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Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency

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Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency
AbbreviationQCDA
Formation1997
Legal statusGovernment agency
PurposeExam curriculae
Location
  • Earlsdon Park, Butts Lane, Coventry
Region served
England, Northern Ireland
Chief Executive
Andrew Hall
Parent organization
DCSF
AffiliationsOfqual
Websitewww.qcda.gov.uk

The Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency (QCDA) was an exempt charity, and an executive non-departmental public body (NDPB) of the Department for Education. In England and Northern Ireland, the QCDA maintained and developed the National Curriculum and associated assessments, tests and examinations, advising the minister formerly known as the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families and later known as the Secretary of State for Education on these matters.

Regulatory functions regarding examination and assessment boards have been transferred to Ofqual, an independent regulator.

Education and qualifications in Scotland and Wales are the responsibility of the Scottish Government and Welsh Government and their agencies. In Scotland, for example, the Scottish Qualifications Authority is the responsible body.

Partners

QCDA worked closely with its main strategic partners, including the Department for Education,the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted), employers' organisations, the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA), the Skills Funding Agency, the former General Teaching Council for England (GTCE) and the Sector Skills Councils (SSC).

QCDA also collaborated with the other public qualification agencies in the UK: the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), the former Qualifications, Curriculum and Assessment Authority for Wales (ACCAC) and the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment in Northern Ireland (CCEA).

QCDA was based in Coventry.

History

The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCDA's predecessor) was formed on 1 October 1997 through a merger of the National Council for Vocational Qualifications (NCVQ) and the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority (SCAA). The QCA had additional powers and duties granted to it by the Education Act 1997, which established the role of the QCA. Under Section 24 of this Act, QCA was granted the right to regulate all external qualifications in England.

Formation of Ofqual

In 2008 the QCA transformed into Ofqual.

References

  • QCDA website
  • BBC News - Gove's statement on abolition
  • http://www.inca.org.uk Funded by QCDA, INCA is the International Review of Curriculum and Assessment Frameworks Internet Archive. It provides regularly updated descriptions of government policy on education in Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the USA and Wales, and makes particular reference to the curriculum, assessment and initial teacher training frameworks in place. A description for South Africa has recently (October 2009) been added.

The INCA website focuses on education provided in schools and to the 3-19 age range.

Video clips

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