Validate
Validation is the quality assurance process SQA uses to ensure all new and revised qualifications are valid, credible and fit for purpose.
With the exception of graded units, all other units making up a group award are validated through a series of quality checks (checklist 1, 2 and 3) before the validation of the group award. Graded units relate to the principal aims of the group award so their validation is addressed as part of the group award validation.
Group award validation focuses on the justification for, and coherence and technical specification of, a proposed qualification, but also checks the proposal against a set of criteria designed to ensure that all our provision is fit for purpose.
The Guide for Validation Panel Members (302 KB) details the purpose and process. An important part of the validation process is Evidence to support the validation of a Group Award (16 KB). For confidentiality reasons, this information is not included in the GAS but you should make it available to the validation panel for credibility purposes.
Validation panel members review the GAS against Checklist 6 — Group Award validation (75 KB) and note any issues or comments they wish to raise with the QDT.
At the end of the meeting the Group Award validation report (50 KB) must be completed and submitted to us for audit purposes.