December 2025 release notes

Actions

Due by dates displayed in days 

Tutors and learners using the actions list can now view how many days remain until each action is due. Overdue actions are clearly shown in red with the number of days past due, making it easier to prioritise work and stay organised.

User can reorder actions 

When a tutor, learner, or employer uses the actions list to review tasks that require attention, they can now reorder the list by due date.

This change introduces sorting options that allow users to reorder actions by “due date – ascending” or “due date – descending”, with the default view showing the soonest due action first. This update helps users prioritise work more effectively and improves visibility of time-sensitive actions.

Table populated in review PDF

When users are using the actions section in a review, this section will now be populated in the review PDF. Previously, actions were not exported to the review PDF. Users who have access to view the review will see this section in the review PDF.

The full content of the 'All' tab will be exported to the PDF. The order of actions in the PDF for the Actions section will match the sorting applied on the 'All' tab in the review.

The column headers in the PDF consist of:

• Action
• Status
• Due date
• Created by
• Closed date
• Closed by

Please note that “Created by” and “Closed by” values are not currently present in the review UI and will be added in a future release. When the section is not populated in the review, an empty table will be exported and a description will read “No actions”.

Review token: duplicate nested question prevention

We have introduced a change which prevents users adding duplicate nested questions in the reviews token. Duplicate questions cannot be reported on in Review Responses and can cause data issues within the review token, however when using the “boolean with case block” question type, duplicated fields were not prevented. We have added additional validation so duplicate fields cannot be saved, even in nested questions.

If customers already have duplicate nested questions, they should remove the duplicates from the reviews token so that they can still save the programme. In the event that there are difficulties saving a programme, with previously duplicated nested questions, please contact the support team.

Response streaming

When a learner is using the Aptem Virtual Assistant (AVA), responses are now streamed, meaning learners can start reading immediately as the answer is generated, reducing perceived wait time. To support this, learners can also stop an in-progress response using the "stop" button, allowing them to ask a new question without waiting for the stream to complete. During streaming, AVA remains static and does not scroll for a stable viewing experience, and the 'Rate this response' option is shown only after the full response is generated and is not shown if the response is manually stopped.

Edit button is implemented for marking aid exercises

When a Learner or an Admin uses the Marking Aid feature and wishes to edit only the evidence details without initiating a new attempt, they can now do so using the Edit button associated with the Marking Aid exercises.

• Admin can edit Marking Aid exercises with the statuses Accepted, Referred, and Requires Marking.
• Learner can edit Marking Aid exercises with the status Requires Marking, and view Accepted and Referred Marking Aid exercises in read-only mode.

• To align with Console behaviour, the Delete icon has been removed from Classic for Marking Aid exercises.
  
   

Marking aid admin dashboard 

Admins using the marking aid admin dashboard can now open and edit an exercise record directly from the marking aid screen. This allows them to easily correct mistakes or update feedback and rubrics from a central location, improving efficiency and accuracy when managing exercises. This feature is available to users with the ‘manage programmes’ role and the ‘manage marking aid exercises’ role.

Access to edit exercise content will still be available from the learning plan component in the learning plan in Console (where relevant permission is granted) and from the learning plan component in the programme builder however, we are planning to remove this functionality from those locations. Having this functionality moved to the marking aid management screen developed based on feedback from our customers, so that these tasks are more centralised and there is more control on who can perform these tasks. We are targeting the removal for the Feb 2026 release.

Additional filters

Admins can now filter marking aid dashboard results by:

• Groups

• Tutors

• Employers

This improves navigation and visibility of learner exercises.

Marking aid warning message logic updated

When admins synchronise a learning plan component using the “Apply and overwrite SELECTED Component attributes based on programme template” option, the marking aid warning message will now only appear when the marking aid attribute is actually selected. Previously, the warning message was displayed on the Summary page even when the marking aid option was not selected. This issue has now been resolved, ensuring the warning appears only when relevant.

A warning message is now also displayed against the corresponding learner’s component, providing clearer visibility of the impacted component(s) during synchronisation.

Assessment dates in UGR

When tutors generate reports in UGR, they can now view the start and end dates of Aptem Assess assessments. These are available as ‘Assessment Start Date’ and ‘Assessment End Date’ fields, helping Tutors quickly verify assessment timelines without checking each learner manually.

Note: The Start Date and End Date will now populate only for the latest completed assessment. If an admin resets the assessment, the Start date and End date will no longer be displayed. This behaviour is aligned with the Users OData feed.

Secure contact details update

When a learner uses the Account Settings > Contact Details feature to update their email address(and other contact details), they are now required to re-enter their password to confirm the change. This change introduces a mandatory password re-entry step for learners when updating their contact details, in cases where SAML and MFA are not enabled. 

This update aims to enhance security and prevent unauthorised changes. The password prompt appears when the learner edits the contact section of their profile, and the update only proceeds if the correct password is entered. If the “change of contact details” tracker is enabled, the user must enter the correct password before the request is sent to an administrator to approve the change.

If the password is incorrect, the change is not saved, and a relevant error message is displayed.

Apprenticeship agreement v5 - updated DfE wording

When a compliance manager issues an apprenticeship agreement to a learner, they can now rely on the existing v5 template to reflect the official Department for Education (DfE) wording.

This change updates the explanatory text within apprenticeship agreement v5, replacing the temporary wording that was added while the sector awaited the publication of the official agreement. Notes 2, 4, and 5 have been amended to ensure the definitions of the practical period, required agreement content, and Off-the-Job Training (OTJT) fully match the DfE’s guidance. These updates are incorporated directly into the current v5 template.

It may impact compliance managers reviewing agreement content, but no action is required from customers. Anyone already using the v5 template will automatically benefit from the corrected wording without needing to create a new version or use versioning controls.

Funding dashboard: enhanced aim duration & funding calculations

Aim duration and funding calculations have been improved.

• Aim duration counts only month ends between start and planned end date, adding an extra month only when the planned end date is a month end.

• Prior Learning Funding Adjustment percentage is correctly applied.

• Functional Skills and Adult Skills funding now use the Original Start Date (when available) to determine the correct rate.

Funding dashboard: updated english & maths funding

Funding values for english and maths aims now:

• Apply the correct funding rate based on Start Date or Original Start Date.

• Apply the Prior Learning Funding Adjustment percentage when relevant.

Power BI reports: self-service refresh

When an Administrator or user with Power BI permissions accesses the Power BI Reports page, they will now see a refresh option if a report they have access to has not been successfully updated following a deployment of a new version. This change allows users to self-resolve intermittent report visibility issues. In the event of a persistent error, a clear error message will now be displayed to assist with troubleshooting.

Filtering enhancements

When a tutor is using the checkpoint individual reporting screen and wants to view only the relevant checkpoints based on status or creation date, they can now use the newly added filtering options.

Tutors can filter by:

• Status: Select a specific checkpoint status (or multiple checkpoint statuses) to view only those checkpoints that match the chosen status.
• Date created: Use the From and To date fields to filter checkpoints created within a particular date range.

These enhancements allow tutors to easily narrow down the list and focus on the checkpoints they want to review, improving efficiency and overall user experience.

• Users returning to the marking aid admin exercise detail page after logging out can now successfully access the page after logging back in, without encountering errors.
• When admins synchronise a learning plan component using the “Apply and overwrite SELECTED Component attributes based on programme template” option, the marking aid warning message will now only appear when the marking aid attribute is actually selected.
• When an admin navigates to the Requires Attention > Open Trackers grid, they can now see the tracker type for custom trackers.
• When an admin edits a learner’s ILR Aim to update Actual Off-the-Job Training (OTJT) hours, they can now enter values below 187 where appropriate. The 187-hour minimum validation now applies only when the learner’s start date is after 31 August 2025 and the completion status is 2 (Completed). For all other statuses, lower values can be entered as expected.

We're excited to announce that we have begun development on a brand-new off-the-job hours logging feature. Our goal is to provide a more intuitive and efficient way for apprentices to record all their learning hours, making it easier to track progress and ensure compliance. This functionality will also offer improved oversight and reporting for providers. We're actively engaging with customers at this point. Customers who wish to be involved with the upcoming beta program should reach out to their IC or CSM.

Grouped marking aid attempts in 'Evidence Summary'

The 'Evidence Summary' will support grouped marking aid submission attempts under a single evidence item. Instead of creating separate evidence uploads for each attempt, all marking aid exercise versions will be stored and accessible within one consolidated record.

Users will be able to expand the evidence item to view and download all marked exercise PDF versions from the 'Assessment Report 'section. This will streamline navigation, preserve full attempt history, and improve the overall marking aid workflow without affecting non-marking aid functionality.
 

Clean marking aid PDFs for 'Evidence Summary'

Users will be able to generate a clean, unmarked version of marking aid exercise PDFs, containing only the learner’s questions and answers. This will help providers meet compliance requirements and remove the need to manually create separate clean PDFs.