases, assessments are moving to a later date. Please ensure that your exams administration teams are aware, and these assessment dates are updated in your systems to avoid any potential disadvantage to learners.   

Please also note:  

• All Northern Ireland CACHE qualifications with a summer assessment opportunity have had their summer 2026 results release dates brought forward to 12 June 2026 so that centres can access their learners’ results before the end of the summer term. 

• The vast majority of Level 3 CACHE qualifications with a summer assessment opportunity that had a corresponding results release date occurring after 10 July 2026 have had their summer results release date brought forward to 10 July 2026. This will allow centres additional time to confirm completion of any internally assessed components and, hence, complete certification, in advance of the general Level 3 results release date in August. 

If you have any queries on this, please contact our Assessment Delivery team via email at [email protected]     

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Qualifications updates and withdrawals  

View this month’s Horizons update for the latest qualification changes and withdrawals.  

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Supporting your delivery 

Sign up to our next Education and Early Years student conference  

Prepare your learners for success in their placements and future careers by enrolling them in our upcoming Education and Early Years student conference. Taking place on Tuesday 14 October from 10am-12pm, this conference will focus on working with babies, children, and families. We’ll bring together early years and education professionals who will share their wealth of specialist knowledge and expertise when working with these groups, giving your learners an insight into this sector. Sign your learners up now. 

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Sign up for our upcoming assessor and IQA training events  

Sign up now for our assessor and IQA training events. 

Our assessor training events will provide you with an opportunity to:   

• explore the general principles of the assessment process   

• understand what we expect from assessors   

• get to know our paperwork and processes   

• highlight and share good practice   

• meet and network with other practitioners.   

Our internal quality assurance (IQA) events will provide you with an opportunity to:   

• explore the general principles of the internal quality assurance process   

• understand what we expect from you   

• get to know our paperwork and processes   

• review current practices and develop ideas for improvement   

• understand how to achieve and maintain Direct Claim Status (DCS)   

• meet and network with other IQA practitioners.   

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Additional product applications   

If you’re interested in applying for approval for additional products, just a quick reminder that you can add multiple qualifications on to a single application. This will save you time through avoiding the need to complete multiple forms.   

Before applying, please do check whether you are already approved to deliver the qualification. You can do this by logging into the Portal, navigating to the Products section, and searching for the qualification by name or code. 

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Follow us on WhatsApp  

Never miss a deadline or upcoming action by signing up to receive reminders directly on your phone via our WhatsApp channel. These will include a clear recap of what you need to do and by when, as well as any links, to save you time and ensure you’re always in the know!   

Join our WhatsApp channel  

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