Our Recognised Accreditation Kitemark

Every training at London College of Style is quality assured through A.C.E., our recognised Accreditation for Creative Excellence.

For LCS trainings that lead to a Diploma or Certificate, A.C.E. provides the quality assurance framework through which those qualifications are developed, delivered, assessed and certified.

A.C.E. underpins everything we do, from training design and tutor selection to assessment, moderation and continuous improvement. It has been built through years of professional creative training, shaped by feedback from our community and guided by experienced tutors, industry experts and graduates. Together these form London College of Style’s own published standards for creative excellence.

A.C.E. Mission

“A.C.E. exists to give everyone who trains with London College of Style one clear promise. Whichever training you choose, it will be delivered to a consistently high standard, assessed fairly, and continually improved through the experience, knowledge and feedback of our creative community. Every decision we make is shaped by the people who train with us, our tutors, guest industry experts and professional partners, ensuring our trainings continue to reflect the standards our industries expect.”

Why We Created A.C.E.

For many years London College of Style was accredited by the British Accreditation Council (BAC), the long-established organisation that has quality assured independent colleges through detailed self-evaluation and external inspection.

That experience gave us an excellent foundation and helped shape many of the standards we continue to value today.

However, we recognised that traditional educational frameworks were designed primarily for larger academic institutions and did not always reflect the realities of specialist creative training.

London College of Style was built differently.

We are an industry-led creative training provider. Our focus extends beyond technical skills to include commercial awareness, confidence, mindset, entrepreneurship and preparing creatives for real careers and business launches. Our tutors are working professionals, our curriculum evolves alongside industry, and our training is designed around practical application rather than traditional academic models.

As such, we require a quality assurance framework that reflects those values while remaining rigorous, transparent and accountable.

A.C.E. has therefore been built upon recognised principles of quality assurance including published standards, continuous self-evaluation, moderation and independent review. However, it has been specifically designed around the areas that matter most in creative training today.

Those include:

• The quality and suitability of our industry experts.
• The relevance and currency of our training.
• Fair, transparent assessment.
• Listening to participant feedback.
• Continual improvement informed by our creative community.

Our aim is simple. To ensure every training continues to evolve alongside the industries we serve while maintaining consistently high standards of professional excellence.

How A.C.E. Assures Quality

Quality assurance is not a single inspection or an annual event. Rather, it is an ongoing process and way of mindfully working, that begins before a training starts, continues throughout delivery and informs how future trainings are adapted, tailored and developed.

Rather than relying on one measure, A.C.E. brings together multiple quality assurance activities throughout the year to continually review, evaluate and improve every aspect of the training experience. These are outlined below:

Training Design & Curriculum Review

• Every training is reviewed regularly to ensure it remains relevant, commercially current and aligned with today’s creative industries.
• This includes reviewing learning outcomes, practical activities, assessment methods, industry developments, emerging technologies and feedback from participants and tutors.

Industry Expert & Tutor Quality

• Every LCS tutor is an experienced industry professional.
• Tutors are carefully selected based upon their professional experience, teaching experience, portfolio, communication skills and ability to inspire others through practical creative training.
• All tutors are supported through regular reviews, mentoring, peer support and quality assurance monitoring, collaboration, presentation training and continual professional development to ensure consistent standards across every training.

Internal Quality Assurance

Quality assurance takes place before, during and after every training. Our internal quality assurance process includes:

• Training planning meetings before each programme begins.
• Regular quality review meetings throughout delivery.
• Internal moderation of assessments.
• Peer observation of tutors.
• Review of participant progress and engagement.
• Evaluation of learning materials and resources.
• Ongoing review of participant support.

These regular reviews enable us to identify opportunities for improvement while trainings are still taking place, ensuring participants benefit immediately wherever possible.

Listening to Our Community

Your voice plays a crucial part in shaping LCS and A.C.E. Feedback is welcomed throughout every stage of the training experience.

This includes:

• Early check-ins during training.
• Mid-training feedback.
• Exit questionnaires following completion.
• Graduate feedback after training.
• Ongoing conversations with tutors and our admissions team.

Every piece of feedback is carefully reviewed. Where improvements can be made, we aim to implement them openly and transparently so future participants continue to benefit from an evolving training experience.

Assessment & Internal Moderation

• Assessments are marked using published assessment criteria developed specifically for each training.
• Assessment decisions are internally moderated to ensure consistency, fairness and transparency across all tutors and participant groups.
• Participants are welcome to request further feedback to help them understand how assessment decisions have been reached, or if they’d like to discuss or challenge assessments.
• Policies on how to challenge assessments or find out more information are shared with participants with A.C.E quality assurance policies shared with participants.

External Moderation

• Alongside our internal quality assurance processes, A.C.E. appoints an independent External Moderator named in annual Quality Assurance Reports.
• The External Examiner is a named, experienced creative industry professional who has no involvement in the day-to-day delivery of London College of Style training.
• Each year they independently review a representative sample of assessments and moderation decisions.

Their role is to:

• Review assessment standards across selected trainings.
• Confirm consistency of marking.
• Identify recommendations for improvement.
• Provide independent oversight of A.C.E. quality standards.

Annual A.C.E. Quality Review

Throughout the year, evidence from all quality assurance activities is brought together into the Annual A.C.E. Quality Review.

This includes:

• Participant feedback.
• Tutor feedback.
• Internal moderation findings.
• External moderation findings.
• Assessment outcomes.
• Curriculum reviews.
• Quality improvement actions completed during the year.
• Priorities for the coming year.

This annual review helps ensure A.C.E. remains a living framework of continual improvement rather than a one-off quality check.

Verifying Your Certificate

Every A.C.E. Diploma and Certificate carries its own unique certificate number. Graduates, employers and organisations can verify the authenticity of a certificate by contacting:

admissions@londoncollegeofstyle.com

Please include the graduate’s name together with the certificate number.

A.C.E. at a Glance

• London College of Style has been training creative professionals since 2011.
• Tutors are experienced industry experts actively working within their profession.
• Every training is reviewed through the A.C.E. Quality Assurance Framework.
• Assessments are internally moderated and independently reviewed.
• Curriculum evolves alongside industry developments.
• Participant feedback directly informs future improvements.
• Continuous improvement sits at the heart of everything we do.

Our Policies

Transparency is an important part of quality assurance. Our policies are reviewed annually and brought together into one downloadable A.C.E. Policy Pack, making it easy to understand how we deliver, assess and support our trainings.

The Policy Pack includes:

• Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Policy
• Complaints & Appeals Procedure
• Assessment & Moderation Policy
• Safeguarding Policy
• Data Protection & Privacy Policy
• Terms & Conditions

Download the A.C.E. Policy Pack (PDF) HERE

What A.C.E. Is (and Isn’t)

Is A.C.E. a government-regulated qualification?

No.

A.C.E. is London College of Style’s own quality assurance framework. It is not a qualification issued or regulated by a government body or national qualifications framework.

Does A.C.E. replace BAC accreditation?

Yes.

London College of Style has moved from third-party BAC accreditation to A.C.E., our own quality assurance framework, inspired by recognised principles of independent review, published standards and continual improvement.

Will employers recognise my qualification?

Your qualification is awarded by London College of Style and carries the A.C.E. Quality Mark, demonstrating that it has been delivered and assessed in accordance with our published quality standards.

Who reviews A.C.E.?

Our quality assurance process combines internal quality reviews with independent external moderation through our External Examiner.

Have Your Voice

One of the guiding principles behind A.C.E. is that the people who train with us help shape what we become. We actively encourage feedback throughout your training, not just at the end.

Whether you’ve discovered something that worked particularly well, have an idea that could improve a future training, or simply want to share your experience, we’d genuinely love to hear from you.

You can share feedback:

• During your training with your tutor or Training Leader.
• Through our participant feedback questionnaires.
• At the end of your training via our exit questionnaire.
• At any time by emailing admissions@londoncollegeofstyle.com.

Every piece of feedback is reviewed as part of the A.C.E. Quality Assurance Framework.

Where improvements can be made, we aim to introduce them openly and transparently, ensuring London College of Style continues to grow alongside the creative professionals who train with us.

Because quality isn’t something we achieve once. It’s something we continually work towards, together.