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What you can (and can't) claim once your course is CPD accredited

Published 13 August 2026 · 8 min read

Providers ask us a version of this question almost every week: now that we're accredited, what are we actually allowed to say? It's a good question, and a surprisingly under-answered one. Most accreditation bodies hand over a badge and leave the wording to you — which is how well-meaning providers end up making claims that quietly overreach.

What you can and can't say

The scope mistake almost everyone makes

This is the one worth reading twice. When we accredit a course, we have assessed that course — its learning outcomes, its materials, its assessment method. We have not audited your company, your trainers' credentials, your finances, or your other twelve courses.

So "Our Manual Handling course is accredited by AssuredCPD" is accurate. "We are an AssuredCPD accredited provider" is a different and broader claim, and it's only true if you hold membership covering the courses you're implying. If you have one accredited course out of eight, a site-wide banner saying "CPD Accredited Training Provider" tells visitors something that isn't so — even if you never intended to mislead.

Our Terms put it plainly: the licence permits display of the mark only in connection with the specific Accredited Course(s), for the duration of the accreditation, and specifically prohibits use on non-accredited courses.

"Accredited" or "certified" — does the wording matter?

Not legally, no. Neither term is protected in UK law, and the established UK bodies use both more or less interchangeably — one calls itself a certification service while describing its members as accredited providers; another leads with "CPD Certification" while its application route is headed "Become Accredited". If you were hoping there's a meaningful technical distinction, there isn't one.

What actually carries weight is narrower and more boring: which body stands behind the claim, what they assessed, and whether a sceptical buyer can check it. A buyer who can look up your reference and see a named course, a date, and an expiry has been told something real. A logo on its own hasn't.

The two rules that actually bind you

1. The CAP Code (advertising)

UK non-broadcast advertising is governed by the CAP Code, enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority. Two rules matter here. Rules 3.52 and 3.53 prohibit displaying a trust mark or quality mark "without the necessary authorisation", and prohibit claiming that you or your product has been "approved, endorsed or authorised by any public or private body if it has not or without complying with the terms of the approval".

That final clause is the important one, and it's easy to miss. Holding genuine accreditation isn't sufficient on its own — you also have to stay inside its terms. A real accreditation, advertised beyond its actual scope, still breaches the rule.

2. Consumer protection law

Separately, misleading commercial practices are unlawful. Note that the law here changed recently: the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 were replaced by the unfair-trading provisions of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, which came into force on 6 April 2025. A good deal of guidance still circulating online cites the old regulations.

The practical substance is much the same — a misleading action includes giving false information, or presenting accurate information in a way that deceives the average consumer — but enforcement is stronger, with the Competition and Markets Authority now able to act directly rather than only through the courts. Overstating accreditation to sell training sits squarely in scope.

What you must never imply

CPD accreditation is not a regulated qualification. Ofqual regulates qualifications in England, and Ofqual-regulated qualifications sit on the Regulated Qualifications Framework with defined levels and sizes. CPD sits outside that framework entirely.

Both things can be worthwhile — they just answer different questions. A regulated qualification certifies attainment at a benchmarked level. CPD accreditation says a piece of professional learning was independently reviewed for quality. Presenting the second as though it were the first is misleading, and our Terms prohibit using the mark in any way that implies regulation or government approval.

	CPD accreditation	Regulated qualification
Overseen by	Independent CPD bodies	Ofqual (England)
Sits on the RQF	No	Yes
Has a defined level	No	Yes (e.g. Level 3)
Typically measured in	CPD hours or points	Guided learning hours / credits

Using the mark itself

The badge is licensed, not given. Under our Terms the licence is limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable and revocable, and you agree not to alter or distort the mark. In practice that means using the files we supply, at legible size, without recolouring, cropping, adding effects, or rebuilding it to match your brand palette.

Every certificate you issue must carry the unique verification code we provide and a link to the public verification page. That's not decoration — it's the mechanism that makes the claim checkable, and it's the difference between a mark that means something and a logo anyone could copy from a search result.

Worth knowing: we may audit how the mark is used, and you're required to keep records of that use for three years.

A realistic example of good practice

Look at how established UK training providers actually present this and you'll notice something: most of them don't write long claims at all. A typical online course page shows the accreditor's badge alongside a short factual line — the certificate issued and the CPD credits earned — and leaves it there. No paragraph about what accreditation means, no organisation-wide assertions.

That restraint works in your favour. The badge plus a verifiable reference does the persuading; expansive wording mostly creates risk. If you want one line, "Accredited by AssuredCPD · 6 CPD hours · Verify at assuredcpd.co.uk/verify" is factual, checkable, and hard to fault.

When accreditation ends

The licence ends with the accreditation. If you don't renew, or accreditation is withdrawn, the mark and any associated wording must come off — and that means everywhere, not just the obvious places. The usual stragglers are PDF brochures, slide decks, email footers, third-party course directories, and old landing pages nobody has looked at in a year.

Continuing to display a lapsed mark is both a breach of our Terms and, in advertising terms, a claim of approval you no longer hold. It's an avoidable problem that's much easier to prevent than to explain.

A short checklist

• Name the course in the claim, not the company — unless your membership genuinely covers the whole portfolio.
• Keep the mark on accredited course pages, not the site-wide header or footer.
• Include the verification code and a link wherever you make the claim.
• Never pair the mark with "regulated", "government approved", or an implied RQF level.
• Use the supplied files unaltered.
• Diarise the expiry date, and audit every place the mark appears when it approaches.

Get your course accredited   Read our standards

This article is general guidance for training providers, not legal advice. Accreditation is governed by our Terms & conditions; where anything here differs from them, the Terms apply. If a specific claim matters commercially, take your own advice. AssuredCPD is an independent CPD accreditation body — we are not a government or regulatory body and do not award regulated qualifications.