Service messages

Updated on [15/09/2026]

Welcome to our service messages area. This area is regularly updated with the latest information about our products, qualifications, processes and more.

We’ll also send you a monthly newsletter where we’ll highlight any key updates, and you can click through to this webpage to read the full details. We recommend bookmarking this page so that you can check back regularly for key information. 

September 2026

Welcome to a new academic year! To make things easier for you, we’ve now combined all our essential regulatory, qualification and assessment updates for all product areas into one central area of our website.  

We’ll send you a monthly newsletter where we’ll highlight any key updates, and you can click through to this webpage to read the full details. We recommend bookmarking this page so that you can check back regularly for key information. 

Updates across multiple qualification types  

Post-results services  

Following results release in August, we wanted to remind you that you can still access some post-results services, although deadlines are fast approaching. Find out more on our website.

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It’s time to register your learners 

With the new academic year starting, learners in their first year of study should be registered on the Portal to avoid late fees. Please see the assessment timetable 2026-28 for key dates. For more information on how to register learners and use the Portal, please see the Portal User Guide. 

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View our assessment timetable for 2026-27 

We’ve updated our assessment timetable for all V Cert and CACHE qualifications with an assessment for 2026-27 and 2027-28.   

In July, we made some amends to some 2026-27 assessment dates. These changes were mainly to work around GQ exams, aiming to avoid clashes and reduce the burden on schools and colleges in an already busy period. You can find details of these changes here. 

Please note that the assessment timetable is a controlled document and is subject to regular updates and revisions. To ensure you’re always working from the correct version, please don’t download and save the assessment timetable, and instead always access the live version on our website.  

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We’ve aligned to JCQ’s non-examined assessment (vocational and technical qualifications) guidance 

We’ve aligned with the Joint Council for Qualifications’ (JCQ) guidance for the setting, supervision, authentication, marking, internal standardisation and external moderation of non-exam assessments in examination centres. This document, alongside the rest of our mandatory polices and fees, can be located on our website. 

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Declaration of Authenticity

We’re introducing a revised declaration of authenticity for non-exam assessment (NEA) and coursework that is subject to moderation. Developed and agreed by all JCQ awarding organisations, the updated declaration reinforces expectations regarding the authenticity of candidate work and provides clarity on the appropriate use and acknowledgement of sources, including AI tools. These changes support a consistent approach across the sector.

JCQ has updated the Declaration of Authenticity declaration, with the wording now standardised across all JCQ awarding organisations. The revised declaration places greater emphasis on authenticity and transparency.

Candidates must confirm that:

• the work submitted is their own
• all sources have been appropriately referenced
• any use of AI tools has been acknowledged
• the assessment requirements have been followed.

Assessors must confirm that they have:

• taken reasonable steps to authenticate learner work
• recorded any assistance provided
• applied the relevant marking and standardisation processes

Implementation

Please ensure you use the new declaration form for all assessments completed on or after 1 September 2026, even where the work was started before this date.

Legacy declaration forms signed on or after 1 September 2026 will not be accepted. Please note their use will be considered a form of malpractice and may be subject to investigation.

The document can be found in the relevant Provider/Tutor Guide linked to the qualification being taken and under the tab ‘Assessment Materials’ for the qualification.

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Term-time checkpoints: information coming soon 

In October, we’ll share details about this year’s term-time checkpoints process, to ensure the timely delivery of summer 2027 results. 

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Qualification updates and withdrawals  

View this month’s Horizons update for the latest qualification changes and withdrawals. This is an essential read to ensure you don’t miss any information about qualifications that may be withdrawn. 

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T Level updates 

Updates for all T Level qualifications 

Book your second-year students onto their occupational specialism 

Remember that you need to book all your second-year T Level students onto their chosen occupational specialism (OS) for the summer 2027 assessment series. The dates for this are below and within Key dates and timetables. We recommend booking as early as possible to avoid any late fees and to help us with resource planning. 

Please ask your exams team to follow the booking guidelines found in the T Level Portal Guide. 

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Advanced assessment materials key dates document now live

We’ve now published the advanced assessment materials key dates document. The document includes key dates for the autumn 2026 Employer Set Project (ESP) series and can be accessed here. To support your planning around October half-term arrangements, we will be publishing the document earlier than last year’s version. 

Please note that live assessment materials, whether supplied as hard copies or downloaded as PDF versions, will be made available no later than  three working days prior to the start date of the assessment or assessment window.

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Final assessment opportunities for Generation 1 T Levels 

The final available assessment opportunity for students completing some NCFE T Levels are coming soon.  

Final timetabled assessments on both the Core Component and Occupational Specialism for Education and Early Years (Generation 1), Digital Support Services, and Digital Business Services, will be the summer 2027 assessment series, with an autumn 2026 series for the core component only, as normal.  

Health, Science, and Healthcare Science will have their final assessment opportunities in the 2027-28 session. Please note that there will be no Generation 1 assessments offered in 2027-28, as previously stated, due to a change in guidance from the Department for Education around resits. 

Full dates can be found in our Key Dates Schedule. 

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Education and Early Years 

Submit your schedule of assessments 

Once students are booked onto their OS (Early Years Educator or Assisting Teaching) and are ready to commence their second year of the T Level, you’ll be able to submit a schedule of assessment for that student via the Portal. The allocated Moderator will use the schedule of assessment to plan moderation visits for the occupational specialism assessment (Assignment 2 for Generation 1, and Assignment 1 for Generation 2). 

The schedule of assessment provides details of the student’s industry placement, rank order, the planned dates the assessor will observe the student for the part 1 competency criteria and part 2 structured observations. 

For further support on how to add or update the schedule of assessment, please refer to the T Level Portal User Guide. You can also find further information on our moderation webpage. 

Share your feedback on the Education and Early Years T Level 

To ensure T Levels remain at the forefront of education, each year they are reviewed by industry representatives and providers to ensure they remain valid and reflective of current industry practice. As part of this process, we’re inviting you to share your feedback. The provider survey will take around 5 to 10 minutes to complete and contains key questions in relation to the T Level Technical Qualification in Education and Early Years (610/5748/4) content. Please complete the survey before Friday 30 October.  

Updated resources

To support version 2.0 of the qualification specification, we’ve updated the learning resources for core elements 1, 2 and 3, as well as the Core Schemes of Work. 

If you’ve previously purchased these resources, you can access these updates at no additional cost. 

• Purchased via the NCFE website: log in and download the latest versions from your Resources Dashboard. 
• Purchased via purchase order: a member of our team will already have contacted you with a direct download link to the updated resources. 

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Health, Science and Healthcare Science  

We want to remind you that September 2025 was the final intake for new students registering with NCFE for the Health, Science and Healthcare Science T Levels. We’ll continue to support existing students registered with us until they complete their T Level.  

From September 2026, the Health and Science T Levels have moved to Pearson. This means that any new students starting either the Health or Science T Level will need to be registered with Pearson.  

The Healthcare Science T Level has now been withdrawn by the Department for Education (DfE) and won’t be transferring to Pearson. September 2025 was the final intake for new Healthcare Science students and no further new registrations can now be made.  

Further information about the move of Health and Science to Pearson, the withdrawal of Healthcare Science and the support available for existing NCFE students can be found in our Health, Healthcare Science and Science FAQs. 

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V Cert updates 

Complete your standardisation training 

We’ve created provider standardisation materials which you can access on the relevant qualification webpages from the start of October.  

The training materials will help you to develop a standardised approach for marking, by looking at the tutor guidance document and marking bands. This will support you to have the confidence that you are marking consistently and help you prepare for the assessment window. 

The provider standardisation training should be led by your centre’s lead IQA and form part of annual standardisation activities.    

We’ve updated the ‘record of learner observation’ form for the Sport Studies V Cert 

We’ve made a minor update to the ‘record of learner observation’ form for the Level 1/2 Technical Award in Sports Studies in Task 3a. This will be included in the live assessment pack published on Thursday 1 October. 

Introducing our new ‘Level 1/2 Technical Awards: All about V Certs’ podcast  

Welcome to All About V Certs, the go-to podcast for busy teachers delivering NCFE Level 1/2 Technical Awards. Hosted by our experienced Provider Development Officers, Rachel and Beth, each bite-sized episode (just 15–20 minutes long) is packed with practical insights, top tips, and expert guidance on all things V Certs. 

Listen now 

V Certs Level 1/2 Technical Awards standardisation events 

Whether you're new to assessment, assessing our qualifications for the first time, or an experienced assessor seeking continuing professional development (CPD), join us at our in-person training event focused on standardisation and best practice in assessment, taking place in York, Stevenage or Manchester.  

York: Wednesday 30 September 2026  

 🕘 9:00am - 4:00pm   

 📍 Hilton York, 1 Tower Street, York, Yorkshire, United Kingdom, YO1 9WD  

  Sign up now as the booking deadline is 23 September. 

Stevenage: Wednesday 13 January 2027   

 🕘 9:00am - 4:00pm  

📍Holiday Inn, St. George's Way, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, SG1 1HS  

Sign up now 

Manchester: Tuesday 23 February 2027  

 🕘 9:00am - 4:00pm  

 📍The Alan Hotel and Meeting Space, 18 Princess Street, Manchester, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom, M1 4LG  

Sign up now 

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Functional Skills updates 

Teach, Share, Transform: focus on mindset and motivation, Wednesday 14 October - 3:30-5pm 

This Teach, Share, Transform best practice network session facilitated by NCFE is for delivery staff of Essential and Functional maths, English and digital qualifications. Please come prepared to take part in workshop activities and share your own ideas and strategies for improving your learners' mindset and motivation. 

Sign up now 

Digital Functional Skills onboarding, Monday 5 October 3:30-4:30pm 

This onboarding webinar is aimed towards Digital Functional Skills delivery staff to give an overview of information and all the latest updates on NCFE Digital Functional Skills qualifications. 

Sign up now 

Functional Skills Yellow Label service update  

Parcelforce has now combined its parcel network with Royal Mail, and following a change to arrangements over the summer, the collection booking process is now back to normal. However, there is a new online booking system. 

To book individual collections, you must: 

• complete each booking at least 24 hours in advance – bookings can be made up to 5 days in advance 

• make a booking by selecting 'Arrange Online' on the Parcelforce website or by calling the Parcelforce Exams Helpdesk on 0344 561 7998 

• record your booking reference number for each collection booked on a dispatch log. 

For additional information, please visit our Returning paper-based assessments: Using the Yellow Label Service webpage. 

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Training and events 

Education and Early Years student conference, Thursday 8 October, 10am - 12pm 

Sign your learners up to our next student conference to hear inspiring career journeys from professionals across the education, playwork and early years sector. They’ll develop knowledge and understanding to support their studies and future career. 

Sign up now 

Assessor and Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) training events are available to book 

Sign up now to our upcoming training sessions, using the links below: 

• Assessor training – this training provides an excellent opportunity to connect with assessment professionals and develop your knowledge and understanding of assessment practices and our qualifications 

• IQA training – this training provides a place for you to connect with internal quality assurers and further develop your knowledge and understanding internal quality assurance practices and our qualifications 

• V Cert Assessor/IQA training 

Horizons archive

Explore our Horizons portfolio archive below.