Personal Progress

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About this course

What is it?

ASDAN's Personal Progress (PP) qualifications have been designed to address the needs of learners with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), working at Entry 1. The qualifications ensure that all learners are given the same opportunities to access appropriate and relevant education to develop new skills and improve their life outcomes. 

ASDAN has made significant improvements to our Personal Progress qualifications since 2009, when they first became available. 

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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?

The qualifications have been developed for learners working towards and at Entry 1 to have their achievements recognised within a qualification framework. They can be undertaken in schools, colleges, residential and day care services, training providers and independent provision.

Personal Progress (PP) is available for delivery in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Key features

  • Nine units specifically for learners with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) 

  • Assessment guidance reflects modern life and current terminology

  • Learners can achieve qualifications at award, certificate, extended certificate and diploma size

  • Achievement of Personal Progress qualifications supports progression to Personal and Social Development and Employability qualifications

  • 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 choose units from the topics of Employability, Independent living, Good health, and Community inclusion. There are 58 units available, with credit values of between 2 credits and 5 credits each.

Any combination of units can be completed for a Personal Progress qualification.

Learners achieve a qualification that reflects the credit value of the number of units they have completed:

  • Award – 8 credits
  • Certificate – 14 credits
  • Extended Certificate – 25 credits
  • Diploma – 37 credits
  • Learners who complete units with a total value less than 8 credits will be awarded unit certification, providing they meet the requirements of the full units

Once the unit has been certificated, it will not be moderated again even if the candidate is now operating at a higher stage on the achievement continuum. The credits available for a unit can only be gained once. 

Learners achieving at Entry 1 can progress to other ASDAN qualifications, such as PSD and Employability.


Assessment resources 

Evidence transcripts – tutors are required to provide a mandatory evidence transcript for each unit completed by the learner; this will detail the specific skills and knowledge that the learner has demonstrated (download a sample evidence transcript). The tutor will also use an achievement continuum to record learner attainment and progress; this will be recorded on the evidence transcript.

These assessment resources can be downloaded from the course resources section below. 

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 Progress. 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 Personal Progress qualifications. 

Book training

Costs

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

Item Price
Personal Progress:  
Award £34
Certificate £46
Extended certificate £72
Diploma £100

Products can be purchased below.

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


Personal Progress assessment plans


Personal Progress: completed assessment plan example


Personal Progress: guidance on writing evidence transcripts


Personal Progress example evidence transcript - Developing independent living skills: keeping safe


Personal Progress example evidence transcript - Engaging with the world around you: the natural environment


Personal Progress evidence transcripts

An evidence transcript is a mandatory requirement for each completed Personal Progress unit. These documents show how the learner has met the requirements of the unit and must be included in learners’ portfolios for external moderation. These documents are the most recent versions, updated in 2022.


What do I wear today? Card sort activity

This card sort activity can be used to support learning about what to wear in different weather conditions. It can be used to support teaching and learning for the Personal Progress Entry 1 unit 'Developing independent living skills: personal presentation', where learners are required to present themselves in an appropriate way for different activities or weather conditions.


Weather conditions flashcards

These bright and colourful flashcards can be used to support learning about different weather conditions. They can be used to support teaching and learning for the Personal Progress Entry 1 unit 'Developing independent living skills: personal presentation', where learners are required to present themselves in an appropriate way for different activities or weather conditions.

Success stories

KS4 students develop a deeper understanding of the world around them

Learners at a special school have gained crucial skills needed for life beyond education, thanks to ASDAN’s Personal Progress qualification. Wyre Forest School’s Upper Phase Leader, Rachel Wright, explains the rationale behind opting to deliver Personal Progress and how it has benefited learners.

Preparing learners for life after school

Supporting post-16 learners to gain new life skills from community-based activities is one of the key aims of a special school in Gloucestershire. We interviewed Assistant Headteacher and Head of FE Cathy Bradshaw about her work and the supportive role ASDAN plays.

Validating life skills learning through Personal Progress

“At post-16 level, we offer ASDAN’s Personal Progress (PP) Entry 1 qualification,” said Kirsty Hodge, Post-16 Manager at Portesbery School, Camberley, Surrey.
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