Ready for the Lifelong Learning Entitlement: Module Records, Credit and Verifiable Credentials
From January 2027, the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) lets learners in England borrow for single modules, and every funded module must end in a standardised transcript. This report follows one module from the catalogue to a credential that another provider or an employer can check: what funders and regulators require, where learner identity breaks down, and how Open Badges 3.0 and the Comprehensive Learner Record (CLR) can carry the record.
Who it is for
Registry, student records and digital teams preparing modular provision, learning technologists choosing credential tools, and product teams building for the new funding system. It assumes familiarity with student records and statutory returns.
Key findings
- The start date holds; the application date moved. Learners apply from late October 2026, not September as first announced, for courses and modules starting from 1 January 2027. The Department for Education (DfE) has approved 130 providers to offer modules.[1][4][6][7]
- Fundable modules are narrow at launch. A module needs at least 30 credits at level 4, 5 or 6, must come from a higher technical qualification or a level 6 course in one of ten subject groups, and is charged per credit: up to £9,790 per 120 credits for course years starting before 1 August 2027.[9][10][13]
- The transcript is a condition of funding. DfE fixes its content, leaves the format to providers and advises issuing within a month; the Student Loans Company (SLC) will not check it.[3][9][15]
- Module data reaches the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) in two steps. A new
COURSEINITIDvalid entry flags modular provision in 2026/27; completion and credit follow from 2027/28, and Office for Students (OfS) completion thresholds are unlikely before 2028/29.[18][21] - No identifier follows the learner. Not every learner has a Unique Learner Number, HESA's identifier is generated by each provider, and the Personal Learning Record does not hold higher education credit.[3][23][25][26]
- Open Badges 3.0 and CLR 2.0 can carry the transcript. Most items map directly and three need agreed extensions. Neither standard's conformance covers selective disclosure, so personal data must be minimised by design.[31][32][37]
- Module evidence needs its own verification route. Hedd, the UK degree verification service, checks awards, not modules; the UK digital verification services trust framework binds only services that seek certification; and GOV.UK Wallet holds only government-issued documents.[30][42][44]
Dates to plan around
- October 2026
- Second-round expressions of interest for modular funding open, for delivery from September 2027.[5]
- End of 2026
- Target for the code of practice on the digital verification information gateway.[43]
- 1 January 2027
- The first funded courses and modules start; HESA's 2026/27 return flags modular provision.[1][21]
- 1 August 2027
- The higher fee limit rises to £10,050 per 120 credits for course years starting from this date.[10]
What the LLE changes in January 2027
The LLE replaces higher education student finance and Advanced Learner Loans at levels 4 to 6 in England. A new learner can borrow up to £39,160 in tuition fees, four years at the 2026/27 maximum of £9,790, if under 60 when the course starts; a typical three-year graduate keeps a residual £9,790. Learners can borrow for up to 180 credits a year and must study at least 30 in a course year. Maintenance loans cover in-person courses and modules, not distance learning.[1][9][14]
The application date has moved. DfE's overview and the student finance pages now say applications open at the end of October 2026; DfE material from May to July 2026 said September. Starts from 1 January 2027 are unchanged, and SLC forecasts about 88,000 students applying for courses starting between January and July 2027.[1][5][6][7][14]
Which modules qualify
Funding covers modules of higher technical qualifications (HTQs) in any subject, and level 4 to 6 modules of full level 6 courses in ten subject groups of the Common Aggregation Hierarchy (CAH): computing; engineering; architecture, building and planning, excluding landscape gardening; physics and astronomy; mathematical sciences; nursing and midwifery; allied health; chemistry; economics; and health and social care.[1][4] We counted 127 providers approved through DfE's streamlined route and three approved for named courses, 130 in all.[4][6]
The student support regulations made in July 2026 set the tests. A module must belong to a full course run by the same institution, carry at least 30 credits with the same value as in that course, have a single overall level of 4, 5 or 6, be delivered by a registered provider in England, and have a standardised transcript available on completion.[9] Smaller modules from the same parent course can be bundled to reach 30 credits; franchised delivery is excluded. If a module has several Higher Education Classification of Subjects (HECoS) codes, more than half must be in approved groups.[1][13]
Fees per credit
Fees are capped per credit. For course years starting before 1 August 2027, a provider with an access and participation plan may charge up to £9,790 per 120 credits of taught study, or £2,447.50 for a 30-credit module; without a plan, £6,525 per 120 credits. From 1 August 2027 the limits become £10,050 and £6,695, with at most 180 credits charged in a course year.[10] SLC expects one credit to represent about ten notional hours of learning.[13][15]
What the OfS and SLC expect of providers
Providers must be registered with the OfS, and approval to offer modules is a separate DfE decision. The OfS is not writing new rules for modules: conditions B1, B2 and B4, on course quality, resources and assessment, apply as for full courses, with no separate quality assessment when delivery starts.[17]
Outcomes are the exception. There is no module measure under condition B3 at launch. The OfS will collect module completion data from 2027/28 and does not expect thresholds before 2028/29 or 2029/30. It is likely to propose a change to B3 in its autumn 2026 quality consultation, and suggests the parent course's completion rate as a reference point meanwhile.[18]
SLC course data, registration and attendance
SLC runs the LLE through a new version of its Courses Management Service (CMS) and a new section of its Student Information Service (SIS). CMS asks for course type, awarding body, qualification credits, credits per year, study periods, specialist periods, qualification level and, for modules, one parent course; only providers on DfE's list can add modules.[13][15]
In SIS, providers confirm registration for each module separately, from 30 days before the start and only after enrolment, including identity checks and correct credits. After a 14-day cooling-off period they confirm attendance once per 13-week quarter, up to four times a course year, and each confirmation releases a fee payment. SLC expects at least two people to be involved in validating confirmations.[2][14][16]
Every change of circumstance states credits and credit values. On withdrawal the provider decides how many credits the learner is liable for; on transfer both providers supply credits.[16] Module-level registration, attendance and credit liability must therefore exist in the student record before anything reaches SLC.
The standardised transcript, field by field
DfE's guidance of May 2026 sets the content. The transcript must show the learner's full name, Unique Learner Number (ULN) where held, and date of birth; the provider's name, UK provider reference number (UKPRN) and contact details; the parent course title and whether it is an HTQ or a full degree; the module title, credit value and level; the mark or outcome; the completion date; and the issue date. A bundled module needs one transcript, and learning outcomes are encouraged, not required.[3]
Format is the provider's choice. DfE encourages digital formats and allows secure third-party platforms, wants transcripts accurate, durable and easy to retrieve, and advises issuing within a month of the confirmed outcome.[3] SLC will not check that transcripts are issued; a learner without one goes back to the provider.[14][15] The table maps each item to the Open Badges 3.0 and CLR 2.0 data models described below. The ULN, date of birth and level need conventions the sector has not yet agreed.[31][32]
| Transcript item | Open Badges 3.0 or CLR 2.0 property | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Subject identifier: an IdentityObject of type name | Can be a salted hash |
| ULN | IdentityObject with an extension type | No ULN term; extensions start with ext: |
| Date of birth | No subject property | dateOfBirth exists only on Profile; needs an extension |
| Provider name and contact | Issuer Profile: name, email, phone, address | Direct |
| UKPRN | Issuer otherIdentifier | Direct |
| Parent course, HTQ or degree | CLR Association of type isPartOf | No Open Badges property |
| Module title | Achievement name | Direct |
| Credit value | creditsAvailable, creditsEarned | Defined as credit hours; state the UK basis |
| Level | No direct property | Alignment or extension naming the framework level |
| Mark or outcome | Subject result, defined by resultDescription | Direct |
| Completion date | activityEndDate | Direct |
| Issue date | awardedDate, validFrom | Direct |
| Learning outcomes (optional) | Achievement criteria, alignment | Direct |
Data returns and identifiers
HESA Data Futures
HESA announced in January 2026 a small change for 2026/27: a new valid entry in the course
initiative identifier, COURSEINITID, flags all modular provision from January 2027,
not only LLE-funded modules. In 2027/28 funders and regulators want to see module completion and
the credit awarded, the ModuleSubject entity becomes a minimum for modular students,
and much module data is no longer required for students on full courses in England.[21]
The OfS describes the same shift ahead of in-year data collection.[18]
Data Futures already holds most of what a transcript needs. Module carries
MODID, MTITLE, the credit value CRDTPTS and the credit level
LEVLPTS; ModuleInstance records each student's module and its outcome in
MODULEOUTCOME and MODULERESULT; Student carries HESA's
identifier SID, the provider's own number OWNSTU, the ULN and
SLC's Student Support Number, SSN.[22][23]
Colleges returning the Individualised Learner Record (ILR) were told in March 2026 that details of
any ILR changes would come that summer.[19] The table compares
where each item lives.[3][13][16]
| Data item | Student record | SLC (CMS and SIS) | HESA Data Futures | Transcript credential |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Learner identity | Name, date of birth, local number, ULN where held | Customer Reference Number, Student Support Number | SID, OWNSTU, ULN, SSN | Full name, date of birth, ULN where held |
| Module definition | Title, credits, level, HECoS codes, parent course | Parent course, credits per year, study periods, level | MODID, MTITLE, CRDTPTS, LEVLPTS | Title, credit value, level, parent course |
| Modular flag | Standalone or bundled offer | Module entered in the LLE CMS | New COURSEINITID entry from 2026/27 | Not required |
| Engagement | Enrolment, identity checks, learning management system (LMS) enrolment | Registration per module; up to four attendance confirmations | Engagement, StudentCourseSession | Not required |
| Outcome | Mark, exam board decision, resits | Credits liable on withdrawal or transfer | MODULEOUTCOME, MODULERESULT; credit from 2027/28 | Mark or outcome |
| Dates | Start, end, confirmation | Start, end, study periods | Module instance start and end | Completion, issue |
Why matching a learner across providers is hard
The ULN is the obvious lifelong key: a 10-digit number that DfE's Learning Records Service (LRS) issues from age 14, linked to the Personal Learning Record (PLR).[24] But DfE's transcript guidance concedes that not all students have one, that providers recruiting outside the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service may not collect it, and that mature learners may lack it.[3] The PLR shows only Ofqual-regulated qualifications gained in England since 2012, and Ofqual does not regulate higher education qualifications, so university module credit will not appear there.[25][26]
Other identifiers are local. HESA's SID, which replaced the HESA unique student
identifier (HUSID), is generated by
each reporting provider around its UKPRN,[23] and
providers cannot see a learner's LLE account unless the learner shares it.[14]
A receiving provider has little to match on beyond what the learner presents.
Credit, transfer and recognition of prior learning
The Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) Higher Education Credit Framework for England (second edition, 2021) counts one credit for about ten notional hours, with two UK credits equal to one European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) credit. A bachelor's degree with honours typically carries at least 360 credits, 90 of them at level 6; a foundation degree, 240 with 90 at level 5. Not all degree-awarding bodies use credit, and each decides what credit it accepts towards its own courses.[26]
Transfer is a provider decision within a legal frame. The Higher Education and Research Act 2017 defines a student transfer as a move where the receiving provider takes account of earlier study, and OfS condition F2 requires providers to publish their transfer arrangements.[11][20] DfE commits to working with the sector on consistent credit transfer and recognition of prior learning (RPL), which the QAA defines as assessing and formally acknowledging earlier learning. The one consultation its overview mentions is on break points, which the October 2025 white paper framed as a level 4 award after year one and a level 5 award after year two.[1][8][26] Sector commentary expected a credit transfer consultation in spring 2026; we found none on GOV.UK by 5 October 2026.[48]
The baseline is low. A 2017 review published by DfE found credit transfer in the UK "widely understood as a concept but is not observed in practice very often", with about 2.2% of UK-domiciled full-time first-degree entrants moving to another institution in 2012/13.[12] A verifiable transcript does not change who decides; it makes the evidence faster to check.
HEAR, Hedd and the gap they leave
The Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR), launched in 2008 with national support from the Higher Education Academy, records modules, marks and wider achievement in a template that incorporates the European Diploma Supplement.[27] It now survives institution by institution: Warwick's is a cumulative record of modules, marks and credits, refreshed after results and resits, while Exeter issued its last HEARs after its Winter 2025 graduation.[28][29]
Higher Education Degree Datacheck (Hedd), run by Jisc, describes itself as the UK's official degree verification hub. With the graduate's consent it confirms place of study, award, grade and dates of attendance, and it holds details of 471 recognised UK institutions and 243 bogus ones.[30] It verifies awards, not modules: a learner holding three 30-credit modules from two providers has no award for Hedd to check. The comparison below also draws on the standards that follow.[3][31][32][38]
| Route | Module detail | Held by the learner | Machine-checkable | Revocation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standardised transcript | Yes required content | Yes | Varies depends on format | Varies no common method |
| HEAR | Yes modules, marks, credits | Varies through a provider platform | Varies depends on the platform | Varies no common method |
| Hedd check | No awards only | No employer enquiry with consent | No online enquiry | Not applicable |
| Open Badges 3.0 | Yes one module per credential | Yes wallet or file | Yes signature, key, status | Yes Bitstring Status List |
| CLR 2.0 | Yes modules linked to a course | Yes wallet or file | Yes signature, key, status | Yes Bitstring Status List |
Open Badges 3.0 and CLR 2.0 as transcript carriers
Open Badges 3.0, from the standards body 1EdTech (document version 1.4.5, 29 June 2026),
expresses each achievement as a verifiable credential of type AchievementCredential
or OpenBadgeCredential, built on the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Verifiable
Credentials Data Model v2.0, a Recommendation since 15 May 2025.[31][37]
CLR 2.0 (version 1.1, 14 October 2025) wraps credentials from one or more issuers in a
ClrCredential listing achievements, the credentials asserting them and associations
such as isPartOf, and its issuer guarantees that every included credential concerns
the same person.[32] That is the shape the LLE
needs: one credential per module, gathered into a record that shows modules adding up to a
qualification.
Signatures, keys and revocation
Open Badges 3.0 accepts a signed JSON Web Token (VC-JWT), described in the W3C's VC-JOSE-COSE Recommendation, or an embedded Data Integrity proof, for which conformance testing currently accepts only the EdDSA cryptosuite. Verifiers must be able to fetch issuer keys from an HTTP URL; decentralised identifier (DID) URLs are optional.[31][39] Since every verifier must handle HTTP-hosted keys and DID 1.1 is still a Candidate Recommendation, keys published over HTTPS are the safer default for a university.[40]
Revocation uses the W3C Bitstring Status List v1.0, also a Recommendation since May 2025: each credential points to a position in a compressed list the issuer publishes. Revocation is permanent and suspension reversible, which suits a mark under appeal. Lists hold at least 131,072 entries for group privacy, and positions should be assigned at random so they do not reveal when a credential was issued.[31][38]
Identity and data minimisation
A credential names its subject by an id, such as a DID, or by identifiers, which Open
Badges 3.0 lets issuers hash with a salt and recommends hashing where plain values would leak
personal data.[31] The W3C model encourages issuers
to include only what likely verifiers need,[37] yet
the DfE transcript requires full name, date of birth and, where held, ULN. Neither Open Badges 3.0 nor CLR 2.0
includes selective disclosure in its conformance, although VC-JOSE-COSE defines Selective
Disclosure for JWTs (SD-JWT).[31][32][39]
A workable pattern is two artefacts: a full transcript credential the learner shares with a
receiving provider, and a minimal public badge naming the module, credit, level and issuer.
Wallets, exchange and Europe
The Open Badges application programming interface (API) lets a learner authorise a wallet to fetch credentials over OAuth 2.0; bulk transfer between systems is out of its scope.[31] 1EdTech publishes certification suites and wallet reference implementations for both standards.[33] The European Digital Credentials for Learning infrastructure issues JSON-LD credentials aligned with version 1.1 of the W3C model and the European Learning Model, so exchange with Europe needs mapping.[45]
UK digital identity law and education credentials
Part 2 of the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 sets up a statutory regime for digital verification services (DVS): a trust framework, supplementary codes, a register, an information gateway and a trust mark. Most of it has been in force since 1 December 2025.[41][43] Version 1.0 of the renamed UK DVS trust framework, published on 9 June 2026, takes effect when the first conformity assessment body is accredited, no earlier than 1 September 2026.[42]
It bears on education credentials only by choice. The framework sets rules for services that want certification and is neither a technical architecture nor a mandatory national identity system. In its terms, a provider that creates attributes for a digital credential acts as an attribute service provider, and a wallet is a holder service, which must show relying parties when a credential has expired or been revoked. One worked example proves student status from university data.[42] By July 2026 the register listed 46 providers and 64 services, and the section 45 gateway for public authorities had not commenced.[43] Nothing in the LLE rules requires a transcript issuer to be certified,[3][9] and GOV.UK Wallet accepts only government-issued documents.[44]
A reference architecture
The diagram reads from top to bottom; the sequence after it follows one learner and one 30-credit module.
Record
Funding and teaching
Credentials
Verification
One module, from catalogue to verified credential
- ProviderCatalogueDefine the module in the student record with credits, level, HECoS codes and parent course, and enter it in SLC's CMS.
- Learner and SLCApplyFrom late October 2026 the learner applies for each module; approved applications reach SIS within 24 hours.
- ProviderEnrol and registerCheck identity, record any ULN, enrol the learner in the LMS, and confirm registration in SIS from 30 days before the start.
- ProviderConfirm attendanceAfter 14 days, confirm attendance once per 13-week quarter, up to four times, to release fee payments.
- Exam boardAward creditConfirm mark and credit. A withdrawal goes to SLC as a change of circumstance stating the credits charged.
- ProviderIssueWithin a month, issue the transcript as an
AchievementCredentialwith a status list entry, and add it to the learner's CLR. - ProviderReportReturn the module with the new
COURSEINITIDentry in 2026/27, adding completion and credit from 2027/28. - VerifierCheckA receiving provider or employer checks signature, issuer key, status and dates, then decides what credit or weight to give.
For the teaching lane, OneRoster 1.2, final since 2022, was designed for schools, and Edu-API, aimed at higher education, is still a candidate final specification.[34][35] Neither carries funding or credit liability, so the student record stays the system of record.
Failure modes to design for
- Identity matching across providers. With no universal ULN and provider-generated HESA identifiers, match on the credential rather than on name and date of birth, and keep a history of earlier names and identifiers. A CLR issuer must be sure every included credential concerns the same person.[3][23][32]
- Partial credit. On withdrawal, fees follow the credits the provider says the learner is liable for, while credit is awarded only for achieved learning. Keep the two apart, and never put liable credits on a credential.[16][26]
- Resits and appeals. Issue only after the outcome is confirmed. Suspend a credential during an appeal; after a resit, issue a new one and retire the old. Open Badges 3.0 also defines a
Provisionalresult status.[3][31][38] - Revocation. Revocation is permanent. Host status lists and keys at addresses that outlive any platform contract, and test that wallets show changes, as certified holder services must.[38][42]
- Name changes. Rectification includes telling recipients about corrected data. Re-issue under the new name and retire the old credential rather than editing a signed record.[31][47]
- Over-sharing. Date of birth and ULN help a receiving provider; a public profile needs neither. Disclose only what each verifier needs.[37][46]
Readiness checklist
- Confirm your DfE approval and the subjects, parent courses and HECoS codes it covers
- Give every module a stable identifier, credit value, single level and parent course
- Enter modules and credits per year in SLC's LLE CMS before applications open
- Support registration per module and up to four attendance confirmations, with at least two people involved in validation
- Record credits liable on withdrawal separately from credits achieved
- Map the 2026/27
COURSEINITIDchange, and plan completion and credit data for 2027/28 - Collect the ULN at enrolment where it exists, and record why when it does not
- Fix a transcript template against DfE's required content and a one-month issue target
- Choose an Open Badges 3.0 and CLR 2.0 issuer that passes 1EdTech conformance, or test your own
- Publish keys at a stable HTTPS address and a status list with random positions
- Set rules for suspension, revocation and re-issue after appeals, resits, errors and name changes
- Separate the full transcript credential from a minimal public badge, and complete a data protection impact assessment
- Publish verification guidance for receiving providers and employers, and keep your F2 transfer information current
Where EdTechLab stands
Our products do not issue Open Badges or Comprehensive Learner Record credentials today, and they do not offer LTI 1.3, LTI Advantage or live xAPI (Experience API). LMS integrations are scoped per client project, and credential issuing would be too.
What we can show today is the privacy pattern this report argues for. WorkReady Finance, developed by EdTechLab for UWE Bristol Business School and in production since 1 June 2026, needs no learner login: learners join with facilitator access codes and an optional PIN to resume. UWE Bristol is the data controller and EdTechLab the processor; EdTechLab designed, engineered, deployed and hosts and maintains the platform, which runs on a Postgres database in London with row-level security on every table. EngagedLab's Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) packages are self-contained and make no external calls; evidence returns to the LMS only on opt-in, with hashed LMS learner IDs, and cohort figures are suppressed below 5 learners.
On a client project we would start with discovery: map module, credit and identifier data across the student record, SLC, HESA and the LMS, and agree a transcript template and a data protection impact assessment. We would then integrate a credential platform certified for Open Badges 3.0 and CLR 2.0, or build an issuer and test it against 1EdTech's conformance suite, pilot it on one parent course, and publish verification guidance for receiving providers and employers before scaling.
Limits of this report
- This is general information, not legal or funding advice; the regulations and the published DfE, SLC and OfS guidance prevail.
- Policy is moving. The application date changed in September 2026, and some official pages still carry older dates or figures.
- HESA's website blocks automated access, so HESA details come from search extracts and supplier documentation; check them against the 2026/27 coding manual.
- The mapping to Open Badges 3.0 and CLR 2.0 is our analysis, not an agreed UK profile.
- We did not test any flow against SLC or HESA systems, or issue test credentials, for this report.
References
Accessed 5 and 6 October 2026.
- Department for Education. Lifelong learning entitlement: what it is and how it will work (updated 24 September 2026). Source
- Department for Education. Lifelong learning entitlement (LLE): guidance for providers (updated 24 September 2026). Source
- Department for Education. Lifelong learning entitlement (LLE) modules: standardised transcripts (18 May 2026). Source
- Department for Education. LLE modular funding: approved providers and subjects in scope (15 May 2026). Source
- Department for Education. How to complete the expression of interest for LLE modular funding (updated 21 July 2026). Source
- Department for Education, The Education Hub. What the Lifelong Learning Entitlement means for you (15 May 2026). Source
- GOV.UK. Student finance: how to apply for courses starting in 2027. Source
- Department for Education. Post-16 education and skills white paper (October 2025). Source
- The Lifelong Learning (Student Support) (Amendment of Fees and Awards etc.) Regulations 2026, SI 2026/858, regulations 11, 22, 23 and 31 (made 22 July 2026, in force 1 September 2026). Source
- The Lifelong Learning (Fee Limits) Regulations 2026, SI 2026/856, regulations 12 to 18 (made 22 July 2026, in force 1 September 2026). Source
- Higher Education and Research Act 2017, section 38. Source
- Institute for Employment Studies, for the Department for Education. Credit transfer in higher education: a review of the literature (March 2017; commissioned review, not peer reviewed). Source
- Student Loans Company. Lifelong Learning Entitlement in England: Courses Guidance 26/27, version 3.0 (23 September 2026). Source
- Student Loans Company, HEP Services. Lifelong Learning Entitlement FAQ, version 1.4 (updated 2 October 2026). Source
- Student Loans Company. LLE Course Service Management: Service Definition, live version 1.1. Source
- Student Loans Company. LLE: Registration, Attendance Management and Change of Circumstance Service Definition, version 1.0 (valid from September 2026). Source
- Office for Students. How OfS regulation will change when the LLE is introduced (updated 17 March 2026). Source
- Office for Students. Developing our approach to measuring outcomes for students on modules (updated 25 June 2026). Source
- Office for Students. Preparing for the lifelong learning entitlement (17 March 2026). Source
- Office for Students. Condition F2: Student transfer arrangements, regulatory framework guidance. Source
- HESA. Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) and what it means for you (22 January 2026). The site blocks automated access; content read through search extracts. Source
- HESA. Data Futures coding manual, Student stream: Module and Level of credit points. The site blocks automated access; content read through search extracts. Source
- Oracle. PeopleSoft Campus Solutions: Data Futures Return, Student and Module Instance entities, and HESA Unique Student Identifier (HUSID/SID) (supplier implementation documentation). Source
- Department for Education. Using the learning records service (LRS) for learning providers and local authorities (updated 9 May 2024). Source
- Department for Education. Access your personal learning record (updated 21 August 2025). Source
- Quality Assurance Agency. Higher Education Credit Framework for England: Advice on Academic Credit Arrangements, second edition (May 2021). Source
- Higher Education Academy. Higher Education Achievement Report website, archived copy of 19 November 2025. Source
- University of Warwick. HEAR and Transcripts. Source
- University of Exeter. Higher Education Achievement Report. Source
- Jisc. Prospects Hedd: Higher Education Degree Datacheck. Source
- 1EdTech. Open Badges Specification, version 3.0, Final Release, document version 1.4.5 (29 June 2026). Source
- 1EdTech. Comprehensive Learner Record Standard, version 2.0, Final Release, document version 1.1 (14 October 2025). Source
- 1EdTech. Open Badges and Comprehensive Learner Record standard pages: certification suites and wallet reference implementations. Source
- 1EdTech. OneRoster, version 1.2, Final Release (19 September 2022). Source
- 1EdTech. Edu-API (Candidate Final Public). Source
- 1EdTech. Learning Tools Interoperability. Source
- W3C. Verifiable Credentials Data Model v2.0, Recommendation (15 May 2025), including section 8 on privacy. Source
- W3C. Bitstring Status List v1.0, Recommendation (15 May 2025). Source
- W3C. Securing Verifiable Credentials using JOSE and COSE and Data Integrity EdDSA Cryptosuites v1.0, Recommendations (15 May 2025). Source
- W3C. Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) v1.0, Recommendation (19 July 2022), and v1.1, Candidate Recommendation Snapshot (5 March 2026). Source
- Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, Part 2, with commencement information. Source
- Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Office for Digital Identities and Attributes. UK digital verification services trust framework (1.0) (9 June 2026). Source
- Office for Digital Identities and Attributes. 2026 annual report on the operation of Part 2 of the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 (14 July 2026). Source
- GOV.UK. Using GOV.UK Wallet in the digital identity sector (1 September 2026). Source
- European Commission, Europass. European Digital Credentials for Learning: information for developers. Source
- Information Commissioner's Office. Principle (c): Data minimisation. Source
- Information Commissioner's Office. Right to rectification. Source
- Wonkhe. What we still need to talk about when it comes to the LLE (6 November 2025; sector commentary). Source
Next step
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