In order to offer our qualifications, centres must have WJEC centre approval. The approval process involves completion of the relevant application form(s) and an assessment of the ability of the centre to meet WJEC and relevant JCQ requirements.
If your centre already offers General Qualifications and has been issued with an NCN centre number, please read the General Conditions for WJEC centres and Terms of Business then contact us to request an application form.
If you are a new institution, please read the following documents before contacting us to discuss your prospective centre:
Contact centre approval:
029 2026 5077
centres@wjec.co.uk
Conditions of centre registration
WJEC approved centres must adhere to the General Conditions for WJEC Centres, WJEC Terms of Business and the appropriate JCQ regulations.
All WJEC approved centres with a National Centre Number (NCN) must complete the annual declaration sent by NCN. Failure to do so will result in suspension of WJEC registration.
Change of Exams Officer or Head of Centre details
Where there is a change of Exam Officer or Head of Centre, centres should update the information via the 'Account Admin' button on the secure website.
Centres without access to the administrator account must supply up-to-date Exam Officer details and a request for the password reset in a letter, on centre headed paper, signed by a member of the Senior Leadership Team. This can be emailed to securewebsite@wjec.co.uk.
Change of centre name
Any change of centre name must be notified to the National Centre Number Register (NCNR) by emailing ncn@ocr.org.uk.
Change of address or secure storage facility
Any change to a centre's address or secure storage facility must be notified immediately to the National Centre Number Register (NCN) who will notify the awarding bodies and arrange for the JCQ inspection service to undertake an inspection.
Conflicts of Interest
Conflicts of interest must be managed within centres and notified to WJEC in accordance with the JCQ General Regulations.
> WJEC Centre Staff Conflicts of Interest Guidance 2023-24
Please find the electronic WJEC Centre Staff Conflict of Interest form under the Centre Administration tab on the WJEC Portal.
Awarding Bodies have a legitimate reason for requesting this information from centres, however centres must ensure that they collect and submit this information in accordance with their own privacy notice.
Information regarding malpractice is available in our Guide to preventing, reporting and investigating malpractice and Guide for teachers - Preventing malpractice in internal assessment.
All cases of suspected or actual malpractice must be reported to WJEC. If candidates commit malpractice they may be penalised or disqualified from the examinations.
In all cases of malpractice, centres are advised to consult the JCQ booklet Suspected Malpractice: Policies and Procedures.
Whistleblowing Statement
If you believe you have witnessed malpractice in examinations and assessments your first port of call should be your Head of Centre who has a duty to investigate and report all such incidents. If you believe that you may be victimised by raising such issues with your Head of Centre or if you feel that your Senior Management Team is involved then you may wish to contact us directly.
Awarding bodies are keen that malpractice should be reported and would encourage anyone who has information regarding malpractice to come forward and report the matter. If you wish to remain anonymous, this will be respected, unless an awarding body is legally obliged to report the identity of the person making the allegation.
You must be aware that information supplied anonymously cannot be used as evidence. However, such information can form the basis of, or give probable cause for, an investigation; in order to support any potential investigation it is better if you supply all the information you have at one time, rather than add information later, if possible.
If you have information concerning malpractice you can contact WJEC’s Malpractice Team in writing or by telephone.
Malpractice Section
WJEC
245 Western Avenue
Cardiff
CF5 2YX
E-mail: malpractice@wjec.co.uk
Telephone: 029 2026 5351
In order for us to be able to effectively investigate it is helpful to have as much information as possible about the incident; to this end it is helpful if you can be specific regarding what the malpractice was, who perpetrated it, who benefited from it, when this took place, where, and who if anyone may have witnessed it taking place, if appropriate.
Additional information about making an allegation and malpractice can be found on the JCQ website.
Awarding bodies will not feedback the outcome of cases to persons making allegations. To do so would be to reveal privileged information which is often subject to the Data Protection Act.
The JCQ Centre Inspection Service (CIS) inspects all registered examination centres offering qualifications that are covered by the Instructions for Conducting Examinations (ICE) booklet. All centres should expect to be visited at least annually by the JCQ CIS.
Centres must ensure that all venues used for examinations and assessments, records and secure storage facilities are open to inspection. JCQ centre inspectors will identify themselves with an ID card and must be accompanied throughout their visit.
If a centre fails to respond to requests from the JCQ Centre Inspection Service, or fails to resolve outstanding issues, awarding bodies will not despatch secure assessment materials and reserve the right to withdraw centre approval.
JCQ Centre Inspection Service in Wales
WJEC administers the Centre Inspection Service in Wales on behalf of all JCQ awarding bodies. If you are a former exams officer who would like to be considered as an inspector for centres in Wales, please send your CV to jcqinspectionservice@wjec.co.uk.
> Become a JCQ Centre Inspector
