Exams officers within member centres of The Exams Office, have exclusive access to a free-to-attend* National Exams Officer Conference

 

The Exams Office National Exams Officer Conferences are the only events attended by key exams stakeholders such as the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), Ofqual and the major awarding bodies. The events are held at locations across England during January and February each year.

Conference content is tailored specifically to meet the needs of exams officers and supporting members in carrying out their everyday roles. The benefits of attendance include:

  • networking opportunities
  • presentations from high quality, experienced speakers
  • informative and interactive workshops
  • practical advice, hints and tips
  • acquiring the latest awarding body/JCQ information and updates to prepare you for the summer exam series and beyond

Conference format and content includes keynote speeches, presentations and workshops from experts in the field of exams administration and management, with a focus on guidance and good practice hints and tips.

Delegates select the workshops they would like to attend via the online booking form. Refreshments, along with a buffet lunch, are provided at each event. Each year, a range of exams-related exhibitors also attend.

 

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

*One free place per member centre is available on a first come, first served basis. Please note that only those with an up-to-date paid membership with The Exams Office at the time of booking and at the time of the event will be eligible for a free place. The booking window will close once all places are taken at each event.

Please note: As set out at the time of booking, any cancellations made within 14 days of the conference date will be subject to a £50.00+VAT administration fee. At this stage, delegate numbers will have been agreed with the venues and will be chargeable. An invoice will be raised and sent for prompt payment. Only in exceptional circumstances, and with supporting evidence, will this fee be waived.

National Exams Officer Conferences 2025

 

Date Location Venue Booking status
Thursday 23 January 2025 Leeds The Queens Hotel, New Station Street City Square, Leeds LS1 1PJ Capacity reached – Event closed
Tuesday 28 January 2025 Bristol Ashton Gate Stadium, Ashton Rd, Bristol BS3 2EJ Capacity reached – Waitlist open
Thursday 30 January 2025 London Wembley Stadium (Bobby Moore & Wembley Suites), Wembley Park, Wembley HA9 0WS Capacity reached – Event closed
Monday 3 February 2025 Manchester Emirates Old Trafford, Lancashire Cricket Club (The Point & 1864 suites), Talbot Rd, Old Trafford, Stretford, Manchester M16 0PX Book now via the Hub
Friday 7 February 2025 Coventry Coventry Building Society Arena, Judds Lane, Coventry CV6 6AQ Capacity reached – Waitlist open

 

Booking window

The booking portal for our 2025 conferences opens on 1 November 2024 and will remain open until 29 November or until capacity is reached at each venue – whichever is earlier

In case of query, email conference@theexamsoffice.com

 

Event format

Indicative timings for each conference are:

  • 8.00 onwards: Registration and refreshments
  • 9.00: Welcome & introductions
  • 9.15: TEO/NAEO update
  • 9.30: Keynote speech (Ofqual: Safe delivery of exams and assessments or JCQ: Key updates)
  • 10.00: Workshop 1
  • 10.55: Break
  • 11.25: Workshop 2
  • 12.20: Workshop 3
  • 1.15: Lunch
  • 2.00: Workshop 4
  • 2.55: Break
  • 3.10: Keynote speech (Ofqual: Safe delivery of exams and assessments or JCQ: Key updates)
  • 3.40: Prize draw
  • 4.00: Close

Keynote speeches

Please note that:

  • Ofqual will be delivering their keynote speech (Safe delivery of exams and assessments) during the 9.30-10.00 session at the London, Coventry and Manchester conferences and the 3.10-3.40 session at the Leeds and Bristol conferences
  • JCQ will be delivering their keynote speech (Key updates) during the 9.30-10.00 session at the Leeds and Bristol conferences and the 3.10-3.40 session at the London, Coventry and Manchester conferences

 

Workshops

The following organisations will be delivering workshops at the 2025 conferences:

OCR – Special consideration: Your role and best practice – This session will provide guidance on the special consideration process. We’ll highlight some of the common errors we see and provide examples of good practice and hints and tips to support your management of special consideration. Colleagues from our Special Requirements Team will be on hand to help answer your questions.

TEO – The Exams Office Hub: A ‘how to’ session on navigating the hub and accessing key resources – A demonstration by system navigation experts from The Exams Office of how to effectively use the tools within The Exams Office Hub: The Policy Generator Tool, online Exams Officer and Invigilator training and assessment modules, Exams Timetable Tool, Key Dates Calendar Tool, interactive online calendar, and support for new exams officers. There will also be a sneak preview for delegates of new developments for 2025.

TEO – Dealing with requests for toilet breaks, sleeping candidates and other irregularities – A session which considers some of the areas which an exams officer may address with their invigilators during the annual update meeting. Largely focusing upon irregularities, Jugjit Chima, will take delegates through a range of scenarios which are not directly covered in the JCQ regulations.

AQA – Safeguarding and Contingency Planning – This session will provide information on Safeguarding, including an activity which brings the information to life. Also, activity-based guidance on contingency planning will be covered during this session.

JCQ – A journey through the inspection maze using ’ICE ‘ as your guide – This session will provide guidance on the latest updates to the JCQ Instructions for Conducting Examinations and the JCQ General Regulations. We will talk you through the inspection process and highlight some of the common findings from summer and autumn 2024 inspections.  We will also provide you an opportunity to ask the Centre Inspection Service team and Nick Lait any questions relating to the ICE booklet and the inspection process.

Pearson – Navigating Exam Excellence: Key Dates, Security, and Tools for Success – This workshop covers the following areas relating to Pearson qualifications:

    • Key dates
    • Security
    • Multi-factor authentication
    • Using the Learner Work Transfer
    • Using Edexcel Online

Delegates can choose from the above and have the opportunity to attend four workshop sessions.

 

Exhibitors

Exhibitors at the 2025 conferences are listed below. This year we welcome Arbor and UCAS – details of other new exhibitors will be released and listed here in November.

Awarding organisations

  • AQA
  • OCR
  • Pearson
  • WJEC
  • NCFE
  • Cambridge International Education

Support resources/organisations

  • Arbor
  • Parcelforce Worldwide (yellow label service)
  • Phoenix Safes
  • Scanning Pens
  • Spaceforme
  • Texthelp
  • UCAS
  • Wharton Clocks

 

Virtual Conference 2025

The presentations at one of the conferences will be filmed and made available to all exams officers, and senior leaders, to view as part of our Virtual Conference 2025.

 

How do I book my place?

Centre administrators, or exams officers, with an active account in The Exams Office Hub can book a conference place. This can be done by logging in to your dashboard.

To book your place:

  • Log into The Exams Office Hub https://teohub.theexamsoffice.org/
  • Select ‘Book Conference Place’ from the menu on the left-hand side
  • Complete the booking form:
    • Check ‘Your Details’
    • Select each of your four ‘Workshops’
    • Add/update any additional dietary or disability support requirements you may have and click update to record the information
    • Once you have read and understand the booking terms, tick the box to accept ‘Booking Terms’ (The full Terms and Conditions are also shown above)
  • Click Submit
  • An email confirmation will be sent to the address registered within the hub (check your spam/junk if the confirmation is not immediately received to your inbox)
  • Confirmation of your booking will also appear within the ‘Conference Attendance’ area which can be found in the left-hand menu of your dashboard. You will see a ‘ticket’ icon under ‘Attendance’. From here you can also cancel or amend your booking (see below)

Please note that:

  • Only one free place is offered per member centre
  • Only the Centre Admin, or an exams officer, for your centre account within The Exams Office Hub can book a place

 

How do I cancel my place or amend the delegate who will be attending?

To cancel your place:

  • Select ‘Conference Attendance’ from the menu on the left-hand side of your dashboard
  • Select the ‘Cancel’ icon under ‘Action’
  • Select ‘Confirm Cancellation’

An email will be immediately sent to confirm the cancellation.

Please note that if a cancellation is made within 14 days of the conference date, a £50+VAT administration fee will be charged

To change the name of the attendee:

  • Select ‘Conference Attendance’ from the menu on the left-hand side of your dashboard
  • Select the ‘Change User’ icon under ‘Action’
  • From the dropdown, select the name of the individual who will be attending instead, click ‘Submit’

An email will be immediately sent to both the original attendee (cancelling their booking) and the new attendee (confirming their booking).

To change the conference you want to attend:

  • Cancel your place (see instructions above)
  • Rebook a new place at the new conference location
  • Follow the instructions above ‘To book your place’

Please note a conference venue cannot be changed to a venue that has become fully booked or once the booking window has closed

 

Can I book an additional (paid) place?

Yes, a very limited number of places are reserved at each conference for centres who wish to send an additional member of staff to one of the conferences.

Please note, a Purchase Order Number (PO Number) will be required at the time of booking.

Additional places are charged at £250+VAT.

Subject to availability, to book a second or more place, please take action as follows:

Places can only be booked for a user registered on The Exams Office Hub, if not registered the user must be added. Your centre administrator should add the new user before proceeding to book/request a place:

To book, you can either book in the Hub or email:

  • To book in the Hub: the exams officer who wants to attend the conference must log into the Hub to book. From here, follow the ‘How do I book my place’ instructions above and have a PO number to hand as this is a mandatory entry to book an additional paid place(s)
  • To book by email: email conference@theexamsoffice.com with all the booking information required (listed below) to confirm the additional place(s). Information to be provided per additional delegate:
    • Delegate name
    • Centre name
    • Centre number
    • Four Workshop choices – see ‘Workshops’ above
    • Dietary requirements
    • Special need requirements
    • PO Number – You must provide this in your email request or we cannot process an additional paid place booking
    • Confirm your acceptance of our Terms and Conditions – see above for full details. Cancellations made within 14 days of a conference date will incur a £50+VAT administration fee

Once the additional booking is confirmed, an email confirmation will be sent to the address registered within the Hub (check your spam/junk if the confirmation is not immediately received to inbox).

Please note that invoices for paid places must be paid before the date of the conference.

 

How long have I got to book my place?

The booking window for 2025 conferences will remain open until capacity is reached at each venue.

 

Waitlist Places – Add to Waitlist

Once a conference reaches capacity it may be possible to be added to a waitlist.

A waitlist place will open in the event of delegate cancellation or similar. To add to a waitlist, your request must be submitted in The Exams Office Hub, by selecting ‘Book Conference Place’ from the left-hand side menu and selecting ‘Add to Waitlist’.

Should a confirmed conference place become available, the delegate will receive a confirmation email before the conference date. Once place is confirmed, workshop choices and dietary requirements can be selected.

It should be noted that adding to a waitlist does not guarantee a conference place and, therefore, we would strongly recommend you ‘Book Now ‘ at an alternative event not waitlist. To guarantee your attendance at the National Exams Officer Conferences 2025 please choose a location/date that is available to Book Now.  Details and status of all events can be found in The Exams Office Hub, choose Book Conference Place from the menu.

 

Will you be sending a delegate letter ahead of my attendance at a conference?

Delegate letters for each conference/venue will be added to this page during December 2024.

An email will be sent to all confirmed delegates at least 21 days before each conference to signpost to the delegate letter, and to provide a final opportunity to cancel your place without incurring a cancellation fee. (Please note that cancellations made within 14 days of a conference date will incur a £50+VAT administration fee).