Endorsed Resources (Publishers) — Policy & Criteria

Company: Tyrogen Limited (16884876)
Owner: Head of Assessment & Standards (HoA&S)
Approved by: Governing Body (or delegated authority per Delegation of Authority)
Status: Draft (controlled policy)
Version: 0.2
Last updated: 2026-04-05
Next review: 2026-04-30

1) Purpose

This policy defines Tyrogen's endorsed-resources framework and the criteria that apply if Tyrogen introduces a formal route for endorsing third-party learner-support resources.

Tyrogen satisfies the policy-level control requirement for endorsed resources by maintaining a clear default no-endorsement position unless an endorsement route is formally introduced, and by requiring any such route to operate through published criteria, conflicts controls, recorded decisions, review, and withdrawal arrangements.

1.1 Ofqual alignment

This policy supports compliance with requirements and expectations including:

• C3 (publishers and endorsement arrangements)
• PR1 (integrity, fairness, and public confidence)
• linked controls over public claims, conflicts of interest, and accessibility.

2) Role of this policy and ownership boundary

This file is the canonical policy owner for:

• Tyrogen's default position on endorsement of third-party resources
• the governance threshold for introducing an endorsement route
• endorsement criteria
• endorsement decision, review, suspension, refusal, and withdrawal rules
• endorsement-specific records and periodic review expectations.

This file does not own:

• general public-claims rules, regulatory-status wording, or general endorsement-language boundary, which are owned by Marketing, Claims and Ofqual Logo Use
• organisation-wide conflicts controls, declarations, or recusal rules, which are owned by Conflicts of Interest
• document-control rules, live-path authority, or copy-file status, which are owned by Document Control
• qualification design, titling, or specification mechanics, which are owned by Qualification Administration Controls
• commercial pricing, packaging, or invoicing rules, which are owned by Fees, Packaging and Invoicing.

Tyrogen's arrangements therefore keep endorsement-process substance in this policy while leaving broader public-claims, conflicts, document-control, qualification-administration, and commercial rules with their true owner files.

3) Scope

This policy applies to any Tyrogen decision to:

• endorse a third-party learner-support resource
• publish endorsement criteria
• receive or assess an endorsement request or proposal
• approve wording that describes a resource as endorsed by Tyrogen
• review, suspend, refuse, or withdraw endorsement.

It applies whether the resource is produced by a publisher, centre, employer, training provider, consultant, or other third party.

4) Default position

Tyrogen does not endorse third-party resources unless the appropriate governance route has approved the introduction of a formal endorsement process.

Unless and until that route is introduced:

• no external resource may be described as formally endorsed by Tyrogen
• Tyrogen must not imply that use of any third-party resource is necessary to achieve a qualification
• references to third-party support materials must not create the impression of privileged access, preferred status, or hidden approval
• public wording about third-party resources must remain consistent with Marketing, Claims and Ofqual Logo Use.

Tyrogen's default position is therefore a controlled no-endorsement-by-default model, not an informal or discretionary endorsement environment.

5) Governance threshold for introducing an endorsement route

If Tyrogen introduces an endorsement route, the route must be formally approved through the appropriate governance and delegated-authority path before Tyrogen relies on it.

That approval must ensure that:

• the endorsement purpose is defined
• the criteria are published or controlled for publication
• the decision owner is identified
• conflicts controls are in place and operable
• misleading-claims controls align with Marketing, Claims and Ofqual Logo Use
• review, suspension, and withdrawal routes are defined
• records are retained under controlled-document and controlled-record arrangements.

6) Core principles for any endorsement route

If Tyrogen operates an endorsement route, it will do so in a way that is:

• Transparent — the basis of endorsement is clear
• Fair — equivalent resources are assessed against equivalent criteria
• Independent — relevant conflicts are declared and managed
• Learner-protective — endorsement does not mislead learners, centres, or purchasers
• Standards-safe — endorsement does not imply privileged access to live assessment content, confidential materials, or likely outcomes
• Reviewable — endorsement decisions can be revisited where the basis changes.

Tyrogen's arrangements ensure that endorsement is treated as a controlled standards-and-public-confidence decision rather than as a casual marketing signal.

7) Endorsement criteria

Where endorsement is offered, Tyrogen has criteria that address, as applicable:

• fitness for purpose and technical accuracy
• clarity, accessibility, and inclusivity
• consistency with qualification objectives and published information
• absence of privileged or confidential assessment insight
• avoidance of misleading claims about necessity, approval scope, or likely outcomes
• avoidance of unfair advantage or implied insider status
• risk of adverse effect on learners, centres, standards, or public confidence.

Tyrogen's criteria therefore require an endorsed resource to be suitable and non-misleading without allowing endorsement to become a proxy for hidden assessment advantage or mandatory purchase pressure.

8) Conflicts and independence interface

Any endorsement decision must apply the relevant controls in Conflicts of Interest.

This includes, as applicable:

• declaration of relevant commercial, authorial, publishing, teaching, delivery, or personal interests
• recusal or reassignment where a conflict cannot be managed appropriately
• escalation where independence is materially affected.

This policy does not restate the organisation-wide conflicts framework. It applies that framework to endorsement decisions and requires endorsement not to proceed through unmanaged conflict.

9) Prohibited endorsement effects and claims

Tyrogen must not endorse, describe, or permit endorsement wording that:

• implies privileged examiner or assessment-author knowledge
• implies guaranteed success, likely pass, or preferred-outcome status
• implies that purchase is mandatory where it is optional
• implies broader Tyrogen approval than has actually been granted
• undermines the public claims boundary set in Marketing, Claims and Ofqual Logo Use
• creates or risks creating an adverse effect for learners, centres, standards, or public confidence.

Tyrogen's arrangements therefore ensure that endorsement, if ever used, remains bounded, evidence-based, and incapable of functioning as a disguised route for misleading claims or unfair commercial pressure.

10) Decision, review, suspension, and withdrawal

If an endorsement route is active, Tyrogen will:

• record the request, proposal, or candidate resource
• assess the resource against the applicable criteria
• record the decision and rationale
• apply consistent endorsement wording where endorsement is granted
• keep endorsed resources under periodic review
• suspend or withdraw endorsement where the resource no longer meets the criteria or creates unacceptable risk.

Tyrogen may refuse, suspend, or withdraw endorsement where, for example:

• the resource is inaccurate, outdated, misleading, or inaccessible
• conflicts cannot be managed adequately
• the resource implies privileged insight or unfair advantage
• the resource no longer aligns with qualification objectives or public information
• the endorsement creates or risks creating an adverse effect.

Tyrogen's arrangements ensure that endorsement is not a permanent badge detached from ongoing suitability. Endorsement remains conditional on continued compliance with the applicable criteria and risk position.

11) Minimum records and evidence

Minimum records for this policy include, as applicable:

• endorsement requests, proposals, or candidate-resource records
• the current controlled criteria version
• relevant conflicts checks or declarations linked to the decision
• decision records and rationale
• endorsement review records
• suspension or withdrawal records where status changes
• approved endorsement wording where a resource is described publicly as endorsed.

12) Related documents

• Marketing, Claims and Ofqual Logo Use
• Conflicts of Interest
• Document Control
• Qualification Administration Controls
• MD Index

13) Change log