Flexible approach to delivery and assessment, providing valuable written and physical support to UK universities and education colleges
For over 30 years Gateway Qualifications has been leading awarding body passionate about Access to Higher Education. We are as dedicated today as we were at the start, which is why we continue to develop exciting new higher education Diplomas across a wide range of subjects and improve our overall offer, ensuring that the everchanging needs and desires of both the learner and the provider are met.
We are a solutions focussed Access Validating Agency (AVA), supporting you to overcome the challenges faced by the sector, championing the interests of Access to HE students, and working hard to ensure you and your students receive the support you need when you need it.
Whilst individual Access to HE Diplomas are conventional in their makeup and through the regulation of the QAA, the approach of Access Validating Agencies (AVAs) can differ significantly. Gateway Qualifications takes a flexible approach to delivery and assessment and provides valuable written and physical support. This allows Centres to support all learners to achieve their ambitions for entering higher education and beyond.
We work with institutions across England and Wales to develop, approve,and monitor Access to HE courses. If you have any questions about our services, please contact our support team.
Head to our dedicated web pages for step-by-step guidance and information.
We provide support and guidance for Centres in the form of: unit support materials, more than 100 assignment briefs, tutor handbooks, forms, templates and checklists you will need to successfully run your Diplomas, as well as free training bespoke to the challenges your Centre is facing.
Our processes, timetables and appropriate approach to assessment are designed to make running the Access to Higher Education Diploma as simple as possible. Whilst ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and the best possible outcomes for students applying to enter Higher Education.
Read about all the ways learners and Centres are successfully benefitting from Access to HE on our Case Studies page. Many learners have met their entry requirements, secured places on degree courses, and successfully progress to university.
Gateway Qualifications has been incredibly flexible in allowing me to select units and create pathways. This means that I co-teach certain units across pathways meaning my staffing costs are reduced, making it more financially viable to run.Tracey Page, Programme Coordinator for Access to HE, USP College
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Visit our Information for Learners page for more information about finding a place to study near you.
How to find a courseOur refined moderation process reduces the burden on Centre staff and moderators at the end of the academic year.
We understand the pressures that come with collating samples of work, supporting students to complete outstanding units, marking and internal verification and that these activities typically amass and intensify at the end of the academic year. We have therefore shifted the timing of our main sampling phase to reduce the pressure and burden at final moderation and enable timely preparations for final awards boards.
Over 120 of our units have assessment briefs, including all our ungraded units. While they are completely ready to use as is, we encourage them to be adapted to meet both learner and Centre needs. Free to download for approved Centres from Prism, with a sneak peek example available here.
If you prefer to create your own assignment briefs, use our free checking service too. You’ll have confidence and peace of mind that your briefs meet learners’ needs, ensuring marking, grading, and standardisation are straightforward and reduce the chances of errors and corrections needing to be made at the end of the year.
To accompany your delivery, detailed support materials are available for 78 units – many of these units are shared across our Access to HE diplomas. They’re all mapped against the learning outcomes and assessment criteria, with each booklet covering a whole unit.
The materials are available in Word format, so they can be used however best meets your learner’s needs, whether cropped and shared with learners in stages or uploaded to online learning environments. Some Centres use the booklets as revision guides or as delivery accompaniments in the classroom or online.
Thanks to a partnership agreement, students who complete a Gateway Qualifications Access to HE Diploma and apply to study at the University of East London or the University of Suffolk are offered a range of benefits, including a guaranteed offer or interview on an undergraduate degree programme.
Enhanced progression opportunities for Access to HE
In addition, with UEL, we are proud to offer a Scholarship opportunity. The scheme recognises the significant commitment and sacrifices that students make to realise their ambitions of going to university and awards extra financial support as they embark on their studies.
Fosterer Joseph, Access to HE Tutor, Waltham Forest CollegeI would like to thank all staff members I have had the pleasure of working with for their exceptional support, kindness and total understanding of the work we do. Feedback was always non-judgemental and positive. Our collaborative professional relationship has developed not only the college standardisation process, but me personally to learn about my reason for being in the teaching profession.
Our list of handy assets are there to make life within your Centre that bit easier. You’ll find ready-to-use forms, checklists, and record sheets for all stages of the Access to HE year – from getting started with the Centre and Tutor Handbooks to a template for your minutes at the Final Awards Board.
We introduce new assets regularly and welcome your suggestions. Our latest edition is a Student Achievement Tracker so Centres can collect grade descriptor data throughout the year, making for efficient collation and submission of results at the end of the year.
By adding unique units within the Access to HE Diploma and/or additional qualifications to study alongside your programme of learning, you offer a more attractive and enhanced experience for your learners.
Access to HE learners are often returning to education, possibly after a number of years and may be juggling employment, family and financial pressures as well as studying. We worked with a leading mental health charity to create a unit based on Promoting Wellbeing and Building Resilience to help students develop strategies to reduce the impact of mental health on their studies.
To support you in embedding sustainability and environmental awareness within your curriculum, why not consider the sustainability units that have been added to all our Access to HE Diplomas.
With learning taking place online more than ever, and it is estimated that one in five adults lack the foundation skills in digital technology, it’s sensible to check that your Access learners are equipped with the skills they need to complete their diploma. Our Essential Digital Skills qualifications ensure students are equipped with the basic digital skills needed to help with work, life, and study.
Contact us to discuss your curriculum
We know the impact that tutors can have on the success and achievements of their students. To celebrate Access to HE tutors, we run our annual Tutor of the Year awards. Students submit entries and reasons for their nominations – It’s inspiring reading how tutors have gone above and beyond to help students achieve their ambitions.