Every so often we get asked whether the School for Professional Dog Listeners is Ofqual regulated. The honest answer is no, and it was a deliberate choice.
We sat down with our co-founder Kate Atkins (ex-assistant head teacher and former Ofqual exam board examiner) to explain exactly why, because we think you deserve more than “trust us.”
Prefer to watch the video?
So what is Ofqual regulation anyway?
Ofqual is a government body that doesn’t create qualifications itself. It regulates the awarding organisations that do, making sure they meet a set framework, mostly used across schools, colleges and vocational education.
It’s a genuinely important standard. But it’s not the only marker of a good qualification, and it’s worth understanding what it actually costs you as a provider before assuming it’s the gold standard by default.
Why we said no
When we looked into becoming Ofqual regulated, we’d have had to go through an existing Ofqual-regulated provider. That provider would then own our qualification and our material outright, with final say over what we teach and how.
Dog listening is a genuinely unique approach. Nobody else teaches it within a framework like ours. Handing that over to an outside body, one that could change its mind or shut its doors while still holding the rights to our work, wasn’t a risk we were willing to take.
What we did instead
We built our own accredited certification, held to the same rigour: clear learning outcomes, structured modules, formative assessment throughout, reflective practice, and real feedback loops with every cohort.
The difference is we keep full autonomy to develop it. Each new intake teaches us something new. If a gap shows up in how students are answering questions or showing up on calls, we fix it immediately rather than waiting on someone else’s sign-off.
Students who complete the course join our association, which means ongoing support and development, not just a certificate and a goodbye. That was non-negotiable for us.
Does that mean Ofqual doesn’t matter?
Not at all. It’s an important standard, and plenty of great qualifications carry it. But it’s not the only way to prove rigour, and it’s not always the full picture either.
If you’re weighing up a course, ours or anyone else’s, ask what’s actually behind the qualification: the assessment practices, the learning outcomes, who’s teaching it, and whether they know the subject inside out. That tells you more than a badge does.
We chose autonomy over a label. We think our students are better for it.
Curious if this path is right for you? https://spdoglisteners.com/lp-2026-1-free-3-part-video-series
