A school must be registered as a Cambridge centre before it can offer Cambridge qualifications and present students for Cambridge examinations. Two types of registration are possible for New Zealand schools (see below). As part of both registration processes, applicant schools must undergo an inspection which concentrates primarily on the security of Question Papers and available resources such as laboratories, suitable rooms for examinations and a library.
Cambridge International Centre: These schools fulfil the three functions of an examination centre (administration, security and payment). An annual registration fee is payable but this is waived if the centre has generated more than £7500 in examination entries (approximately 180x IGCSE subject entries) in the previous year. Cambridge International Centres communicate directly with the Cambridge office in the United Kingdom and they also have access to the Cambridge logo for marketing purposes.
Cambridge Attached Centre: Alternatively, schools may be attached to the ACSNZ. Attached Centres teach the curriculum and host students for Cambridge examinations but all communication with the Cambridge office in the United Kingdom is undertaken via the ACSNZ or Cambridge’s in-country Senior Schools Development Manager. An annual fee of £? is charged by ACSNZ to cover administrative costs. The attached centre status is designed to allow schools to trial Cambridge and it is expected that all attached schools will eventually graduate to Cambridge International Centre status.
Deciding whether to register as a CIC or an Attached Centre: This will probably depend on the number of students your school initially wishes to enter. Most schools choose to start as an attached centre and then graduate to a full Cambridge International Centre status within a short period of time.