Assessment Policy

SPM Development Services Limited Assessment Policy September 2026

Reviewed and Updated: September 2026
Next Review: September 2027, or sooner if awarding organisation requirements or statutory guidance changes.
Approved by: Simon Piper-Masha

Related Policies and Procedures:

Quality Assurance and Review Policy (2026)
Malpractice and Maladministration Policy (2026)
Fair Assessment Appeals Procedure (2026)
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy (2026)
Privacy and Data Protection Policy (2026)
Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy (2026)

Purpose

This policy explains how SPM Development Services Ltd plans, carries out and records assessment. It is intended to ensure that assessment is fair, valid, reliable, inclusive and consistent and that learners are not unfairly advantaged or disadvantaged.
SPM will comply with current OCN London requirements for accredited qualifications and with the requirements of any relevant examination centre or awarding organisation where learners are entered externally.

Scope

This policy applies to all staff, self-employed tutors, assessors and Internal Quality Assurers involved in planning, delivering, assessing or quality assuring learner work.
It covers accredited qualifications delivered through OCN London and assessment used within SPM’s wider education and alternative provision.

Assessment Principles

Assessment will:
  • Be appropriate to the learning outcomes, assessment criteria and level of the qualification or programme.
  • Give learners a fair opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge, skills and understanding.
  • Be valid, reliable, fair, sufficient, authentic and current
  • Use clear assessment tasks and instructions that learners can understand.
  • Be inclusive and take account of individual needs without reducing or changing the required assessment standard.
  • Be based on evidence produced by the learner.
  • Be supported by accurate assessment decisions, feedback and records.
  • Be internally quality assured in line with SPM’s Quality Assurance and Review Policy and current OCN London requirements.

Roles and Responsibilities

The Head of Centre has overall responsibility for ensuring that assessment is properly managed and that SPM meets awarding organisation requirements.
The Internal Quality Assurer (IQA) is responsible for:
  • Approving assessment tasks before they are used.
  • Planning and carrying out internal quality assurance.
  • Sampling assessment decisions and learner evidence.
  • Checking that assessment decisions are fair, valid and consistent.
  • Supporting assessors and monitoring agreed actions.
  • Organising standardisation activities.
  • Maintaining IQA records and liaising with OCN London and the External Quality Assurer.
Assessors are responsible for:
  • Understanding the relevant qualification specification, learning outcomes, assessment criteria and level.
  • Using approved assessment tasks and current documentation.
  • Using approved assessment tasks and current documentation.
  • Explaining assessment requirements to learners.
  • Making fair, impartial and evidence-based assessment decisions.
  • Giving learners clear and constructive feedback.
  • Keeping accurate assessment records.
  • Checking that submitted evidence is authentic and consistent with the learner’s demonstrated knowledge and ability.
  • Identifying and recording any permitted support or reasonable adjustment.
  • Responding to IQA feedback and completing required actions within the agreed timescale. Learners are responsible for:
  • Completing assessment tasks to the best of their ability.
  • Meeting agreed submission dates or requesting support where difficulties arise.
  • Submitting work that is their own.
  • Identifying sources and acknowledging any permitted assistance or use of AI.
  • Signing or confirming a declaration of authenticity.

Assessment Planning

Assessment tasks must allow learners to produce sufficient evidence to meet the relevant learning outcomes and assessment criteria at the required level.
Assessment tasks developed by SPM must be checked and approved by the IQA before use. OCN London assessment materials must be used where these are required for a particular qualification or unit.
Learners will be given clear information about:
  • What they are expected to do
  • The learning outcomes and assessment criteria being assessed.
  • The evidence they need to produce.
  • Submission arrangements and timescales.
  • How their work will be assessed
  • Any rules relating to collaboration, sources, assistance or use of AI.
Assessment arrangements will be planned to suit SPM’s one-to-one delivery model while maintaining the required assessment standard.

Assessment Methods and Evidence

Assessment methods will be appropriate to the learner, the task and the requirements of the qualification or programme.
Evidence may include:
  • Written work, worksheets and question-and-answer activities.
  • Portfolios, journals, diaries and reflective accounts.
  • Practical work, artwork, designs and artefacts.
  • Photographs, audio or video recordings.
  • Tutor observation records and professional discussions.
  • Presentations, performances and demonstrations.
  • Learner statements and witness statements.
  • Digital or online work.
Evidence must clearly show how the learner has met the relevant learning outcomes and assessment criteria.
Where evidence includes photographs, recordings or information about other people, it must be collected, stored and used in accordance with SPM’s Privacy and Data Protection Policy.

Reasonable Adjustments and Special Consideration

SPM will identify and respond to individual assessment needs as early as possible.
Reasonable adjustments may be made to remove unnecessary barriers for disabled learners or learners with additional needs. Adjustments must not change the learning outcomes, assessment criteria or required standard or give the learner an unfair advantage.
Adjustments may include:
  • Additional time where permitted.
  • Rest breaks.
  • An alternative accessible format.
  • Use of assistive technology.
  • A suitable change to the way evidence is presented or recorded.
  • Appropriate communication support.
Any adjustment must be agreed and recorded before assessment wherever possible. The IQA will check that it is appropriate and complies with current OCN London requirements. Approval from OCN London will be obtained where required.
Special consideration may be requested where a learner’s assessment has been affected by temporary illness, injury or another circumstance outside their control. SPM will follow the relevant awarding organisation procedure and retain a record of the request and decision.

Assessment Decisions and Feedback

Assessment decisions must be based only on the evidence provided and the published learning outcomes and assessment criteria.
Assessors will record whether each relevant assessment criterion has been met and provide feedback that:
  • Clearly explains the assessment decision.
  • Recognises what the learner has achieved.
  • Identifies any criteria that have not yet been met.
  • Gives appropriate guidance about what is required next without completing the work for the learner.
Feedback will be given within a reasonable timescale and in a format the learner can understand.
Assessment decisions must not be changed merely to improve achievement rates or satisfy external pressures.

Resubmission

Where evidence does not yet meet the required assessment criteria, the learner may be given an opportunity to provide additional or amended evidence where this is permitted by the qualification and current OCN London requirements.
The assessor will:
  • Identify the assessment criteria that remain unmet.
  • Give clear feedback without telling the learner exactly what to write or produce.
  • Agree a reasonable resubmission date.
  • Record the resubmission and subsequent assessment decision.
A new or alternative task may be used where appropriate. The same assessment standard will apply to all resubmitted evidence.
Repeated resubmissions will not be used to coach a learner towards a pass. The IQA may review resubmission decisions where there are concerns about fairness, authenticity or the level of support provided.

Authenticity, Support and Learner Declarations

Assessment evidence must be the learner’s own work.
Learners may receive appropriate teaching, clarification, encouragement and access support. Tutors and assessors must not produce, rewrite or substantially direct assessed work on the learner’s behalf.
Any permitted assistance must be recorded clearly enough for the assessor and IQA to understand what support was provided.
Learners must complete a declaration confirming that:
  • The submitted evidence is their own.
  • Sources and contributions from other people have been acknowledged.
  • Any permitted use of AI has been declared.
  • The nature of any support received has been identified.
Assessors must consider whether the evidence is consistent with the learner’s known knowledge, skills, previous work and usual way of communicating.
Where authenticity cannot be confirmed, the assessor must not accept the evidence until the concern has been reviewed.

Use of Artificial Intelligence

AI tools may only be used where this is permitted by the assessment task and relevant awarding organisation requirements.
Any permitted use must be clearly acknowledged. Submitted evidence must continue to demonstrate the learner’s own knowledge, skills and understanding.
Learners must not use AI to:
  • Generate work that is presented as entirely their own.
  • Fabricate sources, references, results or evidence.
  • Complete an assessment where AI use is prohibited.
  • Avoid demonstrating the knowledge or skills required by the assessment criteria.
Assessors will use professional judgement when considering possible AI misuse. AI detection tools will not be used as the sole basis for an assessment or malpractice decision.
Concerns will be managed under SPM’s Malpractice and Maladministration Policy. The learner will be given a fair opportunity to explain how their work was produced.

Internal Quality Assurance and Standardisation

Assessment will be internally quality assured in accordance with SPM’s Quality Assurance and Review Policy.
The IQA will use a planned, risk-based sample that covers active assessors, qualification levels, units or subject areas and different stages of assessment.
Internal quality assurance may include:
  • Checking assessment tasks before use.
  • Interim sampling during delivery.
  • Summative sampling of completed assessment decisions and learner evidence.
  • Reviewing assessment records, feedback and learner declarations.
  • Checking reasonable adjustments and recorded support.
  • Monitoring completion of actions arising from IQA feedback.
Assessors involved in OCN London qualification delivery will participate in a minimum of three internal standardisation activities each academic year.
Assessment and certification claims will not proceed until required IQA checks and actions have been completed.

Assessment Records and Retention

SPM will maintain accurate and secure records of:
  • Learner registration.
  • Assessment tasks and evidence.
  • Assessment decisions and feedback.
  • Learner declarations.
  • Reasonable adjustments and special consideration.
  • Internal quality assurance activity and actions.
  • Achievement and certification claims.
Assessment and quality assurance records will be retained for the period required by OCN London, relevant awarding organisations, commissioning arrangements and data protection law.
Records will be stored securely, access will be restricted to authorised people and information will be securely destroyed when it is no longer required.

Appeals

Learners have the right to question or appeal an assessment decision.
Assessors should explain assessment decisions clearly and attempt to resolve straightforward queries promptly. A learner who remains dissatisfied may use SPM’s Fair Assessment Appeals Procedure.
Making an appeal will not disadvantage the learner.

Malpractice and Maladministration

Suspected plagiarism, collusion, false declarations, fabrication of evidence, unauthorised use of AI, excessive assistance or other assessment irregularities must be reported promptly to the IQA and Head of Centre.
Concerns will be managed fairly under SPM’s Malpractice and Maladministration Policy and reported to OCN London or another relevant awarding organisation where required.

Safeguarding

Assessment activity must be carried out in accordance with SPM’s Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy.
Any assessment evidence or discussion that raises a safeguarding concern must be reported immediately to the Designated Safeguarding Lead. Assessment records must not be used as a substitute for safeguarding records or delay a safeguarding referral.

Monitoring and Review

The IQA will monitor the implementation of this policy through assessment sampling, standardisation, assessor support, learner feedback and External Quality Assurer findings.
Required improvements will be recorded, assigned to a responsible person and monitored until completed.
This policy will be reviewed annually, or sooner if awarding organisation requirements, statutory guidance or SPM’s provision changes.