It is essential that all schools presenting primary 7 candidates for the award in 2024 take part in the verification process.
October
All primary 7 coordinators invited to nominate a lead verifier for their cluster. It is the responsibility of the individual coordinator to identify other participating schools in their cluster; it is then the clusters collective responsibility to nominate a lead, or cluster, verifier.
The Cluster Verifier Notification form should be completed by all schools who are presenting primary 7 candidates, selecting either ‘I nominate myself’, or ‘I nominate someone else’ to be lead verifier.
The form can be accessed at https://bit.ly/ClusterVerifierNotification2023
November
Cluster Verifiers attend annual CLPL event to have their schools verified before they are able to verify their cluster. The annual event is held at the SCES office with further details published on the CLPL calendar. Limited remote sessions are held in January with further details published in the December monthly Check-in for coordinators.
December
All schools presenting primary 7 candidates for the award this session confirm date, time, and venue for the verification meeting being held in their cluster.
January
Cluster Verifier hosts verification meeting; sharing agreed standard and requesting further support from SCES where necessary.
Cluster Verifier completes the Confirmation of Cluster Verification Form after the Cluster Verification meeting. The form can be accessed at https://bit.ly/40PoLCZ
All primary 7 coordinators participate in Cluster Verification.
February
All results, including Parish Commendation evidence submitted by 28th February.
Access to SharePoint will open in January; one login is issued per school and is emailed to the registered coordinator once verification is confirmed for their school.
March
SCES Verifiers results and cross-matches these to Confirmation of Cluster Verification responses.
SCES will not accept results from schools who have not participated in verification.
April
SCES prepares Certificates, lapel badges, and prayer cards for distribution.
May
Certificates, lapel badges, and prayer cards posted to schools.
All schools are asked to please check accuracy of contents on delivery. Please note that certificates are printed to order by an external printer, it is the responsibility of the coordinator to ensure all names are spelled correctly when entering results as mistakes cannot be once certificates are printed.
FAQ
I am the only school participating from my cluster, how do I have my samples verified?
The annual CLPL event for Cluster Verifiers is an opportunity to participate in peer review; this means that your school will have satisfied the criteria for verification and no further input is required.
Other schools in my cluster are participating but have not responded to my emails.
SCES scrutinise all submissions of final results and cross match these to the Confirmation of Cluster Verification. If there is no evidence of verification, further investigation is carried out before results are confirmed, and certificates awarded.
Does the Cluster Verifier Submit all results for the cluster?
No, the Cluster Verifier submits on only their school’s results. The coordinator for each school should submit their own results.
Should all Gathering Points be completed before a sample can be verified?
No, verification should be carried out on the work available. The teacher should then use their professional judgement when submitting the results by 28th February to determine if the candidate will complete all Gathering Points before certificates are issued.
Are Parish Commendations included in the verification process?
No, Parish Commendations are uploaded to SharePoint once results have been entered. These are then audited by SCES before commendation is awarded.
Where should I record my results?
Once a Confirmation of Cluster Verification has been received for your school, we will issue a link to the SharePoint site together with the ‘How to’ guide. Only one person per school with have access to this; usually the person who has completed the P7 update.
I have attended the CLPL event but still unsure of the steps to follow.
Liz and Louise are available to offer support in person, or via teams. We may also connect you with more experienced coordinators in your area.
When will schools receive certificates and pins?
We anticipate that all schools will have received their certificates and pins by mid-May. Please note that late submissions (after 28th February) are not guaranteed to be included in the print run.
