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RHS Qualifications FAQs

Answers to the most frequently asked questions about RHS Qualifications

As an awarding organisation, we do not offer our qualifications directly to learners. We approve education providers (colleges, gardens, employers etc.) across the country who provide thethe teaching, the resources and support assessments required to help you achieve our qualifications.

Here are the answers to some of the most common questions that centres, learners and employers ask us.

Our top five FAQs

Level 2 is the ideal starting point for those wanting a route to employment in professional horticulture or further personal interest.

RHS Approved Centres deliver our qualifications and can help you with your individual needs and circumstances in all aspects of delivery and assessment.

RHS approved centres set the course fees and, as a result, fees can vary between providers. Please contact the approved centre directly for information regarding their fees.

Please note: The RHS Qualification fees are set by the RHS; however, as mentioned above, approved providers set their own course fees at an individual level, and so these will vary.

Courses usually run over the academic year on a part time basis, starting in September. However, some centres also accept a new intake in the New Year. Any learner looking to study via distance learning can enrol at any time during the year. Contact RHS Approved Centres directly for exact start dates.

Use our Find a centre tool to find your nearest centre.

We’ve grouped together the following frequently asked questions under these topics. Click the links to skip ahead to the group relevant to you.

FAQs for learners

FAQs for delivery providers

FAQs for learners

All RHS approved centres undergo a vigorous approval process and must meet certain approval criteria to deliver our qualifications. We are unable to make any recommendations. Please use this link to our find ‘Find a Centre’ tool

Level 1 is equivalent to GCSE grades 3, 2, 1 or grades D, E, F, G
Level 2 is equivalent to GCSE grades 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4 or grades A*, A, B, C or an intermediate apprenticeship
Level 3 is equivalent to A-Level, higher education diploma, advanced apprenticeship or AS Level

Some Government funding is available for RHS qualifications. Whether or not you are able to receive funding to help with the cost of a course depends on various factors such as your age, employment status, previous education and on the contracts or agreements your chosen provider has with different funding agencies.

Your chosen RHS approved centre will be able to advise you of any funding available.

There is no order in which you need to achieve the qualifications at each level. It is down to personal preference as to whether you start with theory or practical, or study both at the same time.

Some of our centres do deliver courses in the evening or at weekends. Contact your chosen RHS approved centre directly for further information relating to delivery days.

Yes, we have several centres approved to deliver our theory qualifications online. In addition to this, centres deliver face to face or by blended learning. It is best to discuss learning options with your nearest centre.

A list of approved providers can be found on our ‘Find a Centre’ tool.

Due to the nature of the practical qualification being hands-on, to achieve this qualification you will need to enrol at an approved centre.There is the option of blended learning where you practice at home/work and then attend the centre for the assessments? Please contact us to find out more about blended learning.

There are no entry requirements at Level 2, all you need is a passion for gardening. At Level 3 some of our centres do require learners to hold an RHS Level 2 or equivalent.

You will need to enrol with an RHS Approved Centre. Use our 'Find a Centre' tool to discover your nearest centre.

Yes, to achieve the qualification, centres are required to register all learners studying an RHS qualification and ensure they are entered for the associated assessments.

A wide range of books and other learning resources which support the study of horticulture are available. RHS Qualifications does not recommend or endorse any specific learning resources and instead encourages students to seek guidance from their tutors on which resources best support the qualification they’re enrolled on.

RHS libraries offer postal loans which you may find beneficial - read more about the services our libraries provide.

All learners must be registered by their Centre with RHS Qualifications at the start of their course. The registration fee automatically includes a first attempt at any associated exams /assessments. In order to attain the recognised qualification certificate any exams and/or assessments need to be achieved. As with all qualifications, the expectation is for learners to successfully complete the programme and use their qualification to continue onto further study or employment.

Further information about qualification assessments can be found below:

Yes, all our centres support learners with any additional learning needs or disability. Your individual needs will need to be discussed with your approved centre.

All learners must be registered by their Centre with RHS Qualifications at the start of their course. The registration fee automatically includes a first attempt at any associated exams / assessments. To attain the recognised qualification certificate any exams and / or assessments need to be achieved. As with all qualifications, the expectation is for learners to successfully complete the program and use their qualification to continue onto further study or employment.

Special considerations and reasonable adjustments are intended to be implemented at the time of an exam to ensure fair assessment and support a learner who has been disadvantaged by temporary illness, injury or adverse circumstances which arose at, or near, the time of exam / assessment.

They must be applied for by the approved centre, on your behalf, where the exams / assessments are taken.

The prices displayed on the website are the registration, assessment and certification cost we charge approved centres and do not reflect the fees a provider will charge to learners.

In addition to the charges shown on our website, providers will have to consider factors such as eligibility for public funding, the cost of teaching staff, buildings and any other resources or equipment that they make available.

Theory results are published within 50 working days of the exam date. Practical results are published within 30 working days of the exam date. Results must be obtained from the approved centre where you sat the exam. DO NOT contact RHS Qualifications to obtain your results. You will only be referred to the centre you enrolled / sat exams with.

To acquire your results, you need to log on to the RHS Candidate Portal, where you can view them directly. If you have logged on before, please click the link below after results release and log in as normal:

https://candidate.rhs.org.uk/Login.aspx

If you have not previously logged on, please follow the instructions below to choose a
new password for your account:

• Please click on https://candidate.rhs.org.uk/Login.aspx and select “Forgotten your password”
• Enter your registered email address (the one stated on your application form) and click Continue
• You will be sent an automated email with a link to change your password – please check your spam / junk folder
• When you select a password, it should be between 6 and 12 characters long, contain at least one upper and one lower case letter, at least one digit and at least one item of punctuation from the following !, %, ^, ., ?, [, ], (, ), $, “ (Please don’t use the £ sign as this does not work)
• You cannot access the results via your mobile
• Some people experience problems accessing the portal on their mobiles and tablets, so we recommend trying on a laptop or pc.
• Some people experienced compatibility issues when using certain browsers, we recommend using google chrome however you can also try using other browsers such as Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer or Firefox.
Once logged in, your registrations can be found under My Learning, My Registrations.
and results (when released by us) can be found under My Learning, My Achievements.

If required, you will be able to print your results from the portal.

Certificates are dispatched at least 30 working days of publishing the exam results.

For practical based qualifications, there are several steps involved in processing practical results. This includes reviewing some sample work submitted by the centre. Once we receive all the samples requested and this has been approved, certificates are published to the centre at least 30 working days after. DO NOT contact RHS Qualifications to obtain information relating to your certificate, such as progress, date certificate will be issued etc. You will only be referred to your centre.

All certificates are posted directly to the centre where you are enrolled, and it is their responsibility to issue the certificates to you. Should learners have any queries relating to certification then these must be discussed with the centre.

FAQs for delivery providers

Any organisations such as colleges, schools, gardens, private training providers etc. can deliver RHS Qualifications but they must be approved by the RHS in the first instance. Please see ‘Become an approved centre’ page for more details.

Employers can either use an approved centre, or we can help with approval, enabling you to undertake training in-house. Please contact us for more information.

Our Level 2 and Level 3 qualifications are regulated by The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual), a government department that regulates qualifications, exams and assessments in England. You can find out more by visiting the Ofqual website.

Our Level 2 and Level 3 qualifications are also approved by Qualification Wales and CCEA (Northern Ireland). The Entry 3 and Level 1 qualifications are currently unregulated.

The time it takes to become approved depends on several factors, but we aim to complete your approval as quickly and thoroughly as possible. We recommend centres allocate at least four to six weeks before they plan to start delivering RHS qualifications.

No, organisations must not state they are an approved centre or advertise RHS qualifications until formal approval has been provided by the RHS.

Our centre fees can be found here

For information on the approval process be found here.

Once approved, approval will continue on an annual basis as long as the centre remains active and delivers RHS qualifications in accordance with our regulatory conditions and approval criteria.

Centres are required to pay an annual fee to retain approval status.

Once approved, all centres are provided access to the Qualifications Portal, which is an online registrations and awarding system. On this platform, centres can upload learner registrations, withdraw learners, enter for assessments and download various guidance documents.

We encourage all learners to discuss queries with the centre they are considering enrolling or enrolled with.

If you are a learner and have a query regarding an RHS qualification which you are undertaking, please contact your centre in the first instance who will then contact RHS Qualifications on your behalf if necessary.

Approved centres will be provided with a bespoke ‘RHS Approved Centre’ logo which may be used on webpages, marketing materials etc. to promote the RHS courses you offer. Centres must not use the logo in a way that suggests you are approved by the RHS to offer non-RHS related qualifications/courses.

Centres (or other organisations) are not permitted to use the main brand logo.

Our Stakeholder Relationship Team is always on hand to help answer any queries, simply contact us with your query.

Can’t find an answer to your question?

We’re here to help cultivate your passion for horticulture. If you have any questions relating to qualifications, please get in touch with the RHS Qualifications team via email so we can direct your query to the most appropriate person.

Speak to the team

Email: [email protected]

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