British Accreditation Council

for independent further and higher education

Accreditation Handbook
UK 2009-2010

C e l e b r a t i n g 2 5 ye a r s o f h i g h e r s t a n d a r d s f o r i n de p e n d e n t e d u c a t i o n
 British Accreditation Council
for independent further and higher education

Accreditation Handbook
UK 2009-2010

further and higher educational

institutions based in the
United Kingdom

© British Accreditation Council

44 Bedford Row
London WC1R 4LL

Telephone: 020 7447 2584

Fax: 020 7447 2585
Email: info@the-bac.org
Website: www.the-bac.org

The British Accreditation Council for Independent Further and Higher Education
is registered as a charity (Charities Registration No. 326652)
and is a private company limited by guarantee (Registered in England No. 1828990)

This work is copyright © 2009 by the British Accreditation Council for Independent Further and Higher Education.
Permission granted to reproduce the entirety of this work or extracts from it for personal and educational use only.
Extracts from this work must be acknowledged. All other rights reserved.
This work is registered with the UK Copyright Service.
BAC’s full and short logos are recognised trade marks registered with the UK Intellectual Property Office.

Design by Alex Proudfoot and Erin Sanna

BAC
2
 Contents
Introduction 4
Who’s Who in BAC? Officers, Committee Members and Staff 5
1. Accreditation: Conditions 8
1.1 Introduction 8
1.2 General Requirements 8
1.3 Eligibility 9
1.4 The Award of Accreditation 9
1.5 Maintaining Accreditation 10
1.6 Suspension or Withdrawal of Accreditation 11
2. Accreditation: General Requirements 14
2.1 Inspections 14
2.2 UK Border Agency (UKBA) Requirements 14
2.3 Student Complaints 16
2.4 Awards and Qualifications 17
2.5 Providers of English as a Foreign Language 18
2.6 Institutions Recognised as Schools 18
3. Accreditation Processes 20
3.1 The Period of Accreditation 20
3.2 New Applications for Accreditation 20
3.3 Continuing Accreditation 24
4. Inspection Procedures: Organisation 26
5. Inspection Procedures: Assessment 28
Introduction 28
5.1 Premises and Health and Safety 30
5.2 Management, Staffing and Administration 32
5.3 Student Welfare 34
5.4 Teaching, Learning and Assessment 36
5.5 Management of Quality 38
5.6 Non-collegiate Accreditation 40
6. Supporting Documentation Required for Inspection 42
7. Accreditation Committee 44
8. Appeals Procedure 46
9. Complaints Procedure 50
10. Charges: Inspection and Accreditation Fees 54
Appendices: Advisory Documents 57
A: Prospectuses and Websites: Guidelines for Accredited Institutions 58
B: Fire Precautions and Health and Safety Arrangements 62
C: Employment Issues 66
D: Child Protection 67
E: Disability 69
F: Copyright 70
G: Students Requiring Visas 71
 Introduction
The British Accreditation Council (BAC) is an independent body, established in 1984 “to improve and enhance
the standards of independent further and higher educational institutions by the establishment of a system of
accreditation”. It is a registered charity, whose Council members are nominated by many of the bodies concerned
with the maintenance of educational standards in the United Kingdom (UK). No officers or members of Council
have a commercial interest in any of the accredited institutions. The responsibility for decisions on accreditation
is delegated to BAC’s Accreditation Committee, which includes members of the Council, recent practitioners and
representatives of other accrediting bodies.

Accreditation by BAC is recognised by the UK Border Agency (UKBA) as a qualifying requirement for institutions
wishing to enrol visa students. Subject to meeting certain requirements, colleges accredited by BAC will be eligible
to apply for a UKBA licence, which will enable them to enrol students from outside the European Economic Area.
This licensing system replaces the Register of Education and Training Providers maintained by the Department of
Innovation, Universities and Skills (now replaced by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills). BAC works
closely with UKBA and is itself monitored by Ofsted on UKBA’s behalf.

BAC has a close relationship with accreditation schemes operated by Accreditation UK (in the field of English as a
Foreign Language) and the Open and Distance Learning Quality Council. The system of accreditation established by
the three bodies was described in 1990 by the Rt. Hon. John MacGregor, then Secretary of State for Education, as
“the only public guarantee of standards in independent institutions of further and higher education in the UK”.

BAC’s accreditation process is based on a thorough and independent system of inspections involving a team of
specialist inspectors - many of them former members of Her Majesty’s Inspectorate, others senior academics or
practitioners. Accredited institutions are subject to a full inspection every four years, with an interim inspection
during the intervening period. During an inspection, institutions are assessed in five areas:

»» premises and health and safety provision

»» management, staffing and administration

»» student welfare

»» teaching, learning and assessment

»» management of quality

An unsatisfactory assessment in any of the five graded areas may lead to a refusal or withdrawal of accreditation.

BAC accredits more than 400 institutions in the UK and some 25 overseas independent higher education
institutions. A full list may be found on BAC’s website, www.the-bac.org.

Any amendments to the terms and procedures set out in this handbook necessitated by, for example, changes in
legislation, will be clearly posted on the BAC website.

Enquiries concerning accreditation should be made to:

The Chief Executive Telephone: 020 7447 2584
British Accreditation Council Fax: 020 7447 2585
44 Bedford Row Email: info@the-bac.org
London Website: www.the-bac.org
WC1R 4LL

4
 Who’s Who in BAC?
Honorary President
The Lord Watson of Richmond CBE
Liberal Democrat Spokesman on Universities, House of Lords

Membership of the Council

»» Mr Tim Cox (Chairman) »» Dr David Morley
former Executive Secretary, Chief Executive, Open and Distance Learning
Standing Conference of Principals Quality Council

»» Mr Bill Gibbs (Deputy Chairman) »» Dr Ann Ridler

former Secretary, RSA Examinations Board former Chief Inspector, BAC

»» Dr Cloud Bai-Yun »» Ms Christine Ryan

Head, UK NARIC (National Recognition Chief Inspector, Independent Schools Inspectorate
Information Centre)
»» Mr Dominic Scott OBE
»» Mrs Diane Billam (Chairman of Accreditation Chief Executive, UK Council for International
Committee) Student Affairs
former Director of Products and Quality, BTEC
»» Ms Michele Sutton
»» Dr David Bland OBE (Deputy Chairman of Principal and Chief Executive, Bradford College
Accreditation Committee) (nominee, Association of Colleges)
former Pro-Vice-Chancellor, University of Sheffield
»» Mr Peter Williams CBE
»» Mr Eric Glover (Honorary Treasurer) former Chief Executive, Quality Assurance Agency
former Secretary General, Chartered Institute of for Higher Education (QAA)
Bankers
»» Mr James Winter
»» Ms Alice Hynes Head of Collaborative Partnerships Office,
Executive Secretary, Guild HE Manchester Metropolitan University
(Chairman, Council of Validating Universities)
»» Mr Richard Lewis
former President, International Network of Quality »» Nominee to be confirmed
Assurance Agencies in Higher Education Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education
(QAA)
»» Ms Liz McLaren
Manager, Accreditation Unit, British Council »» Nominee to be confirmed
Universities UK
»» Mr Graham Middleton
former Secretary, Council for National Academic
Awards

Observers
»» Ms Suzanne Barnes »» Mrs Margaret Pattinson
Policy Project Manager, Managed Migration Team, Team Leader with responsibility for independent
UK Border Agency schools, Department for Children, Schools and
Families
»» Mr Paul Ellis
Chief Executive, Federation of Awarding Bodies »» Dr Jim Sinclair
Director, Joint Council for Qualifications
»» Ms Susan Hindley
Chairman, Study UK Association

5
Membership of Committees

Executive Committee Accreditation Committee

The Council delegates responsibility for BAC’s
strategic direction to the Executive Committee,
who act as a Board of Directors for the
company. The Members, drawn from the main
Council, also serve as trustees of the charity.
»» Mrs Diane Billam
(Chairman of Accreditation Committee)
»» Dr David Bland OBE
(Deputy Chairman of Accreditation
Committee)
The Accreditation Committee has full delegated authority
from the Council to award or withhold accreditation.
In addition to making case-by-case decisions on the
accreditation of institutions, the Accreditation Committee also
has responsibility for keeping BAC’s conditions, standards and
criteria under review. For further information see Section 7.
»» Mrs Diane Billam (Chairman)
former Director of Products and Quality, BTEC
»» Dr David Bland (Deputy Chairman)
former Pro-Vice-Chancellor, University of Sheffield

»» Mr Tim Cox »» Dr Kate Clarke

(Chairman) Director, Open University Validation Services

»» Mr Bill Gibbs »» Mr Tim Cox

(Deputy Chairman) former Executive Secretary,
Standing Conference Of Principals
»» Mr Eric Glover
(Honorary Treasurer) »» Ms Janet Elliot
former Director, City & Guilds and Pitman Examinations
»» Mr Dominic Scott OBE
»» Mr Eric Glover
former Secretary General, Chartered Institute of Bankers
»» Mr Peter Williams CBE
»» Dr Stephen Jackson
Director of Reviews, QAA

»» Mr Robin Laidlaw
former Chief Executive, BAC

»» Ms Hilary Managh
Assistant Manager, Accreditation Unit, British Council

»» Dr Ann Ridler
former Chief Inspector, BAC

»» Mr Graham Worsdale
Vice-Chairman, Council of Validating Universities

6
Head Office Staff
BAC’s Committees and Inspectors are supported by a core team of administrative staff at our Head Office in
London. Led by the Chief Executive, Dr Gina Hobson, the staff are responsible for the day-to-day business of BAC,
including management of inspections, oversight of our accredited colleges and communications with the public
and sector.

»» Chief Executive
Dr Gina Hobson

»» Accreditation Manager »» Communications Manager »» Finance Manager

Ms Francine Koubel Mr Alex Proudfoot Mr David O’Rourke

»» Accreditation Officer »» International and Public »» Finance Assistant

Miss Donnett Edwards Affairs Officer Miss Phyu Aye
Miss Caroline Greves
»» Inspections Officer »» Finance Assistant
Miss Clare Baker »» Information Officer Mr Mohammed Hisham
Mr Tom Richards Nizam
»» Accreditation Assistant
Ms Claire Bott »» Communications Assistant
Miss Erin Sanna
»» Accreditation Assistant
Mr William Lash »» Receptionist
Miss Kirstin O’Shea
»» Inspections Assistant
Ms Wilhemina Nartey

Senior Inspectors
BAC’s Senior Inspectors, along with the Head of Inspection Services and Chief Inspector, comprise the most
experienced educational specialists working for BAC.

»» Head of Inspection Services »» Chief Inspector

Professor Steve Bristow Ms Sheila Needham

»» Senior Inspector »» Senior Inspector

Mr Paul Bradbury Mr Martin Roundell Greene

»» Senior Inspector »» Senior Inspector

Mr Robin Laidlaw Mr Ron Tuck

7
1. Accreditation
CONDITIONS
1.1 Introduction 8
1.2 General Requirements 8
1.3 Eligibility to be considered for Accreditation 9
1.4 The Award of Accreditation 9
1.5 Maintaining Accreditation 10
1.6 Suspension or Withdrawal of Accreditation 11

1.1 Introduction »» to enable an institution to state

publicly that it has voluntarily accepted
1.1.1 The British Accreditation Council acts independent inspection and has
as a national accrediting authority satisfied BAC that all relevant aspects
for independent further and higher of its operation are maintained at a
educational institutions, subject to the satisfactory level.
conditions set out below.
1.1.4 The requirements and procedures set out
1.1.2 Accreditation is based on an inspection in this Handbook apply specifically to
of a full range of an institution’s institutions based in the United Kingdom.
provision but also requires evidence BAC produces a separate Handbook in
that the management will maintain respect of the accreditation of overseas
acceptable standards during the period institutions which offer higher education
of accreditation and operate within the programmes. Please contact the BAC office
requirements of United Kingdom law. for a copy of the overseas accreditation
handbook.
1.1.3 In awarding accreditation BAC has four
main purposes:
1.2 General Requirements
»» to support and advise independent
1.2.1 The award of accreditation will be subject
institutions of further or higher
to an institution meeting standards
education in the maintenance and
established and periodically reviewed by
enhancement of their quality of
BAC.
provision

»» to provide independent guidance to 1.2.2 Institutions will only be eligible to receive

students seeking to undertake further
or higher education in an institution
outside the state sector
»» to provide assurance of the good
standing of an institution to government
departments and other interested
bodies
accreditation if the effective control of
the institution is the responsibility of an
accountable management based in the
United Kingdom. The institution should be
led by a proprietor or designated Principal/
Director, who must be legally resident
in the United Kingdom and have clear
contractual responsibilities for the running

8
 of the institution and for the quality of
its work. There should be no grounds to
believe the Principal/Director to be unfit
to have responsibility for the institution.
1.2.3 Unless BAC determines otherwise, where
an accredited institution is a branch of
a larger organisation, accreditation will
relate only to the branch institution.
1.2.4 The institution must be able to provide
evidence of its financial stability.
1.2.5 Accreditation by BAC does not remove the
obligations of the accredited institution
to comply with relevant statutory
requirements.
1.3 Eligibility to be
considered for
Accreditation
1.3.1 The following types of independent
institutions are eligible to be considered
for accreditation:
»» institutions offering further or higher
educational courses throughout the
year
»» non-collegiate institutions, offering
specific courses at certain times of
the year or within institutions which
primarily offer courses which are not
appropriate for BAC accreditation.
1.3.2 The following types of institution will not
normally be eligible to be considered for
accreditation:
»» institutions which are wholly
publicly funded, or which are
wholly responsible to a government
department or an institution in receipt
of state grants, and thereby subject to
Ofsted inspection or QAA audit
»» institutions which are solely or
predominantly providers of English as
a Foreign Language (see Section 2.5
below)
»» institutions which are solely or
predominantly providers of education
for students of compulsory school age
(i.e. 16 years and under).
1.4 The Award of
Accreditation
1.4.1 The authority to award or withhold
accreditation is fully delegated to the
Council’s Accreditation Committee (see
Section 7).
1.4.2 BAC awards accreditation of two kinds:
institutional and non-collegiate.
»» Institutional accreditation covers the
full range of activities provided by a
college or similar institution, and is
not restricted to specific courses within
the total operation. Full accreditation
is awarded for a period of up to four
years, subject to a satisfactory interim
inspection and the institution meeting
the requirements set out in Section
1.5 below. This accreditation does not
extend to activities which take place
outside the institution itself (for instance,
franchised programmes, satellite
summer schools or separate branches,
whether in UK or overseas) or promoted
and delivered under a different name
unless BAC has given specific approval
for the inclusion of such activities within
the institution’s accreditation.
»» Non-collegiate accreditation is
awarded in respect of a specified
range of courses. The range must be
detailed within the application and
will be indicated on the certificate of
accreditation. Accreditation is awarded
for a period of up to four years, subject
to a satisfactory interim inspection and
observance of the requirements set out
in Section 1.5 below. If the organisation
wishes to apply for an extension of
the scope of the accreditation, BAC’s
Accreditation Committee will consider
whether a further inspection is required
before such an extension can be
granted.
9
1.4.3 BAC has developed specific criteria for the
award of accreditation as an independent
higher education institution. The award
is available to institutions which wholly
or predominantly offer programmes at
the level of higher education, normally
in partnership with an accredited
university or other HE awarding body,
and offer students a range of resources
appropriate to those studying at the level
of higher education. Independent higher
education institutions wishing to apply for
accreditation under these criteria should
contact the BAC office.
1.4.4 BAC has developed specific criteria
for small, specialist colleges. Two
schemes have been developed which are
applicable to colleges offering creative
and performing arts (the Small Creative
and Performing Arts colleges scheme,
or SCAPA) or theological and religious
education (the Small Theological and
Religious Education colleges scheme, or
STARE). Providers who wish to find out
more about these schemes and whether
they might be eligible should contact
the BAC office. It will be necessary for
applicants to complete a questionnaire
and return this to BAC in order for their
eligibility to be determined.
1.4.5 Accreditation may be awarded for a period
of up to four years, during which time
the institution will receive an interim
inspection from BAC (see 3.3.3). Before
the end of this period, a full re-inspection
will take place unless the Accreditation
Committee has, exceptionally, approved
an extension of the accreditation period.
If an institution fails to respond to requests
for reapplication documents and agree
to a re-inspection before the end of the
accreditation period, its accreditation will
be deemed to have lapsed.
1.4.6 BAC regards its reports on colleges
as being confidential to itself and to
the college. BAC does not share these
reports with external bodies without the
express permission of the college, unless
such a body has an explicit interest in
10
the college: e.g. the Quality Assurance
Agency (QAA), British Council, the
Open University Validation Services, is a
government regulatory agency (e.g. the
UKBA, Trading Standards), or is a UKBA-
approved accrediting body. By submitting
an application for accreditation the
institution acknowledges and agrees to
these information-sharing protocols.
1.4.7 The institution may publish the inspection
report in its entirety. Sections of the report
may not be selected and published alone.
A short report summary for publicity
purposes can be provided by the BAC
office.
1.4.8 The award of accreditation allows the
institution to display BAC’s Accreditation
Mark and the statement “Accredited
by the British Accreditation Council
for Independent Further and Higher
Education”. A variation of this statement
should be used by non-collegiate,
independent higher education institutions
and those institutions with “approved
candidate for accreditation” status. Further
information can be obtained from the
BAC office. Only those institutions with
accreditation are permitted to use the logo
and statement on their material. The BAC
logo and Accreditation Mark must not be
used on award certificates unless express
permission to do so has been received.
1.5 Maintaining
Accreditation
1.5.1 Following accreditation, institutions are
required to comply with procedures
established to monitor the maintenance of
satisfactory standards (see Section 3.3).
1.5.2 The requirements include:
»» submission of an annual full-time
equivalent (FTE) form
»» the submission of an annual return and
accounts (see Section 3.3.2)
»» the submission of annual student
enrolment, progression and completion
 statistics
»» co-operation in enabling BAC to
respond to any complaint relevant to
accreditation
»» full re-inspection within the stated
period of accreditation (normally four
years).
1.5.3 BAC reserves the right to inspect the
institution and review its accreditation at
any time. Grounds may include:
»» change of ownership or company
registration*
»» change of name*
»» appointment of a new principal/
director*
»» significant changes in the academic
programme*
»» relocation or the acquiring of
additional premises*
»» a serious complaint or evidence to
suggest that the standards observed
during the full inspection are not being
maintained.
*It is the institution’s responsibility to inform BAC,
in good time, when such changes occur.
1.5.4 Accredited institutions are also required
to pay an annual accreditation fee (see
Section 10). Failure to pay the fee within
a stated period will lead BAC to assume
that the institution has withdrawn from
accreditation. One month’s notice of
withdrawal is required. Withdrawal after
the start of the accreditation year (1st
September) will render the institution
liable for pro rata payment of the annual
fee.
1.5.5 While BAC will assess elements of the
institution’s responsibility, it remains the
institution’s responsibility to ensure it
meets all relevant statutory requirements,
along with those enforced by UKBA.
1.6 Suspension or
withdrawal of
Accreditation
1.6.1 BAC’s Accreditation Committee may
determine to withdraw the accreditation
of an institution following consideration
of an adverse inspection report, or other
evidence that the institution has failed
to maintain the standards required for
accreditation or to meet the requirements
for continuing accreditation described in
Section 1.5 above.
1.6.2 The Chairman or Deputy Chairman
of the Accreditation Committee may
authorise the immediate suspension of
the accreditation of an institution on
the grounds of a major breach of BAC’s
regulations. These may include:
»» conviction of the owner(s) or head
of establishment on either civil or
criminal grounds relevant to the good
management of the college
»» bankruptcy, where the institution is
owned by individuals, or insolvency,
where the institution is company
owned
»» failure to provide evidence that the
college requires visa students to meet
their requirements in respect of hours
of organised daytime study and levels
of attendance
»» e nrolling or offering to enrol visa
students onto an academic programme
which does not meet UKBA’s
requirements (see Section 2.2)
»» enrolling or offering to enrol students
onto unauthorised degree programmes
in breach of the Education Reform
Act 1988 or programmes which lead
to degrees awarded by an overseas
body which is not itself accredited by
a recognised accrediting agency (see
Sections 2.4.3 and 2.4.4)
»» failure to respond within reasonable
time to a request from BAC in respect
of a complaint from a student or
11
 external body

»» failure to settle a debt to BAC within a

stated period of time

»» failure to agree to a re-inspection

within the period of accreditation.
The Accreditation Committee at its next
meeting will receive a report of the grounds
for the suspension and the college’s
response, and then may determine to
reinstate or withdraw accreditation or to
maintain the suspension for a further period
to allow the college to take remedial action.
The above list is not exhaustive.

1.6.3 Institutions will continue to appear on

the BAC list of accredited colleges during
the period of suspension, but may be
summarily removed if the withdrawal of
accreditation is subsequently approved by
the Accreditation Committee.

1.6.4 Following a decision by the Accreditation

Committee to withdraw accreditation,
institutions will have the right to make use
of BAC’s Appeals Procedure (see Section
8).

1.6.5 BAC, as part of its mission, maintains

excellent relations with the relevant
government departments, including UKBA.
These are informed of newly accredited
colleges, suspensions and withdrawals of
accreditation. Loss of accreditation may
lead to the loss of a UKBA Licence as a
sponsoring organisation.

12
13
2. Accreditation
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
2.1 Inspections 14
2.2 UK Border Agency (UKBA) Requirements 14
2.3 Student Complaints 16
2.4 Awards and Qualifications 17
2.5 Providers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) 18
2.6 Institutions recognised as schools under Section 162a regulations 18

2.1 Inspections the reason for the inspection is either the

2.1.1 Institutions applying for accreditation or
reaccreditation are required to undergo
inspection by independent inspectors
appointed by BAC. BAC’s inspections are
intended not only to assess whether an
institution should be accredited, but also
to provide advice and support within the
institution’s own framework of quality
management. The method of assessment
is set out in Sections 4, 5 and 6 of this
handbook.
2.1.2 Although BAC is a non-governmental
organisation, its inspections monitor
compliance with legal requirements
in areas which include fire protection,
health and safety, employment law,
child protection, equalities and non-
discrimination, copyright licensing and
observance of visa regulations. However,
accreditation by BAC does not remove the
obligations of an accredited institution
to comply with relevant statutory
requirements and accreditation may be
refused or withdrawn if there is evidence
of non-compliance with an institution’s
legal responsibilities.
2.1.3 BAC reserves the right to carry out a
spot check inspection of an accredited
institution, with or without prior
notification. A charge will be levied where
failure of an institution to respond to a
request for information from BAC, or the
institution having omitted to notify BAC
of significant changes such as a change
of Principal or a re-location (see Section
10.1.5).
2.2 UK Border Agency (UKBA)
Requirements
2.2.1 All education providers receiving students
from outside the European Economic Area
(EEA) will need a UKBA licence to act as
an immigration sponsor. This licensing
process has replaced the Department
for Innovation, Universities and Skills
(now replaced by the Department for
Business, Innovation and Skills) Register
of Education and Training Providers. To
receive a licence, independent education
providers will need to show that they hold
valid accreditation by BAC or another
UKBA-approved accreditation body, along
with meeting other UKBA criteria. Details
of this and other important changes are set
out in full in Appendix G, but the major
elements are summarised below.
2.2.2 The new process, known as the Points
Based System (PBS) or Tier 4 visas, gives
greater protection to colleges enrolling
visa students, in that visas are tied to the
“sponsoring” college. It also places new

14
 responsibilities upon colleges to ensure
that visa requirements are met and that
UKBA is informed when students are
failing to meet those requirements.
2.2.3 Sponsoring education providers will issue
would-be students with a Confirmation
of Acceptance for Studies (CAS). A CAS
is not a guarantee of a visa, but will act
as a guarantee from a licensed education
provider that it wishes to bring a student to
the UK, and that to the best of its knowledge
the student will meet the rules for Tier 4
and will comply with his/her conditions
of stay. It must also provide assurance that
the education provider is confident that
the student is capable of undertaking and
completing the particular course of studies.
2.2.4 There are two possible entry routes for
students:
»» General student visas, which enable
a student to be cleared for a period of
study for up to four years and have work
entitlements
»» Student visitors, who may stay for a non-
extendable period of up to six months and
may not work during their stay.
In either case, the student will only be able
to enrol in a college accredited by BAC or
another body approved by UKBA.
2.2.5 Apart from establishing a new process, the
PBS system imposes new restrictions on
the level of courses which can be offered
to visa students. Please note that UKBA
has stated that in order for an individual
from outside the European Economic Area
to be issued with a student visa they must
have been accepted onto a course leading
to an approved qualification. An approved
qualification is defined as:
»» validated by Royal Charter; or
»» awarded by a recognised body on the
recognised bodies list operated by DIUS
[now BIS] (see link http://www.dcsf.
gov.uk/recognisedukdegrees/index.
cfm?fuseaction=institutes.list); or
»» recognised by one or more recognised
bodies via a formal articulation agreement
with the awarding body;
»» approved at level 3 or above in the
National Qualifications Framework
(NQF) operated by the Qualifications &
Curriculum Authority (QCA); or
»» approved at an equivalent level in
the Scottish Credit & Qualifications
Framework (SCQF); or
»» approved at an equivalent level by the
Qualifications, Curriculum and Assessment
Authority (SQCA) for Wales; or
»» approved at an equivalent level by the
Council for Curriculum, Examinations and
Assessment (CCEA) in Northern Ireland; or
»» an overseas qualification, on which UK
NARIC is able to advise with regard to its
validity, with a level equivalent to level 3
or above on the National Qualifications
Framework.
UKBA will exceptionally accept qualifications
which sit outside of this definition until 31
March 2010. Colleges will thus have until this
date to ensure that all their courses meet these
criteria (please see paragraphs 225 and 226
of the Guidance for Sponsor applications -
Tier 2, Tier 4 and Tier 5 of the Points Based
System for further guidance).
2.2.6 In general terms, an institution which
enrols visa students must satisfy BAC’s
inspectors that it meets the UKBA
definition of a bona fide education
provider. In order to demonstrate this, the
institution must:
»» maintain satisfactory records of enrolment
and attendance of students, and supply
these to UKBA when requested;
»» provide courses which involve a minimum
of 15 hours organised daytime study per
week, excluding breaks;
»» ensure a suitably qualified tutor is present
during the hours of study to offer teaching
and instruction to the students;
15
 2.3 Student Complaints
»» offer courses leading to an approved
2.3.1 It is a condition of continuing
qualification (see Section 2.2.5 above and
accreditation that an institution agrees
Appendix G);
to co-operate promptly with BAC in an
»» employ suitably qualified staff to provide attempt to resolve a complaint received
teaching, guidance and support to the from a present or former student. The
students; complaints procedure is set out in Section
9.
»» provide adequate accommodation,
facilities, staffing levels and equipment to 2.3.2 Failure to respond to BAC’s request for a
support the numbers of students enrolled response to the complaint may lead BAC
at the institution; and to undertake an unannounced spot check
inspection at the institution’s expense
»» if it offers tuition support to external
or, in the case of a serious complaint, to
students at degree level, ensure that such
suspend accreditation until the issue is
students are registered with the UK degree
resolved.
awarding body.
2.3.3 With the agreement of both sides, BAC’s
Further details of the interpretation of these
Chief Executive will offer mediation in an
criteria may be found in Appendix G.
attempt to resolve the issue.
2.2.7 UKBA may request BAC to investigate
2.3.4 Where a complaint is considered to be
and take appropriate action where there
relevant to BAC’s accreditation criteria
are grounds to suspect that an accredited
and, after due investigation, is considered
institution is failing to meet these
to be justified, BAC may require the
requirements. This will normally involve
institution to take appropriate action
an unannounced spot check inspection of
to compensate the complainant as a
the institution. UKBA will be informed of
condition of continuing accreditation.
the outcome of the inspection.

2.2.8 Where the failure to meet visa

requirements is repeated or is considered
to be the result of a deliberate attempt
to circumvent the requirements, BAC’s
Accreditation Committee will withdraw
accreditation, which in turn may lead to
the withdrawal of the institution’s UKBA
licence.

16
2.4 Awards and
Qualifications
2.4.1 BAC does not validate or accredit
qualifications. BAC’s policy is that
institutions should offer courses leading
to external awards granted by recognised
examining bodies. BAC does accept that
there may be instances where there is
no appropriate external awarding body.
Institutions should, however, be aware
that UKBA requires all visa students to
be studying for an approved qualification
from 31 March 2010 onwards (see 2.2.5).
2.4.2 Level and status of internal
awards
BAC’s inspectors will consider the accuracy
of any claims made by institutions as to the
level and status of their internal awards. This
will include a requirement for evidence of
the extent to which the institution’s internal
awards are accepted for the purposes
of employment or further study. BAC
encourages institutions to involve external
moderators in the assessment of students,
but accepts that there may be instances
where this is inappropriate. In the case of
programmes on which visa students are or
may be enrolled, the award must be at NQF
level 3 or above and, by March 2010, be
independently validated by a recognised
body (see Section 2.2.5 and Appendix G).
2.4.3 Degrees
It is an offence under the Education Reform
Act 1988 (Section 214) for an institution based
in the UK to offer or grant an award which
is “described as a degree” unless it has had
degree-awarding powers officially bestowed
upon it. Before a private institution can offer
courses leading to degrees it must enter
into a formal partnership agreement with a
recognised UK degree awarding body or an
overseas body which has accredited degree-
awarding powers. Providers must clearly
state the awarding university on all publicity
material. Furthermore, providers should not
advertise pathways to a degree as a degree
award.
2.4.4 Overseas Degrees
2.4.4.1 BAC will not grant accreditation to
institutions or maintain the accreditation of
institutions which offer courses leading to
overseas degrees unless the awarding body is
itself accredited by a recognised accrediting
agency. This would normally be a national
agency or, in the case of US degrees, a
body recognised by the US Council for
Higher Education Accreditation. Accredited
colleges considering entry into a partnership
enabling the offer of degree programmes
are strongly recommended to contact BAC
to ensure that the awarding body meets
BAC’s requirements. Institutions offering
programmes to visa students which lead to
the award of overseas qualifications should
provide evidence that UK NARIC considers
that they meet the requirements of UKBA
(see Section 2.2.5 and Appendix G).
2.4.4.2 Institutions offering courses leading to
degrees awarded by an overseas body
should be aware that the Education Reform
Act 1988 also specifies that an offence
will be committed unless “it is shown that
the defendant took reasonable steps to
inform the person to whom the award was
granted or any member of the public or
particular individual to whom the offer or
invitation was addressed that the award
was not granted or to be granted by a
United Kingdom institution” (214 (4)). Thus
publicity material must state the location of
the awarding university.
17
2.5 Providers of English as
a Foreign Language (efl)
2.5.1 BAC does not itself accredit institutions
which are solely or predominantly
providers of English as a Foreign Language
(EFL) course/programmes. This includes
any provider which, while legally a
division of a BAC-accredited institution,
is essentially a separate organisation
and is being promoted separately and
under a different name. BAC has taken
the view that it is more appropriate
for such providers to be accredited by
Accreditation UK (operated by the British
Council in partnership with English UK).
2.5.2 In cases where the EFL provision has
been accredited by Accreditation UK,
BAC’s inspection will be largely restricted
to items relevant to non-EFL academic
programmes (including teaching and
academic management, procedures and
resources), although the adequacy of
the relationship between EFL and other
programmes will be considered where
EFL is offered as an ancillary subject.
Institutions wishing to be considered
for inspection within these procedures
should inform the Chief Executive at
the time of applying for accreditation or
reaccreditation.
18
2.6 Institutions
Recognised as Schools
under Section 162a
Regulations
2.6.1 Institutions which have received an
inspection (normally by Ofsted or the
Independent Schools Inspectorate) under
the section 162a regulations (Education
Act 2003) for independent schools may be
eligible to receive a top-up inspection by
BAC.
2.6.2 In addition to providing the Accreditation
Committee with current information on the
institution, BAC’s top-up inspection will
focus upon two major areas:
»» the institution’s response to any
deficiencies identified in the section 162a
report
»» an evaluation of elements of the
institution’s provision which lie outside the
section 162a criteria. These are likely to
include:
»» specific academic and pastoral
requirements of mature overseas
students
»» academic programmes which fall
outside Ofqual guidelines (such as
University Foundation Programmes or
IELTS preparation)
»» observance of visa requirements
»» advice on entry to higher education.
2.6.3 The extent of the inspection and the size
of the inspection team will be dependent
on the extent to which the section 162a
criteria involve an assessment of the
institution’s full provision.
19
3. Accreditation Processes
3.1 The Period of Accreditation 20
3.2 New Applications for Accreditation 20
3.3 Continuing Accreditation 24
3.1 The Period of
Accreditation
3.1.1 Accreditation will normally be awarded
for a period of four years, during which
time institutions will receive an interim
inspection. A full re-inspection will
take place before the end of the period,
unless the Accreditation Committee has
agreed exceptionally to an extension
of the accreditation period. This will
normally only be on the grounds of an
impending major change to premises,
management or academic programme. If
an institution fails to respond to requests
for re-application documents and to agree
to a re-inspection within the accreditation
period, the Committee may determine that
its accreditation has lapsed.
3.1.2 The Committee may decide that it would
be appropriate to award accreditation for
an initial period shorter than four years.
This will normally only occur where the
institution is anticipating or has recently
experienced a major change in its
provision or is allowed a period to address
an identified deficiency before a decision
is taken on accreditation for the full four-
year period. Under these circumstances,
the Accreditation Committee will require
an early interim inspection to enable it to
determine whether accreditation should
be extended for the normal full period or
whether it would be appropriate to require
a further full inspection before the end of
the initial period of accreditation.
20
3.2 New Applications for
Accreditation
3.2.1 Institutions considering an application
for accreditation should download the
Accreditation Handbook, the Guide to
Accreditation and an application form
from the BAC website. Hard copies of
these documents are also available for free
as a pack from the BAC office.
3.2.2 BAC’s initial inspection procedure for new
applicants has two main purposes:
»» to allow for a thorough assessment of
applicants
»» to provide a filtering mechanism which
identifies elements which might prevent
the award of accreditation, so enabling
institutions to avoid the cost of a full
inspection until they have rectified them.
Please note that not all deficiencies can
be identified at this stage. An inspection is
required to assess the provision in full.
3.2.3 There are three stages in the inspection
process:
»» Stage 1: scrutiny of documentation
»» Stage 2: inspection of a new institution,
focusing upon compliance with statutory
requirements and BAC’s minimum
standards. If the outcome is favourable,
an institution will become an “approved
candidate for BAC accreditation” for
a period of up to six months. UKBA
will accept this as qualifying the new
institution to be considered for a licence as
an immigration sponsor (see Section 2.2),
provided that it has been operating for
fewer than 18 months.
 »» Stage 3: inspection focusing on the
educational provision and the institution’s
procedures to monitor and enhance the
quality of its provision. Full accreditation
may be awarded after this stage.
This procedure will be normal for all
newly established colleges, although
where a college is clearly well established
it may be acceptable to combine stages
2 and 3 as a single full inspection. Please
note that BAC will make the final decision
as to whether separate or combined stages
2 and 3 inspections will take place.
3.2.4 In more detail, the stages are as follows:
Stage 1:
»» Each institution wishing to apply for
accreditation will submit an application
form and required supporting
documentation (see Section 6).
»» A formal evaluation process will be
undertaken by BAC staff, with further
investigation through Companies House,
bank and personal references, and scrutiny
of websites and other publicity material.
»» Institutions will be contacted if the
required documentation is incomplete, if
there are discrepancies in the information,
or if elements of the provision do not meet
BAC’s requirements.
»» There will be no further progress until
these matters have been satisfactorily
resolved.
»» A non-refundable fee is required.
»» Applications will remain live for up to six
months. Should the application not be
considered complete within this period a
new submission will be required.
Stage 2
»» The institution will be contacted to
arrange a date for an inspection. It should
be noted that BAC is required to give its
inspectors at least three weeks’ notice of
an inspection.
»» This will normally be a one-day inspection,
although this may vary according to the
size of the institution or the number of
sites at which it operates.
»» A deposit will be required. If the
institution cancels the inspection at a
time which results in unrecoverable costs
(such as travel tickets, hotel bookings or
compensation to inspectors), these costs
will be offset against the deposit; otherwise
the deposit will be set against the full costs
of the inspection. Furthermore, should
less than two weeks’ notice be given
of cancellation or postponement, BAC
will charge £75 per inspector per day in
addition to any other unrecoverable costs.
»» The inspection will concentrate
on premises and health and safety,
management, staffing and administration,
and student welfare (see Sections 5.1 to
5.3 below), as well as making an initial
assessment of academic resources in
the light of the institution’s advertised
academic programme. It will not normally
involve classroom observation.
»» If the institution offers its own awards or
overseas qualifications, the inspection will
include an assessment of whether these
meet UKBA’s requirements (see 2.2.5 and
Appendix G).
»» The inspection report will be evaluated
by a sub-committee of the Accreditation
Committee. The sub-committee can
make one of three decisions: award
the “approved candidate for BAC
accreditation” status, defer a decision
for up to six months until a number of
requirements have been met, or refuse to
accredit. If successful, institutions will be
awarded “approved candidate for BAC
accreditation” status for a limited period
(normally not more than six months).
»» If a decision is deferred, the sub-committee
will require that, within six months, the
institution provides documentary evidence
of action taken in response to concerns
21
 expressed in the inspection report, and/
or require a supplementary inspection to
be undertaken at the institution’s expense
before “approved candidate for BAC
accreditation” status is awarded.
»» If an institution is not awarded “approved
candidate for BAC accreditation” status, it
will be given the reasons for the decision,
and will have the right to appeal and
require the report to be reviewed by a full
meeting of the Accreditation Committee.
»» While institutions which are refused
accreditation are free to re-apply, BAC
reserves the right to set a minimum time
period which must elapse before a re-
application can be accepted.
»» An inspection fee will be charged, and
the outcome of the assessment of the
institution will not be released until the fee
has been received.
Stage 3:
»» The institution will be contacted to arrange
a date for a further inspection. Failure
on the part of the institution to agree a
date within the stated period of initial
accreditation will lead to its “approved
candidate for BAC accreditation” status
lapsing unless, exceptionally, the
Accreditation Committee agrees to allow
an extension.
»» The inspection will focus on academic
matters and quality management (see
Sections 5.4. and 5.5 below), but will also
involve a spot check of statutory matters
covered in stage 2 and of any other issues
of concern expressed in the stage 2 report.
»» The size of the inspection team will
depend on the size and diversity of the
academic programme, but will normally
involve at least two inspectors.
»» The inspection report will be considered
by BAC’s Accreditation Committee.
The Committee can make one of three
22
decisions: award accreditation for a
designated period, defer a decision
for up to six months until a number of
requirements have been met, or withdraw/
refuse accreditation.
»» If successful, accreditation will normally
be awarded for the remainder of the four-
year period.
»» If the Committee does not consider
it appropriate to award accreditation
for the full period, it may extend the
institution’s “approved candidate for BAC
accreditation” status for a shorter period
(not normally more than six months) to
allow the institution to respond to the
matters of concern expressed in the report,
and will require a further inspection at the
institution’s expense before taking a final
decision.
»» Alternatively, the Committee may
determine that accreditation should be
withdrawn. In this event, the institution
will have the right to appeal (see Section
8).
»» As stated above, while institutions which
are refused accreditation are free to
re-apply, BAC reserves the right to set a
minimum time period which must elapse
before a re-application can be accepted.
»» An inspection fee will be charged, and
the outcome of the assessment of the
institution will not be released until the fee
has been received.
Combined stageS 2 and 3 inspections:
»» When an institution has been operating
for 12 months or more, BAC will normally
consider it most appropriate to conduct a
combined stages 2 and 3 inspection.
»» A deposit will be required. If the
institution cancels the inspection at a
time which results in unrecoverable costs
(such as travel tickets, hotel bookings or
compensation to inspectors), these costs
 will be offset against the deposit; otherwise
the deposit will be set against the full costs
of the inspection. Furthermore, should
less than two weeks’ notice be given
of cancellation or postponement, BAC
will charge £75 per inspector per day in
addition to any other unrecoverable costs.
»» The inspection will focus on the five areas
detailed in Section 5.
»» The size of the inspection team will
depend on the size and diversity of the
3.2.6 While BAC is not able to provide any
academic programme, but will normally
involve two inspectors over two days.
»» The Committee can make one of three
decisions: award accreditation, defer
a decision for up to six months until a
number of requirements have been met, or
refuse accreditation.
»» If successful, accreditation is normally
awarded for a four-year period.
»» If a decision is deferred, the Committee
will require the institution to provide
documentary evidence of action taken
in response to the report requirements
and/or a supplementary inspection to be
undertaken at the institution’s expense.
»» If accreditation is refused, the reasons
will be clearly explained in the inspection
report. The institution will have the right to
appeal against the decision (see Section 8).
»» As stated above, while institutions which
are refused accreditation are free to
re-apply, BAC reserves the right to set a
minimum time period which must elapse
before a re-application can be accepted.
»» An inspection fee will be charged, and
the outcome of the assessment of the
institution will not be released until the fee
has been received.
3.2.5 All newly accredited institutions will
receive an interim inspection within twelve
months of the award of accreditation,
following stage 3 of these procedures.
BAC also reserves the right to make
unannounced spot check inspections
to accredited colleges at any time (see
Section 2.1.3 above). If either the interim
inspection or a spot check provides reason
to believe that the standards observed at
the full inspection are no longer being
maintained, the Accreditation Committee
may require a further inspection to be
undertaken at the institution’s expense and
may determine to suspend accreditation
until the inspection report has been
received.
guarantee regarding the length of time
taken following receipt of an application
to the institution receiving notification of a
decision, the following should be borne in
mind:
»» applications will be acknowledged on
receipt. The application will normally
be reviewed within four weeks. Should
documents be missing or clarification
required the BAC office will contact the
institution; this will cause delay
»» complete applications are considered by
the Chief Inspector and a decision on the
size and composition of the inspection
team made
»» once an application has been signed off by
the Chief Inspector, the institution will be
asked to suggest suitable inspection dates.
The inspection should be conducted on
days when the largest sample of teaching
(assuming the inspection will be stage 3 or
stages 2 and 3 combined) can be observed.
BAC is required to give its inspectors at
least three weeks’ notice of an inspection
»» following the inspection, BAC expects to
receive the report within two weeks. This is
reviewed in the office before being sent to
the Accreditation Committee at least two
weeks prior to the next meeting
»» the Accreditation Committee meets at least
six times a year. An institution will receive
notification of the Committee’s decision in
writing in the five working days following
the meeting.
23
3.3 Continuing
Accreditation
3.3.1 As a condition of continuing accreditation,
institutions are required to meet a
number of requirements. Failure to
meet these requirements may lead the
Accreditation Committee to order a spot
check inspection to the institution at the
institution’s expense or, after due warning,
to suspend or withdraw accreditation.
3.3.2 Annual return
»» Accredited institutions are required to
submit an annual return by 1 November
each year and to alert BAC to any
significant changes which may affect
3.3.3 Interim Inspections
the standards of provision offered by the
institution. Where significant changes
have occurred, a BAC representative
may inspect the institution and prepare a
report for the Accreditation Committee.
The return will include the following
information:
»» a declaration of financial viability by the
principal/director (the return should be
accompanied by the most recent statutory
accounts)
»» details of any significant changes in the
ownership, management, location or
academic programme. BAC may require a
personal reference for a newly appointed
principal/director
»» details of courses offered in the previous
year, including numbers enrolled on each
course, cohort progression, numbers
completing and pass rates in any
examinations taken
»» a list of courses offered in the current
academic year, including the level of
the course in relation to the National
Qualifications Framework and the name of
the awarding body
3.3.4 Re-inspections
»» an outline of planned developments
3.3.4.1 All institutions are subject to full
»» details of any litigation involving the
24
institution
»» a declaration that the institution meets
statutory requirements in respect of
students subject to visa requirements. If, at
a future stage, the Accreditation Committee
considers there to be convincing evidence
that this was not the case, BAC may
withdraw accreditation immediately
»» a declaration that the institution is
happy for information to be shared with
regulatory bodies, QAA, Open University
Validation Services, the British Council
or any other UKBA-approved accrediting
body, in pursuit of their proper monitoring
objectives.
Except in the case of newly accredited
institutions, which normally receive an interim
inspection within 12 months of accreditation,
an interim inspection will be arranged during
the second year after each full inspection.
The Accreditation Committee may require
an earlier inspection to be made in the light
of reported concerns or significant changes.
The interim inspection is designed to ensure
that the standards required for accreditation
are being maintained and to provide an
opportunity to discuss any changes which
have taken place since the full inspection
or which are in prospect, including the
institution’s response to the recommendations
or requirements of the most recent inspection
report. The interim inspection will include an
examination of the institution’s observance of
visa and other statutory requirements where
these are relevant. Any areas of concern will
be reported to the Accreditation Committee
and this may, in extreme cases, lead to a
further inspection at the institution’s expense
as a condition of continuing accreditation,
or to the suspension or withdrawal of
accreditation.
re-inspection every four years. Accreditation
 may be extended for a period, normally of
no more than one year, if the Accreditation
Committee believes that there are grounds
to postpone the inspection. These would
normally involve significant changes which
were planned or had recently taken place.
The procedure for the inspection will be:
»» submission of an application form and
required documentation
»» payment of a deposit. If the institution
cancels the inspection at a time which
results in unrecoverable costs (such
as travel tickets, hotel bookings or
compensation to inspectors), these
costs will be offset against the deposit;
otherwise the deposit will be set
against the full costs of the inspection.
Furthermore, should less than two
weeks’ notice be given of cancellation or
postponement, BAC will charge £75 per
inspector per day in addition to any other
unrecoverable costs
of recommendations for consideration by the
institution. In some cases, BAC may defer the
award of accreditation or reaccreditation,
pending confirmation from the institution that
specific deficiencies have been rectified or
may award accreditation for a period shorter
than the normal four years. BAC may then
require a further inspection at the institution’s
own expense before reaccreditation for the
full period is awarded. Accreditation would
continue during a period of deferral.
3.3.4.4 Unsatisfactory Grades
Where an unsatisfactory grade has been
awarded by the inspectors for any of the
five areas assessed during the inspection but
accreditation has, nevertheless, been awarded,
the Chief Executive will warn the institution
that, if the same grade is awarded at the next
inspection, reaccreditation is likely to be
deferred and possibly withdrawn.

»» a full inspection, led by a reporting

inspector. This will normally involve
a minimum of two inspectors, but the
number of inspectors and the length of
the inspection will depend on the size
of the institution and the diversity of its
operation.

3.3.4.2 Accreditation Committee

Following inspections, the inspection report

will be considered by the Accreditation
Committee, which will make the decision, on
behalf of the Council, on whether to award
continuing accreditation. The Chief Executive
will inform the institution of the Committee’s
decision and will send the principal/
director a copy of the report, together with
an accreditation certificate if continuing
accreditation has been awarded.

3.3.4.3 Recommendations and

requirements

The report will normally contain a number

25
4. Inspection Procedures
ORGANISATION
4.1 - 4.2 Inspection team 26
4.3 - 4.5 Preparing for an Inspection 26
4.6 - 4.7 Scope of the Inspection 27
inspection team
4.1 Except in the case of some institutions
being considered under stage 2 of the
procedures for new applicants (see
Section 3.2.4 above), and some small
institutions undergoing a stages 2 and 3
combined inspection, BAC will appoint at
least two inspectors for each inspection,
one of whom will be the reporting
inspector (RI) who will be responsible for
determining the schedule of the inspection
and for producing the final report for
consideration by the Accreditation
Committee.
4.2 BAC’s inspectors are required to sign
a declaration identifying any potential
conflicts of interest. They are required
to observe confidentiality as to both the
process and the outcome of an inspection.
Institutions will be informed before the
inspection of the names of the inspectors.
PREPARING FOR AN
INSPECTION
4.3 Institutions are asked to inform staff
that an inspection is taking place and,
if possible, to arrange an initial meeting
with staff so that inspectors can introduce
themselves and describe what will be
taking place.
4.4 It will be the inspectors’ intention to
avoid disruption of the institution’s normal
activities as far as possible during the
inspection. The institution is therefore
26
asked to provide a suggested timetable
of meetings with key personnel, together
with a full timetable for classes taking
place during the inspection. The RI will
take these into account when allocating
the inspection team’s time. However, the
RI will be responsible for producing the
inspection timetable to ensure it accords
with other commitments and meets the
needs of the inspection team.
4.5 BAC reserves the right to cancel the
inspection or change the date or inspectors
prior to the commencement of the
inspection. Please note that BAC would
only make such changes once all other
options had been exhausted and where it
would be impossible or detrimental to go
ahead with the inspection as planned. If
the institution gives less than two weeks’
notice of cancellation or changes to the
date of the inspection, it is liable to pay
a fixed fee of £75 per inspector, per day
to cover inspectors’ cancellation fees and
administration costs, as well as any further
costs already incurred by inspectors, e.g.
travel costs, hotel bookings, etc. If the
institution gives more than two weeks’
notice of cancellation or changes to
the date of the inspection, there is no
cancellation fee, but the institution is
liable for any costs already incurred by the
inspectors.
 Scope of the inspection marked student work

»» a detailed survey of the library and

4.6 The purpose of the inspection is not only
to assess what can be observed during
the days of the inspection, but also
to consider evidence that satisfactory
standards are likely to be maintained in
the longer term. Some of this assessment
will be based on documentation supplied
before the inspection, enabling the
RI to identify areas central to quality
management which will be explored in
later interviews with key staff. These are
likely to include:
»» the quality and stability of the
academic and managerial staff
»» the procedures established by the
institution to monitor student progress
and attendance and to respond to
apparent underperformance
other academic resources
»» a meeting with a representative group
of students
»» observation of a representative sample
of classes. Where possible, inspectors
will offer their informal comments to
staff members after the observation
»» a final meeting with the principal/
director to give an informal report on
the findings of the inspection. This
will not indicate whether the outcome
will lead to the accreditation of the
institution, since the final decision
on this lies entirely with BAC’s
Accreditation Committee.

»» the institution’s response to comments

made by external examiners or
moderators

»» the institution’s procedures for staff

development and appraisal

»» any other procedures established by

the institution to monitor and enhance
its performance.

4.7 While the exact nature of an inspection

is likely to vary according to the size and
complexity of the academic programme,
there are elements which are common to
all inspections:

»» introductory meeting with staff (at least

members of the management team)

»» an initial tour of the institution

»» individual meetings with key academic

and managerial staff

»» a study of a representative sample of

27
5. Inspection Procedures
ASSESSMENT
Introduction 28
5.1 Premises and Health and Safety 30
5.2 Management, Staffing and Administration 32
5.3 Student Welfare 34
5.4 Teaching, Learning and Assessment 36
5.5 Management of Quality 38
5.6 Non-collegiate Accreditation 40

Introduction These grades are removed from inspection reports

This section is intended to enable institutions to
gain a clearer understanding of the likely scope of
an inspection and of the specific items assessed
by BAC’s inspectors. Institutions are encouraged to
use this section as a basis for self-evaluation ahead
of the inspection itself. In addition to meeting
BAC’s own requirements, accredited institutions
are required to satisfy BAC inspectors that they
fully observe statutory requirements in areas
such as health and safety, employment, copyright
protection, equal opportunities, observance of visa
regulations and child protection. Accreditation will
not be awarded to institutions which fail to meet
these requirements.
The areas assessed by BAC’s inspectors are
grouped under five headings, and, at the end of an
inspection, the inspectors will allocate a grade to
each section:
»» premises and health and safety
»» management, staffing and
administration
»» student welfare
before they are sent to colleges, but are used in
the Accreditation Committee’s decision-making
process.
The grades awarded are based on the following
definitions:
A: Very good level of provision
B: Good level of provision with a number of
significant strengths
C: Satisfactory level of all-round provision
D: Provision which generally meets the
requirements for accreditation, but has
a number of weaknesses which must be
remedied in the immediate future as a
condition of accreditation
E: Unsatisfactory provision because of
significant weaknesses or breach of statutory
regulations
F: Unacceptable level of provision,
with serious identified deficiencies and
weaknesses

»» teaching, learning and assessment These grades are used in the Accreditation
Committee’s decision-making process as follows:
»» management of quality
»» As a minimum, institutions are
required to gain at least a C grade
28
 in each of the five sections if they are
to receive unqualified accreditation for
the full period of four years. Where an
institution fails to achieve this level, the
Accreditation Committee may award
accreditation for a period of less than the
full four years, may defer a decision on
accreditation until the institution has had
time to address the identified weaknesses,
may refuse to award accreditation to a
new applicant or withdraw or suspend the
accreditation of an institution which had
previously been accredited.
members with responsibility for the areas indicated,
it will be assumed that the principal/director or
nominated head of the institution fulfils the roles.
Sections 5.1, 5.2 and 5.3 will form the basis of the
inspection required as stage 2 of the assessment of
new applicants for accreditation who have yet to enrol
students; sections 5.4 and 5.5 will form the basis of
the stage 3 inspection, although this stage will also
involve some spot checking of items inspected at
stage 2. Detailed notes on the interpretation of the
minimum requirements can be found in BAC’s Guide
to Accreditation.

»» A college which fails to receive a C or

higher grade for any section, but still
receives accreditation, will be warned
that accreditation is unlikely to be granted
after the next inspection unless a C grade
(or better) is awarded for that section.

»» The award of an E or F grade for any

section or a D grade for management
of quality or teaching, learning and
assessment will normally lead to the
refusal or withdrawal of accreditation.
However, the Accreditation Committee
may defer a decision on accreditation
for a stated period, during which time
the institution will be required to rectify
the specific deficiencies identified by
the inspectors. Should these matters
not be addressed then it is likely that
accreditation will be withdrawn or
refused.

Failure to meet the minimum requirements listed at

the beginning of each section will mean that it is
very likely that a grade of D, E or F will be awarded.
Detailed descriptions of the areas included in the five
sections follow.

As well as the list of minimum requirements,

each section includes a list of documents which
the inspectors will wish to see as part of their
evaluation. Some of these must be included with
the initial application form; others should be made
available during the inspection. Section 6 sets out
the requirements in detail. Each section also lists the
staff who should be available for interview on topics
relevant to that section, although it is accepted that
some may be unavoidably absent. If there are no staff

29
5.1 Premises and Health and Safety

Minimum requirements
BAC’s inspectors must be satisfied that:

»» The institution has secure tenure on its premises

»» The premises provide a safe and clean environment for students and staff
»» Statutory requirements in relation to fire, health and safety are met
»» Classrooms provide adequate accommodation for the class sizes allocated to them
»» Classrooms, laboratories and any other specialised areas are equipped to a level which allows for the
efficient delivery of the academic programme
»» There are specific safety rules in areas of particular hazard (in Science laboratories, for instance), and
that these are made readily available to students and staff

Documentation required Staff to be interviewed

(where relevant) during inspection of this section during inspection of this section

»» Health and safety declaration by the »» Principal

principal/director or owner
»» Nominated safety officer
»» Health and safety poster in each of the
»» Safety officer for areas of hazard
premises occupied
»» First aiders
»» Health and safety policy
»» Maintenance/facilities manager
»» General and fire risk assessment and
evidence of action taken to respond to
recommendations

»» Certification of first aiders

»» Safety rules applicable to areas of hazard

»» Class registers

»» A floor plan of each site being inspected,

with a guide to the location of offices and
classrooms

30
Areas Assessed 5.1.4 Academic facilities
»» Classrooms
5.1.1 General
»» IT facilities
»» Tenure
»» Specialised areas (laboratories,
»» External: location, signage, workshops etc)
building
»» Quiet study areas
»» Security
»» Standard of maintenance and 5.1.5 External Premises
cleanliness (if used)
»» Heating and ventilation »» Academic
»» Circulation space »» Non-academic
»» Reception area »» Transport arrangements
»» Signposting
5.1.6 Health and Safety
»» Noticeboards
See Appendix B
»» Toilets
»» Fire precautions
»» Fire risk assessment
5.1.2 Student Facilities
»» General risk assessment
»» Storage (lockers etc)
»» First aid
»» Common room
»» Areas of particular hazard
»» Cafeteria
»» Health and safety policy
»» Access to IT
»» Health and safety management
»» Recreation areas
(general risk assessment, H&S
committee etc.)
5.1.3 Staff Facilities
»» Staff room
»» Work space
»» Access to IT
»» Individual offices: senior
management, academic staff
»» Administrative offices

31
5.2 Management, Staffing and administration

Minimum Requirements
BAC’s inspectors must be satisfied that:

»» The institution is effectively managed

»» The administration of the institution is effective
»» Statutory requirements in relation to employment are met
»» Statutory duties in relation to equalities and non-discrimination are enforced across the full range of
the institution’s provision
»» Staff have an appropriate level of experience and qualifications
»» Attendance and punctuality are recorded and monitored
»» The institution complies with UKBA requirements
»» Entry requirements for each course are clearly stated and institutions take reasonable steps to ensure
that students accepted for enrolment meet these requirements
»» There are satisfactory procedures for the administration of examinations and other means of
assessment
»» Publicity material gives a comprehensive and accurate description of the institution and its academic
programme
»» There is no breach of copyright regulations
»» The institution complies with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 2003

Documentation required
(where relevant) during inspection of this section

»» Organogram or outline description of the »» Sample contracts for academic and non-
management structure academic staff

»» CVs for all senior staff »» Employers’ liability insurance certificate

»» Evidence of academic staff qualifications »» Minutes of staff meetings

»» Timetables for all classes »» Copies of prospectuses and other publicity

material
»» Class registers
»» Student application forms
»» A full list of students currently enrolled
in the institution, giving dates of birth »» Course descriptions
and identifying those subject to visa
»» Briefing materials for agents
requirements
»» CLA licence
»» Correspondence with students and UKBA
concerning attendance »» Details of any current or pending litigation
relevant to accreditation

32
Areas Assessed 5.2.5 Employment
See Appendix C
5.2.1 Senior Management »» Contracts
»» Role of owners, trustees, governing »» Disciplinary and Grievance
body etc. procedures
»» Management structure »» Staff records
»» Principal »» Employers’ Liability insurance
»» Other senior managers 5.2.6 EQUALITIES AND
»» Effectiveness of management NON-DISCRIMINATION

»» Communication with non-senior staff »» Equal treatment policy

»» Monitoring arrangements
5.2.2 Academic Staff
»» Appointment procedures »» Procedures for students, staff and
others to raise complaints about equal
»» Verification of qualifications treatment issues
»» Appropriateness of qualifications
and experience in the context of 5.2.7 Registration
programmes offered
»» Response to enquiries
»» Balance between full-time and part-
time »» Application Form
»» Staff turnover »» Statement of entry requirements
»» Verification of student qualifications
5.2.3 Academic Management
»» Briefing of agents
»» Student attendance and punctuality
»» Timetabling and room allocation 5.2.8 Publicity
See Appendix A
»» Visa requirements
»» Prospectuses
»» Procedures for the acquisition of
academic resources »» Website
»» Subject/area management »» Other material
»» Examination administration
5.2.9 Copyright
See Appendix F
5.2.4 Administrative Staff
»» CLA licence
»» Structure, size and effectiveness of
administration »» Observance of copyright restrictions

Staff to be interviewed
during inspection of this section

»» Principal »» Examinations officer

»» Academic managers »» Marketing manager
»» Senior administrator

33
5.3 Student Welfare

Minimum Requirements
BAC’s inspectors must be satisfied that:

»» Students receive an appropriate level of pastoral support, taking into account factors such as their
age, abode and countries of origin
»» Specifically in the case of students from overseas, the institution provides an appropriate level of
advice and assistance
»» Where there are students under the age of 18 or vulnerable adults, the institution meets the
requirements of the Child Protection Act 1999, the Education Act 2002 and the Safeguarding
Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, in relation to checks on the employment of staff
»» Where the institution enrols students with special needs, an appropriate level of support or
provision is available, and that the institution has responded to the requirements of the Disability
Discrimination Acts 1995 and 2005
»» If the institution offers residential accommodation, it is clean, safe and open to inspection by the
appropriate authorities and that a level of supervision is provided appropriate to the needs of the
students
»» If the institution organises homestay accommodation for students, it is inspected before students are
placed and is subject to regular re-inspection

Documentation required Staff to be interviewed

(where relevant) during inspection of this section during inspection of this section

»» Student induction packs »» Accommodation and welfare officer

»» Criminal Records Bureau disclosure »» Residential staff

records
»» Staff responsible for any social or sporting
»» Child protection policy provision

»» Rules relating to residential »» Meeting with representative group of

accommodation students

»» Commission for Social Care

Inspectorate/Ofsted report on residential
accommodation

»» Advice to homestay students and providers

»» Records of homestay inspections

»» Disability strategy

34
Areas Assessed
5.3.1 General:
»» Qualifications and experience of staff
dealing with student welfare
»» Pre- and post-arrival advice and
induction
»» Out-of-hours contact
»» Advice and counselling
5.3.2 Overseas Students:
»» Pre-arrival information
»» Advice on living in UK
»» Registration for NHS treatment
»» Help with banking, travel cards etc.
»» Police registration and visa renewals
»» A
ccess to speakers of their own first
language
»» Awareness of cultural/religious issues
»» Policies to avoid discrimination
5.3.4 Residential Accommodation:
See Appendix D, 4
»» Inspection by Ofsted or other
regulatory body
»» Standard of accommodation
»» Rules and supervision
»» Fire and safety
5.3.5 Homestay:
See Appendix D, 5
»» Selection of providers
»» Advice to providers
»» Advice to students
»» Monitoring and troubleshooting
»» Travel
5.3.6 Social Programme:
»» Responsiveness to student needs/
wishes
»» Costs

5.3.7 Special Needs:

5.3.3 Child Protection:
See Appendix D, 1 »» Academic support for dyslexia etc
»» CRB disclosure »» D
isability
See Appendix E
»» Child protection policy

5.3.8 Student Opinion:

»» R
eport of meeting with representative
student group

35
5.4 TEACHING, LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT

Minimum requirements:
BAC’s inspectors must be satisfied that:

»» The courses are planned and delivered in ways which offer students a reasonable chance of success
»» Teachers have an acceptable level of subject knowledge and pedagogic skills
»» Teachers respond to the individual learning needs of students
»» Students are enabled to prepare for target examinations
»» Students receive quality feedback on their performance and progress
»» Students have reasonable access to appropriate resources for study either within the institution or
externally
»» There is appropriate provision of advice for students going on to employment or higher/further
education

Documentation required Staff to be interviewed

(where relevant) during inspection of this section during inspection of this section

»» Student application forms »» Principal

»» Course descriptions »» Academic managers (e.g. Academic
»» Briefing materials for agents Vice-Principal, Director of Studies,
Heads of Department)
»» Student files
»» Registrar/admissions secretary
»» Sample placement tests
»» Records of student progress and completion
»» Records of examination results
»» Documents relating to external moderation
»» Copies of agreements with awarding bodies
»» Student feedback material
»» Staff appraisal procedures
»» Student Handbook
»» Staff Handbook
»» Internal quality assurance documentation
»» External quality assurance documentation
(ISO, IIP etc.)

36
Areas Assessed 5.4.4 Learning Materials:
»» Wallcharts or other classroom material
5.4.1 Curriculum:
»» Audio-visual materials and handouts
»» Planning in the classroom
»» Coordination »» Textbooks or course materials
»» Definition/awareness of learning »» Use of classroom resources
outcomes
»» Independent study resources within
»» Assessment institution
»» Secondary material »» External study resources
»» Monitoring and coordination of
coursework delivery 5.4.5 Ancillary Programmes:
»» English language
5.4.2 Effectiveness of Teaching:
»» Study skills
»» Lesson plans
»» Independent learning
»» Lesson delivery
»» Responsiveness to lack of 5.4.6 Higher Education and Careers
understanding on part of students Advice:
»» Responsiveness to needs of non-native »» UCAS guidance
speakers
»» Specific subject areas (e.g. medicine,
»» Command of subject dentistry)
»» Focus on learning outcomes
»» Disruptive behaviour
»» Involvement of all students in active
participation
»» Assessment
»» Staff availability outside the classroom

5.4.3 Written Assignments:

»» Policy on setting written work
»» Effectiveness of marking
»» Feedback on written work
»» Plagiarism policy and procedures

37
5.5 management of quality

Minimum Requirements:
BAC’s inspectors must be satisfied that:

»» The institution has effective systems to monitor its own standards

»» Students are adequately briefed on the nature and requirements of the courses for which they enrol
»» Student progress is effectively monitored, and that the monitoring is linked to procedures to allow for
prompt intervention where appropriate
»» The institution has a means of assessing the views of students and clients
»» Students have access to a fair complaints procedure
»» In the case of internal awards, there is a clear statement of the NQF level claimed and evidence that
students who received the award meet the stated requirements for that level
»» Students have the means of appealing against assessment marks or grades in the case of internal
awards
»» The requirements of the Education Reform Act 1988 in relation to the offer or award of degrees are
fully observed
»» Where programmes lead to the award of a degree, the awarding body itself is nationally accredited
or, in the case of US degrees, accredited by a body recognised by the Council for Higher Education
Accreditation (www.chea.org)

Documentation required Staff to be interviewed

(where relevant) during inspection of this section during inspection of this section

»» Timetables »» Teachers

»» Course descriptions »» Academic managers

»» Course plans »» Staff responsible for careers/UCAS advice

»» Lesson plans »» Librarian

»» Samples of marked student work

38
Areas Assessed External Awards:

»» E vidence of relationship with

5.5.1 Student Enrolment
awarding body
»» Course descriptions »» Evidence that the awards meet UKBA
»» S tatement of entry requirements/ requirements (if available to visa
criteria students)
»» P
re-enrolment interviews or other »» Moderation by awarding body
form of communication »» I n the case of degree programmes,
»» Testing on arrival status of awarding body
»» Policy on deposits/refunds »» O
bservance of requirements of the
Education Reform Act 1988
»» R
emedial action if enrolment proves
inappropriate
5.5.4 Student Feedback:
5.5.2 Student progress and assessment: »» Questionnaires
»» P
olicy on testing or other assessment »» Student representation
procedures during a course »» Access to senior management
»» Target setting »» Responsiveness of senior management
»» M
onitoring of progress by »» Complaints procedures
management
»» P
ersonal tutoring or other academic
5.5.5 Staff Appraisal and Development:
support
»» Induction of new staff
»» A
ction if a student is not making
progress »» Classroom observation
»» Progress and completion rates »» Staff appraisal
»» E xamination results: analysis year-on- »» Staff development
year or against comparators
5.5.6 Quality Assurance:
5.5.3 Internal Awards
»» Internal policies
»» R
ationale for the award (rather than an
»» External awards (ISO, IIP etc.)
external award)
»» Course description
Please note: BAC is sometimes asked to
»» S tated levels and assessment share information about certain aspects
methodology of the programmes of accredited colleges
»» Evidence that the awards meet UKBA with the Quality Assurance Agency,
requirements (if available to visa Open University Validation Services, the
students) British Council and other accrediting
bodies approved by UKBA. It is a
»» External moderation condition of accreditation that colleges
»» Completion rates give permission to BAC to respond to
reasonable requests from these bodies.
»» Course evaluation

39
5.6 Non-collegiate
accreditation
5.6.1 Institutional accreditation is not applicable to all
education providers. Non-collegiate accreditation
is available to providers offering normally very
short courses, usually from a variety of different
premises, at limited points in the year. Non-
collegiate accreditation is awarded in respect of
a specified range of courses. The definition of this
range will be a matter of agreement between BAC
and the organisation at the time of application.
The final decision as to whether institutional or
non-collegiate accreditation applies to the provider
rests with BAC.

5.6.2 Inspectors will not expect to observe all of the

support services appropriate to a school with long-
term or full-time students, except where these are
relevant to the courses and students involved. In
determining which criteria are appropriate, the
inspectors will expect the organisation itself to be
clear about what it is setting out to do, in terms
of both the nature and requirements of its clients
and of the educational outcomes which it hopes to
achieve.

5.6.3 Inspectors will be likely to concentrate on two

major aspects:

5.6.3.1 The delivery and management of a sample range of

courses. Many of the criteria set out in Section 5.4
Teaching, Learning and Assessment will be relevant.

5.6.3.2 The extent to which the organisation has established

procedures which give a satisfactory guarantee that
acceptable standards will be maintained across
the full range of recognised courses for the period
of accreditation. Inspectors will look in particular
at the standards which the organisation applies,
for instance, in appointing and briefing teachers
or selecting premises, and at the means by which
teaching and other aspects of course delivery are
evaluated. Where appropriate, inspectors will also
expect to see evidence from earlier courses in order
to evaluate the standards attained. Accordingly,
before proceeding to inspection, organisations
are strongly advised to appraise their quality
management systems and ensure that the systems
which are in place are adequately documented.

40
41
6. Supporting Documentation
REQUIRED FOR INSPECTION
6.1 Pre-Inspection Documentation 42
6.2 Documentation Required for Scrutiny during the Inspection 42

6.1 Pre-inspection »» Incident/accident book

Documentation
6.2.4 Management, staffing and
In addition to completing the application administration
form, institutions are required to submit
»» Detailed CVs for all academic staff,
certain documentation before the inspection.
including evidence of academic
For further details on this, please see the
qualifications
application form, which can be downloaded
from BAC’s website. Failure to provide the »» Correspondence with students and
required documentation may lead to the UKBA concerning attendance
deferral or cancellation of the inspection,
or may require inspectors to be on-site for a »» Sample contracts for academic and
longer period, so increasing the cost of the non-academic staff
inspection.
»» Employers’ liability insurance
certificate
6.2 Documentation
»» Minutes of staff meetings
required for scrutiny
during the inspection »» Student application forms

6.2.1 Institutional documentation »» Copies of prospectuses and other

publicity material
»» Lease agreement, if premises are
leased »» CLA licence

6.2.2 General »» Data protection registration

»» Up-to-date class registers for all 6.2.5 Student welfare

programmes
»» Student induction packs
»» Timetables for all courses offered in
»» CRB disclosure records
the institution
»» Child protection policy
6.2.3 Premises and health and safety
»» Rules relating to residential
»» Health and safety poster
accommodation
»» Health and safety policy
»» CCSCI/Ofsted report on residential
»» Safety rules applicable to areas of accommodation, if applicable
hazard
»» Advice to homestay students and
»» Certification of first aiders providers

42
 »» Records of homestay inspections

»» Disability strategy

6.2.6 Teaching, learning and

assessment

»» Course descriptions

»» Course plans

»» Lesson plans

»» Samples of marked student work

6.2.7 Management of quality

»» Course descriptions

»» Briefing materials for agents

»» Student files

»» Sample placement tests

»» Records of student progress

»» Records of examination results

»» Documents relating to external

moderation, including up-to-date
reports

»» Copies of formal agreements with

awarding bodies

»» Copies of formal articulation

agreements with universities

»» Student feedback material

»» Staff appraisal procedures

»» Student handbook

»» Staff handbook

»» Internal quality assurance

documentation

»» External quality assurance

documentation (ISO, IIP etc.)

43
7. Accreditation Committee
7.1 Terms of Reference 44
7.2 Procedures 44
7.3 Membership 45
7.1 Terms of Reference
7.1.1 To monitor and report to the Council on
BAC’s accreditation activities.
7.1.2 To keep under review the conditions,
standards and criteria required for the
award of accreditation and to make
recommendations to the Executive
Committee for ratification by the Council
where change is considered appropriate.
7.1.3 To decide whether accreditation should be
granted, deferred, refused, suspended or
withdrawn from an institution.
44
7.2 Procedures
7.2.1 Three weeks’ notice is required of a
meeting of the Committee.
7.2.2 The agenda for each meeting will be sent
out to members at least seven days before
the meeting.
7.2.3 The quorum shall be at least half of the
members.
7.2.4 The Committee may exceptionally
delegate to its Chairman the authority
to grant, refuse, withdraw or suspend
accreditation. Such decisions with reasons
will be reported to the next meeting of the
Committee for ratification.
7.2.5 The members of the Committee will elect
one of its members who is also a member
of BAC’s Council to be Deputy Chairman,
to act with the full authority of the
Chairman in his/her absence.
7.2.6 The Committee may delegate to a sub-
committee of its members, chaired by
the Chairman or Deputy Chairman,
the authority to award or refuse the
status of “approved candidate for BAC
accreditation” to new applicants who have
completed stage 2 of the accreditation
process.
7.2.7 The Chairman will report to each meeting
of BAC’s Council on the working of the
Committee.
7.3 Membership
The membership of the Committee is:

7.3.1 At least four members of the BAC

Council, one of whom shall be Chairman
of the Committee

7.3.2 At least three persons (who may include

members of Council) with experience
in an institution of further or higher
education, at least one of whom should
have had experience in the independent
further or higher education sectors

7.3.3 A representative of the Accreditation Unit,

British Council

7.3.4 The Chairman of Council (ex officio)

7.3.5 BAC officers (non-voting, in attendance):

»» Chief Executive

»» Head of Inspection Services

»» Chief Inspector

»» Accreditation Manager

»» Communications Manager

45
8. Appeals Procedure
8.1 Right of Appeal 46
8.2 Appeal Framework 46
8.3 Full Appeal 47
8.4 Fast-track Appeal 47
8.5 Institutions Refused after Stage 2 Inspection 48
8.6 Timeline for Full and Fast-track Appeals 49

BAC recognises the importance of enabling
those institutions for which accreditation has
been refused or withdrawn to have access
to a fair and rapid process of appeal. The
following procedures will apply:
8.2.4 The notice must make clear the grounds for
8.1 Right of appeal
Following a decision by the Accreditation
Committee to refuse or withdraw the
accreditation of an institution, the Chief
Executive will, within five working days,
inform the institution of the decision and the
grounds for it, and advise the institution of its
right of appeal and of the appeal procedures.
withdraw its accreditation may choose one
of the procedures described in Sections
8.3 and 8.4 below. The outcome of the
procedure selected is final.
the appeal. In particular, it must indicate
whether the grounds for appeal are:
a) that the Accreditation Committee did not
have all the relevant information available to it
at the time, and/or
b) that the decision was not made in
accordance with the procedures or criteria set
out in Accreditation Handbook.

If the grounds of appeal do not fall under either

8.2 Appeal framework
8.2.1 Notice of appeal must be lodged with
the Chief Executive within five working
days of the date of the letter notifying the
institution of the Accreditation Committee’s
decision. Notification must be received by
letter, scanned letter or fax. Each working
day is held to end at 16:00.
8.2.2 If the institution has any overdue
accreditation or inspection fees
outstanding, these must be settled before
an appeal can be heard.
8.2.3 Within the notice provided, it must be
clearly indicated which appeal route the
institution wishes to seek. Any institution
seeking to appeal against a decision of the
full Accreditation Committee to refuse or
of these headings, an explanation must be
provided.
8.2.5 When notification of the appeal is accepted
by BAC, the institution will be sent a list
of the individuals who may be asked to
adjudicate in the appeal. If the institution
objects to any of these individuals being
asked to adjudicate, their objections
and rationale should be submitted to the
Chairman of Council via the BAC within
five working days of the list being sent. Any
decision made by the Chairman will be
final.
8.2.6 If the appeal is unsuccessful, then the
decision of the Accreditation Committee
will be carried out in the usual way.
Institutions which wish to re-apply for

46
 BAC accreditation must make a full new
application, and must also satisfy BAC that
they have met or will shortly meet all the
requirements in sections 3.1 and 3.2 of the
inspection report before their application
can be considered.
8.2.7 Only material which was in existence at
the time of the inspection or when the
report was considered by the Accreditation
Committee can be considered at an
appeal. Any submission of material which
was in existence at that time but not
supplied to BAC must be accompanied by
an explanation of why it was not provided
at that time.
8.3 Full Appeal
8.3.1 A full appeal will be heard by an Appeals
Committee comprising an independent
Chairman and two members of the BAC
Council who were not involved in the
original decision.
8.3.2 Within 10 working days of the appellant’s
notice of appeal, the appellant must
submit a statement setting out the
grounds for the appeal using the headings
described in Section 8.2.4 together with
any relevant documentation, and a sum of
£750 must be deposited into BAC’s bank
account. This sum will be refunded if the
institution’s appeal is successful.
8.3.3 The appeal will be based on
documentation comprising the
original application by the institution,
the inspection report on which the
Accreditation Committee’s decision was
based, written submissions from the
inspectors who carried out the inspection,
the material described in Section 8.3.2,
and any other material judged to be
relevant by BAC. All parties will receive
the same evidence.
8.3.4 The Appeals Committee will normally
meet within 20 working days of the
receipt of the notification of appeal. A
representative of the institution and the
Chairman of the Accreditation Committee
will have the right to appear to give
evidence to the Appeals Committee. At
the end of the hearing, which will last
no longer than two hours, the Appeals
Committee may make one of three
decisions:
»» to dismiss the appeal
»» to order a new inspection at BAC’s
expense
»» to instruct the Accreditation Committee
to award or reinstate accreditation.
8.3.5 The Chairman of the Appeals Committee
will make a written report to the
Chairman of Council, setting out the
decision, its grounds and, if appropriate,
recommending changes in the inspection/
accreditation process. The outcome of
the Appeal will be reported to the next
meeting of the Accreditation Committee
for their information.
8.3.6 The institution will be informed of the
Appeals Committee’s decision on the day
of the hearing, and will receive official
notification of the decision within five
working days of the hearing.
8.3.7 Where the appeal is made by an
accredited institution against a decision
to suspend or withdraw accreditation,
accreditation will be maintained during
the period of appeal.
8.4 Fast-track appeal
8.4.1 A fast-track appeal will be arbitrated
by a senior and experienced member
of Council who was not involved in the
decision of the Accreditation Committee.
8.4.2 Within five working days of the appellant’s
notice of appeal, the appellant must
submit a statement setting out the grounds
47
 for the appeal using the headings described
in Section 8.2.4 together with any relevant
documentation.
8.4.3 The appeal will be based on documentation
comprising the original application by the
institution, the inspection report on which
the decision was based, written submissions
made by the inspectors who carried out the
inspection, the material described in Section
8.4.2, and any other material judged to be
relevant by BAC.
8.4.4 There will be no right of appearance by
the appellant or by the Chairman of the
Accreditation Committee, although the
arbitrator may require the Chairman of the
Accreditation Committee to respond in
writing to comments made by the appellant.
The arbitrator will make one of three
decisions:
8.5 Institutions refused
after stage 2 inspection
New applicants for accreditation which are
refused accreditation by a sub-committee of the
Accreditation Committee after stage 2 of the
inspection procedure (see Section 3.2.4) may
require the inspection report and the decision
of the sub-committee to be reviewed by a
full meeting of the Accreditation Committee.
The institution may submit additional
documentation relevant to the notified grounds
for the refusal of accreditation, but this must
be received within five working days of the
date of the letter notifying the institution of the
sub-committee’s decision. The institution will
be informed of the date of the next meeting of
the Accreditation Committee in this notification
letter.

»» to dismiss the appeal

»» to order a new inspection at BAC’s

expense

»» to refer the matter back to the

Accreditation Committee with stated
grounds for a review of the decision.

8.4.5 he review will be held within 10 working

T
days of the receipt of notice of appeal, and
the Chief Executive will inform the appellant
of the outcome within five working days of
the arbitrator’s decision.

8.4.6 he Chairman of Council will be notified of

T
the arbitrator’s decision, at which point the
procedure will be deemed to be exhausted.
The outcome of the Appeal will be reported
to the next meeting of the Accreditation
Committee for their information.

8.4.7 Where the appeal is made by an accredited

institution against a decision to suspend or
withdraw accreditation, accreditation will
be maintained during the period of appeal.

48
8.6 Timeline for full and
fast-track appeals
Appeals made or materials submitted
after 16:00 on the day in question will not
be considered except under exceptional
circumstances.

Dates (in working days) Full appeal procedure Fast-track appeal procedure

Day 0 Notification of withdrawal or refusal Notification of withdrawal or refusal

of accreditation sent of accreditation sent

Day 5 Deadline for appeal notification and Deadline for appeal notification;
receipt of £750 deposit no deposit is required

Dates after appeal Full appeal procedure Fast-track appeal procedure

notification received by BAC
(in working days)

Day 5 Deadline for submission of any Deadline for submission of

objections to potential panel
members
Day 10 Deadline for submission of
appellant’s grounds of appeal and
supporting documentation
Day 15
Day 20 Deadline for holding appeal hearing
appellant’s grounds of appeal,
supporting documentation, and any
objections to potential arbitrators
Deadline for arbitration
Appellant receives official
confirmation of the Arbitrator’s
decision

Day 25 Appellant receives official

confirmation of the Appeals
Committee’s decision

49
9. Complaints Procedure
FOR ACCREDITED INSTITUTIONS
9.1 Consideration of Complaints 50
9.2 Procedures 50
9.3 Exceptions 51
9.4 Complaints from the UK Border Agency (UKBA) 51
9.5 Complaints against BAC 52

This section deals with a) complaints against
BAC-accredited colleges, and b) complaints
against BAC.
9.1 Consideration of
complaints
It is a requirement that all accredited
providers must have in place an explicit
procedure to deal with complaints made
by students or their representatives. BAC
will consider complaints against currently
accredited institutions when they concern
alleged failures to comply with BAC’s
accreditation criteria. The exceptions to this
rule are set out in 9.3 below.
9.2 PROCEDURES
The following procedures will apply:
9.2.1 When a complaint is received, BAC’s
officers will attempt to resolve the
matter to the mutual satisfaction of
the complainant and the accredited
institution. The complainant will be
asked to provide BAC with full details in
writing of the complaint, together with
copies of relevant documentation, and to
give written authority to BAC to raise the
matter on his/her behalf. No action will be
taken unless such authorisation is given,
unless it appears to relate to an offence
more appropriately referred to a statutory
authority.
9.2.2 The institution against which the
complaint is made will be informed of the
nature of the complaint and be invited to
respond in writing to the complaint and to
provide copies of relevant documentation.
It is a condition of accreditation that
institutions should co-operate with BAC
in its attempts to resolve complaints.
Specifically, institutions should respond
to BAC within two weeks, once they have
been alerted to the fact that a complaint
has been made against them.
9.2.3 BAC’s Chief Executive will make
reasonable attempts to mediate between
the parties with a view to resolving the
issue, including the offer of arbitration.
However, mediation will only be
attempted with the agreement of both
parties, and BAC’s recommendations will
not be binding on either party.
9.2.4 If the matter remains unresolved, BAC’s
officers will make a detailed report to the
Accreditation Committee.
9.2.5 If there are more than three student
complaints against any one institution
investigated by BAC within one year,
BAC’s officers will make a further detailed
report to the Accreditation Committee.
The Accreditation Committee may then
determine on one of the following courses
of action:
»» not to proceed to consider the

50
 complaint further
»» to require the Chief Executive to take
further steps to resolve the issue. These
may include an unannounced spot
check inspection to the institution
»» to require the institution to undertake
remedial or compensatory action
where the Committee considers that
the institution has acted in breach of
the conditions of accreditation. Where
this is refused, the Committee may
determine to withdraw accreditation
from the institution
»» to withdraw accreditation. This
would normally happen only
where an institution has refused to
co-operate with the investigation of a
complaint, refused to take remedial
or compensatory action when asked
to do so, or in extreme cases such as
serious illegal behaviour on the part of
the institution’s management. In these
circumstances, the institution would
have the right of appeal, as outlined in
Section 8.
in writing and accompanied by the
complainant’s name, address and
signature
»» in the instance of a refund claim,
where the complaint is not
accompanied by legible proof of
payment in the form of a receipt.
Copies of bank statements are not
acceptable
»» where the complaint is already subject
to a legal process
»» where it relates to a contractual
dispute between the institution and an
employee or employees
»» where the complainant has failed,
without good reason, to make use
of the institution’s own complaints
procedure
»» where the complainant has failed,
without good reason, to fully establish
that the content of a course is of
value to them and the awarding body
is appropriately recognised before
enrolment.

9.2.6 The complainant will receive written

notification from the Chief Executive
9.4 Complaints from the UK
of the outcome of the Committee’s
Border Agency (UKBA)
deliberations. It is a condition of BAC’s approval by UKBA
that it will undertake investigation where
9.3 Exceptions UKBA informs it that there is reason to
suspect non-compliance with visa regulations
BAC will not involve itself in resolving
on the part of an accredited college. Under
complaints under the following
these circumstances, UKBA will be informed
circumstances:
of the outcome of BAC’s investigation of the
complaint.
»» where the substance of the complaint
is not relevant to BAC’s accreditation
criteria

»» where the complaint is made

anonymously or solely by telephone
or email. Complaints must be made

51
9.5 Complaints against BAC
9.5.1 BAC is committed to working in an open
and accountable way. This includes
responding positively to complaints from
institutions by investigating them thoroughly,
and putting mistakes right where possible.
9.5.2 The main services we offer that may be
subject to complaint are complaints about
inspection reports or results, and complaints
about the conduct of an inspection.
Student complaints against an institution,
and appeals against inspection outcomes
or accreditation conditions, are handled
through separate procedures (see Section
9.1).
9.5.3 Complaints about the content of
inspection reports
Complaints about factual inaccuracies in
inspection reports or feedback concerning
inspection results should be addressed to the
Accreditation Manager, BAC, 44 Bedford Row,
London WC1R 4LL. Complaints of this nature
must be received no more than 30 days after the
provider has received the inspection report.
9.5.4 Complaints about inspectors or
conduct of the inspection
The roles and responsibilities of BAC inspectors
and staff are addressed fully in their training
programmes. Inspectors and staff are made
aware of what is expected of them, both in
the content of their work and in the way they
carry it out. Preparing inspectors and staff to
do their work effectively, professionally and
with due courtesy and regard to the institution
and its staff, is something BAC takes seriously.
In turn, BAC expects that institutions will treat
inspectors and staff with the respect, courtesy
and professionalism necessary for a successful
inspection. BAC recognises, however, that
there might be occasions when institutions may
wish to complain about the conduct of BAC
inspectors or members of staff.
9.5.5 The focus of complaints is likely to be on
52
the conduct, behaviour and actions of BAC,
its staff and its inspectors in relation to the
published purposes, procedures, criteria,
methods and protocols associated with its
inspection processes. Complaints should
be sent to the Accreditation Manager,
BAC, 44 Bedford Row, London WC1R 4LL.
Complaints about the Accreditation Manager
should be directed to the Chief Executive.
9.5.6 Inspection Feedback Forms
Please note that an inspection evaluation
questionnaire will be e-mailed to the institution
after the inspection. Please use this to submit
any feedback (positive or negative) you may
have about the inspectors or the conduct of the
inspection. The complaints procedures are not a
means for institutions to provide such feedback.
9.5.7 The Accreditation Manager may contact
the institution to investigate any negative
feedback. Feedback on an inspection is
not passed to the inspector(s) concerned
until after the inspection report has been
submitted to the Accreditation Committee.
Any relevant response from the inspector(s)
will be passed to the institution.
9.5.8 Complaints about the
accreditation scheme
These will be considered by BAC’s Executive
Committee. They should be made in writing
to the Chief Executive, BAC, 44 Bedford Row,
London WC1R 4LL. Complainants will be
informed about the decision of the Executive
Committee in response to their complaint by
the Chairman of the Executive Committee. This
will be done within 10 working days of the
Executive Committee meeting at which their
complaint is considered.
9.5.9 Appeals Procedure
Full details of the Appeals Procedure for
institutions for which accreditation has been
refused or withdrawn can be found in Section 8
of the Accreditation Handbook.
53
10. Charges
INSPECTION AND ACCREDITATION FEES
10.1 Inspection Charges 54
10.2 Annual Accreditation Fee 55

The following charges have been approved for the period 1 September 2009 - 31 August 2010:

10.1 Inspection Charges

10.1.1 New Applications for Accreditation:

»» Stage 1 (submission of application form and documentation):

£330

»» Stage 2:
£1320 plus £385 per inspector day

»» Stage 3:
£1320 plus £385 per inspector day

»» Full inspection (stages 2 & 3 combined):

£1320 plus £385 per inspector per day

10.1.2 Applications for Continuing Accreditation:

»» Deposit accompanying the application form and documentation:

£330, which will be offset against the costs of the on-site inspection (see below). If an institution
cancels or postpones an inspection after a date has been agreed with BAC, any unrecoverable
costs incurred by BAC will be charged against this deposit.

»» On-site inspection:
£1320 plus £385 per inspector per day.

10.1.3 Cancellation fee

»» If an institution cancels or postpones a full inspection after a date has been confirmed in writing
by BAC, any unrecoverable costs incurred by BAC will be charged against any deposit and a
cancellation charge of £75 per inspector per day will apply.

10.1.4 Interim inspection (1 day):

No charge

10.1.5 Spot check inspection:

No charge unless made in the light of an institution’s failure to respond to BAC’s request for
information relevant to its continuing accreditation (see Section 3.3.1 above), when a charge of
£500 will be made.

54
10.1.6 SUPPLEMENTARY INSPECTION:

»» £600 per full day (inspector on site for more than four hours)

»» £350 per half day (inspector on site for less than four hours)

10.1.7 Appeal fees:

»» A deposit of £750 will apply for full appeal hearings. If an appeal is successful, the deposit of
£750 will be refunded.

10.1.8 Release of reports:

»» Inspection reports and decisions on accreditation will not be released until full payment of
inspection fees has been received by BAC.

10.2 Annual Accreditation Fee

10.2.1 Institutional Accreditation:
£11 per FTE (full-time equivalent) student, subject to a minimum payment based on 100 FTEs and a
maximum payment based on 650 FTEs. A discount of 2.5% is available to institutions paying the fee
within the first four weeks of invoicing. Institutions accredited during the financial year (1 September
2009 to 31 August 2010) will be charged on a pro-rata basis.

10.2.2 Non-Collegiate Accreditation:

£11 per course day (courses of less than 4 hours per day to be assessed at 50%), subject to a
minimum payment based on 30 days and a maximum based on 50 days. A discount of 2.5% is
currently available to institutions paying the fee within the first four weeks of invoicing. Institutions
accredited during a financial year (September-August) will be charged on a pro-rata basis.

10.2.3 Non-Payment of Accreditation Fees:

Institutions which do not pay the accreditation fee within an initial four-week period will be
assumed to have withdrawn from accreditation unless they have given BAC written confirmation
of their intention to pay the full undiscounted fee by a specified date acceptable to BAC. BAC will,
exceptionally, consider requests to pay the fee by instalments. Re-establishment of accreditation after
non-payment will normally involve a re-inspection, with all costs being borne by the institution.

10.2.4 WITHDRAWAL FROM Accreditation:

Four weeks’ notice of withdrawal from accreditation is required. Institutions which withdraw after
the start of the accreditation year (September) will be liable to pay the accreditation fee on a pro-rata
basis. If the Accreditation Committee withdraws accreditation from an institution, or if an institution
voluntarily withdraws, after the start of the accreditation year, (1 September up to 1 March), the
institution will be charged accreditation fees for six months. However, institutions which withdraw
or have their accreditation withdrawn after 1 March will be liable to pay the full undiscounted
accreditation fee for the full academic year.

10.2.5 Payments
Payments can be made to BAC via BACS, CHAPS, cash or cheque. We do not accept online or offline
credit card payments. Please note: any dishonoured cheques will incur an administrative fee of £25.
Should debts remain unpaid for over 60 days, BAC reserves the right to employ the services of a
specialist debt collection agency whereby an extra charge of 15% will apply on top of the debt: this
will be solely borne by the institution. Once a debt has been passed to the debt collection agency, all
correspondence must be with the agency directly, and not with BAC.

55
Appendices
ADVISORY DOCUMENTS

57
A. Prospectuses and Websites
GUIDELINES FOR ACCREDITED INSTITUTIONS
1 Guidelines 58
2 Statement of Accreditation 59
3 Study UK 60
4 The Education UK Brand 60
1 Guidelines
1.1 The first impression which a potential
client gains of an institution is
normally provided by advertisements,
the prospectus or the website. This
is particularly important for overseas
students, who may easily arrive with
unrealistic expectations unless the material
provided is accurate and comprehensive.
As part of the accreditation process, BAC
requests copies of all current prospectuses
and other promotional material produced
by an institution and BAC inspectors
will also inspect institutions’ websites.
Accreditation may be withheld or
withdrawn if inspectors form the opinion
that the information provided by
promotional material is inadequate or
misleading.
1.2 The guidelines below indicate the areas
which will normally be assessed.
1.2.1 Premises and resources
Students should be able to gain a fair
impression of the premises, facilities and
resources, whether from photographs or
text. Photographs or other representations
of external premises or facilities should
be captioned to ensure that they are not
assumed to be part of the institution itself.
1.2.2 External resources
Where specific reference is made to the
use of facilities provided by an outside
58
body, this should only be done with the
permission of the outside body and should
not give the impression that the institution
is part of that body. Equally, where the
external facility is one which is freely
available to the local community (e.g. a
public library), the prospectus should not
imply that access to the facility is a special
privilege for the institution’s students
(particularly if there is any suggestion that
the right of access is paid for in the overall
institution fees).
1.2.3 Management and staff
It is recommended that key staff whom
students/sponsors might wish to contact
should be listed. If the material includes
a list of academic staff, this should be up
to date. If staff qualifications are listed
they should be verifiable and, in the case
of degrees, the list should indicate the
awarding body.
1.2.4 Fees
Where fees are quoted, the institution
should specify the period for which they
are applicable. Any additional items (such
as VAT or examination fees) should be
shown. An unambiguous statement on the
institution’s policy on the refund of fees
in the case of cancellation, curtailment
or withdrawal by the student on grounds
beyond his/her control (e.g. refusal of a visa)
must be included.
1.2.5 Academic programmes
1.2.5.1 Where institutions advertise courses which
will only be available if there is a viable
level of enrolment, this should be clearly
stated. BAC will find it unacceptable if an
institution advertises a range of programmes
which it clearly does not have the resources
to deliver, since this may give potential
students the impression of a larger institution
or of an institution able to offer, for instance,
higher education when its actual teaching is
at a lower level.
1.2.5.2 External awards: the description of the
academic programme should include the
external examinations or awards for which
tuition is provided. Where the awarding
body is not based in the UK, this must be
clearly stated. Section 2.4.3 above gives
advice on the description of programmes
leading to the award of degrees.
1.2.5.3 If awards are internally validated there
should be a statement on the level and status
of the qualification. Section 2.4.2 states BAC
requirements.
1.2.5.4 The length of the course, the hours of tuition
and typical class sizes should be stated.
Claims such as ‘offering intensive tuition’ or
‘providing teaching in small groups’ will be
unacceptable unless supported by facts.
1.2.5.5 If past examination results are quoted in the
publicity material, BAC’s inspectors will ask
to see evidence that these are accurate and
give a balanced account of the full cohort of
students entered for the examinations.
1.2.6 Additional information
The material should specify which
additional services it provides for its
students: residential accommodation or
support in finding homestay or private
accommodation, for instance.
2 Statement of
Accreditation
2.1 Accredited institutions are authorised
to include the statement “Accredited
by the British Accreditation Council
for Independent Further and Higher
Education“, or “Accredited by the British
accreditation Council as a Provider of
Courses in XXX” in the case of non-
collegiate accreditation. Institutions
accredited under the criteria for the
award of accreditation as an independent
higher education institution may include
the statement “Accredited by the British
Accreditation Council as an Independent
Higher Education Institution”. Institutions
may request a summary paragraph which
may be published in full at the discretion
of the institution. Inspection reports are
confidential to the college concerned,
unless an external body has an explicit
interest in the college (e.g. QAA, OUVS),
or is a regulatory body or a UKBA-
approved accrediting body. The college
itself may also decide to publish the report
as a whole if it wishes to do so.
2.2 BAC encourages accredited institutions to
include the BAC Accreditation Mark in a
prominent position in prospectuses, block
advertisements and websites. Institutions
should use the appropriate artwork which
is available free of charge from the BAC
offices and can be downloaded from the
college gateway on the BAC website.
2.3 If an institution has been awarded a
UKBA sponsor licence for Tier 4, it may
include “INSTITUTION NAME has been
licensed by the UK Border Agency to enrol
international students under Tier 4 of the
Points Based System” on its website and
publishing material.
59
3 Study UK
3.1 BAC-accredited institutions may apply to
join Study UK – the official membership
association for BAC accredited colleges.
3.2 If accepted into membership, institutions
will be entitled to use the Study UK member
logo on their stationery, literature and
website, as well as take advantage of the
association’s activities and services, which
include:
»» Lobbying and representing members’
interests at a UK governmental and
regulatory level
»» Helping to raise the profile of UK
independent education by establishing a
quality UK brand worldwide
»» Providing members with joint marketing
and promotional opportunities
»» Offering joint bulk buying opportunities
and discounts
4 The Education UK Brand
4.1 Institutions which have received the full
four years’ accreditation by BAC will be
eligible for membership of Education
UK Partnerships, subject to a number of
conditions. Should their application be
successful, they are then entitled to use
the Education UK brand logo, which was
developed as part of the Prime Minister’s
initiative to attract more international
students to the UK. This is subject to a licence
agreement and a charge. Further information
can be gained from the Education UK website
www.educationuk.org or from the Education
UK Partnerships Helpdesk at:
»» Education UK Partnerships
The British Council
Bridgewater House
58 Whitworth Street
Manchester M1 6BB

»» Providing opportunities for peer

discussion, professional development and
training so as to continuously advance
standards within the sector

3.3 Institutions which have held BAC

accreditation for a minimum of four years
and have completed a minimum of two
successful consecutive full inspections may
also apply for premier membership, subject
to approval by the Study UK Board. Premier
members are entitled to use the Study
UK premier member logo and can take
advantage of additional benefits.

3.4 For more information about Study UK or

to become a member, visit the Study UK
website (www.study-uk.org) or contact
Study UK on 020 7608 7960 or by email at
info@study-uk.org.

60
61
B. Health and Safety
FIRE PRECAUTIONS AND
HEALTH AND SAFETY ARRANGEMENTS
1 Introduction 62
2 Health and Safety 62
3 Fire and Emergency Precautions 64

1 Introduction 2 Employers’ Liability Compulsory

While BAC’s inspectors may provide
guidance regarding the fire, health
and safety provision of institutions,
the responsibility for meeting statutory
requirements rests entirely with the
management of the institution.
2 Health and safety
2.1 Advice on occupational health and safety
is readily available from the Health and
Safety Executive, much of it to be found
on the HSE website www.hse.gov.uk or in
leaflets and booklets produced by HSE.
2.2 pplicants for accreditation will be
A
required to sign a declaration that they
meet the eleven basic requirements
placed upon employers set out on the HSE
website:
1 Register your new business
Insurance
»» The law says most employers must
have Employers’ Liability Compulsory
Insurance. If this applies to you, you
must display the certificate where
your staff can easily read it. You could
be fined if you do not have a current
policy.
»» Your staff may be injured or get ill
because of their work for you. They
might try to claim compensation from
you if they think you are responsible.
Employers’ Liability Compulsory
Insurance means you have cover
against claims like these.
3 Get competent advice
»» The law says you must appoint
someone competent to help you meet
your health and safety duties. You could
appoint (one or a combination of):

»» Since 6 April 2009, most new »» yourself;

businesses no longer need to register
with HSE.
»» However, if you work with hazardous
substances, such as asbestos or
explosives, or in a hazardous industry,
such as construction or diving, you may
need to apply for a licence, or notify
HSE or your local authority.
»» one or more of your workers;
»» someone from outside your business
4 Write your health and safety policy
»» A health and safety policy sets out your
general approach and objectives (your
vision) and the arrangements you have
put in place for managing health and
safety in your business. It is a unique

62
 document that says who does what,
when and how.
»» If you have five or more employees,
you must write your policy down.
»» A written policy statement shows
your staff, and anyone else, your
commitment to health and safety.
It should describe how you will
implement and monitor your health
and safety controls. You should review
it regularly.
5 Assess the risks
»» The law says you must assess and
manage the health and safety risks of
your business. In a risk assessment you
examine carefully what in your work
could cause harm to people. It shows if
you have taken enough precautions, or
if you should do more to prevent harm.
6 Provide facilities
»» You must provide a safe and healthy
environment for all your employees.
You also need to take account of
their welfare needs. This includes
people with disabilities. For example,
you must provide toilets, washing
facilities and drinking water, and you
need to think about factors in the
working environment like lighting and
temperature.
7 Train your workforce
»» The law says you must train your
employees and contractors to work
safely, and clearly instruct them in
their duties. Everyone who works for
you, including self-employed people,
needs to know how to work safely and
without risks to health. So you need to
train them to be sure they know:
»» what hazards and risks they may
face;
»» how to deal with them; and
»» any emergency procedures.
»» Health and safety training should take
place during working hours and must
not be paid for by employees. Some
employees may have particular training
needs, for example:
»» new recruits;
»» people changing jobs or taking on
extra responsibilities;
»» young employees who are
particularly vulnerable to accidents;
»» health and safety representatives.
»» You must keep records of all training
so that you can see when it might need
to be repeated. You should consult
workers or their representatives to make
sure training is relevant and effective.
»» Training should be repeated from time
to time if the work it relates to is only
done occasionally. For example, if
someone fills in for someone else when
they are away; a process is not often
done; or emergency procedures.
8 Consult your workforce
»» The law says that employers must
consult their workers on health and
safety. Consultation is a two-way
process – it does not just mean telling
workers about health and safety. It
means discussing health and safety
with them, allowing them to raise
concerns and influence decisions.
»» You have to consult all workers. In a
very small business, you may choose
to consult each employee separately.
However, most organisations consult
staff through their health and safety
representatives.
63
 9 Legal requirements
»» If you employ anyone, you must display
HSE’s health and safety law poster. Or
you can give your employees a leaflet
called Health and safety law: what
you should know (downloadable from
HSE website). The poster includes basic
health and safety information and lets
people know who is responsible for
health and safety in your workplace.
You must display the poster where your
workers can easily read it, and it must be
in a readable condition. You must also
include some contact details, for example
of your local enforcing authority.
10 Understand RIDDOR
»» For most businesses, a reportable
accident, dangerous occurrence, or
case of disease is a comparatively rare
event. However, if it does happen, you
need to let BAC know. The regulations
about reporting are called The Reporting
of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous
Occurrences Regulations 1995 but
you’ll often see this abbreviated to
RIDDOR. You have a legal duty to report
accidents and ill health at work. The
information you supply helps HSE and
local authorities to identify where and
how risks arise, and to investigate serious
accidents.
11 Keep up to date
»» Following news and events in your
industry will help you keep your health
and safety policies and risk assessments
up to date.
2.3 It is also a requirement that each of your
premises should display a notice stating that
smoking on the premises is illegal.
2.4 In addition to the need to comply with
legal requirements, institutions are strongly
encouraged to involve themselves in
the training and education of staff and
students in good health and safety practice,
particularly where their work involves
potentially hazardous environments, such as
64
laboratories, sports centres or workshops.
2.5 If advice is needed on specific matters, it
can be sought on the HSE infoline:
hse.infoline@connaught.plc.uk
3 Fire and emergency
precautions
3.1 The Fire Safety Order 2005, which
involves a major change in fire protection
regulations, came into effect on 1 October
2006. Fire certificates are no longer issued
and each occupier of premises (whether or
not they own those premises) is required to
have undertaken a fire risk assessment.
3.2 uidance on the requirements can be
G
found from the Fire Protection Association
(www.thefpa.co.uk). The FPA and many
local fire and emergency departments
run training seminars and publish books
and leaflets, and The London Fire Brigade
has a particularly helpful website (www.
london-fire.gov.uk). Additional statutory
advice for businesses is available from the
Government’s Fire Gateway at www.fire.gov.
uk/Workplace+safety and the Communities
and Local Government website at www.
communities.gov.uk/fire/firesafety/
firesafetylaw. In addition, a downloadable
guide to Fire Safety at Work can be found at
www.communities.gov.uk/publications/fire/
guidancesafetyat
3.3 I n addition to the fire risk assessment, BAC’s
inspectors will need to be satisfied that:
»» fire drills take place sufficiently regularly
to ensure that staff and students know the
procedures
»» suitable numbers of staff have been
trained to supervise an evacuation of the
premises
»» an effective roll call of students, staff
and visitors could be taken after an
evacuation of the premises
»» there is clear guidance to exit routes
(both notices at strategic points and
signage in corridors and stairways)

»» exit routes are kept uncluttered and that

fire doors can be readily opened in an
emergency

»» emergency lighting, fire extinguishers,

fire alarms and fire detection equipment
are regularly tested and serviced.

65
C. Employment Issues
1 Terms of Employment 66

1 Terms of Employment
1.1 BAC does not concern itself with actual
terms and conditions of employment,
but does require accredited institutions
to work within the legal requirements.
Institutions requiring guidance on safe and
legal employment procedures are strongly
recommended to consult the website of
the Arbitration and Conciliation Advisory
Service (www.acas.org), which includes
a sample written statement, model
disciplinary and grievance procedures and
pro-forma employment documentation.

66
D. Child Protection
1 Child Protection Procedures 67
2 Criminal Records Bureau 67
3 Independent Safeguarding Authority 67
4 Residential Accommodation 68
5 Homestay Accommodation 68

1 Child protection 3 Independent

procedures
Section 105 of the Children Act 1989
defines a “child” as “a person under the
age of eighteen”. Accordingly all colleges
enrolling students under that age are
required to institute child protection
procedures. The Protection of Children Act
1999 (PoCA) and the Criminal Justice and
Court Services Act 2000 made it an offence
for any organisation to offer employment
that involves regular contact with young
people under the age of 18 to anyone who
has been convicted of certain offences or
is included on lists of people considered
unsuitable for such work.
2 Criminal Records
Bureau
The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) has
responsibility for the disclosure of those
debarred from employment in schools.
CRB may be contacted on 0870 9090 811
or through the website: www.crb.gov.uk.
There is a fee for initial registration with the
CRB and a charge for each disclosure. The
CRB now requires individual employers to
make applications through an “umbrella”
organisation. Lists are available on the CRB
website.
Safeguarding
Authority
The Independent Safeguarding Authority
(ISA) was established under the
Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006.
All of those employed in occupations which
bring them into contact with children
or vulnerable adults will eventually be
required to register with the ISA, and it
will be a criminal offence for an employer
to employ people in such a role unless
they are registered. The ISA will gather
together material from the CRB, the DCSF
List 99 and the PoCA list to produce a
Barred List of those who should not be
employed. Employers will also be required
to register and will then have access to
the list of registered individuals. The list
will be constantly updated, and employers
will be informed if one of their employees
is moved to the Barred List. Employers
will also have a statutory obligation to
inform ISA if there is reason to call an
individual registration into question. The
establishment of the ISA will not remove
the statutory obligation on employers to
obtain enhanced CRB disclosure before
employing a staff member in a “regulated”
position, which would include teachers,
residential or social activity supervisors and
school bus drivers. Employers may simply
consult the Register before employing
those in “controlled” employment, which
would include cleaners, caterers and office

67
 staff with limited unsupervised access. 5 Homestay
At the time of writing the ISA list had not accommodation
become active, but employers should keep
A child under 16 who is placed in homestay
themselves up to date with developments.
accommodation for a period of more than
Factsheets setting out the definition of
28 days is treated as a “privately fostered
“regulated” and “controlled” employment
child” (Section 66 of the Children Act
and the legal obligations on employers can
1989), and the Secretary of State places
be downloaded from the ISA website at
a duty upon local authorities to inspect
the arrangements. Certain persons are
»» www.isa-gov.org.uk
disqualified from being private foster
parents (Disqualification from Caring
4 Residential for Children Regulations 1991), and it is
accommodation strongly advisable to require permission to
Section 87 of the Children Act 1989 is make a police check on any residents of a
particularly relevant to colleges which household before placing a child under 16
provide or arrange accommodation for in their care. The Safeguarding Vulnerable
students under the age of 18. It is likely Groups Act 2006 requires local authorities
that BAC-accredited colleges which offer to establish Local Child Safeguarding
residential accommodation will be defined Boards (LCSBs), which may also involve
as Independent Boarding Schools (Section themselves in supervision.
87 (3)), which are required to register with
the Department for Children, Schools and
Families (DCSF) and record their numbers
on their annual DCSF return. Ofsted has
now taken over the responsibility of the
Commission for Social Care Inspectorate
in carrying out inspections of boarding
welfare, based on a list of minimum
standards for boarding schools which came
into effect in April 2002. It is essential that
colleges which have boarding facilities for
those under 18 acquaint themselves with
the standards and ensure that they comply
at least with the core standards. Guidance
can be found in Good Practice in Boarding
Schools, ed. Holgate, published by:

The Boarding Schools’ Association,

Grosvenor Gardens House,
35-37 Grosvenor Gardens
London SW1W 0BS

It includes an Appendix which sets out

the standards. Visit their website
www.boarding.org.uk for further
information.

68
E. Disability
1 Disability Discrimination 69
2 Disability in Private Education 69
3 Further Information 69

1 Disability 3 Further Information

discrimination
Further information is available online at
The Disability Discrimination Act 1995
(Section 28R(2)) as amended by the Special »» www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/
Educational Needs and Disability Act
2001 made it unlawful for an educational or from the Equality and Human Rights
institution to discriminate against a disabled Commission at
student in the services it provides, or offers
»» www.equalityhumanrights.com
to provide. There was an initial delay
in implementation, but this came to an
end in September 2005. The Disability
Discrimination Act 2005 now builds on
existing legislation in the 1995 version.

2 Disability in private
education
Private educational institutions are
covered by Part 3 of the Act (Providers of
Goods, Facilities and Services) rather than
Part 4 (Education). It imposes a duty on
independent schools “to plan to increase
systematically the accessibility of their
premises and of the curriculum to disabled
pupils within the context of the resources
available to them” and to “set out in the
annual prospectus its plans to increase
accessibility for disabled children.”

69
F. Copyright
1 CLA Licence 70
2 Digital Material 70
3 Discounted Licence 70

1 CLA licence 3 Discounted licence

BAC’s inspectors are required to confirm
that colleges either hold a licence from
the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd (CLA)
or take steps to ensure that no copyright-
protected material is reproduced within
the college. Colleges which do not
consider that they require a licence must
place notices near photocopiers to warn
staff and students that a breach of the
rules on photocopying copyright material
will be considered to be a matter for
disciplinary action.
BAC-accredited institutions benefit from
a 10% discount on the cost of a CLA
licence. Colleges wishing to apply for a
licence or to make a formal declaration
that no copyright material is reproduced
within the college should contact the CLA:
»» The Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd
Saffron House,
6-10 Kirby Street,
London EC1N 8TS

2 Digital material »» Telephone:

020 7400 3100
CLA has introduced a new form of the
licence to cover digital material. This will »» Fax:
cover, for instance, scanning of material 020 7400 3101
either for transmission or for incorporation »» Email:
within Virtual Learning Environments cla@cla.co.uk
(VLEs).
»» Website:
www.cla.co.uk

70
G. Students requiring visas
1 General Requirement 71
2 The Points Based System 71
3 UKBA Licence Requirements 71
4 Other Requirements 74
5 Immigration Services Commission 76
6 UKCISA 76

1 General requirement 3 UKBA licence

It is a condition of accreditation by BAC
that institutions which enrol visa students
should require them to meet the terms
of their entry to the UK. Up-to-date
information is published on the UKBA
website www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk.
requirements
3.1 A Policy Guidance document, to be used
for all applications made on or after 1 June
2009, set out the following policies and
procedures relevant to independent further
and higher education institutions.

3.2 Licences
2 The Points Based System
Institutions may apply for a UKBA licence
A new points-based system (PBS) for the
as a migration-sponsoring organisation
assessment of student visa applications
if they are accredited by BAC or another
was introduced by the UKBA of the Home
approved accrediting body. UKBA will
Office in April 2009. Student visas are
charge a fee of £400 for the licence
covered by Tier 4 of the PBS. The UKBA
application. Only licensed institutions
itself is an amalgamation of the former
will be able to enrol visa students. At the
Border and Immigration Agency and UK
time of printing, there was a bill going
Visas. The new system is deliberately
through Parliament which would require
intended to be “tougher” than the previous
students who wish to move to another
provision, and this directlys impacts
institution to apply for a new visa, and this
on BAC’s assessment of the extent to
will only be considered if that institution
which an institution meets its obligations
is also licensed. Licensed institutions will
as a licensed migration-sponsoring
be rated as A or B, with B being simply a
organisation. Points will be allocated to
transitional rating for institutions which
those applying for student visas on the
have lost their A rating, or which have
following basis:
been judged on first inspection to be
»» Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies unable to attain an A rating as of yet. An
by a Licensed Education Provider: institution which has been given a B rating
30 points will be required to submit an action plan
and rectify whatever deficiency has led to
»» Maintenance and Funds Test:
the downgrading within a defined period
10 points
or lose its licence altogether.

71
3.3 Confirmation of Acceptance for
Studies
3.5 Responsibilities
Licensed institutions will be required to issue
a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies
(CAS) to a potential student before a visa
application can be made. The CAS is expected
to provide “an assurance that the education
provider is confident that the student is
capable of doing the particular course of
study” and that “the sponsoring education
provider will accept responsibility for the
student whilst he is in the UK”. UKBA will
charge a fee of £10 for every CAS issued.
Providers will be required to issue CAS to all
applicants from February 2010.
3.4 Visas
There will be two relevant categories of
visa, but in either case, the student must be
enrolling in an institution accredited by BAC
or another approved body:
»» General student visa: a student over
the age of 16 enrolling on a course
of up to four years which meets the
requirements set out in 3.7 below.
A student on this visa may work for
up to 20 hours per week and may be
considered for an extension of the
visa at the end of the original stay.
General visa students will be allowed
to undertake work placements as part
of their course. However, the work
place component of the course must be
no more than 50% of the total course.
(p14 of Tier 4 of the Points Based
System – Policy Guidance)
»» Student visitor visa: a student intending
to enrol on a course for less than six
months. Work is not permitted and the
visa may not be extended. Institutions
which intend to issue only this type
of visa will not be required to apply
for a UKBA Tier 4 licence, as it does
not come under the Tier 4 system.
However, accreditation by an approved
accrediting body will still be required,
as stated above.
72
The document Guidance for Sponsor
Applications – Tier 2, Tier 4 and Tier 5
of the Points Based System defines the
responsibilities of a licence holder as
follows:
To keep its licence, a student sponsor will
need to:
»» keep a copy of all non-EEA students’
passports (and, when introduced, their
ID cards) showing evidence of their
entitlement to study;
»» keep each student’s contact details and
update them as necessary;
»» report to UKBA, within 10 working
days, any students who fail to enrol on
their course (see 3.6 below);
»» report to UKBA, within 10 working
days, any unauthorised student
absences (see 3.6 below);
»» report to UKBA, within 10 working
days, any students who discontinue
their studies (including any deferrals of
study);
»» report to UKBA, within 10 working
days, any significant changes in
students’ circumstances (e.g. if the
duration of a course of study shortens);
»» report to UKBA, within 10 working
days of their discovery of it, any
information which suggests that a
student is breaching the conditions of
his or her visa;
»» maintain any appropriate accreditation;
»» offer courses to international students
which comply with UKBA conditions
(see 3.7 below);
»» comply with applicable PBS rules and
the law; and
»» co-operate with UKBA (see Guidance
 for Sponsor Applications, p86).
3.6 Attendance requirements
The Guidance for Sponsor Applications
document limits the period in which a
student may be absent before the institution is
required to inform UKBA. A student must be
reported if he/she:
»» fails to enrol with them by no later than
10 working days after the end of their
prescribed enrolment period;
»» misses 10 expected contacts. For
students in schools, further education
(FE) and English language colleges this
will normally be where the student
has missed two weeks of a course.
In the higher education (HE) sector,
where daily registers are not kept,
UKBA will accept this reporting where
the student has missed 10 expected
interactions (e.g. tutorials, submission
of coursework etc);
»» stops attending either because they
have withdrawn them from the course
or because the student has said they are
leaving, within 10 working days of this
being confirmed;
»» defers their studies after their arrival
in the UK. In such cases the student’s
permission to be in the UK will cease
to be valid as they will no longer be
actively studying. The sponsor will
need to notify UKBA of the deferral
and advise the student to leave the UK.
When the student is ready to resume
their studies they will need to make a
fresh visa application.
3.7 Qualifications
Please note that UKBA has stated that in order
for an individual from outside the European
Economic Area to be issued with a student
visa he/she must have been accepted onto a
course leading to an approved qualification.
An approved qualification is defined as:
»» validated by Royal Charter; or
»» awarded by a recognised body on the
recognised bodies list operated by
DIUS [now BIS] (see link http://www.
dcsf.gov.uk/recognisedukdegrees/
index.cfm?fuseaction=institutes.list); or
»» recognised by one or more recognised
bodies via a formal articulation
agreement with the awarding body;
»» approved at level 3 or above in the
National Qualifications Framework
operated by the Qualifications &
Curriculum Authority; or
»» approved at an equivalent level in
the Scottish Credit & Qualifications
Framework; or
»» approved at an equivalent level by
the Qualifications, Curriculum and
Assessment Authority for Wales; or
»» approved at an equivalent level by the
Council for Curriculum, Examinations
and Assessment (CCEA) in Northern
Ireland; or
»» an overseas qualification, on which UK
NARIC is able to advise on its validity,
with a level equivalent to level 3 or
above on the National Qualifications
Framework.
UKBA will exceptionally accept qualifications
which sit outside of this definition until 31
March 2010. Providers will thus until the end
of March 2010 to ensure that all their courses
meet these criteria (please see paragraph 226
of Guidance for Sponsor applications - Tier 2,
Tier 4 and Tier 5 of the Points Based System
for further guidance).
4 Other requirements
UKBA has issued guidance to its own
Compliance Officers on the interpretation of
other requirements of a “bona fide” college,
which is defined by the following behaviour:
73
4.1 Maintains satisfactory records of
enrolment and attendance of students,
and supply these to the UKBA when
requested. Records of enrolment can be
in either electronic or hard copy form but,
irrespective of their format, the records of
enrolment should:
»» include a documented process for
enrolling at the institution which is
clear and transparent and which should
include the completion of a standard
application form designed for that
purpose;
»» state the name of the student as
recorded in their passport or travel
document, demonstrate that the student
has met the entry requirements for the
institution in respect of qualifications
already held (where appropriate),
show that the relevant course fees
have been paid or that any payment
options offered by the institution have
been satisfied and identify the name
of the course on which the student has
enrolled;
»» confirm how many students are actually
enrolled on each course offered by the
institution and that this figure tallies
with the attendance register and the
timetable of studies for each course;
and
»» be kept in a register designated for that
purpose or in electronic form that is
maintained by the administration of the
institution;
»» be kept securely so that there is no risk
of tampering;
»» be made available on request by a
Compliance Officer or within 28 days
of such a request being made by the
UKBA;
»» contain the name of the student as
officially recorded in the student’s
passport or travel document;
»» contain the date(s) on which
74
attendance is required and the actual
recorded attendance;
»» show that the records have been signed
off by an authorised official of the
institution;
»» be kept initially for the full period of
sponsorship
»» be accompanied by documented
procedures and processes for dealing
with absent students and show the
outcome of action taken in individual
cases.
4.2 Provides courses which involve a minimum
of 15 hours organised daytime study per
week.
»» The institution should provide
Compliance Officers with detailed
timetables of past and current classes.
Evening and weekend courses do not
meet the requirements of the rules
and no account should be taken of
any classes which commence at 6pm
or later or any classes attended at the
weekend. Where a class has started
during the afternoon and continues
after 6pm, this may be acceptable
provided a substantial part of the class
takes place during the daytime.
»» The required 15 hours of organised
daytime study per week should not
include time taken for comfort breaks
or lunch. Organised study should
include the following prerequisites:
»» a teacher or tutor is present
throughout the duration of each
class to provide formal teaching and
instruction to the students; and
»» the lesson is based on an agreed
course syllabus which has been
predetermined by the institution or
the course provider.
4.3 Ensures a suitably qualified tutor is present
during the hours of study to offer teaching
and instruction to the students. Private
 education institutions should: years of age.

»» provide a Compliance Officer with 4.6 Provides adequate accommodation,

a timetable of the classes to show
whether or not classes are taking place
with a tutor present;
»» demonstrate that they have a process
and policy in place to ensure that cover
exists for absent staff; and
»» on request, or within 28 days of such
a request being made, produce a copy
of all the tutors’ qualifications for those
courses which they are employed to
teach. This may be supported by a
copy of the contract of employment or
agreement to provide services to the
institution. It should be evidenced from
the documents that the tutor possesses
a qualification which is at or equivalent
to the level of the course they are
teaching.
4.4 Offers courses leading to qualifications
recognised by the appropriate
accreditation bodies (see Section 3.7).
4.5 Employs suitably qualified staff to provide
teaching, guidance and support to the
students. This is linked to the requirement
in 4.3 above and consequently an
institution should:
»» provide details of the number of
qualified tutors that are employed;
facilities, staffing levels and equipment to
support the numbers of students enrolled
at the institution. Institutions should be
able to confirm to the Compliance Officer
the number of students enrolled/attending,
so that he/she can assess:
»» how many classrooms are required;
»» how many qualified tutors are required
to meet the teaching requirements of
the institution’s timetable;
»» depending on the types of courses
offered, the requirements for
whiteboards, tables and chairs,
computer equipment and text books;
»» in the light of the student complement,
the level of provision of library
facilities, separate washroom facilities,
canteen and/or rest room facilities;
»» where other sites exist, that these meet
the above minimum requirements and/
or standards for teaching students;
»» the fire risk assessment and a health
and safety certificate are current; and
»» other documents as required by the
registration process remain valid.

»» provide details of other staff who are

employed to provide guidance and
support to the students. This may
already be available in the form of
literature which exists on noticeboards
and in the common areas but the types
of guidance and support may include,
for example, pastoral care, welfare,
career advice, immigration information
and the existence of an international
office; and

»» ensure all staff employed by the

institution have been suitably vetted in
order to work with students under 18

75
5 Immigration Services
Commission
The Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (Part
V) made it illegal for colleges to provide
immigration advice or immigration services
unless they were registered with the
Immigration Services Commissioner. Copies
of the Rules and Code of Standards are
available from:
»» The Office of the Immigration Services
Commissioner,
5th Floor, Counting House,
6 UKCISA
UKCISA, the Council for International
Student Affairs, publishes regular briefing
papers and advisory material relating
to overseas students in UK, including
a guidance note on how to complete
the Home Office Student Application
Form. Institutions with significant
numbers of overseas students are strongly
recommended to become subscribers. Their
address is:
»» UKCISA

53 Tooley Street, 9-17 St Albans Place

London SE1 2QN London N1 0NX

»» Telephone: »» Telephone:
020 7211 1500 020 7107 9922
Useful guidance is also available on the
»» Website:
UKCISA website: www.ukcisa.org.uk
www.oisc.org.uk

76
Notes

77
78
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