Police Service of Northern Ireland - Education Eligibility Criteria

PSNI Education Eligibility Criteria

Evidence Uploader Briefing and Instructions

Please consider the following important points which outline the main aspects of how you can prove your eligibility and how we will assess it. In particular, refer to sections 5 and 6 below for instructions on using the Evidence Uploader.

1. Please ensure that you are fully aware of what our expectations are in relation to the Education Eligibility Criteria.

Applicants are required to have a minimum of 5 GCSEs (or equivalent) at A* - C grade, including English Language.

Please note that all evidence / certificates should be dated on or before 13th January 2022.

You are obliged to present evidence to show how you meet the criteria using an online Evidence Uploader. It is essential that you present evidence by 12 noon 13th January 2022.

In exceptional cases, where the qualification has only recently been completed (e.g., during late 2021 / early 2022), but not yet certified, exceptions to the certification date may be considered, providing formal supporting evidence is supplied via the Evidence Uploader before 13th January.

Please remember it is your personal responsibility to ensure that you can prove that you meet the eligibility criteria. Above all, it is important that you engage with the process and upload some evidence to be considered, or your application may be rejected.

2. Please ensure you present appropriate evidence during the Evidence Uploader phase.

You must co-operate by uploading relevant evidence before the deadline of 12 Noon 13th January 2022.

 If you upload unacceptable evidence, fail to co-operate in this process or fail to follow the instructions relating to the use of the Evidence Uploader you risk your application to the PSNI being rejected. As such, you are strongly encouraged to consider the 'Key Matters' document which outlines the types of scenarios we often see that tend to result in evidence being rejected. You will also find useful general information on the Education Criteria by following:

• Education Eligibility Criteria
• Education FAQs  

Note: we do not need to see evidence of all your qualifications - please only present evidence that shows you to meet the minimum criteria. It will serve no purpose to submit evidence over and above that which shows you meet the minimum criteria. Keep evidence uploaded to the minimum, or processing of your application may be delayed.

3. The name recorded on your qualification certificates should match the name you used when applying to the PSNI.

If the name on your qualification certificates differs from the name in which you applied to this recruitment process, you must provide evidence to clarify this. E.g., a Marriage Certificate or Civil Partnership Certificate or Change of Name Deed Poll Certificate will be required to clarify this matter. If such evidence is not relevant / available, some other form of formal evidence to explain the matter or evidence that links the differing names will be considered. 

4. Accepted evidence

We encourage the use of official Certificates or 'Certified Statements of Results' (these can be acquired from the relevant exam board).

The following can be considered, but there may be a delay while verification of evidence is completed:

• Statement of provisional results / 'Results-day' information slips, (providing any subsequent 're-mark request' has not caused a fall in a relevant grade to below that acceptable to PSNI)
• Letters from school/education institute listing results (if provided on official headed paper or via organisation's email system)
• Extracts from an education results website such as SIMS - School Information Management System
• Other similar evidence

The following is not acceptable:

• Blurred evidence
• Unclear evidence
• Incomplete evidence
• Edited/tampered with evidence
• 'Cropped' evidence
• Password-protected evidence

• In addition, excessive evidence is not required. Please keep things straightforward and keep evidence uploaded to the minimum. If you have GCSEs / equivalent and also have higher qualifications, we ONLY need to see evidence of the GCSEs in order to assess eligibility. We have no need to consider anything other than what covers you for the 5 GCSEs including English (or equivalent). This process is not intended as an opportunity to log evidence of all your qualifications with PSNI. This is not necessary during the recruitment process.

If you intend to present certificates achieved outside the UK / Ireland it is important that you present the certificates accompanied by a 'Statement of Comparability' prepared by UK ENIC. The UK ENIC statement should clearly detail how the qualification meets or exceeds the level of 5 GCSEs A*-C (including English Language). If the statement suggests doubt around equivalency because an English Language element was achieved while being studied as a second language; please submit the evidence for consideration.

In exceptional cases where certificates are not available, formal written evidence from the relevant education / awarding body to prove that the qualification is equivalent may be considered. Written evidence must be verifiable by Deloitte and provided on the verifying organisation's headed documentation or via the organisation's email system. 

If your evidence is not currently in your possession, you are asked to gather appropriate evidence for submission remotely from your home using technology if available. In attempting to gather evidence, please be sure to follow any applicable current Government guidelines laid down in relation to Covid-19.

Equivalency must be proven

If you intend to present qualifications other than GCSEs to prove that you meet the education criteria it is important that equivalency is clear. It is especially important to prove that you have the required standalone qualification in English Language in addition to other qualifications to the appropriate level which meet the criteria. 

If you have GCSEs (or other UK qualifications at Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) Level 2) there is no need to present higher or alternative qualifications, as this can cause delays in the validation process.

If you are intending to present other UK qualifications, because you do not have GCSEs, it will assist us if you can provide additional details on the qualification, including, if possible, details of the subject syllabus or appropriate evidence from school / college / university or education authority offering the qualification. (You should note that we are satisfied that UK Level 2 Essential, Key Skills or Functional Skills in Literacy / Communication or similar do meet the English Language criteria and are acceptable).

If you are intending to present qualifications studied in the Republic of Ireland, you should note that the most common equivalent qualification studied in the Republic of Ireland is the Leaving Certificate. The Leaving Certificate must be passed in at least 5 subjects, which must include English Language. In the case that you have other Irish qualifications other than a Leaving Certificate you will be required to prove equivalency. Please note, Junior Certificate sits just below the minimum threshold and cannot be considered.

If you are intending to present non-UK / or Ireland qualifications, you must present a UK ENIC confirmation proving equivalency. Please now contact the UK ENIC - the UK national information centre for the recognition and evaluation of international qualifications and skills, and ask them to confirm that your non-UK/Ireland qualifications are equivalent to PSNI's requirements - there's a fee for this, which you must pay yourself. Further information is available via: http://enic.org.uk/Qualifications/SOC/Default.aspx. We recommend that you get a Statement of Comparability with (if applicable) Translation Waiver Service.

5. Format for upload

We require scans / pictures (e.g., taken on a mobile phone) / electronic documents to be uploaded. Accepted file types are as follows: png / jpg / jpeg / doc / docx / pdf. You may upload up to 20 individual files. The total size of all files combined must be less than 20MB. We would appreciate it if you could compress the file-size of your items before upload.

The uploaded items must be clear and legible, in full-page format and presented 'face-up' and in 'right-way up' format (i.e., the top of the document must be visible at the top of the screen). It is preferred that uploaded items are in colour. Please keep the number of files you intend to upload to the minimum possible (e.g., by combining files into one document before upload). If you are presenting multiple page documents in separate files, the page number order must be clear to us.

6. Using the Evidence Uploader

Once you are ready to upload all necessary files, use the unique link you have been provided and visit your dedicated, personal Evidence Uploader Webpage. Once on the page simply 'browse and find' or 'drag and drop' the files you wish to upload. Once the upload is complete you will see a message appear with a green background, as follows. Once you are happy that you have uploaded all the files needed, simply close your web browser or navigate off the page. Your files will automatically be saved against your record when the upload process is complete.

Please be aware that if you are attempting to upload multiple large-file items at one time, it is important that you wait until all files are uploaded before closing / navigating away from the Uploader page. If the upload progress bar still shows green (as below), indicating 'in-progress', you must wait until the upload is complete. If the upload is taking an excessive period of time to complete, you may wish to restart your upload having compressed your file-size, or alternatively attempt the upload using a stronger / stable internet connection. 

You will not receive an instantaneous email to confirm your upload, furthermore we will not be in a position to confirm receipt of uploaded files on an individual basis or discuss what has been uploaded during the uploader phase. Simply, upload your files and we will be in touch if / when we need to.

We recommend using your link only when you are ready to complete your upload in one sitting, however, you may re-visit the same link to add files at a later date (before the deadline). If you log back into your link within the first few days after having uploaded files previously, they may still be visible. They will remain in-situ until Deloitte has processed them within our office. This is expected, so please don't worry - your files are securely stored. Equally, if upon return to your link, the original files are not visible, it is likely that Deloitte have processed and securely downloaded them within our office.

During the Evidence Uploader phase, there will be short periods of maintenance downtime. If you reach the Uploader webpage and you find that there is a message stating that it is temporarily unavailable or undergoing scheduled maintenance, you must not attempt to use the Uploader. In that case, the downtime will be short and unavoidable. We would ask for your co-operation and request that you simply visit and use the webpage later (before the deadline). In most cases if you return to the Uploader after one hour you will find that it will be fully operational. 

7. Planned process for review of Uploaded Evidence

We intend to start reviewing uploaded evidence immediately; however, you may not hear from us on this matter for some time. We would appreciate your patience. Given the volume of candidates, we will not engage in discussion on the status of individual cases. If, however we do contact you about the evidence you have presented it will be important that you take all necessary action we suggest. Be aware that opportunities to resolve any issues will be limited and strictly time-bound.

We plan to be in touch by end-of-day 21st January 2022 to confirm on / or follow-up on uploaded evidence.

If any follow-up is required, we intend to provide a very short window of opportunity in which to follow-up and finalise matters at that time. If we contact you, it is essential that you follow our instructions or risk being rejected from the recruitment process.

8. Integrity and reliability of the evidence presented

Processes are in place to monitor for certificate forgery and fraudulent activity in respect of this process. Checks into the reliability and veracity of evidence presented will be conducted. If Deloitte cannot establish formal verification of evidence presented, the particular evidence under consideration will be rejected. 

As part of the recruitment process, you may be at a later date be asked to present original, paper-version documentation of the evidence you upload.

Your honesty and integrity are of paramount importance when participating in the education evidence upload process. Any action that may be deemed contrary to PSNI's expectations in this regard could lead to the rejection of your application. If later, any evidence comes to light to prove that you acted in a fraudulent manner with regard to the presentation of evidence relating to your qualifications, you would be subject to the PSNI's internal disciplinary process and could be subject to dismissal.

9. Data security

Our systems have been tested and are secure. Your personal data will be securely stored and processed in a sensistive manner. Please see our Privacy Statement for further information on how we process your data.

Thank you for your co-operation