Sector
Education: Assessments, Qualifications
Founder Member:
Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ)
Core Products / Services
The provision of standardised guidelines for assessment delivery, centre inspections, collaboration among members and the coordination of responses to sector-wide issues.
Michael Crossan serves as Head of Strategic Change at the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), the representative body for the UK’s eight largest awarding bodies responsible for GCSEs, A-levels, and vocational and technical qualifications. In this role, he leads transformative initiatives and strategic programmes across member organisations including AQA, CCEA, City & Guilds, Edexcel, NCFE, OCR, SQA, and WJEC/Eduqas.
Michael previously served as Director of Qualifications (Temporary) at CCEA from August 2023 to March 2024, directing the design, operation, and secure delivery of Northern Ireland’s public examinations. As CCEA’s responsible officer and JCQ Board member, he contributed to UK-wide assessment governance.
His career spans over 26 years in education, with 19 years in senior leadership. As Head of Assessment Operations at CCEA (2012-2024), he managed critical pandemic response measures for qualifications and led modernisation projects including the transition to online examination marking.
In his current role, Michael focuses on strengthening systems supporting vocational and technical qualifications, addressing strategic risks including cybersecurity and resilience planning, while working with regulators and government departments to advance the UK qualifications sector.
JCQCIC comprises AQA, CCEA, City & Guilds, NCFE, OCR, Pearson, SQA and WJEC – the eight largest providers of qualifications in the UK. The JCQCIC is a membership organisation and enables member awarding bodies to act together in providing, where possible, common administrative arrangements for the schools and colleges and other providers which offer their qualifications; and responding to proposals and initiatives in assessment and the curriculum.
Standardised Assessment Delivery Guidelines:
- Providing guidelines for the consistent delivery of members assessments within the UK and for their qualifications delivered internationally.
Centre Inspection Service:
- Ensuring consistent standards in assessment delivery and compliance with JCQ regulations across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Assessment Administration:
- Providing systems and processes to streamline common assessment administration functions (Access Arrangements and Special Considerations, Alternative Site and Consortium Arrangements, Managing Very Late Arrivals), reducing administrative duplication.
Strategic Collaboration and Unified Voice:
- Facilitating collaboration among member organisations to address sector-wide challenges and coordinate responses to issues.
- Enabling members to speak with one voice on matters of national importance in education and assessment.
- Annual publication and national briefings on members qualifications outcomes.
Stakeholder Engagement:
- Serving as a bridge between member organisations and key stakeholders across the education sector, fostering meaningful dialogue and collaboration.
Useful resources and case studies:
Other Founder Members
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