A Different Route to Recognised Qualifications.
When we talk about doing education differently, one of the first questions parents understandably ask is: But will they actually get a qualification at the end of it? The answer is yes.
The Integrative Education (IE) Programme offered through Emerald Education is awarded by Crossfields Institute, an Ofqual-registered awarding organisation. The qualifications sit on the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) at Level 2 and Level 3.
In other words, this isn’t about choosing between a flexible education and working towards a recognised qualification. The idea is that learners can have both.
A qualification built around the learner
Where IE begins to look very different from a traditional qualification is how learning happens and how it is evidenced.
There aren’t traditional exams. Instead, learners build a portfolio of work over time. That evidence could include written work and research, but it can also include projects, journals, artwork, photographs, videos, performances, experiments, recorded conversations and observations.
So rather than education being built around preparing everybody to sit the same examination, the learner can demonstrate what they know and can do through genuine work. And that’s really at the heart of Integrative Education.
Level 2 and Level 3
The programme offers different pathways depending on the learner’s age and stage.
Level 2 is available from age 14 and includes areas such as mathematics, natural sciences, language and literature, creative thinking, digital futures, performing arts and independent project work. The parent information describes this as Level 2 / GCSE level on the RQF.
Level 3 is available from age 16 and combines core modules with electives covering areas including sciences, arts, mathematics, digital futures, community and culture, and ecological connections.
And because the qualification is modular, the pathway can be planned around the learner rather than every learner being expected to follow exactly the same programme.
So, where does Emerald come in?
Families still lead the day-to-day learning. That might mean learning with a parent or carer, working with tutors, taking online courses, joining community groups — or using a mixture of all of them.
Emerald is there to support the qualification pathway around that learning.
We help families understand the requirements, choose modules and build an assessment plan. Trained assessors review portfolios and provide feedback, with assessment decisions going through internal quality assurance and external quality assurance from Crossfields Institute.
You lead the learning. We help turn that learning into a recognised qualification.
Education can look different without meaning less
Choosing a different route through education doesn’t have to mean giving up qualifications altogether. Integrative Education gives learners another way to demonstrate what they know, what they can do and how they’ve developed — while still working towards a recognised qualification.
Want to know more about Integrative Education? Explore our Integrative Education page to see how the programme works, the Level 2 and Level 3 pathways and what learning through Emerald could look like for your family.
