Ages 11–18 · Pearson Edexcel International GCSEs
Real qualifications, taught live online by qualified, subject-specialist teachers, with a named practitioner alongside every learner. We build the offer around young people who have found exams and classrooms hard — so wherever a route can be gentler, we take it.
Our spine is the Pearson Edexcel International GCSE — a globally recognised qualification taken by learners around the world. The first intakes in September 2026 are a Year 9 and a Year 10 cohort, with learners entered when they are ready rather than all at once.
Every course is delivered live online by qualified, subject-specialist teachers — not pre-recorded, and never left to a learner to work through alone.
These International GCSEs are assessed at the end of the course. Where a coursework or portfolio route exists — in English and in Art — we use it to take the weight off the exam hall.
Functional Skills, ASDAN and a Discovery Phase sit alongside, for learners building back towards formal qualifications.
International GCSEs are not regulated by Ofqual. Exam entry fees are charged separately from tuition. We'll always tell you what a route does and doesn't include.
Six Pearson Edexcel International GCSEs, chosen to give a broad, balanced and achievable set of qualifications. Each is shown with its Pearson specification code.
Why it suits NEO: the coursework route lifts much of the exam pressure, and it builds the everyday reading and writing that unlock everything else.
Why it suits NEO: stories are often a way back in, and the coursework route suits learners who freeze in exams but think deeply on the page.
Why it suits NEO: tiered entry means a learner meets maths where they actually are, not where a year group says they should be.
Why it suits NEO: a science rooted in the learner's own body — tangible and relevant, and a strong base for health and care pathways.
Planned for a future intake as our science team grows. Human Biology leads our science offer at launch.
Why it suits NEO: a full qualification earned through making, with no written exam — ideal for learners who express themselves better through their hands than under exam conditions.
Two strands every learner takes part in, woven through the week alongside subjects — because wellbeing and how we relate to the world matter as much as grades.
Age-appropriate, statutory Relationships, Sex and Health Education, delivered with care for learners who have had difficult experiences. It runs as part of our Friday Cornerstones Day, and elements are offered free to the wider parent and learner community.
It isn't a graded qualification — it's part of how NEO keeps young people safe, informed and well.
NEO's own take on staying human in a world of fast-changing technology: understanding intelligence as something deeper than a score — how we see, respond, connect and grow, with people and now with machines. Learners explore emotional grounding online, asking better questions, and engaging ethically with AI. No coding required.
A NEO-branded adaptation of Relating Intelligently, developed by The Novacene (thenovacene.com) and shared under CC BY-NC 4.0.
Not every learner arrives ready for a full GCSE, and that's expected. These routes meet learners where they are and build forward.
Practical, recognised qualifications in English, Maths and Digital Skills — useful in their own right and a confident stepping stone towards GCSE.
Flexible, accredited short courses and programmes that build skills and evidence achievement at a learner's own pace — see our selection below.
For learners not yet ready for formal qualifications — a Cornerstones-led re-engagement phase that rebuilds confidence and the habit of learning.
Flexible, portfolio-based courses delivered through our ASDAN centre membership — most at Entry Level 3 to Level 1, accrediting 10–60 hours of activity. They build confidence and real-world skills alongside GCSEs, can be completed at a learner's own pace with guided at-home tasks, and bank credit towards ASDAN's wider Personal Development Programmes.
10–60 hours · portfolio-based
Caring for animals — from pets at home to farm animals and wildlife — across modules on animal welfare, safety, the law, animals in the media and careers working with animals.
Why it fits: gentle, motivating and doable from home with a learner's own pet — animals are a proven route to calm and connection.
10–60 hours · mapped to the Gatsby Benchmarks
Self-development, exploring careers, considering apprenticeships and higher education, and planning work experience — across seven structured modules.
Why it fits: builds work-readiness and a sense of "what next" at the learner's own pace, with no classroom pressure.
10–60 hours · delivered online
The world behind competitive gaming — building teams and tournaments, health, wellbeing and safety, branding and media, and the careers in a multi-billion-pound industry.
Why it fits: meets many of our learners exactly where their interest already is, and turns screen time into recognised skills.
10–60 hours · portfolio-based
Practical growing and wellbeing — planting, growing food, wildlife, cooking your own produce, and careers in horticulture — across eight modules.
Why it fits: calming and hands-on, naturally suited to guided at-home activity, and a Cornerstones-friendly route to Movement, Nutrition and Reflection.
Up to 60 hours · portfolio-based
Real-world money skills — budgeting, income and spending, planning ahead and making financial choices — across five practical modules.
Why it fits: life skills every young person needs, and an accessible, confidence-building way into applied maths.
80+ modules · mapped to the SEND code of practice
A flexible framework recognising small steps in personal, social, work-related and independent-living skills, built up module by module into a record of real achievement.
Why it fits: meets learners with complex needs exactly where they are, accrediting progress that other qualifications miss.
~120 hours incl. a taught element · England & NI
An independent research project — a 5,000-word dissertation, or an artefact with a report — built around a topic or work placement the learner chooses.
Why it fits: a serious, UCAS-bearing qualification that rewards deep interest and independence — ideal for post-16 learners heading towards university.
Courses awarded by ASDAN, a registered charity and awarding organisation, delivered under ASDAN centre membership. Availability depends on learner readiness and course suitability.
Tell us about your young person and which qualifications might fit, or come to an open event and ask us anything.
Exam entry fees are charged separately from tuition. International GCSEs are globally recognised but are not regulated by Ofqual.