ARCP Toolkit
Your complete guide to the Annual Review of Competence Progression.
Demystifying ARCP with Dr Ellie Day (2025)
Summary of FAQ's
From the Winter ARCP Q&A with Dr Ellie Day (3rd Dec 2025)
"While a quality, up-to-date portfolio is essential, it shouldn't come at the expense of your well-being. Remember to enjoy your training and focus on meaningful learning, not just ticking boxes."
The Annual Review of Competence Progression (ARCP) is a formal process which happens at the end of each training year. To progress, you must demonstrate satisfactory progress by keeping an up-to-date portfolio with evidence of your learning and development.
These usually happen in June for the majority of doctors, however there are some who are on a winter ARCP schedule and theirs will be in February. Those on the winter schedule are often those that started training in March rather than September, or have taken time out for OOPE or parental responsibilities etc.
Level 1 (ST1-4)
Keeping your e-portfolio updated throughout the year is key to a stress-free process. The 'scoring table' provided by the deanery can help with preferred job allocations, but the mandatory requirements are your priority.
Key Annual Requirements:
- Core Paperwork: Ensure your Placement Details, PDP, Educational Supervisor's Report, and Form R are completed for each training year.
- Assessments: You must complete a range of assessments annually. For the specific numbers of SLEs (like HAT, LEADER) and other assessments (MSF, DOPS), please refer to the detailed "Assessment Requirements" table below.
- Courses & Education: Keep your Safeguarding and Life Support courses up to date, and log your attendance at required educational events like SIM days.
- Curriculum Linking: All portfolio evidence must be linked to the RCPCH Progress Curriculum.
- Curriculum Linking: Suggest ECAT during ST1 for General Paediatrics and during ST2 for Neonatal to show progression and readiness for Tier 2 rota.
For those interested in GRID or SPIN, you should begin preparing in ST2/3 for applications in ST4.
By the end of ST4, you must also have completed:
- All mandatory DOPS
- All written and clinical exams
Level 2 (ST5-7)
Congratulations on reaching Level 2! In addition to all Level 1 mandatory events, there are a few extra requirements. Refer to the Specialty Progress+ table in the Assessment requirements below for specific numbers.
Core Progress+ (ST1-ST4)
| Assessment | ST1-3 | ST4 |
|---|---|---|
| Supervised Learning Events (SLE) | ||
| Mini-CEX & CbD | No minimum. Aim for quality over quantity. | |
| ACAT | Optional | Optional |
| ECAT | Suggested 1 for acute take, neonatal admission, or before tier 2 rota. | Optional |
| HAT | 1 | 1 |
| LEADER | Optional | 1 |
| Safeguarding CbD | 1 | 1 |
| DOC | Optional | 2 |
| Assessment of Performance (AoP) & Other | ||
| DOPS | Min. 1 satisfactory AoP for each compulsory procedure before tier 2 independence. | |
| Trainer Report | "Readiness for tier 2" form must be completed. | N/A |
| MSF | 1 | 1 |
| Educational Supervisor Report | 1 | 1 |
| Exams & Courses | ||
| MRCPCH Written | 1-2 exams desirable | All 3 exams essential |
| MRCPCH Clinical | - | Essential |
| Resuscitation | NLS/APLS before independent on tier 2 rota. | Courses must be current. |
Specialty Progress+ (ST5-ST7)
| Assessment | ST5-6 | ST7 |
|---|---|---|
| Supervised Learning Events (SLE) | ||
| Mini-CEX & CbD | No minimum. Aim for quality over quantity. | |
| ACAT / ECAT / DOC | Optional | |
| HAT / LEADER / Safeguarding CbD | 1 | 1 |
| Assessment of Performance (AoP) & Other | ||
| DOPS | Min. 1 satisfactory AoP for each compulsory procedure in subspecialty. | |
| MSF | 1 | 1 |
| ESTR | 1 | 1 |
| Other Requirements | ||
| Resuscitation | Accredited course relevant to specialty pathway. | |
| START | START PDP required. | |
Historical ‘How-To’ Videos
These videos were created by the committee in previous years. The information is still useful but may be a little out of date in some places.
Winter ARCP Q&A Summary
Key takeaways from the session with Dr Ellie Day, 3rd December 2025.