The Gateway Award

Gateway Award is for anybody with a learning disability . There is no age limit and it is open to people of all abilities. This includes people with profound and multiple learning disabilities. Activities can be tailored to an individual’s needs.

People enrol for the award at a Gateway Award Centre. These centres are responsible for supporting people to complete the award.

A Gateway Award Centre can be in any number of settings including local Mencap groups, leisure groups, schools, colleges, residential or day services , and youth organisations .

For people who are not able to access a centre, it is possible to sign up as an individual to complete the award.

A diverse range of activities can be undertaken for each section of the Gateway Award. We have an ideas booklet that can help people come up with ideas for their different activities. Activities can be completed at the award centre or in the community . They can be completed in an order and simultaneously.

Participants taking part in the challenge progress at their own pace. However, there are some guidelines for how long each award level should take to ensure that participants have opportunity to meaningfully engage and plan their activities.

Suggested timeframes:

• Bronze award- a minimum of 6 months
• Silver award- a minimum of 12 months
• Gold award- a minimum of 18 months

These time frames may vary depending on the frequency of activity during the week.

The level of support needed will vary for each individual. In most cases, participants may need some form of support to plan and attend their activities. An assigned supporter can work with the participant to plan their award and record their evidence. Some participants may require a supporter to complete the online monitoring and tracking of the award.

To register, complete the ‘register interest form’, the Gateway Award manager will be in touch to discuss signing up to become a centre.  

After registering as a centre, you will be given a login and a dedicated page on the Gateway Award website . 

This access allows supporters to register their participants, track progress, upload evidence, network with other centres, and access useful resources. 

When participants register for the Gateway Award they are given a bespoke folder split into five sections, where they can store evidence of what they have done. For each section, a section sign off form and at least one piece of evidence will need to be uploaded to the participants profile on the Gateway Award website. When all five sections are complete evidence is verified by the Gateway Award team and certificates and medals will be sent out.

Participants will need to complete an outcome questionnaire when they register to do their award and when they complete each level. This supports us to look at impact of the award.

A website has been set up where centres can have their own profile, register participants, track progress and sign off completions. This system allows effective management by the Gateway Award centre and is also viewed by Mencap to track progress and support you to administer the award.

We have a separate user guide that we send out to centres once they have registered to help with navigating the website.

It costs £50 to register as a Gateway Award centre. A participant’s place costs £26 per level.

This cost includes:

• A colour printed folder with section dividers
• Section and end of level certificates and an end of level medal
• Moderation and processing by Mencap and an online Gateway Award profile
• Online resources and handbook
• Postage and packaging of all materials listed above.

To get started please submit the ‘register interest form’ so a member of the team can contact you. 

Alternatively, you can email [email protected] for more information.