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Internal Quality Assurance Policy

1. PURPOSE

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This policy explains how DTMK Limited manages Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) of regulated qualifications, beginning with First Aid. It ensures assessment decisions are valid, reliable, authentic, current, and sufficient, and that our processes meet or exceed sector and regulatory expectations.

 

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2. SCOPE

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This policy applies to all DTMK staff involved in training, assessment, quality assurance, and administration. It covers delivery in England and Scotland, including at client premises, hired venues, and community sites.

 

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3. PRINCIPLES

 

DTMK Limited will:

  • Meet all relevant regulatory and awarding requirements for qualifications delivered

  • Apply a structured IQA system that is documented, risk based, and regularly reviewed

  • Use official awarding paperwork for regulated courses and DTMK paperwork for non-regulated activity

  • Maintain professional standards of conduct including fairness, integrity, and confidentiality

  • Manage conflicts of interest openly and fairly

  • Collect and act upon feedback from learners, trainers, and IQAs to support continuous improvement

 

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4. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

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Head of Centre / Director

  • Signs off the annual IQA strategy and sampling plan

  • Ensures sufficient qualified staff and time are allocated for IQA

  • Responds to external quality assurance findings

  • Holds ultimate accountability for compliance

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IQA Lead

  • Designs the IQA sampling plan before delivery each year

  • Assigns a documented risk rating to each Trainer Assessor and uses this to determine the frequency and type of sampling

  • Allocates sampling tasks to IQAs and monitors completion

  • Observes trainers at least once every twelve months and provides written feedback

  • Reviews conflict of interest declarations and decides what action is required

  • Reports IQA findings to the Director, including action plans

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Internal Quality Assurers (IQAs)

  • Carry out sampling as directed by the plan, checking assessment records, learner evidence, and assessor decisions

  • Observe assessments in real time and complete an IQA observation record

  • Review trainer CPD portfolios and reflections against sector guidance

  • Provide written feedback to trainers within ten working days, with clear actions where improvements are needed

  • Must not verify their own assessment decisions

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Trainers and Assessors

  • Attend induction and annual standardisation sessions

  • Keep a delivery log showing training delivered within the last three years

  • Maintain occupational competence in First Aid

  • Record CPD, including at least three reflective practice entries per year, retained for at least three years

  • Submit an annual conflict of interest declaration and notify the IQA Lead immediately if circumstances change

  • Use the correct assessment paperwork for the course type and complete it in full

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Administrators

  • Register learners in accordance with awarding and regulatory requirements

  • Store assessment records and IQA samples in a secure digital system with restricted access

  • Maintain version control of forms, ensuring current versions are used

  • Archive records for three years before secure disposal

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5. STAFF COMPETENCE AND CPD

 

All staff must provide verified copies of qualifications and, where applicable, professional registration details, securely stored and monitored for expiry

 

Trainers and Assessors must submit an annual delivery log, checked at appraisal

 

IQA staff must demonstrate competence either by attending sector recognised IQA CPD or standardisation sessions, or by holding or working towards a recognised IQA qualification

 

Attendance at CPD sessions is recorded in individual portfolios and checked during annual sampling

 

CPD logs must include experiential learning, training, webinars, mentoring, reflective practice, and sector updates

CPD logs are reviewed annually by the IQA Lead

 

Trainers or Assessors who do not maintain CPD will be suspended from delivery until corrective action is taken

 

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6. PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT

Trainers, Assessors, and IQAs must maintain fairness, impartiality, and integrity

 

Learner confidentiality must be respected, and personal data handled securely

 

Staff must present themselves professionally, maintain appropriate boundaries, and comply with all DTMK policies

 

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7. CONFLICT OF INTEREST

 

All staff complete a conflict-of-interest declaration on induction and annually

 

Declarations are submitted to the IQA Lead, stored in staff files, and reviewed as part of standardisation activity

 

New conflicts must be reported immediately

 

The IQA Lead decides whether a conflict can be avoided, mitigated, or escalated to the Director

 

Mitigation actions, including increased sampling, second sampling, or reallocation of IQA activity, are recorded on the conflict-of-interest register

 

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8. ASSESSMENT RECORDS AND EVIDENCE

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Trainers are briefed at induction on completing assessment paperwork

 

For regulated qualifications, only awarding organisation paperwork may be used and must not be altered

 

For non-regulated training, internal DTMK IQA paperwork will be used

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After each course, administrators check paperwork for completeness and correct version use before secure storage

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Assessment, IQA, and related quality assurance records are retained, either digitally with secure back up or in locked storage, for a minimum of three years and in accordance with the Data Retention Schedule. Where different retention periods apply, the longest applicable period will be followed.

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IQAs sample paperwork against pass criteria and provide feedback to trainers on errors or inconsistencies

 

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9. SAMPLING AND OBSERVATION

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The IQA Lead writes a risk-based sampling plan annually, informed by documented Trainer Assessor risk ratings

 

New trainers are sampled at one hundred percent until competence is confirmed

 

Higher risk trainers and qualifications receive increased sampling and observation

 

Routine trainers are sampled at least twice per year, using a mix of paperwork reviews and live observations

 

Each trainer is observed at least once every twelve months with written feedback

 

Sampling records are logged and retained for three years

 

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10. VENUE, EQUIPMENT AND RESOURCES

 

Training venues must be suitable, safe, and adequately equipped, including appropriate lighting, ventilation, and facilities

 

Resources must meet regulatory standards, including correct manikin ratios, AED trainers, airway devices, and hygiene supplies for First Aid training

 

Equipment is inspected before each course, with maintenance and replacement records retained

 

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11. COURSE NOTIFICATION AND STAFFING

 

DTMK notifies awarding and regulatory bodies of planned regulated courses as required

 

Each regulated qualification must be staffed with at least one Trainer Assessor and one Internal Quality Assurer, ensuring separation of roles

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12. STANDARDISATION

 

At least two standardisation activities will take place per year

 

These may include standardisation meetings, internal CPD events, awarding organisation updates, or external standardisation sessions

 

Agenda content includes IQA findings, paperwork review, assessment decision comparisons, CPD updates, and sector or awarding body changes

 

Attendance is mandatory for all Trainers, Assessors, and IQAs

 

Records of standardisation activity, including agendas, attendance, and action points, are retained

 

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13. RECORD KEEPING AND RETENTION

 

DTMK Limited will securely retain for at least three years:

  • Assessment records, sampling plans, and IQA feedback

  • Staff qualification evidence and CPD logs

  • Conflict of interest declarations and registers

  • Standardisation evidence and records

  • Quality assurance reports and evidence of actions taken

  • Records will be kept digitally using password protected systems or in locked storage. Secure disposal will be by cross-cut shredding or certified data deletion.

  • Retention periods follow the Data Retention Schedule in the Privacy Policy. Where longer periods apply there, those periods take precedence

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14. CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

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IQA findings are collated quarterly and reported to the Director

 

Action plans are created where weaknesses are identified and monitored at the next sampling cycle

 

Trainer performance is discussed at annual appraisals

 

Learner feedback is collected after every course and analysed termly

 

Lessons learned are shared through standardisation activity

 

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15. EXTERNAL QUALITY ASSURANCE

 

DTMK provides external quality assurers with full access to staff, records, premises, and learners when requested

 

All recommendations are actioned within agreed timescales

 

Evidence of corrective actions is stored and reviewed at the next IQA cycle

 

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16. POLICY REVIEW

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Last reviewed: February 2026

Next review due: 28th February 2027

Approved by: Christopher Cook, Director

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