DCS Criteria for Centres
Direct Claims Status (DCS) allows you to claim certificates for learners without waiting for an external quality assurance (EQA) visit. It reflects our confidence in your centre’s internal quality assurance processes, but it’s not automatic.
Please note:
- DCS is not guaranteed or permanent — it’s reviewed regularly to ensure ongoing compliance.
- Not all qualifications are eligible — check the relevant qualification specification for details.
- DCS decisions are made by our Quality Assurance Team, in liaison with the External Quality Assurer, if appropriate.
Achieving DCS
Gateway Qualifications takes a risk-based approach to the application of DCS. Approved centres which have a proven track record through sampling and a stable staff may reach a stage where claims submitted will not need to be moderated or verified before certification.
Centres need to have:
- Suitably qualified staff in place for each qualification as set out in the relevant qualification specification and the Centre Handbook.
- Established internal quality assurance systems.
- Internal quality assurance arrangements that meet the requirements as detailed in the Centre Handbook.
- Had at least 2 consecutive successful sampling activities per qualification applied for at either the end of the course or at interim stage (partially completed course).
- Centre must have continued to fully meet all the centre approval requirements and have provided yearly staffing updates on Prism.
- All assessors’ work must have been marked/verified/moderated over the preceding year to ensure that assessors are competent.
- No actions relating to curriculum and assessment delivery raised against the Centre in the last two delivery cycles. If actions are raised within a cycle, the cycle will begin again from the date the actions have been closed.
At least two complete cycles of programme delivery will be required to demonstrate all aspects of internal quality assurance are in place, with at least 2 successful sampling activities. For example, where delivery is over a very short period, small numbers of staff are involved, or learner numbers are high.
If circumstances change, such as a new assessor, unit or level is added to the centre, this will trigger additional sampling. Work from experienced assessors will be sampled less frequently.
Maintaining DCS
DCS is reviewed on an ongoing basis through quality assurance activities with the centre. Following the monitoring activity, the EQA will make a recommendation to either maintain (or suspend) DCS for a qualification to the Quality Team based on the outcome of monitoring activity.
All portfolios claimed by DCS and the associated assessment records must be available at the next quality assurance visit when they will be sampled.
The following general guidelines apply to maintaining DCS:
- When an annual sample is required, centres will follow existing procedures, using all the relevant paperwork and keeping to deadlines for submission.
- If further sampling is not required for the next six to twelve months, the EQA will recommend maintaining DCS on the Sampling Feedback Form provided after the last sampling activity has concluded.
- If, when sampling has taken place, any of the evidence submitted does not meet our standards, the centre will be informed and action points to remedy the issue will be set. DCS will be suspended until actions have been addressed.
- After actions have been addressed further samples are then reviewed at the next sampling activity.
Removal of DCS
DCS is valid for a period of 12 months and will be removed until the criteria required to achieve DCS has been met at the next quality assurance activity (sampling).
If DCS is removed from a qualification because of the centre failing to meet the approval criteria, this may be temporarily removed until actions are completed or as a result of a sanction as per the Gateway Qualifications Sanction Policy. Centres will always be notified if DCS is removed either as part of standard monitoring activity where they no longer meet the DCS criteria or as part of a sanction.
If DCS is removed from a qualification, this will affect all qualifications in the qualification grouping. For example, if DCS has been removed from a qualification linked to Cybersecurity in the Digital group, then all approved qualifications in the Digital group, linked to the same staff members will have DCS removed until actions have been addressed.