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The first step to offering OCR qualifications is becoming an approved centre. All centres must abide by the OCR terms of business.
For vocational qualifications, you need to obtain approval for each qualification.
For verified qualifications you need to follow the OCR criteria for verified qualifications.
You also need to follow the JCQ General Regulations and, where relevant, these JCQ publications:
Please read the following guidance before applying for centre approval:
To apply, complete the following form and email it to ocrvocationalapprovals@ocr.org.uk
Once approved, please tell us about the OCR qualifications you are teaching or plan to teach with the expression of interest online form.
Depending on your circumstances we may contact awarding bodies for references, arrange for a representative to visit your centre or carry out a credit check.
For vocational qualifications, a visit from one of our team will be required if:
See the fees list for details of fees charged for approval visits.
If you are a company, sole trader or partnership, we have a credit checking process in place to help us verify your credit worthiness.
You need to have been established, and trading on credit terms, for a minimum of six months and be able to supply us with two credit references (banks, solicitors and accountants are not considered as trade creditors and cannot be used as referees).
If you cannot satisfy these requirements, we will be unable to process your application.
We can, however, review your application after six months of trading.
If you cannot meet these criteria but think there are extenuating circumstances, please email the details to our customer support centre.
Once your application is approved you will receive a letter of confirmation. You can then enter candidates for the qualifications that you are approved to offer.
Approval is subject to continued centre activity; if there are no entries or certification claims for a qualification for two consecutive years, centre approval will automatically lapse for that qualification.
In addition, your full vocational centre approval will lapse if you have not made any entries or certification claims for any vocational qualification for two years.
Get in touch with our customer support centre.