ASDAN
The ASDAN qualifications and awards are used by school to provide opportunities for students aged 14-16 to develop personal, social and active citizenship skills, work-related skills, key skills and wider key skills.
Providing a diverse and differential curriculum means including wider activities, experiences and awards as well as qualifications. The ASDAN framework includes qualifications and awards. The difference is that qualifications are accredited by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority as part of the National Qualifications Framework, whereas awards (such as ASDAN awards, the Duke of Edinburgh’s award and wider key skills) allow students to gain formal recognition of achievement but are not accredited to the National Qualifications Framework.
ASDAN qualifications and awards are used by the school to help structure an enrichment curriculum. The school offers ASDAN awards within Key Stage 4. They are often used to motivate and encourage students and to broaden their curriculum experience.
ASDAN qualifications are:
- Level 4
- Level 3
- Level 2
- Certificate in community volunteering
- Certificate in career planning
- Level 1
- Entry Level
- Key skills
- Certificate in life skills
ASDAN awards are structured around modules, which are based on topics or areas of interest. Each module comprises a challenge or series of challenges. Challenges are activity based and involve a task or number of tasks. Students are required to produce evidence of completion. The work is moderated and verified internally and externally by an ASDAN regional co-ordinator.
The awards use a credit based system. Credits relate to the amount of time associated with completing the tasks within any particular challenge. In each award some credits are available for action planning, recording and reviewing activities.
