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Online programme accreditation application for secondary schools

This user guide is intended to support online users during the application process for programme accreditation, which is where a school is applying for approval to deliver an approved programme developed by another educational organisation.

About the application

The online application form provides detail to populate the NZQA database.

A full application includes documentation that demonstrates how your application meets the requirements set out in the Guidelines.

You can upload documents electronically if they are converted to .pdf format first.

There are six sections in the application form. You must complete each section in order before progressing to the next, even if zero is inserted. Each section must be fully completed before submitting the application to NZQA for assessment.

Section 1: Contact details
Section 2: Programme summary
Section 3: Delivery and Assessment
Section 4: NZQF Consent to assess
Section 5: Application documents
Section 6: Comments

At any time, you can delete the application or return to School applications. If you return to School applications, any sections you have completed will not be lost. You can resume filling out the application.

Where to make the application

Applications for programme approval an accreditation are made online through the school's NZQA home page:

Open school's administration under the high security section.
Open application.
Open create application.
choose programme accreditation.

The application process

When you submit this application, you will receive an auto generated email quoting an NZQA reference number. Use this number in future, if you need to email or speak to a member of staff about the application.

You will be notified when your application is assigned to an evaluator. You should expect this to happen within ten working days.

You will be invoiced $200 plus GST for work on your application.

Please direct any queries about this application to our client services team. Remember to include the NZQA reference number on all correspondence.

Before you get started

Before you begin this application, check you have:

finished the development of the application; and
the necessary consent to assess for any assessment standards that may be included in the programme, and
made an application for consent to assess extension for any assessment standards you don’t have consent to assess for.

References

Throughout this guide, two booklets are regularly referenced. You should have these handy when filling out your application form. They are:

New Zealand Qualifications Framework (PDF, 606KB) (referred to as the Framework throughout this guide)
Guidelines for programme approval and accreditation of New Zealand Certificates Levels 1-6 and New Zealand Diplomas Levels 5-7 (referred to as Guidelines throughout this guide)

Navigation hints

Click the Return to application overview link to leave the section you are in and return to the application summary screen.

Click the Return to School applications link to leave the application and return to your School applications summary page. Any sections you may have completed will be saved and you can resume filling out the application later.

Complete all fields marked with an asterisk (*), as these fields are mandatory.

Filling out the form

Section 1:

Contact details

Enter the name of the key contact person for this application. If NZQA requires more information, this is the person they will contact. An email address is required because auto-generated communications will be sent there.

Section 2:

Programme Summary

Search for the programme ID number or part of its title. Programme information will pre-populate.

Section 3:

Delivery and Assessment

This section is about delivery mode and methods, and assessment methods. For delivery mode, choose one or more of the following:

Face-to-face
Distance
Blended

Examples of delivery methods are classroom, lecture, tutorial, workshop, fieldwork, work-based, distance, blended and online.

Examples of assessment methods are open book test, written assignment, oral presentation, and practical observation.

Section 4:

NZQF consent to assess

This section allows you to check that you have the correct unit standards. If you need to make any changes, go back to Section 2 Programme Summary.

Section 5:

Application documents

You must supply the two types of documents mentioned below. These documents must demonstrate that your application meets the evaluation question for accreditation below. The documents are essential before an evaluation can be made.

Evaluation question:

To what extent does the education provider have the ongoing capability and resources to support sustained delivery of the approved programme?

1. Programme Delivery

You must provide a document that includes:

Good evidence the education organisation has the capability and resources to provide the programme
Good evidence that the education organisation can manage the impacts of any specific programme requirements
Good evidence of formal arrangements with the programme owner where this is required.

2. Supporting Evidence

Please also attach any other evidence that you meet the rules for programme accreditation. For example, letter of support from programme owner, Curriculum Vitae of teachers, Job Descriptions.

Section 6:

Comments

Please add any comments about the application here.

Submitting your application

Before submitting your application you will be asked to review the full application form. Please note that all sections of the application form will appear even if they are not applicable to the application to be submitted.

You are now ready to submit your application. Before you do, check:

the two types of documents requested in Section 5 have been attached to your application or are ready to be posted to NZQA; and
you have consent to access for any unit standards that are included in the programme.

Finished!

When you click Submit Application, your application will appear in the School applications table. You can View your completed application, or Withdraw your completed application until such time that an outcome has been reached.