Course Accreditation Limited t/a Course Accreditation

No published assessment framework, criteria document, or standards document was identified on the website at the time of this review. The website describes the accreditation service as a subscription through which training providers submit course materials or manuals for review, but does not publish the criteria against which submissions are assessed, the qualifications or experience required of assessors, the methodology applied to individual course evaluation, or any quality standard underpinning the accreditation decision.

The About Us page states that assessors can evaluate materials "swiftly and efficiently" and references "multiple years experience working in the industry," but provides no published framework or verifiable standard against which that assessment is conducted.

The absence of a published assessment framework means that training providers and consumers are not able to independently verify what standard an accreditation represents, or how the decision to grant or refuse accreditation is made.

The CPD Register considers the publication of an assessment framework to be a fundamental indicator of transparency in a CPD accreditation organisation.

Sources: https://course-accreditation.com/, accessed 13 May 2026; https://course-accreditation.com/about-us/, accessed 13 May 2026.

The organisation's subscription model provides for individual submission and review of course materials or manuals. The Terms and Conditions confirm that accreditation applies only to courses specifically submitted and approved under an active subscription, and that previously approved courses do not automatically carry forward upon reinstatement. This indicates that the model requires individual course submission rather than operating as blanket provider accreditation.

However, the website does not publish a publicly accessible register of individually accredited courses, which would allow consumers to verify whether a specific course they are considering holds current accredited status. The website features a directory of accredited training providers, but this is a provider-level directory rather than a course-level accreditation register.

CPD Index — dissolved legal entity

The website homepage displays a "CPD INDEX" badge linking to cpd-index.com, and the Terms and Conditions state that upon accreditation a subscriber will receive "the CPD Index logo" as part of the benefits of accreditation.

Companies House records confirm that CPD INDEX LTD (Company Number 15507430) was dissolved on 29 July 2025. The company was incorporated on 20 February 2024 and was registered at Unit 82a James Carter Road, Mildenhall, Bury St. Edmunds, England, IP28 7DE. It was dissolved less than 18 months after incorporation. CPD INDEX LTD and Course Accreditation Ltd do not share any common director or Person with Significant Control in the public Companies House record.

The nature of the commercial or contractual relationship between Course Accreditation Ltd and CPD INDEX LTD has not been published on the Course Accreditation website.

The continued display of the CPD Index badge, and the continued description of the CPD Index logo as a benefit of accreditation, after the dissolution of CPD INDEX LTD on 29 July 2025, means that training providers receiving and displaying this badge or logo are presenting a mark associated with a dissolved legal entity. A dissolved company no longer exists as a legal entity, cannot enter into new contracts, and cannot maintain or stand behind any trustmark or certification programme it may previously have operated.

CPD Training Providers and consumers should be aware that the CPD Index logo or badge currently offered as part of a Course Accreditation subscription does not have the backing of an active legal entity.

Sources: https://course-accreditation.com/, accessed 13 May 2026; https://course-accreditation.com/terms-and-conditions/, accessed 13 May 2026; Companies House record for CPD INDEX LTD (15507430), https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/15507430, accessed 13 May 2026; https://course-accreditation.com/directory/, accessed 13 May 2026.

Course Accreditation sells its own training courses and materials through its website. These include the Level 3 Award in Education and Training (AET), a regulated qualification delivered via TQUK (Training Qualifications UK), TQUK Centre Number 19750565473, priced at £199.99. The AET course is promoted under a prominent navigation link ("AET Award Level 3") positioned alongside the organisation's accreditation subscription services in the main menu.

The website also operates a Shop (https://course-accreditation.com/shop/) through which additional products are offered for sale.
The organisation therefore operates simultaneously as an accreditation body — assessing and approving the training materials of third-party training providers — and as a direct provider of training qualifications and related materials to the same market.

The CPD Register's methodology identifies this as a structural concern. An accreditation organisation that also sells training products in the same market as those it accredits presents a structural question about the independence of its accreditation function. Training providers submitting course materials for accreditation should consider this context when evaluating the terms under which their materials are assessed and handled.

Sources: https://course-accreditation.com/aet-award/, accessed 13 May 2026; https://course-accreditation.com/shop/, accessed 13 May 2026; https://course-accreditation.com/, accessed 13 May 2026.

Companies House records establish the following factual position regarding the current director of Course Accreditation Ltd and his connection to a training provider displayed on the organisation's own website.

Current directorship and ownership

Matthew David Hammond (date of birth January 1984) is the sole active director of Course Accreditation Ltd (14516935), appointed 14 December 2025. He was registered as a Person with Significant Control on 1 March 2026, holding more than 25% but not more than 50% of shares. The PSC register also carries an active statement that the company "knows or believes it has a PSC but has not yet had confirmation," indicating that the full ownership picture has not yet been formally confirmed in the public record.

Connection to an accredited training provider

Companies House records confirm that Mr Hammond was the sole founder, sole initial shareholder (holding 12 of 12 shares), and PSC holding 75% or more of shares, voting rights, and the right to appoint or remove directors of HAMPSON TRAINING LTD (Company Number 15060304), incorporated 9 August 2023. This is established by the IN01 incorporation document filed at Companies House on 9 August 2023.

HAMPSON TRAINING LTD (15060304) was struck off on 13 January 2026 and dissolved on 20 January 2026, confirmed by the Final Gazette Notice published by Companies House.

The Course Accreditation website at https://course-accreditation.com/ prominently displays Hampson Training Academy as a named testimonial provider in its "Training Providers Using Our Trustmark" section, accompanied by the Hampson Training Academy logo. The website was accessed on 13 May 2026.

No disclosure of the relationship between the current director of Course Accreditation Ltd and Hampson Training Academy is published on the Course Accreditation website.

Structural position

The factual position established from these primary sources is that the current director of Course Accreditation Ltd previously held 75% or more of a training company that is displayed as an accredited customer of the accreditation organisation he now directs. This is a structural conflict of interest of the type The CPD Register's methodology identifies at Danger level: the same individual occupies the position of both accreditor and, through his former majority ownership of a displayed accredited provider, accredited party. No disclosure of this relationship is made on the organisation's website.

Sources: Companies House record for COURSE ACCREDITATION LTD (14516935), https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/14516935, accessed 13 May 2026; Companies House officers record, https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/14516935/officers, accessed 13 May 2026; Companies House PSC record, https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/14516935/persons-with-significant-control, accessed 13 May 2026; Companies House IN01 incorporation document for HAMPSON TRAINING LTD (15060304), filed 9 August 2023; Companies House Final Gazette Notice for HAMPSON TRAINING LTD (15060304), dissolution date 20 January 2026; https://course-accreditation.com/, accessed 13 May 2026.

An ASA ruling against Course Accreditation Ltd was published on 13 May 2026.

Ruling reference: A25-1322901
Issuing body: Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)
Date of ruling: 13 May 2026
Outcome: Upheld on both issues
Direct link: https://www.asa.org.uk/rulings/course-accreditation-ltd-a25-1322901-course-accreditation-ltd.html

The ruling concerned a website (seen 18 December 2025) and a paid-for Google search advertisement (seen 19 January 2026). The ruling forms part of the ASA's wider group of investigations into companies offering CPD accreditation services.

Issue 1 — Upheld
Claims in both the website and the paid Google advertisement were found to be misleading and unsubstantiated. These included claims that assessors had "over 200 years of combined experience working in the industry," that the organisation was "globally recognised," that it was "recognised worldwide," and that it was the "UK-leading body." The ASA found that the evidence supplied did not demonstrate that assessors collectively had over 200 years of experience in assessing and accrediting courses, that the organisation had widespread global recognition, or that it held the largest market share compared to other accreditation bodies in the UK.

The ads were found to breach CAP Code (Edition 12) rules 3.1 (Misleading advertising), 3.7 (Substantiation), and 3.33 (Comparisons with identifiable competitors).

Issue 2 — Upheld
Claims on the website that accreditation was recognised by insurers, that the organisation had "trusted insurance partners," and that accreditation could help consumers secure training or therapist insurance, were found to be misleading. The display of logos of named insurance providers — including PolicyBee, QBE, 4u, Insync Insurance, Hiscox, Train Sure, AXA, and Finch — was found to imply formal arrangements with those organisations that did not exist. The organisation confirmed to the ASA that it had no formal arrangements, partnerships, or referral mechanisms with any insurer.

The ads were found to breach CAP Code (Edition 12) rules 3.1 (Misleading advertising) and 3.7 (Substantiation).

ASA direction
The ASA directed that the advertisements must not appear again in the form complained of, and that the organisation must hold adequate documentary evidence before making objective claims about assessor experience, global recognition, comparative market standing, or insurance-related recognition, and must not imply arrangements with other organisations unless such arrangements exist.

Sources: ASA ruling A25-1322901, https://www.asa.org.uk/rulings/course-accreditation-ltd-a25-1322901-course-accreditation-ltd.html, accessed 13 May 2026.