As part of SQA’s annual Connections week, we had a session on the new National Progression Award (NPA) in Computing Technology. This qualification was developed last session and the lead developer (a practising teacher) delivered yesterday’s session. There was an excellent turnout, with 25 people in attendance, which illustrates the interest in this new qualification. I took the opportunity to let people know that the qualification is now validated! It’s taken a while but we got there. We’re now in…

The first meeting of the Qualification Development Team (QDT) for HNC Esports took place yesterday. Thirteen members, representing schools, colleges, universities and national organisations, attended. The purpose of the first meeting of any QDT is to kick-off the development and provide some background to members. We discussed a number of topics including the remit of QDTs, the design rules for Next Gen qualifications and briefly discussed some possible ideas for the qualification. I also explained the role of the lead developer…

SQA has a long tradition of working with educators, employers, national organisations and other stakeholders to develop and maintain qualifications. An important part of that collaboration is the various committees that help us carry out our work. The Sector Panel provides strategic advice about developments in the computing sector that affect qualifications, with the aim of ensuring that qualifications are relevant. The Qualifications Support Team (QST) provides advice about the kinds of support that centres need to deliver SQA awards;…