Centre of Excellence review
Updated October 1, 2026 · AcademyCue Editorial Team · Facts checked October 1, 2026
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Our verdict
Centre of Excellence suits readers who want a broad catalogue of CPD accredited courses at a modest monthly figure. Grow Access All costs £16 a month on annual billing, so the year works out at £192 and the printed certificate is a separate extra.
Key facts
- Best for
- A wide CPD accredited course catalogue at a modest monthly figure.
- Price from
- £0 (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Price per month
- £16 (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Price per year
- £192 (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Certificate fee
- £25 (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Free tier
- Yes (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Money-back period
- 14 days (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Platform type
- Subscription (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Number of courses
- from 1,000 (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Graded assessments
- Yes (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Offline downloads
- Yes (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Team plan
- Yes (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Markets
- GB, IM, JE, GG, IE, AT, BE, BG, HR, CZ, DK, EE, FI, FR, DE, GR, HU, IT, LV, LT, LU, NL, PL, PT, RO, SK, SI, ES, SE, NO, CH, IS, GI, CA, US, HK, AU, AL, JP, NZ, AE (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Legal entity
- CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE ONLINE LIMITED (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Headquarters
- United Kingdom (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Founded
- 2012 (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Support channels
- Chat, Email, Community (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Subjects
- Business, Creative, Humanities, Languages, Science
- Certificate types
- Completion
- Credit recognition
- Cpd
- Official website
- centreofexcellence.com
Certifications
- Certification type
- Coaching (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Price from
- £0 (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Course hours
- 150 hours (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Tutor support
- Yes (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Money-back period
- 14 days (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Markets
- GB, IM, JE, GG, IE, AT, BE, BG, HR, CZ, DK, EE, FI, FR, DE, GR, HU, IT, LV, LT, LU, NL, PL, PT, RO, SK, SI, ES, SE, NO, CH, IS, GI, CA, US, HK, AU, AL, JP, NZ, AE (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Legal entity
- CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE ONLINE LIMITED (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Headquarters
- United Kingdom (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Founded
- 2012 (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Support channels
- Chat, Email, Community (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Delivery
- Online
Apps and profiles
- Get the app
- Google Play
- Elsewhere
- TrustpilotLinkedInXfacebook.com
Pros and cons
Pros
- Grow Access All membership costs £16 a month, billed as £192 for the year.
- Tutor support runs in real time, and audio courses can be downloaded for listening away from a connection.
- A free course comes with sign-up, and a team plan is available for organisations buying for staff.
Cons
- Grow Access All is billed as £192 for the year, so joining means committing to the full year rather than a rolling month.
- A professionally printed certificate costs £25 plus postage, which is extra on top of the membership.
- Refunds on digital and audio courses are limited to 14 days, so browse before you buy.
Who it suits
- Readers who want flexible study across a desktop, tablet or mobile.
- Learners who want a membership covering many subjects in one payment.
- Organisations that want a team plan for staff learning.
Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone who wants to pay month to month and stop whenever, since Grow Access All bills £192 for the year.
- Buyers who expect a printed certificate in the course price, since printing one costs £25 plus postage.
- People who want long essay writing, since assessment uses short answers, long answers and multiple choice.
Plans and prices
Grow Access All membership is the paid route in, priced at £16 a month, and that monthly figure is paired with £192 for the year. The month rate is a way of presenting the annual sum, so the commitment is £192 at the point of joining rather than a rolling payment you can end any time. What that covers is the full catalogue and the audio library. One charge sits outside it: a professionally printed copy of the certificate costs £25 plus postage, while the downloadable certificate comes with the course.
Core features
Signing up brings a free diploma course, which is the low cost way to judge the material before joining. Course work is assessed through short answers, long answers and multiple choice, with essay writing kept light. Audio courses sit in your account and can be downloaded for listening away from a connection. Digital and audio courses can be exchanged or refunded within 14 days, and a team plan is available for organisations buying for staff.
The company behind it
Behind the platform sits CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE ONLINE LIMITED, registered in England and Wales and based in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 2012 and has run on the same footing since, selling courses to learners well beyond its home market. Delivery is international, and the terms list shipping for 41 countries including the United Kingdom, Isle of Man and Jersey. Day to day help comes through live chat, email and a members' community.
How Centre of Excellence compares
9.1 vs 9.0
Centre of Excellence vs Future Skills Academy9.1 vs 8.8
9.1 vs 8.6
9.1 vs 9.1
9.1 vs 8.7
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Centre of Excellence course cost?+
The paid route in is the Grow Access All membership, shown at £16 a month with £192 for the year. That monthly figure is a way of presenting the annual sum, so the charge is the full £192 when you join rather than a smaller sum at the start.
Is there a free option before paying?+
Yes. Signing up brings a free diploma course, which is a quick way to see how the material is written before you commit to the £192 annual membership. The paid membership adds the wider course list and the audio library.
What if a course is not right, can I get a refund?+
Digital and audio courses can be exchanged or refunded within 14 days under the company policy. The window is short enough that readers who browse a course briefly should look at the content before buying.
Do I get a printed certificate?+
You can download your certificate when you finish a course, and order a professionally printed version for £25 plus postage. The printed copy is therefore an extra on top of the membership rather than something included in the course price.
How much study time does a course involve?+
Study time is set per course, and the life coaching diploma lists 150 hours of online tuition. That figure belongs to that diploma, so readers shopping a different subject should expect the hours to differ from course to course.
How are the courses assessed?+
Assessment is a mix of short answers, long answers and multiple choice, with essay writing kept light. That format sits across a catalogue of more than at least 1,000 courses, so there is no extended written paper waiting at the end of a course.
Can I study on a phone or tablet?+
Courses run online and the same material opens on a desktop, tablet or mobile. Audio courses can be downloaded into your account and listened to away from a connection, and access to both sits under one subscription payment.
Who is behind Centre of Excellence?+
Courses are sold by CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE ONLINE LIMITED, a company registered in England and Wales and based in the United Kingdom. The business was founded in 2012 and has traded since under the Centre of Excellence name.
Sources
- centreofexcellence.com checked October 1, 2026
Backs: Credit recognition, Free tier, Price per year, Team plan
“Access 1,000+ CPD accredited courses, audio learning and exclusive member benefits.”
- centreofexcellence.com/about checked October 1, 2026
Backs: Founded
“We were founded by Sara Lou-Ann Jones in 2012 to bring affordable, accessible education to the world”
- centreofexcellence.com/contact checked October 1, 2026
Backs: Support channels
“please use our support widget, located in the bottom right corner of every page ... contact our friendly course advisors by email”
- centreofexcellence.com/faqs checked October 1, 2026
Backs: Graded assessments, Certificate fee, Certificate types, Offline downloads
“The assessments are a mixture of short, long and multiple choice answers, there is no long essay writing.”
- centreofexcellence.com/grow checked October 1, 2026
Backs: Platform type, Price per month
“Grow Access All Membership. All courses. All audio. One membership.”
- centreofexcellence.com/shop checked October 1, 2026
Backs: Number of courses, Subjects
“With over 1,000 different flexible courses to choose from”
- centreofexcellence.com/shop/free-courses checked October 1, 2026
Backs: Price from
“Bullying Awareness Diploma Course, 10 Modules, £0.00 (Free courses category)”
- centreofexcellence.com/shop/life-coaching-course checked October 1, 2026
Backs: Certification type, Course hours, Delivery, Tutor support
“Life Coaching Diploma Course | 150 Hours of Online Tuition”
- centreofexcellence.com/terms-conditions checked October 1, 2026
Backs: Headquarters, Legal entity, Markets, Money-back period
“Our registered office is F8 & F9 Cheadle Place, Stockport Road, Cheadle, Cheshire. SK8 2GL”
Compiled from 9 source pages, checked October 1, 2026. We did not open an account.
Related by the facts
Centre of Excellence
A wide CPD accredited course catalogue at a modest monthly figure.