For local authorities
Information for local authority home education teams
Lift College provides online GCSE, A Level, International GCSE and International A Level teaching for home-educated learners from age 14, with a named UK tutor for each subject.
For officers adding Lift College to a list of online providers. Everything on this page is also in the summary.
- From age 14, no upper age limit
- The parent or guardian holds the account
- Exams sat as a private candidate at approved centres
- Monthly per subject, no contract
Exams with
What Lift College is, and is not
Lift College is an online college. It provides the taught course: the specification, lessons, marked work and a named UK tutor. It is not a school and it is not an exam board. Learners sit their exams as private candidates at approved exam centres. On the +Exams option, Lift College enters the learner and books the seat at a Tutors & Exams centre; on the Study option, the family books with a centre of their choice.
Lift College is
- An online provider of taught GCSE, A Level, International GCSE and International A Level courses
- A named UK tutor per subject, with written feedback on marked work
- A registered company (Lift College Limited) on the UK Register of Learning Providers
Lift College is not
- A school: learners are not on a school roll with Lift College
- An exam board: the qualifications are set and awarded by AQA, WJEC Eduqas and Pearson Edexcel
- An exam centre: exams are sat at approved centres, not online
Facts for your directory
Everything a provider listing needs, in one place
Copy the entry as plain text, or download the one-page summary to file with your list of online providers.
- Provider name
- Lift College (Lift College Limited)
- Ages
- From 14, with no upper age limit. Under 18s enrol with a parent or guardian, who holds the account.
- Qualifications and awarding bodies
- GCSE and A Level (AQA; WJEC Eduqas for Film Studies). International GCSE and International A Level (Pearson Edexcel).
- How teaching works
- Online and self-paced, one subject at a time. No live classes. A named UK tutor marks work and gives written feedback, with marked work back in 5 to 7 working days.
- Exam arrangements
- Learners sit exams as private candidates. On +Exams, Lift College enters the learner and books the seat at one of 10 Tutors & Exams centres in England (Birmingham, Bolton, Coventry, Doncaster, High Wycombe, Mitcham, Newcastle, Romford, St Neots and Taunton; Doncaster is not approved for International A Levels). On Study, the family books with a centre of their choice.
- Access arrangements
- Extra time, a reader or scribe, rest breaks or a separate room are arranged by Tutors & Exams' in-house SEN team, on evidence of the learner's normal way of working. No school SENCo is needed.
- Cost model
- A monthly price per subject, no course fee and no contract. 7-day free trial, then a 14-day money back guarantee on every payment. On +Exams the exam entry and centre fee are included; on Study the family pays the centre directly.
- Parent portal
- Parents and guardians see each child's progress, marks and tutor feedback, agree a weekly study plan and choose email alerts.
- Ofqual status
- GCSEs and A Levels are Ofqual-regulated qualifications. International GCSEs and International A Levels are awarded by Pearson Edexcel and are not on the Ofqual register.
- Company
- Lift College Limited, company no. 17337303. UKPRN 10102267.
- Registered office
- Lift College Limited, Unit 3 E/F Suffolk House Business Park, Ashwells Road, Brentwood, Essex CM15 9SG
Families can see the courses and start a 7-day free trial on our home education page.
Working with your team
Confirming a learner’s enrolment, with the parent’s consent
Home education is arranged by parents, and the parent or guardian holds the Lift College account for a learner under 18. We share information about a learner with a council only with that parent’s consent.
The parent gives consent
The parent or guardian who holds the account asks us, or agrees in writing, to share information with the named council team.
The council team emails us
Send the learner’s name, the account holder’s name and the details you need to info@liftcollege.co.uk, with "Local authority enquiry" as the subject.
We confirm what the account shows
That the learner is enrolled, on which courses, and the study activity and progress recorded on the account: study days, lessons finished and marked work.
Parents can also show officers the parent portal themselves: it lists study days, lessons finished, progress against a target date, and each marked assignment with the tutor’s feedback.
The new law, checked 3 november 2026
The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026
Section 38 of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 (c. 21) inserts new sections into the Education Act 1996 on children not in school, including a duty on councils to keep a register. Two of the new sections concern information:
- Section 436D places duties on parents of a child eligible for the register to inform the council and give it the information set out in the Act, and to keep it up to date.
- Section 436E lets a council, by notice, require a person providing out-of-school education to a child to confirm it and give the child’s name, date of birth and home address, the total time they provide education, and the time provided without a parent actively involved. It applies where the council reasonably believes the education is provided for more than a prescribed amount of time without a parent being actively involved in the tuition or supervision, with the amount set by regulations.
legislation.gov.uk shows section 38 in force only so far as it confers powers to make regulations. The rest comes into force on a day set by regulations, and no date is given there.
Once these provisions are in force, Lift College will respond to information requests from councils made under section 436E.
Sources: Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, section 38 (legislation.gov.uk); Section 78, commencement (legislation.gov.uk)
Safeguarding and data
How learner accounts and data are handled
The parent holds the account
Under 18s enrol with a parent or guardian’s permission and support, and the parent or guardian holds the account.
Families are linked by Lift College
Only Lift College links a child’s account to a family, so nobody can see a learner’s progress just by knowing their email address. The learner can always see who is linked to their account.
Lift College is the data controller
Learner data is handled under UK data protection law, as set out in our privacy notice. We never sell personal data, and share it only where needed to run the service, for example with awarding bodies to register and certificate a qualification.
Access and retention
Access to learner data is limited to staff who need it to support the learner. Account and learning records are kept for the duration of study and for 6 years afterwards, so qualifications can be verified.
Free resources for families
Guides you can share with home-educating families
Free to read, with no account needed.
A free planner for families working out subjects, exam series and timings.
Sitting exams as a private candidateEntry deadlines, centres, fees and results, step by step.
GCSEs at homeHow study and exams work for a home-educated teenager.
The parent portalWhat parents see: progress, marks, tutor feedback and study plans.
The cost of resitting GCSEs in 2026What a GCSE resit costs, and where the money goes.
GCSE exam feesEntry fees, centre fees and what private candidates pay.
Questions from officers
What council teams ask us
Is Lift College a school?
Are the qualifications regulated?
Where do learners sit their exams?
Can you confirm that a learner is enrolled?
Do you take learners under 14?
Are there live lessons?
Contact
Contact the Lift College team
For enquiries from council home education teams, use “Local authority enquiry” as the subject so your email reaches the right person.
Phone
020 4652 5904Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pmRegistered office
Lift College LimitedUnit 3 E/F Suffolk House Business Park, Ashwells Road, Brentwood, Essex CM15 9SGCompany no. 17337303 · UKPRN 10102267