Change of plans on remote invigilation for AAT assessments

Following recent news that we're working towards making remote invigilation available, it's now transpired that it won't be possible to introduce it in the way we'd planned.

Our team has been working tirelessly behind the scenes, and in constant conversation with the regulators, to come up with solutions which will work for many of our students. This included a series of significant technical developments all required in parallel to let us work towards piloting remote invigilation.

We've been considering the issues and implications associated with delivering remote invigilation for AAT assessments and had planned to introduce this on a phased basis from August 2020. While we've made good progress in many respects, as a result of testing and further investigation it has become clear that it will not be possible to proceed as planned.

It's very important that we maintain a strong suite of qualifications and we're not confident that we'll be able to meet the levels of compliance and security we'd expect for our assessments, and the levels required by the regulators for high-stakes, performance-table qualifications like ours.

As a result we've changed our plan and we're now working towards implementing a managed pilot through selected training providers using two of our Level 1 qualifications. This will provide us with valuable information and learning which will let us better understand and mitigate against the risks and issues associated with remote invigilation.

Mark Farrar, AAT CEO, said: "This has been a very difficult decision for us to take and we recognise that it will have a negative impact on some of our training providers and students. We are very sorry for this but it is of the utmost importance that the integrity and validity of AAT assessments and qualifications are protected.

"Hopefully the impact of this change in our plan will be less significant as we return to a situation where our assessments are widely available from 29 June through training providers. We recognise that the constantly changing landscape has created uncertainty around the world and we’re adapting each day to consider new ways to provide suitable support and services."