Multiverse: Essential Guide to 1st for Awarding's Christmas 2025 Plans
This guide clarifies how 1st for Awarding's schedule over Christmas 2025/2026 will impact your End-Point Assessment (EPA) deadlines and overall timeline.
1st for Awarding Office Closures 🎄
1st for Awarding will only be closed for the three official English Bank Holidays:
Thursday, 25th December 2025 (Christmas Day)
Friday, 26th December 2025 (Boxing Day)
Thursday, 1st January 2026 (New Year's Day)
All other days between Christmas and New Year's (Monday, December 29th to Wednesday, December 31st, 2025) will be normal working days. The office will be open, and they'll be taking assessment bookings as usual.
How The Christmas Closures Affect Your EPA Deadlines ✅
1st for Awarding has automatic rules in place to make sure the holidays don't put you behind:
Deadlines: If your EPA project submission or any scheduled service (like result statements or gateway approvals) is due on one of the closed Bank Holidays, the deadline automatically moves to the next working day.
EPA Period Extension: If your official EPA period includes any of the three Bank Holidays listed above, your total time to complete the EPA will be automatically extended by the number of closed Bank Holidays that fall within that period.
Example: If your EPA starts just before Christmas, they will add 3 days to your final submission deadline to account for the closures on the 25th, 26th, and 1st.
Critical Note on Annual Leave ⚠️
This is the most important part to remember for your planning:
Only Bank Holidays Count: Only the official closures listed above will result in an EPA period extension.
No Extension for Personal Leave: Any extra time off you take (like personal annual leave) or any non-Bank Holiday office closure implemented by your employer will not be used to extend your EPA deadlines.
Multiverse Advice: Work closely with us to carefully plan your Gateway and EPA start dates to ensure you can meet your final deadlines, keeping in mind only the three specific Bank Holidays will affect your official timeline. If you have any questions, you can speak to your coach or alternatively raise a support ticket.