OCR manages the National Centre Number (NCN) Register on behalf of the JCQ awarding bodies. 

The NCN Register contains centre contact details which are used to send assessment materials and communications. The information is also sent to the DfE.

It is therefore essential the details we hold for your centre are correct – see below for the data we collect within the NCN Register.

To make sure your records on the NCN Register are up to date, each year the NCN team sends out two main update requests: 

• Annual update – This will be emailed to your centre in the autumn term and must be completed by 31 October. 
• Spring update – This is emailed after the Easter holidays and allows us to make sure your details are updated in preparation for the summer exams. 

Amendments which need to be made later may be included on the updates, with the date when effective clearly specified. 

Even if no amendments are required, you must still complete the updates. Failure to return the annual update may lead to your JCQ centre status being suspended and could lead to awarding bodies withdrawing their approval of your centre.

If your centre has moved to a new address or changed your secure storage, you must also return the JCQ ‘Are you ready?’ checklist, which is available to download from the JCQ website.

If any of your centre’s details change after you have completed an update, please send your amendments to ncn@ocr.org.uk as an attachment on centre-headed paper, signed by your head of centre.

A five-digit number allocated to a centre when approved to offer qualifications. This will be the same number for all JCQ awarding bodies.

If your centre has a DfE registration number, please make sure it is correct. If your centre does not have a DfE registration number, please leave this field blank. Your DfE registration number is a seven-digit number – the first three digits identify your local authority. For example, 936 would indicate a centre based in Surrey. The last four digits identify your centre. If you are unsure of your local authority code, your local authority will be able to advise you.

The category code is a three-digit code which shows the type of centre, how your centre is funded and age range of your students. Please check each digit in your code. When you receive an update request, if any digit is incorrect, please provide all three digits of the amended code. If your school does not fit into a category, please use the most appropriate category type.

1st digit – type of centre (all non-DfE registered centres should use '8 – Other')

1st digit	Type of centre	Guidance
0	Free school	Free schools are DfE-registered and funded by the government but are not run by the local authority. They’re ‘all-ability’ schools, so cannot use academic selection processes like a grammar school. They do not have to follow the national curriculum.
1	Secondary comprehensive or middle school/wide ability school	Secondary comprehensive schools are DfE-registered and state-funded schools for children of all abilities above the age of 11. They do not select their intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude.
2	Secondary selective school, eg grammar	Secondary selective schools are DfE-registered and state-funded schools that admit students above the age of 11 on the basis of selection criteria, usually academic.
3	Secondary modern school/high school	Secondary modern schools are DfE-registered non-selective schools that recruit students above the age of 11 from the same neighbourhood as a grammar school.
4	Independent or private school including city technology colleges (CTCs)	Independent schools, also referred to as private schools, are DfE-registered but are not maintained by a local authority or are not non-maintained special schools, and at which full-time education is provided (a) for five or more pupils of compulsory school age or (b) for at least one pupil of that age who is looked after by a local authority (within the meaning of section 22 of the Children Act 1989) or has a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan. Independent establishments that are not DfE-registered should use the ‘Other’ category (code 8).
5	Further education establishment	Further education establishments are DfE-registered and state-funded, offering study after secondary education that’s not part of higher education (that is, not taken as part of an undergraduate or graduate degree).
6	Sixth form college	Sixth form colleges are DfE-registered and state funded, offering qualifications to students between the ages of 16 and 19, typically to allow them to progress to higher education.
7	Tertiary college	No longer in use. Centres that have previously used this category should select the ‘Further Education establishment’ category (code 5).
8	Other	This should be used by establishments for which the other categories do not apply. This includes, but is not exclusive to, PRUs, prison/hospital schools, language schools, tutorials centres, higher education institutions, distance learning providers providing part-time teaching only and private examination centres accepting private candidates who they have not taught. Please note that all non-DfE registered centres should use this category.
9	Academies	Academies are DfE-registered and receive funding directly from the government and are run by an academy trust. Academies do not charge fees.

2nd digit – how your centre is funded

2nd digit	Nature of control or government funding	Guidance
0	Other	For example, training centre with mixed public and private funding – excluding Learning and Skills Council (LSC).
1	Maintained	Schools or colleges owned and wholly funded by the local authority including former grant-maintained schools which are now community schools; adult education centre on local authority premises.
2	Independent	Including all independently administered schools and colleges (other than CTCs); training centres receiving no public funding.
3	Aided/ special agreement	Voluntary school where the local authority pays only for internal maintenance and running costs, including former grant-maintained schools which are now voluntary aided.
4	Controlled	Voluntary school where the local authority pays all the costs, including former grant-maintained schools which are now voluntary controlled. Also includes academies.
5	HM Government	For example, HM Prison, HMYOI, HM Forces, training centre wholly funded by a government department.
6	CTC	City technology colleges.
7	Foundation state	Including former grant-maintained schools.
8	Higher education	Including university departments.
9	Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA)	College or training centre wholly or partly funded by the ESFA.

3rd digit – age range of students

	Minimum age	Maximum age
0	Under 11	16
1	9/10/11	13/14
2	11/12	16
3	11/12	18/19
4	13/14	16
5	13/14	18/19
6	16	18/19
7	16	Adult
8	Under 11	18/19
9	Age range not listed above, including over 19

If the majority of students are of school age, use codes 0 to 6 or 8, not 9. If an adult education centre uses the associated school’s national centre number, please only enter the school’s age range.

Please note these are only examples.

Code	1st digit	2nd digit	3rd digit
112	Secondary comprehensive	Maintained school	11–16
827	Language school	Privately owned	16–adult
420	Independent school	Independently funded	4–16
696	Sixth form college	LSC	16–18/19
897	Mixed funding adult education	LSC	16–adult
817	Adult education on LEA premises	Maintained	16–adult
812	PRU	Maintained	11–16
807	Training centre	Mixed funding excluding LSC	16–adult

The exam type indicator contains up to four letters which show which type of exams your centre offers. The codes are as follows:

G	GCSE examinations
A	AS and A Level examinations
V	Vocational qualifications
O	Any other type of examination, test or assessment

Please check your code. If you have any changes to make (or there is no code), enter your full code on the update. For example:

• If your code is given as GO and you also offer A Level or AS Level examinations, enter GAO. 
• If your code is given as GAO but you do not enter GCSE examinations, enter AO.

‘Centre name’ field is the name by which the centre is officially known. If the name is longer than 35 characters, please use the ‘Centre name cont.’ field as well (maximum 30 characters). 

If the centre name is longer than both ‘Centre name’ and ‘Centre name cont.’, please abbreviate the centre name as you would like it to appear.

‘Centre name’ (and ‘Centre name cont.’ if required) may be used as the centre name on certificates. If this is inappropriate, please contact the relevant awarding body directly. 

Some awarding bodies use a ‘short name’ for administrative documents which gives the town name first. This should not be used or confused as the official title of your school/college. If you have any queries about this, please contact the relevant awarding body.

You must make sure your centre’s postal address is correct. You can verify your centre’s details using the Royal Mail postcode finder service. Incorrect address details may result in important assessment materials despatches being lost or delayed. Your address must be provided in the following format:

• 1st line of address – 30 characters maximum
  
• 2nd line of address – 30 characters maximum
• Town
• County
• Postcode – If your centre has more than one postcode, please give the one relating to the member of staff responsible for examination materials, e.g. the exams officer.

 If your address is longer than this please advise how you wish the address to be abbreviated. 

Two telephone numbers can be provided but they must be landline telephone numbers and not mobile numbers. Please make sure the number of the main office/switchboard is entered first, followed by the number for the exams office.

Please provide a contact email address for communications – this must be the email address of the person or team responsible for the administration of exams. Personal email addresses such as ‘yahoo’, ‘hotmail’ and ‘gmail’ are not acceptable. Note: If this is a shared email account, it must not be used to access awarding body secure websites. 

Email is now used as the main communication method between awarding bodies and centres, so it is vital this email address is valid, checked regularly and kept up to date.

This identifies the title of the person to whom exams and assessment correspondence should be addressed, e.g. Exams Officer. Up to 20 characters are available. Personal names must not be used.

We will also ask you to provide the name and email address of your head of centre. Their details will be held on file and shared with the other awarding bodies and we will use this to send the annual Head of Centre declaration survey.