Personal and Social Development

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About this course

What is it?

The Personal and Social Development (PSD) qualifications offer imaginative ways of supporting young people in:

  • becoming confident individuals who are physically, emotionally and socially healthy
  • being responsible citizens who make a positive contribution to society and embrace change
  • managing risk together with their own wellbeing

as well as introducing them to new activities and personal challenges.

Read the full PSD specifications:

Awards: Entry 1; Entry 2; Entry 3; Level 1; Level 2

Certificates: Entry 1; Entry 2; Entry 3; Level 1; Level 2

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To teach this course you must have one of these membership types:

  • Qualifications

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Who is it for?

PSD at Entry 1, 2 and 3 is used by students aged 14+ and adults in the Foundation Learning stage of their development. PSD Levels 1 & 2 is used by mainstream establishments for students aged 14-19, and also for adults. These qualifications also play a major role in rewarding achievement within the non-formal sector.

Facts and figures

  • Nationally recognised certification
  • Accreditation for existing PSHE and PSD activities
  • Opportunities to include activities both inside and outside of school and in non-formal situations
  • Following amendments to the school and college performance tables in England, qualifications that do not rely on a written examination for assessment purposes, such as ASDAN qualifications, do not, themselves, contribute to the tables. There is however strong evidence that ASDAN qualifications improve performance in English and Mathematics, which have a double weighting in school performance measures such as Progress 8
  • In Wales and Northern Ireland, ASDAN qualifications can contribute towards school/college performance measures. Download this information sheet for details.

Structure

Learners have to complete enough units to reach the required number of credits for a particular size of qualification.

  • At Entry 1-3: 6 credits are required for an award, and 13 credits for a certificate.
  • At Levels 1-2: 8 credits are required for an award, and 13 for a certificate.

Each credit is equivalent to around 10 hours of learning time.

Download a table of PSD units at all levels.

Units and standards

Download the PSD Entry 1-3 standards only and PSD Levels 1-2 standards only.

Please note that centres registered to deliver PSD will be able to access a full copy of the standards with guidance, which provides key information on how to interpret and implement the unit standards. Download sample units from the PSD Entry 1-3 standards with guidance and sample units from the PSD Levels 1-2 standards with guidance.

Exemplar portfolios

These exemplar unit portfolios have been created to provide guidance for centres on the type and amount of evidence required for PSD units.

1. Staff training

• The members of staff with overall responsibility for delivery must attend an ASDAN introductory workshop, webinar or INSET. Book at: asdan.org.uk/training

2. Register with ASDAN

• You will need ASDAN Qualifications membership to deliver Personal and Social Development qualifications. Membership allows centres to purchase materials and access support, including regular mailings and updates.
• Become a member at: asdan.org.uk/membership or manage your existing membership at: asdan.org.uk/membership-details

3. Centre approval

• Centres will need to provide specific policies and procedures and provide additional information in order to be given centre approval to deliver qualifications. Centres are risk rated and all new centres will require a centre approval visit.
• Centres should create assessment plans for all units being assessed. Centres may be asked to supply them to ASDAN for validation.
• Centres will be required to review and renew a number of centre policies each year at: asdan.org.uk/member/centre-details/centre-approval

4. Create a new cohort

• Create a new cohort using the ASDAN website: asdan.org.uk/member/cohorts
• Specify a course co-ordinator, the expected completion date and the number of learners taking the course.

5. Delivery and assessment

• Deliver the course to candidates, making use of the standards and general guidance and assessment resources. Resources can be downloaded from the course resources section on this page.

6. Internal moderation

• Internally moderate all portfolios to ensure that learners have met the full requirements of the course. Ensure learners are given time to make any necessary amendments.

8. External moderation

• Book your moderation at: asdan.org.uk/member/moderations
• Deadline of 31 October for booking moderation within the academic year. Fees apply for moderations booked after this date. Members are entitled to two free moderations per qualification, per year.
• Confirm your learner names and details for moderation: asdan.org.uk/member/cohorts
• Provide the sample portfolios to the external quality assurer (EQA), as requested.
Moderation may take place as part of a centre visit or be carried out by post.
• Certificates will be sent to your centre within 20 working days of your EQA notifying ASDAN that a successful final moderation has taken place.

 

ASDAN training events are delivered by experts to enable your centre to successfully run our courses. They provide an introduction to the course, along with guidance on the processes involved, course delivery and moderation. 

Training is mandatory for PSD qualifications. 

Book training

Costs

All candidate registration costs shown below are per candidate, unless otherwise stated.

Item Price
Personal and Social Development:   
Award (all levels) £34
Certificate (all levels) £38

Public funding for ASDAN qualifications delivered in the UK

Many ASDAN qualifications are fully funded by the UK Government.

Whether you are an employer, a learner or a training provider, the following websites will provide you with more information on the different types of public funding in the UK for ASDAN qualifications.  

Products

Course resources

PSD Entry 3 recognising progress

PSD Entry 2 recognising progress

Learning log

Scheme of work template

This template can be used to plan and create a scheme of work for any ASDAN programme or qualification. Also included is a completed example showing a scheme of work for Module 3 of the Personal Development Programmes.

PSD Level 1 generic worksheets

PSD Level 1 assessment checklists

PSD Level 1 assessment plans

PSD Level 1 unit activities

Please note that there is no minimum number of challenges required to achieve units from the Personal and Social Development qualifications. Assessors should choose enough challenges for their learners to produce evidence which meets the requirements across all assessment criteria within the unit. Additional challenges may be completed to support the development of learner understanding and/or skills. You can contact your Relationship Manager, or the Quality and Qualifications Team, if you are unsure about what your learners need to do to achieve an ASDAN qualification.

PSD Level 1 unit worksheets

PSD Level 1 controlled challenges

PSD Level 1 completed example assessment plans

PSD L1 summative challenges

Success stories

PSD provides ‘refreshing GCSE alternative’ and improves learners’ focus

Of the 17 students who completed the Personal and Social Development (PSD) Level 2 qualification at Integrated College Dungannon in Co Tyrone last year, all went on to sixth form or college.
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