Standard
Code

ST0551/AP01

Maximum Funding

£8000

Typical
Duration

24 months

Level

5

Standard
EPA Price*

£1000

External Quality Assurance Body

Ofqual

*This price represents our maximum charge for the standard EPA (excluding reassessment). Please get in touch to discuss potential discounts and added value.

End-Point Assessment Requirements

English and maths

Effective from 11 February 2025, the government has removed the mandatory English and maths functional skills requirement for apprentices aged 19 and above who start their apprenticeship training. This change includes apprentices who are currently on the programme.

The new ruling applies to apprentices on programme and all apprentices starting their programmes from February 2025.

Employers and apprentices must agree by 1st April 2025 whether apprentices aged 19 and above on programme will continue studying English and maths.

  • Providers must record the decision in the training plan.
  • Apprentices must continue their studies until an agreement is made.

It is worth noting that whilst the mandatory requirement for English and Maths has been removed, apprentices and employers can still choose to receive English and Maths training and participate in the associated tests.

For apprentices under the age of 19 at programme commencement, there is still a requirement to undertake Maths and English training and take functional skills tests.

Qualifications and On-programme Assessment

In order to reach end-point assessment, apprentices will need to be supported through their on-programme learning by the employer and training organisation in the following elements:

  • Achieved Level 2 in English and Maths.
  • Completed a portfolio of evidence to underpin the professional discussion.
  • The title and scope of the case study in preparation for agreement between the apprentice, their employer and PAL.

Professional discussion underpinned by a portfolio of evidence

  • The independent assessor will review the portfolio of evidence and use it to identify areas for the professional discussion – it is not directly assessed.
  • The professional discussion must last 60 minutes (+10% at the independent assessor’s discretion).
  • The professional discussion has fail, pass and distinction grades.
  • Webinar or video conferencing software can be used for the assessment.

Observation With Questions

  • The observation with questions involves an independent assessor observing and questioning an apprentice undertaking work, as part of their normal duties, in the workplace to allow them to demonstrate their knowledge, skills and behaviours through naturally occurring evidence.
  • The apprentice must prepare a session plan prior to the observation to outline the ‘what, who, why, when, how and where’ of what is to be observed, including relevant risk assessment(s).
  • The assessment will last for 90 minutes, split into 60 minutes for the observation and 30 minutes for the questioning (+10% at the independent assessor’s discretion).
  • The observation with questions has fail, pass and distinction grades.

Case Study with Report and Presentation and Questioning

This method of assessment has two components – the case study report, and the presentation with questioning.

  • Before the apprentice begins to write up their case study, the title and scope (of no more than 500 words) must be agreed by PAL to ensure that it is suitable and sufficient to cover the required knowledge, skills, and behaviours for this method of assessment.
  • The apprentice will conduct a series of observations of a child or group of children over a period of typically 6 weeks and produce the case study report.
  • The case study will be 4,000 (+/- 10%) excluding references and annexes.
  • The case study starts after the apprentice has gone through Gateway and the apprentice will have 12 weeks in which to write and submit to PAL.

The apprentice will present their case study to the independent assessor to allow them to provide more clarity around the report, and the subsequent questioning allows the independent assessor to probe and clarify issues.

  • The apprentice must prepare the presentation materials to be submitted at the same time as the case study, and these can be either a hard copy or an electronic slide deck.
  • The presentation and questioning must last for 40 minutes, split into typically 20 minutes for the presentation and 20 minutes for the questioning (+10% at the independent assessor’s discretion).
  • The case study with report, presentation and questioning has fail, pass and distinction grades.
Download Fact Sheet

Available Resources

How to engage with PAL.

Engaging with PAL couldn’t be easier. Simply contact us at info@professionalassessment.co.uk or on 0800 1601899. Our senior team will contact you to find out about your requirements in more detail and discuss how we might need to adapt our approach to meet your needs. Once you are happy that PAL is the right fit for your programme, we set up your account, share our library of resources and support you to register your apprentices. You can then rest assured that you have a dedicated team on hand to guide you through your EPA journey and provide a responsive service when your apprentices are ready to be assessed.

View the EPA process here:

EPA Process