This section concerns the continued approval of courses and examinations which have previously been validated by the RIBA and the ARB (or its predecessor). The approval of new courses is described in sections 3 and 4.

The RIBA and the ARB have established panels of visitors from which Visiting Boards are drawn to visit each School for the purpose of considering recommendations for the continued validation of courses and examinations.

Revalidation Visiting Boards are normally held every five years. Membership of each Visiting Board is drawn from the RIBA Visitors Panel and the ARB Visitors Panel with equal numbers of visitors nominated by each body. Normally there would be two architects, two educationalists, one lay person and one student. One member of the Visiting Board will be asked by RIBA to represent the CAA. In addition in Scotland and Wales a representative of the local RIBA regional association normally joins the board. The RIBA Visitors will also make recommendation to the CIB regarding common learning outcomes at Part 1. Every effort will be made to ensure continuity with the membership of the previous Visiting Board. The Chair of the Advisory Group normally attends part of the visit as an observer. Officers of RIBA and ARB may also attend as observers. Observers from the UK (excluding officers from the RIBA and ARB, and members of the Visitors Panel), are not normally permitted to observe Visiting Boards. Not more than one observer from overseas is permitted on a Visiting Board, subject to agreement from the RIBA, the chair of the Visiting Board and the school of architecture. Overseas observers should apply in writing to the RIBA at least three months in advance of the expected visit

Eight weeks prior to a Revalidation Visit the School is asked to submit a Critical Self Appraisal, responses to a questionnaire and other supporting documents.

In addition to the documentation provided by the School, the Visiting Board Secretary provides members of the Visiting Board with copies of the last Visiting Board report on the course(s), reports of any interim visits and other background briefing.

Critical Self Appraisal. In the Critical Self Appraisal the School analyses developments since the last Visiting Board, explains plans for the future and provides the rationale for changes made or proposed. It is the School's opportunity to provide a statement of views to the Visiting Board, the RIBA and the ARB but it is expected to address problems as well as achievements. Guidance on issues to be covered is given in Appendix 2.

The Critical Self Appraisal is confidential to the RIBA, the ARB, the Visiting Board and the Advisory Group. The Critical Self Appraisal is discussed at an Advisory Group meeting prior to the visit to the School and thus the comments at the Group on the self appraisal form the starting point of the Visiting Board's deliberations.

Students' views should be reflected in the Critical Self Appraisal. In addition the student body is encouraged to provide a submission to the Visiting Board which can take the form of an appendix to the self appraisal or a paper in preparation for the Visiting Board's meeting with the student group.

Questionnaire and Supporting Information. The answers to the questionnaire provide the Visiting Board with factual information about the course(s) and also include the requirement to demonstrate the way the criteria for validation (in particular those covered by the RIBA Outline Syllabus and the European Commission Architects Directive) are met. In addition, supporting material (such as Course Handbooks and external examiners reports) is required. The full questionnaire and details of the required supporting documentation to be provided four weeks prior to the visit is set out at Appendix 2. (See also 2.4.4 below.)

The normal timetable for a Revalidation Visit is given at Appendix 1. This may be adjusted in advance of the visit by agreement between the Visiting Board Secretary and the School to take account of the number of courses under review or other particular circumstances. An individual timetable is produced for each visit and the School is asked to provide the relevant information so that this can include the names of the main participants in each meeting and the location of meetings.

The Visiting Board Schedule (Appendix 1) outlines the purpose and focus of each meeting held during the visit.

Revalidation Visits normally take two working days although the Visiting Board meets privately the evening before to prepare for the visit.

The School is asked to provide the Visiting Board with a secure room which can be used as base and for all private discussions during the visit.

Visits are held in term time so that the School will be functioning normally with design-based and other work in progress.

To supplement the information provided to all Visiting Board members prior to a visit, other supporting material must be made available for reference or inspection during the visit. The documents required, which include for example copies of examination papers and course-work assignments and staff CVs, are listed in full at the end of Appendix 2.

A major focus of the visit is the inspection of students' work. A representative sample of all assessed work for the preceding year from each course and each module/subject and level/year must be available for inspection. This must represent the full range of outcomes and include the work of students gaining the lowest passes in each award (at Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3). The material must be presented in such a way as to make it possible to identify an individual student's work in different subjects/modules. (See Appendix 1 for more details.)

Recognition is awarded separately for the qualifications awarded at Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 of an architectural programme.

There are several possible outcomes of a Revalidation Visit. Possible Visiting Board recommendations (which will not necessarily be the same recommendation in respect of all courses which were the subject of the visit) are:

Continued Validation. Where courses and examinations have achieved the necessary standard, continued validation is recommended unconditionally for a period of five years from the date specified in the report. The next visit will normally be in five years' time.

Conditional Continued Validation. Where aspects of a course and the associated examinations require improvement, or fall below the necessary standard, continued recognition may be recommended subject to conditions on remedial action to be taken. Such conditions normally concern actions required to rectify omissions within the course content and/or specification of areas where standards need to be improved. Conditions will be recommended to be fulfilled within a specified timescale which will differ according to the nature and extent of the identified causes of concern (see 2.5.3 below).

Withdrawal of Validation. Where there are very serious concerns about a course which in the opinion of a Visiting Board could not be rectified by specifying conditions of validation, it will recommend that recognition be withdrawn with effect from the end of the academic session.

Where Conditional Continual Validation is recommended, one or more of the following will be recommended in order to provide evidence to demonstrate that the conditions have been met:

• submission to the RIBA and/or the ARB of each year's external examiner reports (for a specified time period);
• a requirement for the School to make a report, or sometimes annual reports, to the RIBA and/or the ARB showing how concerns recorded in the Visiting Board report have been addressed;
• a requirement that the School, in consultation with the RIBA and/or the ARB, should appoint a professional advisor or advisors (normally for two years) to work with the School and provide regular reports to the RIBA and/or the ARB;
• a revisit at a specified time by a sub-group of the Visiting Board (normally the Chair, Secretary and one or two other members). The purpose of such a revisit will be recommended in the report;
• other evidence as recommended by the Visiting Board.

Revalidation Visiting Boards may be required outside of the normal five year cycle where, for example, the RIBA and/or the ARB limit approval to a shorter period or attach conditions to approval. Where the RIBA and/or the ARB are not satisfied on the basis of evidence received that the necessary improvements have been made within the specified timescale, a full Revalidation Visit will be held. This will be at the earliest possible opportunity and will either result in continued validation or withdrawal of validation.

Standard Requirements of Approval. Standard requirements of approval by both the RIBA and the ARB are that the Institution appoints external examiners, and undertakes to inform the RIBA/ARB of any significant changes to the courses and examinations during the period of validation (see section 5).

Advice. The Visiting Board may provide advice to the School on desirable improvements. Validation is not dependent on such advice being followed but subsequent reports may make note of any examples of advice not being considered and acted upon. Any such advice is based upon the opinion and views of the Visitors and does not represent an authoritative indication of the policy, views or likely decisions of either the RIBA or the ARB.

Visiting Board Reports. The findings of the Visiting Board are recorded in its report. Reports follow a standard format which is given in outline in Appendix 3. In summary the report records: the documentation which was available to the Visiting Board, the full titles of courses and examinations recommended for validation, date of validation, conditions of validation, whether a revisit is recommended (and if so the timing, purpose and form of the revisit) and advice for improvement. The final section is a commentary on the documentation and visit.

The commentary section of the report explains the factors which have led the Visiting Board to particular recommendations and is intended to provide a marker for the next visit and to assist the School in making further improvements in the quality of its architectural education.

Once it has been agreed by the Visiting Board members, the draft report is sent by the Visiting Board Secretary to the School for correction of any factual inaccuracies.

Once corrected the report is sent to the RIBA and the ARB whose individual procedures for decision making then apply.

Copies of the agreed report are provided to the School, and the Vice Chancellor and Academic Registrar (or equivalent) of the Institution. The School and Institution are free to distribute the report as widely as is wished and as a minimum are expected to provide a copy to the external examiners and to discuss the content with staff and students.

If during a visit it becomes clear that the School has failed to provide the evidence necessary for a Visiting Board to complete its work, the visit will be suspended. The reasons for this serious step will be communicated to the Principal of the Institution who will be asked to make a commitment to ensure that all necessary information is provided for a reconvened visit. This will take place within six months.