Bright Assessing loses third and final appeal stage after ‘malpractice’ was found

Awarding organisation NCFE (formerly the Northern Council for Further Education) has detailed evidence of alleged malpractice at Bright Assessing uncovered through an investigation that has resulted in 225 former learners losing their qualifications.

NCFE stopped certificating Bright courses in February following its four-month investigation into alleged malpractice.

A summary of the findings has finally been made public after Bright’s appeal was rejected following the third and final stage of NCFE’s internal appeals process.

In a statement sent to FE Week this afternoon, NCFE said its investigation found 50 former learners either had sub-standard portfolios or no evidence could be found of their portfolios ever existing.

NCFE added portfolios had been “lost” for a further 175 former learners, for which there was “insufficient or no evidence to support the learners’ achievement and certification”.

They have all had their qualifications revoked.

The NCFE statement added: “Qualified, experienced and trained staff within Bright knowingly allowed practices to take place that breached quality assurance and certification processes required by NCFE.”

When asked to explain how quality assurance and certification processes had been breached, an NCFE spokesperson said the investigation found that Bright staff “incorrectly claimed certificates for a number of learners where there is insufficient or no evidence to support the learners’ achievement (ie sub-standard or missing portfolios)”.

The statement released by NCFE added there were “significant failings in the delivery and quality assurance processes within Bright while operating under Direct Claim Status which led to learners being certificated before learners had completed their portfolios”
“This meant that in a number of cases, learners were certificated that had not either completed or achieved the qualification,” it said.

It added: “Qualified, experienced and trained staff within Bright knowingly allowed practices to take place that breached quality assurance and certification processes required by NCFE as a recognised awarding organisation.”

It also stated that “Bright staff knew of the significant issues with their quality assurance process that led to incorrect learner certification and developed processes to work around this”.

It added: “During the duty of care process NCFE was provided with an NCFE document which appeared to have been altered by Bright to remove negative statements and action points to the centre.”
However, Bright chief executive Krissy Charles-Jones hit back at NCFE.

She said she had sent a 10-page letter of complaint about the awarding body to regulator Ofqual. Ms Charles-Jones claimed NCFE was “wholly responsible” for former learners’ qualifications being revoked.

She said: “NCFE carried out inadequate external moderation, sampling just 0.2 per cent of the 1200 registered learners with just one visit lasting just two hours, even though the industry norm would be 10 per cent.

“It was not until NCFE received complaints from learners that it carried out thorough external moderation as per industry requirements.

“The role of the external moderator as defined under NCFE’s ‘agreement with us’ was to ensure that our quality assurance meets centre approval recognition. However, even when requested by Bright, NCFE did not provide this support.

“A letter to Bright from NCFE dated July 10 [last year]… shows the failings in NCFE’s external moderation… It identifies areas as failings that were previously graded excellent [by an external moderator] just four months previously and for the same learners.

“This poor external moderation which did not involve any observations of assessments… also resulted in Bright delivering poor quality assessments on its back-to-work programme.”

Ms Charles-Jones added Bright made “huge improvements” to its back-to-work courses once these issues had been identified and “carried out a number of actions given to us by NCFE”.

She said: “This quality of training was noted by an independent inspector who graded teacher observations and learner outcomes as good with outstanding features under the Ofsted framework in December 2013.

“These learners [who have been de-certificated] relate only to provision delivered prior to August 2013, under the guidance given to Bright by NCFE.

“One learner in particular that Bright are aware of being ‘de-certificated’ was actually externally moderated twice by NCFE in July 2013 and November 2013 and his portfolio declared as ‘no actions required’.”
She also attempted to assure learners currently registered with Bright.

Ms Charles-Jones said: “All learners on programme will be fully supported. In the unlikely event that a learner isn’t or cannot be registered then we are working with another provider to register them through their centre.

“Learners should not be concerned if they have contacted NCFE and have been told they are not registered, this is because they are about to become registered as we are data cleansing and collating our final lists and arranging this with NCFE.”

She declined to comment on which awarding body learners might be registered with.

Meanwhile, Ofqual recommended that worried learners should contact NCFE.

A spokesperson for the qualifications watchdog said: “NCFE continues to keep us informed about the on-going matters with Bright. As there are on-going legal issues between the two parties, we are not in a position to comment further at this time.

“Any learners who are concerned about the situation are advised to contact NCFE in the first instance, and it will be able to provide advice and support.”

OCR and Ascentis confirmed to FE Week last week they had cut ties with Bright — a move which, it was thought, left the provider without an awarding organisation. NCFE declined to comment on Ms Charles-Jones’ accusations.

Concerned learners should email vocational.qualifications@ocr.org.uk, qualityassurance@ascentis.co.uk, or service@ncfe.org.uk for advice.

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26 Comments

  1. Totally undermines the confidence in the FE sector for both providers and Awarding organisations. Both parties need to do some real soul searching as clearly mistakes were made on both sides. Unfortunately incidents like this are becoming all too common place. Bright cannot point the figure at NCFE as a provider you are responsible for your own QA, however NCFE need to take action with their own EQA systems and processes as clearly all safety nets to prevent situations like this have failed!

    • Anjee

      Dave, I totally agree but they will not accept responsibility unless you are registered with Bright Assessors. I became a candidate and had almost completed my A1 assessors course and had purchased a PTILLS course also which cost just over £1000. Imagine my dismay when a BBC reporter contacted me to say that the company were being investigated for malpractice. I did receive an email from Bright stating what had happened but they were appealing against the decision. I have never received any updates from Bright about their position and the NCFE only advise on ways to get a refund from a credit card or sending a letter in to the company. I am so angry at Bright but I always felt studying fo this qualification was safeguarded by the governing body. How wrong was I ……grrrrr

  2. I did a course with bright I started in April and now I Find this out, and they have just taken another payment for the course from my account!! Need help in this
    Matter

    • Anjee

      inform your bank and explain what has happened and they should stop the payments if you have completed via a Switch transaction. If it’s direct debit or standing order ring the back and cancel it

  3. Sascha Burnham

    I paid for the pttls and nvq course in one big sum and have botnfinished and couldntnget any response from bright and was refused refund so now no idea where to go for help. I can’t afford to loose 1500

    • Alison Ewart

      Dear Sascha, I saw your post (June 2014) regarding loss of payment to Bright – I also paid in a lump sum and am wondering whether it’s possible to reclaim this. Could you tell me what action you took?

      Many thanks,

      Alison Ewart

  4. Paul Butcher

    I was nearing the end of my level 4 qualification in Preparing to Teach in the Life Long Learning Sector at a cost of £350. I put a lot of work into my assignments. I have not had anything back from Bright. I am now in limbo with no idea and how I can progress or get refunded.

    • Anjee

      Paul,

      I contacted Trading Standards for my local area, you should have one in yours. I was advised to send a recorded delivery letter asking what is going to happen now the company has sunk. You have to give Bright 7 days to respond and if they fail contact Trading Standards once more. if you paid by credit card you can claim the money back from the credit card company. If the company fail to reply you go back to trading standards and seek further advice..

      • Syd Weller

        There is a time limit on card refunds. Varies between banks. Ipatiently waited for too long with Barclays and they refused to refund. I had completed my level 3 verifiers course and actually had firms phoning me offering work. Last week offered verifiers post for engineering apprentices £28,000-00 + and could’nt start without the certificate.

    • Paul Butcher

      I have been in contact with NFCE and they have said that Bright never registered me with them. I have emailed Acentis for support and they still have responded.

  5. Charlotte Greenwood

    I am on a course and paid £800 – now I obviously can’t finish, can’t find anyone to answer the phone or emails – absolutely distraught.

  6. Michelle

    Started Assessor course a month ago, paid lump sum for assessor course and PTLLS level 4 in one lump sum on credit card. I also have no reply from emails or when i ring them. I cant afford to lose this money and will contact my credit card to see if they can help. More worrying is an email i have received from a learner advising me my personal details have been passed on as a database has gone missing! Has anyone else received this email?

    • Nancy

      Hi my daughter also paid for a ptlls course done all the work and was waiting for her certificate then after numerous phone calls finds she wasn’t even registered she paid £350. Then the awarding body says send us your portfolio and £51 and we will access your work. Then finds her personnal detail are on this leaked data base. Each one of you report it to the police if you have been contacted about your details being leaked. Approach your credit card company if you paid by that card. If you paid by debit card approach your bank I think there is something in place where you will be able to claim it back. Don’t give up and let these so called bodies rip you off good luck to everyone

    • Radcliffe Downes

      Yes I have also seen this email. I am unable to assess the website and it directs to another page which also doesn’t accept my password.

  7. It’s disgusting!!
    I paid £350.00 for my staff to do PTTLs and £550 towards another member of staffs DTTLs course, both have been left high and dry. My employee completed her PTTLs and was told that she finished and passed, all that was left was for it to be IQA. However, she spoke to NCFE and Ascentis and they told her she had not been registered. They said they were not offering the PTTLs course so there was nothing they could do. Whilst, the other employee has not had any contact from her Assessor even after she sent in her first assignment. They took the money but did not deliver. We contacted NCFE and Ascentis but both were unable to help.
    I wrote to Bright to try and get my money back because both employee’s have to re-register to do the course again. I am not having any luck at contacting them. It’s 2 weeks later and I still haven;t heard from them.

  8. David of Devon

    It just shows that private [profit-making] companies should not be allowed anywhere near this sort of thing. There is so much potential for fraud.

  9. I have paid full and nothing happens at all assessor are not competent and response at all. What a waste of money and time. I am sure that there will be more victims on the row. What is the responsible sector doing this situation like this . Please do not ignore this is serious.

  10. Syd Weller

    I am semi retired and have no financial need to work. I took an assessors course to help give back towards engineering apprentices and keep my mind buzzing. It is my intention to take your messages to my MP and request guidance as the Citizens Advice Bureau are simply inadequately trained to assist in this type of scenario.
    Will keep you all informed