Author: cava_admin

On behalf of CAVA, congratulations for finishing your Access to HE course.

Today you will receive a statement of results from your college for your Access to HE Diploma course. Please note, this is not your official certificate or transcript. You will receive a printed certificate and transcript from your college as soon as possible in August. 

Results will be shared throughout the day, so please do not worry if you have not heard first thing in the morning. If you have any questions about how you will receive your results, please contact your college directly. 

We hope that the Access to HE Diploma provides you with a valuable stepping stone to your future study and chosen career.

On 13 July, CAVA students will receive a statement of results from your college for your Access to HE course. Please note, this is not your official certificate or transcript. You will receive a printed certificate and transcript from your college as soon as possible in August. 

If you would like to appeal your results, then please follow the processes outlined below.

Appeal of actual grades – achieved prior to 20 March 2020

The grounds for appeal about grades achieved prior to 20 March 2020 are restricted to:

• evidence of administrative error in the assessment process
• extenuating circumstances that, for good reason, could not be notified prior to the awards board.

If you believe that you have grounds for an appeal, please contact your course leader. They will support you in identifying the grounds for your appeal, gathering the relevant information and they can submit an appeals form to CAVA on your behalf. This will be considered by a CAVA appeals panel and your college will inform you of the outcome. Appeals of actual grades must be submitted to CAVA by 27 July, 21 August or 4 September. 

Appeal of calculated grades – for units completed after 20 March 2020

As you are aware, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) announced on 3 April 2020 that students who were due to complete their Access to HE Diploma by 31 July 2020 would receive calculated grades for all assessments with submission dates after 20 March 2020. 

The grounds for appeal about calculated grades are restricted to: 

• evidence of administrative error
• evidence of procedural error.

Appeals will not be accepted against the professional judgments of Course Tutors, or the efficacy of the evidence presented to support such professional judgments. You can find full QAA guidance about the appeals process for calculated grades here: https://www.accesstohe.ac.uk/news-events/support-and-information-covid-19

If you believe that you have grounds for an appeal, you can download the CAVA appeals form here: http://www.cava.ac.uk/access-to-he-diploma-calculated-grades-appeals-form-2019-20/

All appeals will be acknowledged within 10 working days. A CAVA investigating officer will conduct an assessment and review of the appeal. You will be informed of the outcome of the appeal within 20 working days. Please email your appeals form to admin@cava.ac.uk. All appeals of calculated grades must be submitted to CAVA by 27 July.

Dear CAVA students

We hope you are staying safe and well.

The QAA has released additional guidance for students due to complete their Access to HE Diplomas after 31 July 2020. You can find the guidance here. The QAA are also running webinars on 14 and 21 May for students on this latest guidance. You can sign up for these webinars here. 

Students due to complete after 31 July will be supported to continue your studies through changes to the delivery of teaching and assessment of your course. If you have any concerns regarding your specific circumstances, please speak to your college. You may be able to apply for extensions, extenuating circumstances, a short pause in your learning, and/or a formal break in learning. 

CAVA will continue to work closely with our colleges, to support them in implementing this latest guidance in a fair and consistent way. We hope this update brings you some clarity with regards to the future of your Access to HE course. Please stay in touch with your tutors as they will be able to answer any questions you have and continue to share updates. 

The University of East Anglia (UEA) have launched a series of webinars aimed at students aged 19+ who are thinking about going to university.

UEA understands that many students studying on Access to Higher Education face significant interruption to their studies due to the ongoing restrictions in reaction to COVID-19, and do not want students to miss out on valuable information relevant to their futures. Starting this week, UEA has a range of webinars available until early September 2020.

Students can sign up directly to attend these webinars whenever suits them using this link: https://www.uea.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/mature-students/prospective-students.

On 3 April, the QAA announced that students who are due to complete their Access to HE Diploma by 31 July 2020 would now receive calculated grades for all remaining assessments with submission dates after 20 March 2020. 

To help students understand this extraordinary grading model, the QAA will be running a series of webinars over the coming weeks. If you are a student that is due to complete your Access to HE Diploma by 31 July 2020, the webinars will provide you with information on how your grades will be calculated and an opportunity to ask QAA officers questions relating to this process.

The webinars will take place on the following dates:

• 16 April 2020 (10:30-11:30)
• 20 April 2020 (10:00-11:00)
• 22 April 2020 (10:00-11:00)
• 24 April 2020 (10:00-11:00)
• 30 April 2020 (10:00-11:00)
• 1 May 2020 (10:00-11:00)

To book a place on one of the webinars, please click on one of the relevant dates above.

Dear CAVA students

We hope you are keeping well and safe.

Following on from the QAA’s announcement last Friday, further guidance has been released on how grades will be calculated for students completing their Access to HE Diplomas by 31 July 2020. You can find the downloadable guidance here. 

We encourage all of our students to continue learning as much as possible for the remainder of the academic year. This will put you in the best possible position to transition into Higher Education and/or employment. 

CAVA will continue to work closely with our colleges, to support them in implementing the QAA guidance in a fair and consistent way. We will provide you with updates through our website and social media channels. Please stay in touch with your tutors as they will continue to share updates as well and can answer any questions you have. 

Dear CAVA students

We have received official notice from the QAA and Department for Education that a decision has been made for Access to HE in response to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. You can find the official letter for students here. 

To summarise, for students expected to complete their Access to HE course by 31 July 2020, students will be awarded a graded Diploma based on the assessment they have already completed with calculated grades for all remaining assessments that have submission dates after 20 March 2020.

Students who are continuing their studies and will complete their Access to HE course after 31 July 2020 will be supported to complete through the changes to the delivery and assessment of their programmes of study that are already being developed/in place. 

CAVA is working with the QAA, alongside other AVAs, to develop guidance for colleges on how to apply the calculated grade model. As soon as this is available, we will provide you with a further update through the CAVA website and on our social media channels. 

We hope this update brings you some clarity and reassurance with regards to the future of your Access to HE course. Please be assured that CAVA will continue to work with the QAA and colleges to ensure the best possible outcome for all Access to HE students. We encourage you to stay in touch with your tutors and continue your learning as much as possible, in order to prepare yourself for the transition into Higher Education.

Dear CAVA Access to HE students

The Department for Education has not yet published its decision about the assessment of Access to HE. We anticipate the decision will be made by the end of the week. As soon as a decision is made we will communicate it to colleges and students. 

CAVA is in frequent communication with QAA and colleges, to ensure that Access to HE assessment will be fair and practicable, and that students will continue to have the best possible experience throughout their studies.

We understand that this may be a difficult and worrying time for many of our students. We encourage you to stay in touch with your tutors and continue your learning as much as possible. We are aware that many students will have increased home and work commitments that may affect their ability to complete work. We will be supportive and flexible in helping you meet your assessment requirements. 

Please contact the CAVA team if you have any questions or wish to discuss this further.

QAA Update 26 March 2020

We know that, as Access to HE students, many of you were already engaged in a tricky balance between work, family responsibilities and study. In the current uncertainty, we understand that you want clarity as soon as possible about what’s happening with your courses, what you need to do, and how you will receive your results.

Our priority is to support students during this time of uncertainty. We want to reassure you that we’re in discussion with the Department for Education, Ofqual and others to publish a clear and consistent approach to assessment as soon as possible, and in a way that is fair to you all in these unprecedented circumstances. We are sorry this is taking longer than we had hoped for but we are working to get information to you as soon as we can.

We’ll provide a further update on the Access to HE website next week. 

In the meantime, students and providers should also follow the current guidance, which is available on our website.

Please find the following information on how CAVA will support students following the temporary closures of schools, colleges and universities. 

We understand that this is a worrying time for students. CAVA staff are working very closely with colleges to limit any detrimental effect on students’ programmes of study or progression into higher education. As a credit-based course, assessments will continue for Access to HE Diplomas. Colleges are implementing contingency plans to allow for the continuation of study. Plans may include online delivery of teaching, changing assessment methods, and extension of deadlines. 

If you have any concerns about your college closing or your ability to continue your studies, in the first instance you should speak to your Course Leader for the Access to HE Diploma at your college.