These exam centres have either taken private candidates in the past, have indicated that they would consider it, or are listed on an exam board website as a possible centre, but are yet to be confirmed. Please feel free to add or edit information. We rely on the home-ed community to keep this up to date. You will need to create a Wikia account first. For local recommendations, it can be a good idea to join your local home education Facebook group.
North West
Cheshire
Macclesfield Tutorial College 20 Cumberland Street, Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK10 1DD. Tel: 01625 501 440. AQA, Edexcel, OCR, WJEC and CIE. Can facilitate November exams. Offered Teacher Assessed Grades in 2021 and were reported to be helpful by a home educator who used them. A-level and GCSE practical and science exams, and language Speaking Assessments. "We are an approved centre for the AQA, Edexcel, OCR, WJEC and CIE examination boards. We accommodate all the standard subjects, and will try to accept entries for the less popular subjects too – just ask. At the examination centre, you are able to take GCSE, IGCSE and GCE (AS and A Level) examinations. The centre has the facilities for science practicals and also most language speaking examinations."
Malbank School and Sixth Form College, Welsh Row, Nantwich, Cheshire, CW5 5HD. Tel: 01270 611 009. Email:admin@malbank.cheshire.sch.uk Accepted HE candidates in 2018
AQA also lists the following centres in Cheshire for private candidates (unconfirmed)
Beech Hall School, Beech Hall Drive, Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK10 2EG. Tel: 01625 422 192. Email: secretary@beechhallschool.org
Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College, Urban Road, Altrincham, Cheshire, WA15 6HT. Tel: 0161 911 8090. Email: blessedthomas.admin@trafford.gov.uk
Cheadle and Marple College Network, (Cheadle College), Cheadle Road, Cheadle Hulme, Cheadle, Cheshire, SK8 5HA. Tel: 0161 486 4600. Email: info@cmcnet.ac.uk
Intuition Centre, 212A Finney Lane, Heald Green, Cheadle, SK8 3QA. Tel: 0161 637 4220. Email: healdgreen@intuitioncentre.co.uk Access arrangements. Functional Skills. Edexcel, OCR, AQA, WJEC, CAIE.
Oakfield Lodge School, The Stables, Warmingham Road, Crewe, Cheshire, CW1 4PP. Tel: 01270 685 626
Penarth Group School, 128 Reddish Road, Stockport, SK5 7JG. Tel: 0161 483 1212. Email: headteacher@penarthgroup.co.uk
Sale Grammar School, Marsland Road, Sale, Cheshire, M33 3NH. Tel: 0161 973 3217. Email: office@salegrammar.co.uk
St Nicholas Catholic High School, Greenbank Lane, Hartford, Northwich, Cheshire, CW8 1JW. Tel: 01606 706 028 / 706 000. Email: admin@st-nicholas.cheshire.sch.uk
Cumbria
Cumbria Local Authority list of exam centres - the LA provide a list of centres with contact details, which has been updated for 2020. It includes Appleby Heritage Centre, Cockermouth school, Furness Academy, Samuel Kings School, Settlebeck High School, Solway Community College, Whitehaven Academy, William Howard School.
Beacon Hill, AspatriaMarket Square, Aspatria, CA7 3EZ. Tel: 016973 20509. Email: beaconhill@beaconhill.cumbria.sch.uk Will accept private candidates for exam-based subjects only, although an exception may be made if you are studying with a distance learning provider. Exam price: Cost to school + £10 per hour if no school exam is taking place at the same time + admin charge of £40 irrespective of the number of subjects being taken.
KT tuition 134 Harrington Road, Workington, CA14 3UL. Tel: Email: Edexcel, AQA and OCR for GCSE, IGCSE, A-Level and Functional Skills. Used in June 2021. Tel: 01900 68487. Email: office@kttuition.co.uk See information on website about private candidates and fees.
AQA also lists the following centres in Cumbria for private candidates (unconfirmed)
Austin Friars, Etterby Scaur, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA3 9PB. Tel: 01228 528 042. Email: office@austinfriars.co.uk
St Bernard's Catholic High School, Rating Lane, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, LA13 9LE. Tel: 01229 814 560. Email: contact@stbernardsschool.uk
Eden Education, People First Conference Centre, Milbourne Street, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA2 5XB. Tel: 01228 830 831. Website states they take private candidates. Might be registered for AQA only.
Lime House School, Holm Hill, Dalston, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA5 7BX. Tel: 01228 710 225. Email: office@limehouseschool.co.uk
Netherhall School, Netherhall Road, Maryport, Cumbria, CA15 6NT. Tel: 01900 813 434. Email: office@netherhallschool.org
Oversands School, Witherslack, Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria, LA11 6SD. Tel: 01539 552 397. Email: oversands@witherslackgroup.co.uk
The Gillford Centre Pupil Referral Unit, Upperby Road, Upperby, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA2 4JE. Tel: 01228 226 957.
Lancashire
Lancashire Local Authority list of exam centres It was last updated in 2017.
Blackpool Local Authority list of exam centres It was last updated in 2019 and seems to cover other areas of Lancashire, too.
AKS Lytham Independent School Clifton Drive South, Lytham St Annes, FY8 1DT. Tel: 01253 784100. General email: info@akslytham.com Examinations Officer is Mr Klenk, email: Peter.Klenk@akslytham.com
Ashton Sixth Form College 71 Whitechapel High Street, Ashton-Under-Lyne, OL6 9RL. Tel: 0161 330 2330 ext. 275. Email: externalcandidates@asfc.ac.uk Info about private candidates here Must be age 16+. AQA, OCR, Edexcel, Eduqas(WJEC). Written examinations pnly, i.e. No coursework units, ICT Practical exams or science practical/coursework units. Did not accept private candidates in 2020/21.
Bolton - Tutors & Exams Victoria Hall, Knowsley Street, Bolton, BL1 2AS. (Also in Coventry, Wimbledon and Doncaster). Tel: 024 76221008. Dedicated exam centre for external candidates with experience supporting home-educated students. Languages, ICT, Computer Science and more. Has a dedicated science laboratory based in Birmingham for A Level Science practicals all year round and access to another science laboratory located in a London school for science practicals outside term time. Access Arrangements (SEN) friendly. Public car park at the rear of the building (exam day entrance) and 5 minute walk from the public transport links.
Darwen Vale High School Blackburn Road, Darwen, BB3 0AL. Tel: 01254 223000. Email: DWelsh@darwenvale.com Listed on Blackpool LA website list of centres, but unconfirmed.
Jay-Em Dance Studios 27 Victoria Street, Chorley, PR7 2TX. Tel: 01257 262 703. Email: j-mstudio@btconnect.com AQA and Edexcel. Friendly and small.
Oldham Hulme Grammar School, Chamber Road, Oldham, OL8 4BX. Tel: 0161 624 4497. Exams officer is Mrs Christine Whitworth, email examofficer@ohgs.co.uk Written exams plus some A-level science assessments. Possibly language exams. Have been very helpful to home-ed families in the past. OCR, Edexcel, AQA . Not CAIE. Did not accept private candidates in 2021.
Ormskirk School Wigan Road, Ormskirk, L39 2AT. Tel: 01695 583040 Exams Officer: Mrs Jane Covey ext 1004. Email: exams@ormskirk.lancs.sch.uk No practicals, coursework etc. Could not provide CAGs or TAGs.
Pentwortham Priory Academy Crow Hills Road, Penwortham, Preston, PR1 0JE. Tel: 01772 320250. Email: enquiries@priory.lancs.sch.uk Listed on Blackpool LA list of centres, but unconfirmed. Exams officer is Mrs E Diamond-Bugler, email: e.diamond@prioriy.lancs.sch.uk
Richard Rose Central Academy. Victoria Place, Carlisle, CA1 1LY. Tel: 01228 822060. Email: info@rrca.org.uk Accepted private candidates in Summer 2016. No current information.
Spanish Learning Centre239 Church Street, Blackpool, FY1 3PB. Tel: 01253 294 822. Email: enquiry@spanishlearningcentre.co.uk Private candidate information here. AQA, WJEC, Edexcel, CAIE. Can accommodate foreign language orals. "Private candidates can sit any exam with us (providing there is no practical unit involved) i.e. any paper exams can be sat here."
Tower Learning Centre 316, Church St, Blackpool, FY1 3QE. Tel: 01253 290949. Email: enquiries@tower-learning.co.uk Private tutorial college. AQA, OCR, WJEC and CAIE exam boards plus Functional Skills testing.
Merseyside
Liverpool
Clarendon College Montessori School - AQA
Wirral - Birkenhead 6th form college - "They offer lots of different exam boards (but not CIE), and recommended that we use Edexcel IGCSEs. Subjects include English, Maths, Chemistry, Biology and History.." The College can only accept external candidates that wish to take written exam. They cannot accommodate science practical’s or any subjects that have a coursework element. However if you are resitting and you have a coursework element/practical endorsement that can be carried forward they can accommodate this. They cannot accommodate Languages which have an oral element. Contact the college to enquire about prices.
BioGrad Ltd - www.biograd.co.uk - Offers all A Level Science Practical's. A dedicated centre with experts assessing all A Level Practical's. An excellent centre located in the centre of the city, extremely easy to access. BioGrad work with local 5 star hotels for accommodation which starts at £30 per night which is excellent value. BioGrad has real working industrial labs so this gives all students the opportunity to not only complete their practical's but also get the experience of being in an industrial lab. Email info@biograd.co.uk
Manchester
Manchester - Nexus Education Centre, [Allegedly now closed - to be confirmed] Formerly the Woodsend Centre. IGCSEs (edexcel) and they do AQA GCSEs and A levels as well though not sure about Cambridge. A medical Pupil Referral Unit. Very small unit so not too much like a school. Contact Judy Cuppello. The cost was about £80 per subject. This includes an invigilation fee and you could be in a room on your own. Exam fee plus £20 plus £12 invigilation per paper.
Manchester Hospital School based at the Leo Kelly Centre, 77 Dickenson Road, Manchester, M14 5AZ. Only do summer series, Edexcel not CIE exams and no language orals but very friendly and helpful. Deadline for summer exams is around December 15th when they close for Christmas. Email contact admin@hospitalschool.manchester.sch.uk phone 0161 2252199 (They have increased their fees recently, they now charge a flat £200 per subject. Still very friendly and helpful but sadly not the fantastic bargain they were before.)
Wilmslow High - take some home ed students.
[Cheadle College - As of August 2020 have stated that they won't be accepting private candidates for at least two years.].
Penrith - Ullswater Community College. Website says: "Sorry, we do not offer an examinations service for external candidates. However, if you are 15 to 19 years old and live within 16 kilometres (10 miles) of the school, then we may be able to advise you on possible options. Please email your name, age, the location of your home, telephone number and potential examination needs (subjects and exam boards) to the Examinations Manager at exams@ullswatercc.co.uk "
Workington, Cumbria - KT Tuition ☀http://www.kttuition.co.uk/ Accredited with Edexcel, AQA and OCR for GCSE, A-Level and Functional Skills exams. Offers fast-track courses (from February of the exam year), distance-learning courses, or exam-only options. Prices: £50 for Functional Skills exams, £89.99 for GCSEs and £99.99 for A-levels. Prices per qualification, ie that is total cost regardless of number of papers.
North East
Bradford & Leeds
Woodhouse Grove School, Apperley Bridge, between Leeds and Bradford, offer a good range of boards, reasonably priced and really helpful. We used this centre this summer (2016) and they were fantastic, even being able to accommodate an extremely anxious candidate within very small settings (5 others) at short notice. They offer a look around and we can't recommend highly enough!
CONTACT EXAMS OFFICER, ALISON: 0113 238 6072
UPDATE: WOODHOUSE GROVE SCHOOL ARE ACCEPTING A LIMITED NUMBER OF PRIVATE CANDIDATES FOR SUMMER 2021.
Bradford - Catalyst Tutors located near Bradford university. Set up specifically for HE students. Edexcel and AQA exams. Carry out moderated coursework for new GCSEs, science practicals, and BTECS. Tuition available, or just sit exams. You can contact the Head of Centre directly on 07760257814
UNFORTUNATELY CATALYST NO LONGER TAKE EXTERNAL CANDIDATE THEY ONLY ALLOW THEIR OWN STUDENTS TO SIT EXAMS AT THE CENTRE
Durham
Enter CIC ( www.privateexamsnortheast.co.uk ) [As of September 2020 still accepting private candidates] Located in South County Durham, five minutes off the A1 (Junction 60). Unique centre set up to facilitate private candidates, homeschooled candidates, resits and adult learners. Head of Centre was an advisory teacher for 30 years and also a homeschooler and as such is very knowledgeable about the challenges facing external and private candidates wishing to sit examinations. Approved with AQA, OCR, Edexcel and CIE examinations boards. Also supports Science Practicals via dedicated partner in Liverpool. Caters for GCSE, IGCSE, A Level, BTEC, Functional Skills. Tuition is also available at this centre. Caters to creative subjects such as Art, Craft and Design and Drama.
Landline: 01740 655437
Exams Officer Mobile: 07704 237955
Email: exams@entercic.org
Travelling: From North or South exit A1 at Junction 60 - Left onto A689, right at roundabout onto A167. Filter onto Darlington Road, Turn left onto Merrington Road/St Cuthbert's Terrace. Accepts private (external) candidates with and without Access Arrangements. Good prices. Very friendly and helpful staff. Call 01740 655437 or email exams@entercic.org or make an enquiry:
Bradford
Bradford College-Located near the university. They offer a limited amount of GCSE subjects for which candidates can sit exams they're not cheap though at around £240 each paper. They also offer some 14-16 courses
Halifax-Calderdale College: offer a wide range of 14-16 courses.
Woodhouse Grove School Apperley Bridge West Yorkshire BD10 0NR Exam Centre Number: 37601
Leeds - Ralph Thoresby School East Yorkshire - Pocklington School. At least Edexcel and CIE
Doncaster
Tutors & Exams Doncaster (also in Coventry, Wimbledon and Bolton). Dedicated exam centre for external candidates with lots of experience supporting home-educated students. Languages, ICT, Computer Science and more. In addition to our examination centres we have dedicated Science laboratory based in Birmingham with the ability to deliver A Level Science practical’s all year round and access to another science laboratory located in a London school available to offer Science practical’s outside term time. Access Arrangements (SEN) friendly. A great venue located less than 5 minutes from J3 on the M18 and 1.5 miles from Doncaster railway station, this venue can accommodate up to 70 examination candidates. Situated on a business park close to the Lakeside Village Outlet Shopping Centre offering coffee shops and cafes for parents and chaperones to stay close by.. Telephone 024 76221008. 1 Don House, Sidings Court, Doncaster DN4 5NL
Sir Thomas Wharton Community College, A Cooperative Academy, Tait Avenue, Edlington, Doncaster, DN12 1HH.
- Tel: 01709 864100
- Fax: 01709 864175
In this article about accepting external candidates for NEC, they sound lovely: "Exams officer Jo Shalome says: ‘We work on a “never say no” basis when it comes to private candidates. We know that finding an exam centre isn’t easy, and we want to help people improve their qualifications in any way we can, whether they are full-time students at the school, families who are home-schooling their children or adults who want a second chance at learning. We would only turn a private candidate away if the request came just a few days before the exam date or if the subject the candidate was studying wasn’t one for which we could offer a controlled assessment.’" . Article says they accept external candidates for science practicals.
Doncaster Local Authority helpfully lists some exam centres for home-educated students:
Adwick: Outwood Academy, Windmill Balk Lane, Woodlands, Doncaster, DN6 7SF
- Tel: 01302 722237
- Fax: 01302 337345
Balby Carr Academy- Community Sports & Science Academy, Weston Road, Balby, Doncaster, DN4 8ND.
- Tel: 0845 345 1629
- Fax: 0845 345 1639
Rossington All Saints Academy, Bond Street, New Rossington, Doncaster, DN11 0BZ.
- Tel: 01302 868414
- Fax: 01302 866252
Halifax
Pocklington
Pocklington School recommended by private candidates on forums.
Skipton
Craven College - Online courses in Biology, French, German, Italian, Physics, Maths, English
Skipton -South Craven School. Holme Ln, Cross Hills, Keighley, West Yorkshire BD20 7RL, 01535 632861. Only charge basic entry fees. Will accommodate such things as use of word processor at no extra charge if extra invigilatrion not required.
Sheffield
Hillsborough College. Do at least Maths GCSE
Sheffield College - Offer online GCSE maths and English courses for HE students ages 14 and over, with exams there. Cost approx £300 . See https://edyourself.wordpress.com/2015/07/03/sheffield-college-online-maths-and-english-gcses-september-2015/
[Longley Park 6th Form college. Apparently no longer taking private candidates, September 2020. The exams officer is Lesley Harley <Lesley.Harley@longleypark.ac.uk>. ]
York
[York Learning - Adult education centre. September 2020: Apparently, not accepting private candidates anymore]