What are competence standards and how can we avoid discrimination?

Section 28S of the Disability Discrimination Act defines a ‘competence standard’ as an academic, medical, or other standard applied by or on behalf of an education provider for the purpose of determining whether or not a person has a particular level of competence or ability.

Competence standards apply to all aspects of courses:

• admissions
• on-course assessments
• awarding qualifications.

Competence standards can be set by either individual institutions, external bodies (such as general qualifications bodies) or specific qualifications bodies (such as the General Medical Council or the Law Society).

Institutions will need to ensure they implement competence standards in a non-discriminatory way. ECU would recommend reading the former Disability Rights Commission’ Code of Practice Post-16, which provides useful guidance on how to avoid discrimination in relation to competence standards.