Regulated qualifications

There aren’t many (if any) firms who regularly support awarding organisations and end-point assessors. For us, it’s something of a speciality.

We provide a full service under one roof. We assist from establishment and recognition, through day-to-day operations to helping avoid and resolve disputes and regulatory intervention.

Our clients span a range of large multinational companies, national and international charities, further and higher education providers and chartered institutes to small, niche providers.

We understand the business behind developing and awarding qualifications and working within complex corporate structures and stringent regulation. Right now, we’re helping in establishing the new T level technical qualifications and apprenticeships.

How we help

One of the benefits of being a full-service firm is that we can advise on any regulatory, procurement, commercial, property, governance,  IP or even IT issue.

We know the ins and outs of qualification regulation, whether you’re regulated in England or elsewhere – even (and especially!) where your organisation’s activities fall within the remit of multiple regimes. We frequently guide clients in their engagement with regulators to secure positive outcomes.

We’ll also advise on handling malpractice, responding to whistle-blowers and solving disputes with other awarding organisations and centres. That includes dealing with centres that aren’t following your requirements.

We can advise you on your more day-to-day operations, including your centre agreements, policies, escalation processes and on equality issues.

 

Acquisition of an Awarding Organisation by another Awarding Organisation:

Mergers and acquisitions

We recently advised on the acquisition of an awarding organisation by another awarding organisation, and have also advised on merging Ofqual-regulated organisations.

Managing adverse effects

We advise on the management of adverse effects and the regulatory consequences, including dealing with Ofqual, Charity Commission and other regulators.

Working internationally

We have advised a number of AOs on their operations outside of England and Wales and guided AOs through the dos and don’ts of operating overseas, including which qualifications are and aren’t regulated.

Explore

Briefing for Charities & Social Enterprises | 24 June

Our weekly round up of news and updates from across the sector. To help you navigate this week’s content, the links below will take you straight to content by topic. Charity Commission The latest edition of Charity Connection focuses on celebrating small charities and covers World Whistleblower Day, mentioning various whistleblowing resources for charities. See …
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Keys with conditions: What you need to know about service occupancies

Service occupancies are a common but often misunderstood arrangement, especially for organisations like charities, schools, care providers and religious institutions that offer housing to employees as part of their job. While convenient in many ways, service occupancies carry significant legal complexity, particularly if the employment relationship ends or changes over time. What is a service …
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Briefing for Charities & Social Enterprises | 11 June

Our weekly round up of news and updates from across the sector. To help you navigate this week’s content, the links below will take you straight to content by topic. Charity Commission We reported a few weeks ago that the Charity Commission’s guidance CC30, Finding and appointing new trustees, has been updated. We’ve reviewed the …
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Bates Wells discusses Charitable Funds with Independent Schools Management Magazine

Laura Soley and Alice Faure Walker have published an article in the Independent Schools Management Magazine, April 2025 edition. Their article, “Unlock your funds” gives top tips for independent schools on unlocking charitable restricted and endowment funds for broader use, including changing purposes of funds and accessing capital of endowments.This article should be timely, as we’ve …
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A new approach to enforcement? Ofqual consults on its Taking Regulatory Action policy

On 20 February 2025, Ofqual opened a consultation on updates to its enforcement policy, “Taking Regulatory Action”, which it proposes to rename “Supporting Compliance and Taking Regulatory Action”. The consultation will close on 15 May 2025. This refresh of Ofqual’s enforcement policy has been long awaited by awarding organisations (“AOs”). Since the existing policy was …
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Meet our team